Honey Bee Healthy Recipe
(this is a concentrate, 1-2 Tablespoons are to be added to a gallon of 1:1 or 2:1 sugar syrup)
Ingredients needed-
1 cup boiling water 1 cup honey (You can substitute sugar/water in a 1:1 mixture. Just make sure the water is not boiling when you add the sugar because caramelized/burnt sugar will make the bees sick) 1 cup ice 0.5 oz. lemongrass essential oil * 0.5 oz. spearmint or wintergreen essential oil* 0.5 oz. lavender essential oil* (optional, varroa Mites don't like lavender))
3 lecithin capsules or one cap full of liquid lecithin* 1-2 drops liquid dish soap
*can purchase oils and Lecithin at health food store, .05 oz = 1 Tablespoon
Combine in one cup of boiling water, 1 cup of honey, 1/4 teaspoon of lecithin granules or one cap full if liquid and mix it in the blender.
After mixing completely for 1-2 minutes add one cup of ice to cool it to room temp. Put blender on low setting. Add One-half ounce each of wintergreen or spearmint essential oil, lemongrass essential oil. (I add .5 ounce Lavender essential oil as well, but this is optional) Add the oils while mixing until you have a yellow milky looking mix. Add 1-2 drops of liquid dish soap and mix for 15 more seconds. The Lecithin and soap are both emulsifiers and will help keep the oils suspended in the water. Add addition water to make up any difference a total pf one quart. (approx. 1/4 cup)
Mix one or two tablespoons to a gallon of 1:1 or 2:1 syrup before feeding syrup to your bees. There has been some evidence that lavender oil is very offensive to Varroa Mites. You may want to add some to your blend. It won’t hurt and it might help!