Recipes for the Bees

These recipes are suggestions from members of the Dunn County Beekeepers. Use which you like or alter as needed.

Feeding in the spring helps the colony recover from winter and encourages the queen to start laying eggs. Especially feed a new package until they have established themselves in their hive with honey stores from nectar in the wild. The bees will stop taking 1:1 syrup when there is an adequate supply of spring blossoms out there to satisfy their needs. Here are some recipes. There are several methods to feeding your bees. Do some research and find a method that works for you.

Watch for the dearth in late summer, when there are no flowers blooming. Summer dearth is usually caused by high temperatures, a lack of rainfall, or both.

Autumn is the time for the hive to be filling with winter stores. August is a good time to start feeding the weakest hives. Any nectar and pollen from the fall blossoms will be a bonus. The bees will stop taking syrup when the hive is full or the liquid freezes. Here is a recipe. There are several methods to feeding your bees. Do some research and find a method that works for you. Autumn feeding is 2:1 syrup which starts the hive preparing for winter when the flowers have left for the season. Reducing the hive entrance to its smallest to assist the guard bees in protecting the hive from robbers.

Feeding extra sugar in the winter helps the colony survive here in our northern climate. The winter “candy boards” are a supplement to the honey stores in the hive. There are various methods of feeding candy boards at the top of the hive along with a variety of recipes. Use whichever methods fit your beekeeping tastes. There are numerous ways to do this, and club members have offered their suggested recipes here.

Wasps are particularly troublesome to beekeepers, as they often attack honeybee colonies, carrying off both the honeybees and honey. Wasps, hornets, house flies and moths can be caught in a variety of traps using baits that honeybees are not attracted to. Wasp traps are easy to construct yourself. Many designs are available online. Here is a design suggested by our club members. Strong honeybee colonies will have plentiful guard bees to fend off robbers; therefore, beekeepers should maintain colony health and combine weak hives into fewer strong colonies before they deteriorate to a vulnerable state. Keep colonies strong by keeping Varroa mite levels under control. Restricting the entrance to the hive also plays an important role in helping bees fend off robbers.

Plantain Vinegar

Pack a small/tiny jar with Plantain leaves. Cover with cider vinegar for three weeks. Strain vinegar from the Plantain to spray on bee stings and itchy bug bites.