May 27, 2020

Essential Oil Recipes for Beekeeping

Beekeeping has become more and more popular in recent years and many new beekeepers are concerned with maintaining the health of their bees while also having only a positive impact on the environment. Healthy bees are important for the growth and production of the colony, but bees are susceptible to pests and illness just like any other creature. Using essential oils can offer a chemical-free, natural way to safely help protect a bee colony from pest infestations and keep them healthy and happy. Essential oils are potent and should be used cautiously to avoid any harm to the bee colony. It is important to research which oil is going to be best for your hive and how to properly use it.

Here are a few recipes using essential oils for the health and wellness of honey bees...

Grease Patty with Essential Oils

Using essential oils will attract bees, leading the parasitic mites to become trapped on the grease patty.

Ingredients:

1 lb of Solid Vegetable Shortening
3 lbs of White Sugar
5 drops of Lemongrass Essential Oil, Spearmint Essential Oil, or Cornmint Essential Oil

Instructions

Mix shortening and sugar until thoroughly combined, split into 1⁄4 cup portions, and store in the freezer between sheets of wax paper. Remove the frozen patty and add a few drops of essential oils to attract the bees and for overall health.

Multi-Purpose Essential Oil Blend

Ingredients:

5 cups of Water
5 cups of White Sugar
1/8 tsp of Lecithin Granules (emulsifier)
15 drops of Spearmint Essential Oil
15 drops of Lemongrass Essential Oil

Instructions

Bring the water to a simmer and add the sugar, stirring until fully dissolved. Remove it from heat and quickly add lecithin and essential oils. Stir the mixture until everything is combined. You can also use a blender as lecithin granules can sometimes be hard to incorporate. Do not leave the mixture open around bees. Cool completely before use.

Usage:

1 teaspoon per quart of 1:1 simple syrup to stimulate brood rearing, pollen collection, and early spring development.
2 teaspoons per quart of 1:1 simple syrup to improve health or to help against cases of dysentery, chalkbrood, and other stress problems.
4 teaspoons per quart of 1:1 simple syrup when introducing new queens. You may need to lightly drizzle this over the bees if they will not eat it on their own.

Scent Masking Simple Syrup

Spearmint Essential Oil and/or Cornmint Essential Oil can be mixed with 1:1 syrup to mask scents in the hive. The masking syrup can be used for introducing a new queen, when combining two hives, or to deter predators.

Ingredients: