Mountain Beekeepers Association
Recipes
The recipies below have been passed around at club meetings or in newsletters over the last few years. If you are looking for cooking recipies, the National Honey Board has a good number here.
Feeding Stimulant with Essential Oils
The following produces a feeding stimulant similar to Honey B Healthy® Original.- 5 cups water
- 21/2 lbs of sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon lecithin granules (used as an emulsifier)
- 15 drops spearmint oil
- 15 drops lemongrass oil
Pour all ingredients into a blender and mix until completely emulsified and doesn't
separate (several minutes).
Add 1 teaspoon per 1 quart 1:1 syrup.
Refrigerate in an air-tight container.
Add 1 teaspoon per 1 quart 1:1 syrup.
Refrigerate in an air-tight container.
Propolis Tincture
Propolis extract is made by dissolving propolis collected from honey bee colonies into alcohol and straining out the precipitate.The best alcohol to use is 70% ethyl alcohol (also known as grain alcohol or Everclear). This would allow the tincture to be used internally or externally. You can use rubbing alcohol if the tincture will be used externally only.
Propolis Extract Procedure
- Collect propolis from the bee hive. The propolis should be clean and free of wax, paint, wood etc. The propolis should be in small pieces. The smaller the better but no larger than a marble.
- Determine the percentage propolis you want to extract. It is not recommended that concentrations higher than 30% be extracted. If you require a higher percentage, make a 30% extract and concentrate it as described below.
- Place the proper amount of alcohol and propolis (see chart below) into a container and seal the top. Shake and store in a warm dark place. I put it in a brown bag on the counter.
- Two or three times per day shake the container and return to warm dark place. Continue this for 2 weeks.
- Filter the liquid through a coffee filter. The liquid is now ready for use.
| Tincture Strength | 100% Alcohol | Propolis | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| grams | or | ml | grams | |
| 10% | 900 | 1146 | 100 | |
| 20% | 800 | 1019 | 200 | |
| 30% | 700 | 892 | 300 |
| Tincture Strength | 70% Alcohol | Propolis | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| grams | or | ml | grams | |
| 10% | 900 | 1073 | 100 | |
| 20% | 800 | 953 | 200 | |
| 30% | 700 | 834 | 300 |
Propolis Tincture Concentration Procedure
- Make extract as above to a known percent. Find the percent you made above in column 1 in the chart below. Then in column 2 find the desired percent propolis.
Follow across to column 3 to find the amount of extract to evaporate - Let the container set with the cover off until the correct amount is evaporated off. You can hurry it along by warming it up. Be careful because alcohol is flammable.
| Start Extract % | Desired Extract % | % Volume to Reduce |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | 20% | 50% |
| 10% | 30% | 66.7% |
| 10% | 40% | 75% |
| 20% | 30% | 33.4% |
| 20% | 40% | 50% |
| 30% | 40% | 25% |
Propolis Salve (3%)
- Start by making a 30% extract. (See above.)
- Mix 1 part extract with 9 parts petroleum jelly by weight. Start with extract and slowly mix in the petroleum jelly. You can liquefy the jelly by heating in a double boiler but you must continue to stir until it solidifies or the propolis will settle to the bottom.
| oz. petroleum jelly | oz. propolis extract (30%) | teaspoons propolis extract |
|---|---|---|
| 1.75 | 0.19444 | 1.5 |
| 3.75 | 0.41667 | 3 |
| 7.5 | 0.83333 | 6 |
| 13 | 1.44444 | 10.25 |
Pollen Substitute
This general recipe appears on the web in a few places....- 3 parts Soy Flour (Whole Wheat may do in emergency)
- 1 part Brewers Yeast [powder] (from a homebrew store)
- 1 part Fat-Free Dried Milk [powder] (optional)
- Vitamin-C tablets [crushed] (optional)
Mix the powders in a 3 : 1, or 3 : 1 : 1 ratio by weight; e.g., 3 lbs Soy flour plus 1 lb Yeast (plus 1 lb powdered milk, if desired).
Determine the approximate volume.
Add 1 teaspoon vitamin-C per 6 cups of powder mix, if desired.
Place in a hive-top feeder, on top bard or in a field feeder as desired; or convert into a patty (see below).
Determine the approximate volume.
Add 1 teaspoon vitamin-C per 6 cups of powder mix, if desired.
Place in a hive-top feeder, on top bard or in a field feeder as desired; or convert into a patty (see below).
Pollen (Substitute) Patty
To convert the Pollen Substitute into a Pollen Patty...- Pollen Substitute (home-made or from a bee supply company)
- 3:1 Heavy Sugar Syrup (2:1 or 1:1 may be used if preferred)
Useful:
- Wax Paper
- Freezer Bags (for storage)
Prepare Dry Mix formulations (see above, or use commercial product).
Prepare heavy syrup of 3 parts sugar to 1 part water, or your preferred ratio.
Slowly add 2 parts of 3:1 syrup to 4-5 parts of dry mix, while kneading, to obtain a dough like texture. If lighter syrup is used, increase dry mix appropriately.
Leave overnight and knead again before flattening into a 1/2 in. (or 1.5 cm) cake.
Cut into squares weighing about 1 lb (0.5 kg) each.
Place on wax paper and cover with another wax paper to prevent drying.
Patties wrapped in wax paper can be stacked in freezer bags and frozen for over a year.
Prepare heavy syrup of 3 parts sugar to 1 part water, or your preferred ratio.
Slowly add 2 parts of 3:1 syrup to 4-5 parts of dry mix, while kneading, to obtain a dough like texture. If lighter syrup is used, increase dry mix appropriately.
Leave overnight and knead again before flattening into a 1/2 in. (or 1.5 cm) cake.
Cut into squares weighing about 1 lb (0.5 kg) each.
Place on wax paper and cover with another wax paper to prevent drying.
Patties wrapped in wax paper can be stacked in freezer bags and frozen for over a year.