Bee Feed & Fondant 

Coming into the Autumn and Winter months you may be considering your options for sustaining your bee colonies. We’ve put together a short guide of our available Bee Feed and Medical Treatments to help you choose the right methods for you. 

HIVEALIVE FONDANT WITH ADDED VITAMINS AND AMINO ACIDS. 

• Added vitamins & amino acids selected for bee health 
• Very fine particle size sugar for enhanced digestion
• Natural active ingredients 
• Only European, non-G MO ingredients  

Packed in handy 1kg bags. Also available in a box of 15 x 1kg.

Benefits of Apipasta: 

• Easy-to-use product, not requiring previous preparation or water to be added. 
• Very good assimilation, especially designed for extraction and ingestion by bees. 
• Product eaten by bees with no residue in the beehive, avoiding that honey may be contaminated by sugars.
• Long-lasting product, which may be preserved for 18 months if stored in normal conditions. 
• Absence of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), toxic substance for bees.
• Possibility of adding vitamins and proteins to the product. 
• Tailor-made to the specific needs of migratory beekeeping.

Apimix is a high-fructose liquid syrup with high fructose content, one of the most valued sugars by bees. The improved high-fructose anti-crystallisation formula prevents crystallisation inside the frame, thereby guaranteeing a food supply inside the hive now even in extremely cold locations and during cold times of the year. 

It contains high levels of vitamins, proteins and essential amino acids, which are necessary to stimulate the beehive brood.

Benefits of Apimix: 

• Ready for direct consumption, not requiring any water.
• It contains high levels of vitamins, proteins and essential amino acids, which are necessary to stimulate the beehive brood.
• High fructose content, with a sugars profile very similar to nectar.
• Prevents crystallization in cold locations thanks to the anti-crystallization formula.
• Appealing product for bees and with the highest hygiene guarantees.

Especially recommended for: 

• Feeding between blooming seasons.
• Spring stimulation.
• Creation of new colonies.
• Suitable for any time of the year because it does not crystallize.

MEDICAL TREATMENTS

This innovative product comes in a 555 ml bottle featuring an integrated application-nozzle and a practical scale for easy dosing. VarroMed® is a ready-to-use product based only on naturally occurring substances with a combination of two active ingredients – Formic acid and Oxalic acid dihydrate. It has received a 0-days withdrawal period and it is suitable for organic beekeeping.  

VarroMed® is indicated for Varroa-treatment in Spring, late Summer / Autumn and Winter - with and without brood - for optimal Varroa control. Especially the Spring indication helps treating Varroosis early in the season in order to avoid critical mite-levels later on. The product is specifically made for bees, ready-and easy-to-use and fast to apply.

Benefits: 

• Weather and temperature independent 
• With and without brood 
• Ready, fast and easy to use, see video: 
• For organic beekeeping 
• No residues in honey 
• Approved for spring and all beekeeping seasons 
• No need for queen caging
• No prescription needed

Apiguard® is a natural treatment to control varroa mite populations in honeybee colonies. Tests show that Apiguard also helps to control tracheal mites / Acarine and chalkbrood. Apiguard is a sophisticated, patented slow release gel that ensures correct dosage of its active ingredient, thymol. Thymol is a naturally occurring substance derived from the plant thyme. Apiguard gel comes in 50g ready-to-use aluminium trays (two will treat one standard colony).

Benefits: 

• Natural product
• Very easy to apply, see video:
• High efficiency against three types of hive pest: varroa mites, trachael mites / Acarine and chalkbrood
• Use against varroa mites resistant to pyrethroids
• No withdrawal time
• No risk to users
• Ideal in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes.

ApiBioxal is an oxalic acid-based mite knock-down treatment developed specifically for honey bees. It can be used for dribbling (solution), sublimation or spraying (on package bees); and can be stored for up to 5 years. It is officially registered by the USDA and approved by the EPA. This means that the formulation has been developed to guarantee: 

• The safety of beekeepers handling ApiBioxal
• Good tolerance of the treatment by the bees
• High standards for hive product consumer protection.

Treating against varroa is necessary to keep honey bee colonies healthy and strong. But, making sure that treatments will not harm consumers of the hive products or the environment is just as important. 

• ApiBioxal should be used when brood levels are very low or nonexistent.
• ApiBioxal is used as a supplementary treatment during the broodless period in winter (late December and Early January).
• Oxalic Acid does not penetrate wax so will not kill mites within capped brood.
• Best used in winter when brood is non-existent.
• Seriously infested colonies may not survive despite proper treatment due to the effects of varroa infestation.
• Treatment should be used within an integrated pest management program with other products and with mite drop regularly monitored.

One single application of Apivar has efficacy of up to 99% and there are no temperature constraints as there are with most other varroa treatments. It can therefore be used at any time of year, although supers must not be on the hives. Apivar can be used during feeding - in fact it is recommended.

Apivar should be used twice in a calendar year. Once during the spring before the bees start collecting nectar and once during the autumn after harvesting. Since Apivar works by contact, strips should be placed in an area where there is peak bee activity and where the Varroa are breeding. The autumn treatment and spring treatment are used for different reasons. The intention of the spring treatment is to eradicate any mite population before the honey season. It is also to ensure the colony stays healthy for maximum honey production. The objective of the autumn treatment is to eliminate the mites before winter bees are born. The autumn treatment is considered more important than the spring treatment because in the winter bees are in an already weakened state. Therefore, the winter treatment gives the colony a better chance of survival during the harsh winter.    

See the official leaflet of usage instructions HERE

New to Donegal Bees, Formic Pro is the next generation in formic acid treatments for mites. Made of all natural materials, this product can be used during the honey flow.

Formic Pro is a fast and easy-to-apply varroa treatment for colonies suffering from varroa. The active ingredient in this treatment is formic acid. It is sold in two, ten or thirty dose boxes (treats two, ten or thirty hives - Donegal Bees currently only have the two dose option). Each box contains packs of two strips which should be separated from each other, but the eco-paper wrap should NOT be removed. This acts as a wick to control the release of formic acid into the hive.

The strips need to be left in the hive for 7 days, after which they should be taken out before any supers are placed back on the hive. Most of the chemical release will happen in the first 3 or 4 days. Initial brood and bee loss can occur, especially of the youngest uncapped brood, in the first four days. A brood break of three days is normal, and studies show that increased egg laying can be noted by day 14 after treatment. Check your mite levels before and after treating.

Formic Pro has a long shelf life of 24 months, making it an ideal option if you don’t need all the strips in the pack at once.