dissolving Fumidil B

Dissolving fumidil B (fumagillin) in the past has proved a nightmare so i was wondering if adding a lecithin extract to fumidil powder before adding to the syrup would help dissolve the powder and not stop the fumidil b from working

or do i just use Vitafeed gold in a syrup drip on the bees


some i can get to every two days to drip, others that are further away will have to have fumidil B anyway as i cannot visit 3 times a week

or what your technique for getting the girls to drink the fumidil B treated syrup

75% of my hives heavily infect with nosema , and therefore likely also the four beginners nucs I split off (so i feel duty bound to treat them as well for free)

A good way to mix fumidil b is place the required amount of fumidil in a mortar,add a bit of icing sugar, and mix the two powders,then add a small amount of warm syrup at a time, mixing with the pestle,then add to the bulk of your syrup,wash the mortar out with the same syrup,this will give you complete mixing of fumidil.

I used a similar technique as per hivemaker, dissolved much better than just sticking it in a big tub of warm syrup.
Buzz

Hivemaker. said:

A good way to mix fumidil b is place the required amount of fumidil in a mortar,add a bit of icing sugar, and mix the two powders,then add a small amount of warm syrup at a time, mixing with the pestle,then add to the bulk of your syrup,wash the mortar out with the same syrup,this will give you complete mixing of fumidil.

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Thanks for the tip HM. I've never used fumidil b but intend to add it to syrup when I feed for winter.

If I put fumidil b in the syrup, is it a good idea to add Thymol as well, or should I not add both together?

Thanks Hivemaker and BuzzL, it worked a treat, now all i have to do is convince the bees to eat it

Does Fumidil B kill off ceranae as well as apis?

PeterS said:

Does Fumidil B kill off ceranae as well as apis?

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Apparently,according to the manufacturer,but after reading BEE-L it does not seem to be so certain that it's as effective with ceranae,as it is with Apis.

Am just about to do this as the Bee Inspector thinks this would help by failing to thrive hive--Oh yes and requeening --help!

PeterS said:

Does Fumidil B kill off ceranae as well as apis?

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Fumidil-B doesn't kill off nosema, it is a prophylactic.

It works by preventing the nosema spores from breaching the bees gut wall, where the spores then fruit/multiply and pass out of the bee in it's fecal matter. The fumidil-B essentially acts as a pass through agent, so that the bees are not as affected and the nosema doesn't multiply as fast as it might otherwise.

Thymol on the other hand disrupts the spores and causes them to die.

If you doubt what I say, go to the Beebase site and read the literature.

The relative costs of the two products on a per hive basis speak for themselves. A pennyworth of of prevention (thymol) is worth more than a pound's worth of prohpylactic in my book.