NOSI-VET – Natural Gut Support for Honeybees

01 · WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT

The line between a feed and a medicine

NOSI-VET is a liquid complementary feed developed at the University of Wroclaw, Poland. It is added to the syrup and given to the colony as part of feeding, like a protein supplement.

If you suspect an intestinal problem in your colonies, the route is a different one: the diagnosis is made in a laboratory, with a spore count on a sample of bees, and the course of action is set by the vet. This product replaces neither of those, and trusting it instead of looking is the most expensive way to lose time.

02 · THE LECITHIN IS NOT FILLER

It is what keeps the oil spread through the syrup

An essential oil and a sugar syrup do not mix: the oil tends to rise and stay on top. Sunflower lecithin is the emulsifier that keeps it dispersed, and it is what makes the dose the same in the first litre and in the last.

That is why the maker's first instruction is to shake the bottle well before use. Unshaken, the distribution is a lottery.

03 · THE DOSE AND HOW FAR IT GOES

3 ml per litre, and the hive count follows

The maker's dose is 3 ml per litre of syrup, sugar or inverted, giving 2 to 5 litres per colony according to its strength. It is served in the afternoon, once flying has finished, so as not to start robbing.

On that arithmetic, the 200 ml bottle makes about 66 litres, enough for 13 to 33 colonies; the 500 ml one makes about 166 litres, 33 to 83 colonies. That is the figure that decides which size to order.

04 · WHEN, AND HOW NOT TO

Forty degrees is the ceiling, and never with supers on

The syrup must not go above 40 °C when mixing: past that the volatile components of the essential oil start to be lost, and those are exactly what you are paying for. It can be given in the feeder, which the maker considers the most effective route, sprayed on the frames or poured between the seams.

It is compatible with protein supplements, but it is not given at the same time as a veterinary medicine. And it is not applied during the honey flow or with production supers on. The maker places the applications in spring and autumn, the autumn one before the winter generation is raised.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Three things to be clear about, and the first one is legal.