AMINO-VET – Amino acids and vitamins for bees

There are moments in the season when your colonies need a push that plain syrup just can’t give. Early spring, when the queen is laying hard but the fields still don’t bring enough pollen. Or that gap between flows, when the colony suddenly slows and you lose momentum right when you need it. That’s where a supplement like AMINO-VET earns its place.

First, what it is, and what it isn’t. AMINO-VET is a liquid complementary feed made to enrich syrup or fondant you are already feeding. It is not a pollen replacement, and it’s not trying to be. When natural pollen is available, nothing beats it. But when pollen is short, or a colony is weakened and you want support without adding extra “processing work”, the liquid format helps deliver nutrients fast with less energy cost than a protein patty.

The formula combines a complete amino acid profile (including essentials like valine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, lysine, threonine, arginine and histidine), a full B-vitamin complex (B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, PP and biotin) and chelated iron. Together they act as nutritional support and a biostimulant, especially useful when pollen is scarce, bee bread is low, or the colony is just coming out of winter, treatments or environmental stress.

About the “cold number” many beekeepers ask for: the product declares 8% crude protein. At the standard rate of 5 ml per litre of syrup, that works out to roughly 0.4 g of crude protein per litre of enriched syrup. And here’s the key: AMINO-VET is not competing with protein patties on bulk protein. For grams of protein, you use pollen and patties. AMINO-VET plays a different role: free amino acids and vitamins that are immediately available, aimed at supporting metabolism and kick-starting a colony when it’s short, or when you don’t want to force a weak colony to process heavy protein feed. You notice it most when you need to “switch the colony back on” and stabilise it, not when you want to replace stores.

When to use it: in three key windows where nutrition changes everything. In spring, when brood build-up runs ahead of pollen availability; between honey flows, to hold population through dearth; and in late-season prep for wintering, when you want well-nourished winter bees. The manufacturer indicates efficacy in pollen deficiency situations; if a colony is at zero reserves, this can help as a rapid intervention, but ideally you still correct the underlying protein gap as soon as you can.

One practical use case: the manufacturer reports field improvements in recovery of colonies under severe stress or after pesticide intoxication. In these scenarios, where bees are hit and you want to avoid loading them with patties, feeding through syrup allows fast intervention. As a one-off emergency measure, the manufacturer states they used 20 ml per litre of 1:1 syrup, which is four times the standard rate. Go back to the standard rate as soon as the colony stabilises.

Dosage: mix 5 ml per litre of syrup you plan to feed. Alternatively, 5 to 10 ml per 1 kg of honey-sugar fondant/candy, or 5 ml per 3 litres of water. As a reference, a 200 ml bottle prepares up to 40 litres of enriched syrup, and 500 ml up to 100 litres. Dosage can be adjusted to colony condition; in severe deficiency, the manufacturer indicates the concentration can be increased.

Available sizes: 200 ml and 500 ml.