Vita Feed Gold and Vita Feed Green to boost honeybee health with natural extracts and essential oils

Two new honeybee health feeds from Vita (Europe) Ltd. Vita (Europe) Ltd, the honeybee health specialist, has launched two new feeds to help improve honeybee health and stimulate colony development. Vita Feed Gold, a natural extract, and Vita Feed Green, an essential oil, are simple and safe to use leaving no residues and containing no antibiotics. Developed over several years and thoroughly tested in field trials, the new feeds are designed to strengthen colonies and make them more resistant to disease.

Vita Feed Gold is a liquid feed based on natural beet extract and molasses. It stimulates a controlled and sustained build-up of colonies, especially if they are weak, and has been shown to be effective in reducing the number of Nosema spores in colonies.

Vita Feed Green is a liquid feed based on the essential oils of walnut, thyme, marjoram and wild marjoram. By stabilising the acidity (pH) of the bee gut to within the optimum range of 6.3 to 6.6, Vita Feed Green offers wide-spectrum protection against harmful bacteria and fungi. It is an anti-oxidant and helps reduce varroa and chalkbrood infestations.

Vita Feed Green can be used at any time of year but is usually most effective either in spring (to stimulate colony development) or in autumn (to help prepare bees for winter). Vita Feed Gold is best administered in spring or autumn especially if colonies have been weakened by dysentery or related conditions.

“As a honeybee health company with products that control pests and enable field identification of foulbrood diseases, we have spent many years looking for products that will boost the natural defences of colonies,” explained Jeremy Owen, Sales Director of Vita (Europe). “After thorough testing, we are delighted with the effects of Vita Feed Gold and Vita Feed Green in strengthening honeybee colonies, the ease with which the feeds can be administered and the fact that as ‘green’ products they are harmless to bees and humans and leave no residues. ”

Dr Max Watkins, Technical Director of Vita (Europe) added: “We believe that Vita Feed Gold and Vita Feed Green have an important role to play strengthening honeybee colonies’ immune systems, especially at this time with so many unexplained losses of honeybee colonies across the globe. There won’t ever be a “silver bullet” to ensure honeybee health and a variety of approaches will always be beneficial.”

Vita Feed Gold and Vita Feed Green are available in 250ml and one-litre bottles sufficient to treat five and 20 colonies respectively. Vita Feed Green is best applied in one dose, mixed with a sugar syrup or candy. Vita Feed Gold is best applied mixed with sugar syrup in five sprinkled doses over ten days. The feeds are available from the usual beekeeping suppliers.