I searched through the www.honeybeeworld.com archives for thymol, per Allen's suggestion. Here's what I found.
Thymol crystals can be dissolved in alcohol, then mixed in with sugar syrup. The amount of thymol, in grams per each gallon of syrup runs between 1/4 gram and 1 gram, with a study that tested between 1/2 gram and 3/4 gram per gallon.
As an example, you could take a U.S. pint jar (2 cups, 32 tablespoons) and add 16 grams of thymol (weighed on a simple, digital postal scale). Add to it, 1 teaspoon lecithin granules (found at every health food store for about $5 for a small bottle).
I'd add the thymol and lecithin to a pint jar, then pour in the alcohol (seems it can be isopropyl, vodka, etc.) to fill the jar. You can warm up the jar in a water bath until the thymol is dissoved (stirring occasionally) or as I've done, I screw a lid on the alcohol/thymol mix and put that jar in my honey warmer which I used to warm up granulated buckets of honey. This is how I've successfully dissolved propolis into Everclear to make a tincture.
This pint jar now holds the premix you can add to a gallon of syrup once it cools.
To give the bees 1 gram per gallon, add 2 tablespoons per gallon of syrup.
To give the bees 1/2 gram per gallon, add 1 tablespoon per gallon of syrup.
To give the bees 1/4 gram per gallon, add 1/2 tablespoon per gallon of syrup.
Thanks, Allen for your archived material!
Grant
Jackson, MO
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