" Finally read that paper this morning."
The study was very clear they were working on caged bees with no outside food source. We have no clue at all what dose in syrup would be needed if they are also bringing in nectar. Or even if the dose required is always the same. Does it take less in a dearth for instance? We do not even know the optimum way to administer the stuff as only feeding was tested. A dribble or spray would be a lot easier. Any time now someone is going to suggest fogging it in ethanol as lithium chloride is decently soluble in ethanol. To go out and try any version of this on your hives this summer based on what we know is idiocy and also illegal. Governments have been trying to pass laws against stupid forever I think. None seem to have made much progress.
A very logical question is if lithium works would sodium also work at a higher concentration? Would it be safer than lithium? A few years work by skilled people would answer questions like those. A few years of back yard experiments will in all probability answer no questions at all and perhaps give honey a bad marketing image.
At the moment the whole lithium topic is interesting but as useless to the practical bee keeper as picking mites off individual bees with tweezers to control mite levels.
Dick
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