The recipe we've been advising since 1979 for extender patties has
   always called for granulated sugar.
   It came from a paper by W.T. Wilson, J.R. Elliot and J.L. Lackett.
   The wording below may be slightly different.
 
                ANTIBIOTIC EXTENDER PATTIES
                (for 2 hives, increase as needed)
 
   1/3 lb solid vegetable shortening
   2/3 lb granulated sugar
   2 Tablespoons Terramycin 25
 
   Stir the TM 25 and dry sugar into a uniform blend.
   Mix the antibiotic/sugar blend with the shortening, without heating.
 
   Yields 1 pound. Divide into two, 1/2 lb patties.
   To make handling easier, use a sheet of heavy brown wrapping paper.
   Give 1 patty per colony. Place the patty on the paper, on the top bars
   of the lower hive body (center of the brood nest).
   Remove antibiotic patties before the honeyflow.
 
   In our experience these patties last up to 6 weeks (depends on the
   behavior and number of bees) and work well to prevent AFB or
   prevent/treat European foulbrood in high risk blueberry pollination
   situations.
   They don't work in colonies weakened by European foulbrood (the bees
   don't mobilize them enough). I wouldn't use them on hives with pollen
   traps, because bits of the patty end up in the tray.
 
   If a commercial dough mixer is used to blend the shortening, you'd have
   to watch because at some point the mix changes from being slightly
   friable, to being sticky smooth (like cake icing, maybe harder to
   handle by the scoop.)
 
   Confectioners = icing =  powdered sugar is used in a dry mix (1 part TM
   25 to 5 parts sugar) with antibiotic, for dusting on the top bars (2
   level teaspoons per hive, avoiding the area immediately above brood
   cells, to avoid damaging brrod).  Granulated sugar would not adher to
   the antibiotic powder to make the mix attractive. I understand that some
   people powdered a small amount of granulated sugar in a food blender,
   either because they didn't have any commercial powdered sugar, or were
   concerned about the small amount of powdered starch in the commercial
   product.
 
   Kerry Clark, Apiculture Specialist
   B.C. Ministry of Agriculture
   1201 103 Ave
   Dawson Creek B.C.
        V1G 4J2  CANADA          Tel (604) 784-2225     fax (604) 784-2299
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