[Latin Name] Vaccinium myrtillus l.

[Plant Source] Wild bilberry fruit cultivated from Sweden & Finland

[Specifications]

1) Anthocyanidins 25% UV (Glycosyl removed)

2) Anthocyanins 25% HPLC

3) Anthocyanins 36% HPLC

[Particle size] 80 Mesh

[Loss on drying] ≤5.0%

[Heavy Metal] ≤10PPM

[Pesticide residue] EC396-2005, USP 34, EP 8.0, FDA

[Storage] Store in cool & dry area, keep away from the direct light and heat.

[Package] Packed in paper-drums and two plastic-bags inside.

[General feature]

1. 100% extracted from European bilberry fruit, approved ID test from ChromaDex andAlkemist Lab;

2.Without any adultery of other relative species of Berries,such as Blueberry,  Mulberry,Cranberry,etc;

3. Pesticide residue: EC396-2005, USP 34, EP 8.0, FDA

4. Directly import the frozen fruit from North Europe;

5. Perfect water solubility,water insolubles<1.0%
6. Chromatographic fingerprint match EP6 requirement

[What is bilberry fruit]

Bilberry (Vaccinium Myrtillus L.) is a kind of perennial deciduous or evergreen fruit shrubs, mainly found in subarctic regions of the world as in Sweden, Finland and Ukraine, etc. Bilberries contain dense levels of anthocyanin pigments, which was said popularly to have been used by World War II RAF pilots to sharpen night vision. In fork medicine, Europeans have been taking bilberry for a hundred years. Bilberry extracts entered the healthcare market as a kind of dietary supplement for effects on vision enhancement and visual fatigue relief.

[Function]

Protect and regenerate rhodopsin and cure the eye diseases;

Prevent the cardiovascular diseases

Antioxidant and anti-aging

Softening blood capillary, enhancing the heart function and resisting cancer

Four chefs contend with surprise ingredients like pork and noodles.

My Recipe and Actual MegaBee Recipe

8 Lbs (2 BAGS) sugar
16 oz Karo corn syrup
2 cups water
1 Lb MegaBee
2 Tbs lemon juice
Approximate time to prepare: 60 to 75 minutes

Bring sugar, water and corn syrup to a slow boil in a large pot while stirring continually until “Hard Ball” candy consistency is reached ~ 255 to 265 degrees F. (It will take a while to reach that temp) have everything ready when the mixture reaches correct temperature as it cools it is difficult to get out of the pan. Take the candy off the heat add lemon juice (honey is considerably more acidic than sugar, the bees have to work hard to digest the higher PH of sugar, bringing the PH down beforehand is greatly beneficial to the bees) and slowly stir the MegaBee in with a whisk. Pour mixture into a mold and allow to cool. I use disposable metal pans (cheapest place to buy is Dollar Tree) this will make approximately 5 8 x 8 pans or whatever variation of sizes you want to use.

So in the end, how important is it for your bee candy to be exact? It is not. . . . . . I am picky and try to be exact but the thing to remember is this . . . . . as long as you don’t burn the sugar, the bees don’t really care what “stage” it is in. If your candy comes out a little runny, or soft, or hard, or dry or whatever, the bees will still eat it. It might be inconvenient for you, but the bees don’t care. The main thing is that they have enough food to get them through the winter. They will not criticize your candy-making ability, so don’t stress over it. HAVE FUN

My recipe came from MegaBee and was adjusted since I don’t like to measure or weigh ingredients and I added lemon juice

here is their recipe and the address https://www.megabeediet.com/candy.html

CANDY BOARDS have been used for years by beekeepers to provide extra sugar to colonies throughout the winter. What we have done is simply add protein to the sugar at the end of cooking. It can be made into an entire cover that fits over the colony and will provide 10 to 15 pounds of product or made into small pieces (like peanut brittle) that is put on the top bars, either under the inner cover or under the standard cover.

What is impressive about it is that it provides enough sugar and protein that it really boosts brood production and it may be a solution to the hive beetle problems in the Southeast. Hive beetles eat patties like they are going out of style, but candy boards are more difficult for the beetles to hide their eggs under.

If you don’t want to use High Fructose Corn Syrup you can use honey or simply replace the HFCS with sucrose.

The form for the candy boards fits on top of the colony (approx 20 1/4″ X 16 1/4″ – it is designed to fit exactly on the hive body – not telescope over) and the form should be two inches deep. This will hold approximately 15 lbs of candy board. The candy board lasts about a month. With the candy boards, no other feeding is necessary – no syrup or patties.

MEGABEE HARD CANDY FORMULA (4% PROTEIN CONTENT)

For a 10.5 lb batch

7 Lb Sugar
1.5 Lb HFCS
1Lb Water
1Lb MegaBee
Bring sugar, water and HFCS to a slow boil while stirring until “Hard Ball” candy consistency is reached ~ 255 to 265 degrees F. Take the candy off the heat and stir in MegaBee with a whisk. Pour mixture into a mold and allow to cool.

MEGABEE HARD CANDY FORMULA (8% PROTEIN CONTENT)

For a 11.5 lb batch

7 Lb Sugar
1.5 Lb HFCS
1Lb Water
2 Lb MegaBee
Bring sugar, water and HFCS to a slow boil while stirring until “Hard Ball” candy consistency is reached ~ 255 to 265 degrees F. Take the candy off the heat and stir in MegaBee with a whisk. Pour mixture into a mold and allow to cool.

To make candy boards without HFCS replace the weight of HFCS with granular sugar.