Powdered sugar without cornstarch

[Becky Hampton]

Where do you find powdered sugar without cornstarch? I've looked at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Fresh Market and EarthFare.
I did find powdered sugar with tapioca starch. Is that the same thing as cornstarch or is that a safe product to use with bees?

[Wally]

What are you using it for? If dusting for mites, the starch isn't going to bother them in warm weather. It's feeding them starch when they can't fly that hurts. It's terrible to have the trots and no place to go.

[Jacobs]

If you are using it to dust mites, you may want to save your time. The current studies show it is not really effective (and it ticks off the bees). See Ski's earlier post--

http://www.guilfordbeekeepers.org/commu ... f=9&t=1568

If you are making a small amount for sugar shakes (varroa mite levels testing), I would suggest getting one of the small, electric coffee "grinders". Mine is like a small food processor and will make powdered sugar out of regular sugar in a few seconds. In just a few minutes, I can make what I need for a sugar shake of several hives. My old full sized food processor does not seem to do the job.

[Becky Hampton]

Not using the powdered sugar for mites. I posted a blog some time back about my new hive and poorly functioning queen. I had my mentor come up and he found the same thing I found - no eggs (I only saw 2 a few days after she was released from her cage), but had some queen cells being made that they capped. I waited for her to emerge, have time to get mated, and get some brood going. I've had no brood, but lots of drawn comb, nectar, pollen, and some capped honey. so I ordered a new queen which came Friday. However, my package bees are 7 weeks old so near the end of their lives and no one taking their place in the colony. So I bought a couple of frames of capped brood. It was suggested that I powdered sugar my bees and the new bees so they all smell the same and they'd accept each other. I couldn't find the powdered sugar without cornstarch, so I put a sheet of newspaper with a few slits in it between my hive with the new queen stapled in her cage in there, and then the new brood in the super above with the sheet of newspaper above my original bees. I'm hoping I did the right thing, but a little undecided about whether I should have put the new queen with my original brood or with the new girls. Anyway, I thought I might give the powdered sugar a try and move the two groups together if I can find the right type. I certainly am not interested in losing my investment in these bees over a dollar bag of powdered sugar so don't want to use the wrong type.

[Jacobs]

Did you have a queen emerge from the cells and did you remove her for a couple of hours before putting the caged queen in the hive?

[Becky Hampton]

The queen may have emerged, but I gave her about 6 days to get mated and another 4 to start producing eggs. I still had no evidence of eggs in the comb. That's why I went with the new queen. Today is the 4th day from putting the new queen in her cage in so I'm going in this afternoon to see if she's been released and what's going on in the hive.

[Wally]

It can take a queen up to 20 days after emerging to start laying.