Honey Bee Supplements
Optimal Hive Health
Benefits of Using High-Quality
Honey Bee Supplements
When it comes to honey bee supplements, the quality of the products you choose makes a world of difference. Strong Microbials sets the gold standard by creating carefully crafted supplements with the latest scientific research, field trials, and feedback from commercial beekeepers. Guided by Master Beekeepers, our Microbiologists have refined our honey bee supplements to address the most significant challenges beekeepers face.
Much like humans, when a bee’s microbiome is balanced, it can help optimize digestion and nutrition. A healthy gut supports pesticide detoxification, increases hive immunity, and helps boost production. Start SuperDFM honey bee supplements today and see the difference in as little as 2-3 months! Expect better appetite, stronger colonies, and better winter survival.
Our Range of Honey Bee Supplements
At Strong Microbials, we take pride in our extensive range of honey bee supplements, meticulously designed to meet the unique needs of beekeepers and their hives in today’s agricultural environment.
SuperDFM-HoneyBee: Strong Digestion, Strong Hives
Field-tested and refined by commercial beekeepers since 2014, SuperDFM HoneyBee is a probiotic that promotes optimal gut health. A balanced gut microbiome helps to optimize digestion and nutrition. In turn, this increases the bee’s ability to combat Chalkbrood, fight off mites, support pesticide detoxification, and aid in increasing hive immunity.
SuperDFM +P801: Help Detoxify Pesticides
SuperDFM +P801 stands as a testament to our commitment to applying the latest science to create innovative solutions.
A 2020 study revealed a significant improvement in the lifespan of bees exposed to pesticides boscalid and thiamethoxam when Pediococcus was included in their diet. Mortality rates dropped from 41% to an astonishing 15%, highlighting the extraordinary impact of this beneficial bacteria.
SuperDFM Extend: Probiotic for Bee Feed
Unlike the anaerobic Lactobacillus species used in our original formula, SuperDFM Extend was specially designed to meet beekeepers’ tight demands.
Extend features a trio of hardy Bacillus bacteria. This robust formula is specially designed to withstand being added to liquid bee feed, providing extended protection against pathogens, mold, and fungi like Chalkbrood.
Boosting Immune Function
In 2005, USDA-ARS Bee Research scientists made a profound discovery: nonpathogenic bacteria like those found in the genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus can enhance honey bee immune responses. These beneficial bacteria act as probiotics, fortifying honey bee immunity and helping them withstand attacks from field pathogens. Our supplements are rich in beneficial microorganisms, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. A robust immune system empowers bees to fend off diseases, parasites, and environmental stressors like pesticides and survive extreme weather conditions.
Nurturing Brood Development
Strong brood development is the bedrock of healthy hives. Our microbial supplements feature beneficial microorganisms, including Bacillus, which has long been known to help inhibit honey bee brood pathogens such as Paenibacillus larvae (American Foulbrood) and Ascosphaera apis (Chalkbrood). Recent studies have reinforced the positive impact of Bacillus subtilis probiotics on honey bee colonies. In fact, a 2023 study found that Bacillus probiotics stimulate egg laying by the queen, resulting in increased sealed brood and enhanced colony strength.
Optimizing Digestion
Probiotics play a pivotal role in helping bees cope with stress, combat pathogens, and maintain a healthy microbiome. Bacillus, found in the gut of honey bees, contributes amylase activity crucial for food digestion. Our honey bee supplements are meticulously crafted to ensure the best digestion and nutrient absorption, supporting your colony’s overall well-being.
Maximizing Honey Production
Hives grappling with stress, poor digestion, inadequate nutrition, and pathogens often fall short of their full potential. Strong Microbials’ SuperDFM supplements provide the essential foundation bees need to convert food into energy efficiently and optimize honey production.
Sustainable Beekeeping
We are firm believers in sustainable beekeeping practices that prioritize bee health, environmental well-being, and the satisfaction of our beekeepers. By incorporating SuperDFM honey bee supplements into your apiary, you join a movement in agriculture that embraces new ways to collaborate with nature in helping to combat pathogens through fundamental biological mechanisms.
TESTIMONIALS
“I gave this to several colonies that appeared very sluggish… They didn’t have much going until I gave them the probiotic and they turned around 180°. I give this to all my colonies and they are doing great!”
- Ed Veiseh
" I treated my 2 hives with your product 4 months before the winter weather set in. Both hives made it through the winter and are now full of bees, brood, etc. Yesterday I put your product in my hives for the first time this year after my first full hive inspection. The bees are very large, and the drones are enormous! The queens as well. This is a truly marked increase in size.”
- Sheilah, Alabama
Committed to Quality Assurance
We test every batch of supplements to guarantee an effective dose of live microbes. Furthering our commitment to quality, Strong Microbials is a registered Safe Feed Safe Food facility; meaning that we undergo a rigorous inspection every year, to prove our commitment to safe, clean, and high-quality feed supplement production. We encourage you to learn more about quality testing and follow these important rules for keeping your microbes alive! “When choosing probiotic supplements, read the label carefully. Label are required by law to list all ingredients,” (shorten this paragraph) Link to how we developed SDFM with Master Beekeepers
Strong Microbials is unparalleled in offering top-quality microbial honey bee supplements designed to revolutionize how beekeepers care for their hives.
Our dedication to ingredient quality, transparency, customer support, education, and research sets us apart in the beekeeping industry. As passionate advocates of honey bee health, we take pride in being leaders in producing supplements that enhance the sustainability, well-being, and performance of our invaluable pollinators.
When choosing probiotic supplements, read the label carefully. Labels are required by law to list all ingredients, and ingredient descriptions must follow guidelines established by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which means descriptions such as “proprietary ingredients” or “probiotic blend” are not permitted. Probiotic microorganism’s genus and species must be listed. Quality probiotics will list high CFU (colony forming units) guarantee. This guarantee needs to be billions per gram of product to be effective.
Commonly Asked Questions
Do bees need supplements?
Due to modern agriculture and commercial lawn care and garden products, the prevalence of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides has shaped the microbial landscape for honey bees throughout the urban and rural ecosystems.
Typically, probiotics would be abundant and particularly useful for certain pathogens. However, with new patterns of stressful weather changes, dearth, and transportation events, honey bees experience a loss of microbes on multiple fronts.
Beneficial bacteria (probiotics) normally decrease during stress, leaving room for pathogenic bacteria to grow. When diseases are treated with antimicrobial treatments (even antimicrobial essential oils) or antibiotics, following those treatments with probiotics is essential.
Instead of waiting for a disease to become apparent, it is cost-effective to maintain a strong microbial line of defense against the domino effect of stress and toxins.
Loss of beneficial bacteria was first noted in CCD hives in "A Metagenomic Survey of Microbes in Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder" by Diana Cox-Foster et al.
What nourishes bees?
The resources that bees collect - nectar, pollen, water, sap, or resin - are crucial for bees to nourish the colony during stressful times. While beekeepers can transfer resources between hives, it is important to avoid sharing pests and pathogens, often unseen, between hives and apiaries.
For example, it is advisable to avoid feeding honey to the bees because it may contain spores of the bacteria Paenibacillus larvae that cause a devastating disease in bees, American Foulbrood. That is why beekeepers turn to artificial feed to nourish the colony that does not have enough food stores.