I found this interesting and thought I would share it with the group. I am signed up to get updates on their research into mushroom extracts in beekeeping.
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Brilliant - thankyou
G
I found this really fascinating too.
Hi all, recently listened to a great podcast by Joe Rogan https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-joe-rogan-experience/id360084272?mt=2&i=1000394547625 interviewing Paul Stamets (mushroom man) Paul claims he can increase the life span of his bees buy feeding them a mushroom concoction. I found a YouTube video from his channel. Thoughts? Anyone know what that frame is he is using to feed them https://youtu.be/LaY235qZy38
Here is the YouTube video of the podcast to do with Paul and his bees
https://youtu.be/qTGmMAh3cT0
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I smell pseudoscience. Until it’s subjected to rigorous testing and the results are peer reviewed, I would think that any perceived benefits are anecdotal.
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I have no opinion on the matter but here is some further information:
Can mushrooms save the honey bee? | College of Agricultural …
cahnrs.wsu.edu/blog/2015/02/can-mushrooms-save-the-ho… Proxy Highlight
Sheppard6750 WSU entomologist Steve Sheppard. Courtesy WSU Media Services. Paul Stamets has had a life-long love affair with mushrooms, one that goes …
Can A Mushroom Save Honey Bees? - Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2017/06/05… Proxy Highlight
Jun 5, 2017 … Mr. Stamets told Professor Sheppard about a mushroom extract that was highly attractive – and highly lethal – to termites. Might this mushroom …
Could A Mushroom Save The Honeybee? : The Salt : NPR
www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/10/09/446928755/cou… Proxy Highlight
Oct 9, 2015 … Sheppard is studying whether he can boost honeybees’ immunity using liquid … His bees are getting a healthy dose of mushroom juice.
These Scientists Say We Should Be Feeding Bees Mushroom Juice …
https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/78d75a/these-… Proxy Highlight
We once experimented with burning puffball mushrooms in our smoker in the UK, when we had an excessively aggressive hive. 
https://books.google.com/books?id=WVh3AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA344&lpg=PA344&dq=puffball+bee+smoker&source=bl&ots=-JxJWrkdgV&sig=yRVfpjtSYNx9ftmL7Xt0qyQ8v60&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIpoXCzs3XAhVV72MKHbnyBsAQ6AEI2gEwAA#v=onepage&q=puffball%20bee%20smoker&f=false
It didn’t really seem to sedate the bees any more than ordinary smoke. They were a bit of a pain to hunt down, gather and dry, although David enjoyed it, as he has always been interested in forest mushrooms. We gave up and requeened instead. 
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Some people do that here with mushrooms but has nothing to do with bees. 
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Has anyone experimented with feeding mushroom extract to their bees? I have some Reishi extract and I’m curious if anyone has a recommended “dosage” to use in my syrup feeder.
I think @Webclan has been experimenting with medicinal mushrooms for bees 
Add 1.5% mushroom extract to 1:1 sugar syrup for general health and boosting immunity.
3% mushroom extract if you aim to treat EFB or chalkbrood.
You’ve got a remarkable memory or you keep great notes. 
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Thank you 
A good memory for some things. Maybe those things that interest me.
I was also researching into mushroom supplements for bees. It made sense to me - using a natural supplement to help the bees immune system instead of chemicals. I wondered why something exists now that didn’t exist before? I also saw a video about the relationship between bears, trees, mushrooms and bees and the co-relationship between them all.
** Update** Can Mushrooms Save the Honey Bee? ~ Paul Stamets 
A blood - sucking mite, Varroa destructor, is wreaking havoc on honey bees, but scientists have found a surprising new way to fight back.
#savethebees https://fungi.com/pages/bees
Beemushroomed Feeder https://youtu.be/mG5jLJFD7OA
Further reading: Bee Science News - Antiviral Properties of Mushroom Extracts http://beesciencenews.com/2019/01/02/antiviral-properties-of-mushroom-extracts/
I hope this works! I also appreciate how the last scene is a bee on a perennial basil plant. I actually think perennial basil is an amazing plants for bees- I have no real evidence but I do believe that the pollen has amazing health giving benefits for the bees and is nutrient dense pollen. Supposedly herbaceous pollen is some of the best bees can get- and the dark red pollen from my perennial basil looks like it is very potent! Planting these basils is one of the best ways you can attract bees to your garden- just yesterday I watched my own bees foraging on it- and spied some native blue banded bees also getting in on the action. One study found that basil was one of the most visited plants by bees- and my own experience certainly indicates that that’s the case.
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I have a few pots of perennial basil inside on the window sill, maybe I should take them out then. I was going to dump them because I much refer the taste of the common sweet basil.
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I would transplant them out of the pots into the garden and the bees will thank you a lot mate. I have a small garden of about 6 sq metres at my front door that a year ago I have made into a bee friendly garden and bees are loving it, with a variety of plants there is always something there for them.
Cheers
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I will do that this weekend Pete, thanks. Just in time as they were destined to the compost heap.
Indoors they seem to thrive on neglect - do they need a lot of water outside? I have a shady spot for them.
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Give them a good watering when you transplant them outside into a hole bigger than the pot and back fill the hole with loose soil. Water as often as needed to keep the soil damp for a month till they establish after being planted out. Then water then as a part of your garden, they should be fine with that. More water in a heatwave.
Cheers
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they do actually need a bit of water in summer- though they bounce back well if you forget and they wilt. An interesting thing I noticed is that on very hot days the leaves remain very cool to the touch- much cooler than other plants. I think planting them around hives to help shade and cool the hives would be very effective.
They grow OK in pots but can get pretty leggy- they really take off in soil. I have several that are 1.5 meters tall and two meters around. Constant buzz of bees. Cut them back severaly a few times a year and they bounce back very fast with lots of flowers. There are many varieties with different flavors- I have one that is kind of minty/cinnamon and another that is like sweet basil only more pungent. I use the leaves in salads and for cooking.
making cuttings is so easy- you just put the cutting in a glass of water and they root in 6 to 12 days.
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