Soy based feed

[IndianaHoney]

How well does soy based bee feed work? I've always used pollen, but only fed hives that needed it. Can bees actually feed this to the brood instead of pollen?

[BjornBee]

I have never used soy based feed or soy flour. I read that soy flour needs to be refrigerated. Thats why I have stayed away from it. Whether thats true or not, it was my reasoning for scratching it off the list and going with another feed that has no such requirments.

[loggermike]

Back in the 70s we tried soy flour substitute with poor results.Then we heard soy flour was connected to large losses in Fla(disappearing disease).So we went to brewers yeast and have been satisfied with the results.The bees eat it well and it stimulates early brood raising.

[Yukon Jack]

You just mix the brewers yeast with fuctose? Are the patties hard to make?

[loggermike]

Fructose would make the patties less likely to dry out so fast,but we use plain bag sugar, cane or beet doesn't matter.The recipe is:
Start with 4 gallons boiling water.Add 60 pounds dry sugar till its dissolved.Then add 10 pounds pollen (irradiated or from chalkbrood free colonies)till its well mixed.Then slowly mix in a 50 lbs bag of brewers yeast.We use a clean cement mixer for all this mixing with the paddles removed.You have to work it back and forth some to get a good mix.Then this is dumped into a well oiled(canola)rubbermaid tub.This makes roughly 142 pounds of mix.It will thicken overnight.Now if you dont need this much you can reduce quantities and hand mix in a bucket .I did plenty of that and its not easy if you need a lot.I have fed this without pollen and the bees will eat it. The only problem with using sugar is that if not eaten they tend to dry out hard as cement.But if the hive isn't eating the mix we inspect carefully because this often means a queenless or very weak hive.
Depending on your ingredients source , you may have to tweak the quantities a bit to get it the right consistency.

[loggermike]

Heres what it looks like:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b278/loggermike/beeyeast.jpg

[Yukon Jack]

loggermike,
Thanks for the information. I have been considering giving a brewers yeast mix a try.
We use a cement mixer and have been using HFCS & one of the substitutes sold by the bee supply houses with either fresh or irridated pollen.
Thanks again!

[loggermike]

You're welcome!