Flours...do bees eat the stuff?

[MrGreenThumb]

Spelt, Rye, Wheat, BuckWheat...flours. Do bees ever eat flours?

[riverrat]

I have seen them collect it the same has pollen on warm days in the winter.

[beemandan]

My neighbor once dumped an old bag of flour on top of her compost pile. I didn't know at the time what it was but I saw many 'ghost' bees coming in with their baskets full of the stuff. As I found out later they would land in the pile of flour and get a good coating while filling up their baskets. It was quite a sight to see those ghost white bees landing at the entrance.
Now to your question...do they eat the stuff? Beats me but they surely will collect it.

[WVbeekeeper]

Kelley's sells expelled soy flour for $30 per 50#.

http://go.netgrab.com/secure/kelleystore/asp/product.asp?product=77

[Monie]

lol...I can just see those little ghosts buzzing around! That must have been a sight! :D

[JohnBeeMan]

I had pondered the idea of giving them some pancake mix. It not only has the flour but also powdered milk and eggs which should be a good source of protien.

Mybe they could even have honey on their pancakes. ;)

[riverrat]

lol...I can just see those little ghosts buzzing around! That must have been a sight! :D

Awe I cant beleive you fell for that old one ghost bees:D The first time I saw it I couldnt believe it.
it is truly a site

[Ardilla]

I had pondered the idea of giving them some pancake mix. It not only has the flour but also powdered milk and eggs which should be a good source of protien.


I would worry that the baking powder in the mix would give the bees explosive gas...

[BigDaddyDS]

Wow John!

Your idea got me thinking and I actually had to go grab my box of pancake mix to look at the ingredients.

I'm trying to formulate a bee food here at home, but what I'm coming to realize is that, 1) there are a number of foods out there that bees "should" eat, but don't, and 2) it's not so much what's in the food that's GOOD for them, so much as what's BAD, that matters.

For instance, too much sodium kills bees.

But, how much sodium is TOO much? (I don't know, by the way...)

It just seems to me that pancake batter is awefully high in sodium, which would be a worry. It's definitely a possibility, though! Let me know how it works if you decide to give it a try!

DS

[Alex Cantacuzene]

Hi, just the other day when it was warm enough for the bees to fly I took a small amount of cracked corn and ran it through a fine bladed mixer and made some corn flower. This stuff had none of the chemical additives. Took small amounts out to the landing boards of three hives. Had mixed reactions, with only one colony showing a little interest. I will try it again when the weather warms up some.....hope soon! Take care and have fun