Winter feeding

[bmac1985]

Are pollen patties with essential oils as good or better than sugar patties?

[Jonathan4Bees]

they are awsome just beware when you start feeding them for the pollen can make the queen to start laying eggs early thinking the pollen is in flow. I usually put my pollen patties on when the drones start flying usually just before dandilion bloom to make sure i got a nice big hive for the bloom but not to early for them to eat up all of the feed.

[Michael Bush]

Pollen is for rearing brood and will not keep them from going hungry. I've never heard of sugar patties...

[bmac1985]

I was going to make "grease patties" with Cisco, sugar, and wintergreen oil to feed my hive. Is that just as good as fondant from the catalogs?

If sticking with the homemade patties can I add honey too?

[mgolden]

My bees have very little interest in eating grease patties - hardly touch them. They much prefer sugar candy. Water, sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice per quart, boil and stir continually, take temp to 245F, beat with mixer until somewhat cooled, and pour into molds. There's lots of recipes throughout beesource threads and internet.

[Michael Bush]

Grease patties are not for food, they are for tracheal mites...

[beeherder]

The grease is just to cover scent isn't it? not for food...

[FlowerPlanter]

-Wintergreen oil is for varroa
-Grease for tracheal mites, also helps spread the wintergreen around the hive
-dry sugar, fondant, bee candy are used to feed bees when it is too cold for syrup
-pollen for brood rearing

bmac1985 what is your goal? to feed a light hive? Treat? Start brood rearing?

[bmac1985]

To feed in a cold environment. So, from the responses I am going with fondant or sugar candy as suggested by mgolden.(?)

[mgolden]

There is three choices for winter feeding -
1. Mountain camp - essentially misted/slightly wetted sugar. Easiest and works

2. Fondant - I personally had problems with getting the consistency right and bees got stuck down in it when the hive temp was up. Can built floats out of wood or thin styrofoam.

3. Sugar candy - bees quite like it and preferred by me as only a hobbist but does take a little work to make. Have to stir the mixture slowly but constantly so it doesn't burn and a candy thermometer is close to a must - take off heat at 245F. Make a batch and next time adjust the temp up or down to fine tune for your consistency, thermometer and elevation. I line a 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper. Cut into four squares before it cools too much so it can be cut.


Grease patties are for tracheal mite control and have tried and bees don't really like the taste.

Sugar syrup doesn't work well as bees quit consuming at about 50F and extra moisture adds to humidity in hive which is not a good thing. And syrup will stimulate brrod rearing.

And most will agree that the best is to leave adequate honey stores and then topping up food supply in the fall with 2:1 syrup. This mixture doesn't mold/ferment easily and adds less humidity.

[bmac1985]

Mg, amount of sugar per quart of water?

[JMP]

What about straight granulated sugar?

[Riskybizz]

or better yet honey.

[pine_ridge_farms]

Pollen is the bee's protein they need it to rear brood, Sugar is the carbohydrates that keep them alive and warm. Winter feeding, feed them sugar. Unless you are sending bees to pollinate an early crop or you are wanting to do early splits feeding pollen to early can and will result in a lot of swarms in the spring. Usually the bees have enough pollen in the hive and are able to forage early enough for spring build up. If you do start feeding pollen be sure to be feeding carbs as well. The bees will be using a lot of honey up while raising brood.

[mgolden]

Been away and will be away in Arizona for three weeks. Drove through the Almond groves and saw the pollination hives and quite interesting. Also saw bees on pansies at campground in La Quinta and they were taking moisture left on the petals after the sprinklers

Mix I used was a quart of left over 2:1 plus 3 cups of sugar. Mix is not critical but temp is so go 245F. And you need to stir continuously so it doesnt get to hot on edges next saucepan and burnécarmelize