[BjornBee]

I have had great success feeding dry pollen substitute from a feeding station away from the hives. In my main nuc yard, they will take more than 5 pounds per day. Sometimes they almost completely ignore the syrup feeders and concentrate solely on the dry feed.

I see that one of the bee mags now comments on using a hive top feeder and using pollen substitute on one side, using the dry powder form. Has anyone fed dry pollen substitute inside a hive with any success?

I have fed patty form, and mixed my own, but one has a higher cost, and one is a pain to make with the mess. My own patties dried out and were not consumed. They said it was ok to mix with water...yeah, if your making bricks!

So I am looking at ways to perhaps feed dry substitute in a hive if its feasible. Will they collect dry powder from on top of the inner cover? How about on top of the frames?

Any success stories out there?

Thank you.

 

[MountainCamp]

Yes, I just pour dry pollen Subsitute on top of the granular sugar that I have on the top bars.
They take it well.

 

[Aspera]

Mountaincamp,

Do you mix it in at all, or is it just used as a top dressing? Also, how much do you use per a hive/feeder, and do you ever moisten it? I am having very good luck using black plastic frame feeders with dry sugar, and was thinking about trying pollen sub as well.

 

[MountainCamp]

I just sprinkle it on top of the sugar or just on paper.

I keep topping it till they stop taking it, usually after the weather has broken and they have a real good supply of natural pollen coming in.

I also put it in cake pans and let them collect it on warm sunny days. They can take quite abit in a day.

 

[Michael Bush]

When I've fed dry pollen in the hive the housekeepers sometimes haul it out the door and dump it on the ground. They don't do this with the patties.

 

[BjornBee]

Guess the patties are to big to haul out...

I guess if they are hauling it out, they are at least doing something with it. Perhaps other, better quality pollen was coming in, and they just discarded it. But are you saying MB this was dry pollen, or pollen substitute?

I've had patties just sit and become moldy also. So maybe no matter what the feed choice, the timing or other factors play into it.

I'm looking for any success at all. I'm going to try it just the same, but was hoping someone had a trick of the trade to pass on. Or a particular method they found to be better for some reason.

 

[MountainCamp]

If there is a good source of natural pollen, they will ignore the substitute, whether it is in the hive or out in a cake pan outside.

I feed it inside the hive before there are natural pollen sources that they can get to.

[ February 06, 2007, 07:11 AM: Message edited by: MountainCamp ]

 

[MountainCamp]

I have also mixed pollen substitute into syrup and fed as a "pollen shake" and feed in jar feeders.

They will take this after natural pollen is coming in because it is more syrup than substitute. You will not get pounds and pounds of substitute in this way, but you will get additional substitute to them.

 

[Michael Bush]

>But are you saying MB this was dry pollen, or pollen substitute?

Pollen.