[SilverFox]

How do you make a good pollen sub for winter feeding?

 

[Michael Bush]

I've never succeeded at feeding pollen anytime except early spring.

What I feed, when I do, is real pollen if I can get it. It's pretty expensive so I sometimes mix it 50/50 with pollen substitute and then make a paste with honey until it's like bread dough. I buy both the pollen and the substitute from Brushy Mt. I may try the BeePro from Mann Lake one of these days. Everyone who uses is swears by it.

There's plenty of pollen already out there for forage but you have to get the bees to want to store it and I don't know any way to do that. Maybe if you take their frames of stored pollen they would store more.

 

[SilverFox]

It's Good your back. Did you get the e-mail I sent out last month about the sage?

 

[Michael Bush]

>email about sage

I'm sorry, I get over 200 spams a day and it must have gotten deleted. Try it again. It helps if there is something bee or horse related in the subject or I tend to assume it's spam disguised as real mail.

 

[BWrangler]

Hello,

At some point during the fall the bees will cease taking pollen and then syrup. For my area that's about the first week in October.

The patties need to be moist, sweet and above the broodnest. I've found an additive that helps. See:
http://bwrangler.litarium.com/feeding-attractant/

Pollen sub is most effective when some natural pollen is still coming in.

Regards
Dennis

 

[John Seets]

The patties need to be moist, sweet and above the broodnest. I've found an additive that helps. See: http://bwrangler.litarium.com/feeding-attractant/

Dennis, was looking for tips to make effective pollen patties about now. This webpage you reference twerent there. What additive were you referring to?

Thanx.
John

 

[Michael Bush]

>Dennis, was looking for tips to make effective pollen patties about now. This webpage you reference twerent there. What additive were you referring to?

He puts Ascorbic acid in it. AKA vitiman C.

 

[Ian]

>>How do you make a good pollen sub for winter feeding?

I suggest for early spring feeding, you will waste your time pollen winter feeding

 

[BWrangler]

Hi Guys,

Sorry about the bad link. It should be:
http://bwrangler.litarium.com/feeding-attractant/

I've been tmling instead of just tming :> )

Regards
Dennis

[This message has been edited by BWrangler (edited February 14, 2004).]

 

[Dave W]

A supplement cake recipe can be found at: www.beesource.com/pov/usda/supfeeding78.htm
(USDA Bulletin 413)

------------------
Dave W . . .

A NewBEE with 1 hive.
First package installed
April, 2003.