Joined
·
701 Posts
I need a strategy for trapping pollen and feeding it and pollen substitute. The main Massachusetts flow is in spring. I think there's a flow in fall.
Tests for determining whether to feed pollen/sub (assuming they have enough honey):
jelly test
pollen drying plans
Right now, I will buy sub and a trap. I didn't see great plans for making traps. Before spring I will decide whether to make or buy more traps. What trap should I get?
Tests for determining whether to feed pollen/sub (assuming they have enough honey):
jelly test
- Check 1 frame with young larvae. I think a variety of ages would be best.
- Compare royal jelly to larvae size. This ratio should look greater than that in a threshold picture.
- I used figure 8 here. It's not a minimum threshold pic, and doesn't show a variety of ages.
- Dry feeding makes sense to me.
- If feeding in spring, wait until its warm or they start getting pollen.
- Feed a small amount of substitute. If they eat it, mix and feed small batches of sub + pollen.
- Grind pollen before mixing it with sub for dry feeding.
- When feeding in summer dearth, mix less pollen with sub.
- Fall feeding could include putting frozen undried pollen in empty comb.
- A hive top trap is easier.
- I might also freeze frames to get pollen without trapping. It couldn't be mixed with sub.
pollen drying plans
- I might not have to do this.
- Freeze pollen.
- Dry with a food dehydrator with aluminum window screen in the pans.
- Freeze dried pollen.
- Make pollen sub extremely dry.
- Mix sub + pollen.
- finish drying
Right now, I will buy sub and a trap. I didn't see great plans for making traps. Before spring I will decide whether to make or buy more traps. What trap should I get?