So I purchased a bag of pollen (real stuff, not supplement). Can I just put it on a plate next to the colonies? Do I need to crush it up? The reason I ask is I'm not sure about whether bees can collect from pollen *granules*--seems like it would need to be powdered somehow. Not sure.
I haven't yet had the need to feed pollen to my girls, but I would think you'd be better off to make pollen patties of it and feed within the hive. There'll be recipes around here for them.
Otherwise with outside feeding you've got damp and contamination issues, and you'll quite possibly end up feeding every rodent and/or insect in the neighbourhood.. alongside which I don't know if the girls would even take it in this manner.
I see you're in the US. Are you heading into your winter yet? Are you sure you want to be feeding pollen that could spark a breeding burst on the cusp of winter? I would have thought syrup feeding (for winter honey stores) woudl be the focus over your side at the moment.
I feed it in an empty hive. If you put it on a plate and it rains it's ruined. I put it on a screened bottom board on top of a solid bottom board with an empty box and a lid to keep out the rain.
Quote from: Michael Bush on October 04, 2009, 09:53:26 PM
I feed it in an empty hive. If you put it on a plate and it rains it's ruined. I put it on a screened bottom board on top of a solid bottom board with an empty box and a lid to keep out the rain.
When do you feed it?
I dumped pollen into a swarm that I caught this summer. THey pulled it all out of the hive and it was thrown to the ground, the bees didn't use it at all, nor did they even like it. I must have done something wrong. Next time, I would make a pollen patty, the love that stuff. Have that wonderful and most awesome day, health. Cindi
david, i don't feed pollen in the fall. it gets moldy, they don't seem to need it at this time of the year, and i don't want to stimulate late brood rearing. we do not have much of a hive beetle problem here, but pollen fed late seems also the stimulate hive beetles. you can do a search about that on here or google.
if the bees have been bringing in pollen, and if you have checked for good stores of honey/pollen, you can save your feeding for early spring...or even late winter if your weather warms early.
i usually put mine on the end of February, or when i see the bees beginning to do more regular flights. when days begin to stay above 40 degrees most of the time.
One caution about purchased bee pollen -- if it is not from a bee supplier or otherwise a trustworthy (AFB free) source you may want to not feed it to the bees! Those who are using it on a large scale for bee feed have it irradiated.
that said I have fed pollen in an empty hive (make sure it is totally water tight) spread out on a solid bottom.. sometimes it seems to take the bees a few days to find it, but once they do it will be gone quickly.
>When do you feed it?
I'm feeding it now as there is a dearth and I'll probably have some out early spring before the Maples bloom if it's warm.
Quote from: Michael Bush on October 06, 2009, 10:34:51 PM
>When do you feed it?
I'm feeding it now as there is a dearth and I'll probably have some out early spring before the Maples bloom if it's warm.
So, whenever they don't have pollen you feed it? This may sound stupid to ask, but the discussion of feeding on here usually is about sugar or some other nectar/honey substitute. My bees are bringing in so much pollen right now that some of them are heavy and miss the landing board. They usually have to rest for a minute before they fly up. Middle TN is notoriously bad for allergy sufferers - maybe that's good for bees though. Maples bloomed on March 8 in my yard last spring so should I plan to have pollen to feed?
Quote from: David LaFerney on October 07, 2009, 12:21:56 AM
So, whenever they don't have pollen you feed it? This may sound stupid to ask, but the discussion of feeding on here usually is about sugar or some other nectar/honey substitute.
The pollen and nectar/syrup serve two different nutritional purposes.
Pollen is their primary protein source and is essential for growing brood, but not so necessary for adult bees once they are fully formed.
Think of syrup/nectar/honey as their carbohydrate source for energy to keep those wings flapping. It's the main food of adult bees, but is also used in brood feeding.
So pollen is not perhaps so important in winter when they are not raising brood, and in fact you want to be careful about feeding pollen then because you can stimulate them into brood raising, which you definitely don't want them putting their energy into in winter. That's when it's important to be feeding honey/syrup (assuming they don't have honey stores) so the adult bees have enough energy reserves to see them survive through winter when they can't go get their own.
David, your question is not stupid, there are no stupid questions, that is how we all learn, by asking question after question.
We do not feed pollen in the wintertime here, some of the commercial operations do I have heard, but I do not. As Deejaycee said, the older bees basically have a good store of protein in their bodies. They don't require as much, pollen is highly used for raising brood. The bees, in the colder climates where they cluster during wintertime, need to cluster to keep themselves warm. They move around to get to the honey. In spring we feed pollen patties, this stimulates the bees to want to raise brood basically. It provides lots and lots of extra food, in case they are raising brood. The queens in our area usually by mid February are getting really in the mood for laying eggs. This early feeding of pollen, long before they can fly to get pollen just helps out, to ensure that they have lots of pollen to feed babies. If there is a lack of pollen in the colony naturally, they won't raise brood as much, they know how much food they need for brood raising. So basically, when the winter cluster is going on strong, there is no need to feed extra pollen. They more than likely have lots that they had stored in the summertime, everything is climate specific though, you will hear other comments. Have that wonderful and most great day, beautiful health. Cindi
A lot of good information put forth - thanks. I can add something that I read recently (if was a link from a post on here to a university study I think) that the bees won't forage much pollen during a nectar dearth even if it is available. In that situation they'll bring in more pollen if they are being fed syrup. This certainly agrees with what I've been observing. Nectar is very scarce right now while pollen is very plentiful, and they've been really packing it in while I've been feeding them to get ready for winter.
At least until today when I accidentally set off a horrible robbing frenzy.
Lots to learn...
David, what you read is true. When there is a dearth of nectar and the bees don't have this source (i.e., human intervention with feeding), the bees are not in the mood to gather a lot of pollen. The main reason for bees to gather loads of pollen is to feed the brood. When there is a dearth of nectar, the queens do not lay as much, hence, no need to get that copious amount of pollen that in REQUIRED to feed and grow babies. When the human intervenes by feeding syrup, the queen will get in the mood again to lay eggs, they will want to feed those babies. Basically that is the idea here. The bees are very basic and make such total sense in how they run their operations when you think of it. Did you know that the bees govern how much the queen lays or not? If there is no food, they limit the amount the queen lays, when there is plenty of food, they "let" her go gung ho. Have that most beautiful and wonderful life and day, and health wishes. Cindi
Quote from: Cindi on October 09, 2009, 10:26:53 AM
David, what you read is true. When there is a dearth of nectar and the bees don't have this source (i.e., human intervention with feeding), the bees are not in the mood to gather a lot of pollen. The main reason for bees to gather loads of pollen is to feed the brood. When there is a dearth of nectar, the queens do not lay as much, hence, no need to get that copious amount of pollen that in REQUIRED to feed and grow babies. When the human intervenes by feeding syrup, the queen will get in the mood again to lay eggs, they will want to feed those babies. Basically that is the idea here. The bees are very basic and make such total sense in how they run their operations when you think of it. Did you know that the bees govern how much the queen lays or not? If there is no food, they limit the amount the queen lays, when there is plenty of food, they "let" her go gung ho. Have that most beautiful and wonderful life and day, and health wishes. Cindi
That also corroborates what I've observed. Lots of brood while cold weather quickly approaches. I've been feeding for weeks using quart jars. Maybe it would be better to use a hive top feeder and get them to put up stores as quickly as possible in the fall so that perhaps they will adjust the population better. This year it's probably alright because my two hives are both on the smallish side. Understanding this should be a useful management tool in the future though. Thanks Cindi - I hope you enjoy this wonderful fall day.
David, I WILL have a nice fall day, the weather has been beautiful, warm and sunny, nights a light frosting, no killing frost, yet....
Feeding with quart jars is a good thing sometimes, if you remember to go in and fill them when they are empty or near empty. Gallon jars are even better, in that, the bothering to check is not as frequent, but the quart jars are just fine. Many people use paint pails (clean, totally clean, best to have never been used for paint, do not use used paint cans), many use glass gallon jars, as in the mason type, many use plastic gallon pails, or the five gallon pails. Hive top feeders are good too, but I have heard of issues with them, unless they are "fixed" so bees don't drown. They are convenient, in that once filled, they are good for awhile, advantages and disadvantages. Feeding quickly is what should be done in the fall, as fast as the bees will take it. And then one must stop when the ability of the bees to store this syrup has began to fail. Too much moisture in the hive is extremely detrimental. Also remember, bees DON"t like cold syrup, they will ignore it. With the quart jars, they would probably consume it before it gets too cold. Just some food for thoughts here. I also like to use the baggies for feeding. It lies flat on top of the inner cover and the heat from the colony warms that syrup naturally, it is a good method, I like to use gallon baggies, or several quart baggies -- it is amazing how much a baggie can actually hold, without it being so full that the syrup is "squeezed" out..a fine line between too full and just right, smiling, just like the human being, when we think of the holiday dinners (and many other dinners throughout the year that just taste far too good). Oops, 8:30 AM and I am drooling, thinking of food, smiling. Have that awesome day, to enjoy our groovey lives, health. Cindi