open feeding pollen substitute

[jlk]

Can you open feed soy flour and brewers yeast, say on a plate out of the weather? Will it do the bees any good ? Will they come and eat it? Thanks for any opinions

[wouldliketobee]

I'm sure they will come and collect it ,  bees will collect graindust when they can't find pollen whether or not it is good for them I don't really know for sure and you will get alot of different opinions on that part of your question most on here seem to prefer at least some real pollen for feeding.

[iddee]

Yes, Yes, and Yes...

[AllenF]

Just put it where the coons and possums can't eat it.

[Finski]

.
Really bad idea even if many do it.

When you look what happens, bees ventilate most of flour to bushes.
It is easier to make pollen patty


Protein depends what you have easy to get and what is the price.
Nowadays I use more yeast because I got it cheaply.

3 kg dry irradiated pollen
0,7 litre water to soften pollen over night
3 kg dry baker yeast
2 kg soya flour with fat or without
1 kg fructose ( or honey if you do not have AFB)
1 kg flour sugar
3 multivitamin pill crushed and diluted into water.
150 mg C- vitamin = Ascorbic acid powder
magnesium 2 pills
___________________
10,7 kg total

Add 200 g food oil if soya is fatfree.

28% pollen

This is for 20 hives for one week

[Finski]

.
Bees start to eate at once the new patty. It means that patty is good and bees are protein hungry



They lick the sugar and they bite flour with jaws.

[Finski]

More reading

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/2...03.htm#protein

--------------------

http://www.bing.com/search?q=austral...ox&FORM=IE8SRC

FAT BEES, SKINNY BEES
-a manual on honey bee nutrition for beekeepers-
A report for the Rural Industries, Australia
150 pages

------------------------

http://www.extension.org/pages/Honey_Bee_Nutrition , USA Michican University, updated 2010
(look for further reading)

[AllenF]

But we have SHB down here that love patties and you will loose the hive if they get into the patties.

[BjornBee]

Here is dry substitute feeding.

Note the covers to hold in the powder....  ;)

[AllenF]

I like the jar feeders in the back ground.   Good for open feeding. 

[BjornBee]

Absolutely....  ;)

Here is a better picture showing the bees hovering. They really prefer to hover, swoop down and scoop some up, then work the pollen baskets in mid-flight, swoop down and do it over and over.

[BjornBee]

Of course I should mention that you only get this much action when using Bjorn's Special Blend Pollen Substitute.   :-D

Which is not on the market any longer.  ;)

[hardwood]

Bjorn, what's your recipe for dry substitute?

Scott

[BjornBee]

Here is some information some may find useful....

http://www.bjornapiaries.com/feedingoptions.html

[BjornBee]

Bjorn, what's your recipe for dry substitute?

Scott

I'm more than happy to answer any direct questions. Whether something is good, bad, etc. But I do not tell the full story as to what we made. It took us a couple years and played around with many recipes. Most are the same with small variations. And many worked well. Just some better than others.  ;)

[Finski]

.
I have tried open feedind with pollen and soya flour. It did not worked.  Most of caluable stuff goes into wilderness and it vain flying.
Some hives visit there not at all.

Patty feeding is a sure system and I know how much they eate.

[VolunteerK9]

Here is dry substitute feeding.

Note the covers to hold in the powder....  ;)

Those are two awesome pictures. Would make some cool posters.

[AllenF]

Ya, and you would not believe how much honey he had to pour over those tops to bring in the bees like that.    :-D

[iddee]

Joke or not, how would you feel if someone posted a reply like that to your post? No, there's no honey involved. That's the way they take it.

[hardwood]

Bjorn, what's your recipe for dry substitute?

Scott

I'm more than happy to answer any direct questions. Whether something is good, bad, etc. But I do not tell the full story as to what we made. It took us a couple years and played around with many recipes. Most are the same with small variations. And many worked well. Just some better than others.  ;)

Aw c'mon Mike...I'll give you a quarter :-D

Scott