Excessive honey/pollen frames

[Cindi]

I have an idea.  Wonder if it will work.

I have many, many frames of pollen and the same of pollen ringed with capped honey in my freezer.  These frames came from my apiary when I combined, lost hives, or whatever.  There is no brood disease such as the foulbroods.

I have not yet started to feed pollen patty, but will be commencing that in the next couple of weeks, about mid February.

INSTEAD of pollen patties, I have this idea.  Can a pollen (or honey/pollen) frame be "laid" across the top frames of the hive, with a shallow empty box enclosing this above the brood chamber?

Is the natural pollen gathered by the bees superior to a pollen patty or do they both have comparative nutritive value.  This would be an interesting thing.

I know that I can use these stored frames for the use in the packages that I will be getting this year, as well as for any nucs, splits, or other purposes not needed to be mentioned.

I honestly have so many, I need to think of ways to utilize the frames.  Great day.  Cindi

[Finsky]

The best are pollen frames. You just put them beneath brood frames

honey - pollen - brood in the middle - pollen - honey

I have not experience how extra patty feeding accelerate brood rearing with pollen frames.
But sure they use frame pollen when they enlarge brood area.

[Cindi]

Finsky, why underneath brood nest.  Don't understand concept.  The pollen patty is placed right on top of brood nest on top frames.  Elaborate.  Great day.  Cindi

[Finsky]

Finsky, why underneath brood nest.  Don't understand concept. 

The pollen patty is placed right on top of brood nest on top frames.  Elaborate.  Great day.  Cindi

Pollen or patty must be the most near brood area and nurser bees.
If you put pollen under brood area, box is so cold that nurser bees do not go there. At least pollen will stay untouched in frames.

Elaborate -- yes, nothing exellent will not go freely.  But nobody will do it this way if we had easier way.  The most elaborate is to make pollen tough and roll it between papers.  It is fast job when you put patties on frames.  Your flowers will not flourish if you think that it is elaborate job.

But as said, it is not needed. You may let bees build up itself with nature.

My idea is to take maximum yield from 20 hives. The same total yield I get if I nurse 40 hives with natural way.

.

[Michael Bush]

I'd just put the frames on the outside edge of the cluster, basically what Finsky is saying.

[likes2grill]

But is this better than the patties to build up brood?

I'm getting new package hives will I need to build up brood too in these new hives also?

[Michael Bush]

>But is this better than the patties to build up brood?

Yes.  It will be REAL 100% pollen in the location the bees expect to find it.

[BEE C]

Pollen loses its protein content over time right? so whichever is the newer pollen should be better.  I have a bunch of pollen frames in my freezer I was hoping to use for nucs too.  I like the idea of using patties over the cluster to keep the heat in that little bit.  I plan on using pollen frames with patties over the cluster. :mrgreen:

[Michael Bush]

>Pollen loses its protein content over time right? so whichever is the newer pollen should be better.

Except that freezing it greatly slows the degradation.