Feeding Dates for Spring expansion

[Buzz Lightyear]

Hello from the UK :-D
I have picked up a tip from another website that using Dates
rather than Pollen Substitute can help in the early spring build up. I have 4 colonies on about 5 frames and 1 on about 3. I am looking for a build up that sets me up to benifit from Oil Seed Rape, which flowers in mid April(ish). Has anyone any experiance of using Figs? I am based in Nottinghamshire. Thanks for your help, Buzz

[Kathyp]

i know that the bees really like figs.  i pitched some over ripe figs near my hives and the bees were all over them.  they are to expensive for me to buy as bee food and the ones i grow  won't be ready until late august or September.  maybe i can make some fig paste and freeze it for next year....only so many i can eat!

[Kirk-o]

Why Don't you use Pollen.GET A POLLEN TRAP AND HARVEST THE POLLEN THEN FEED THAT.bEES EAT POLLEN IT IS nATURAL TRY THAT
KIRKO

[reinbeau]

Kirko, figs and dates are natural, too, and the bees seem to like them.  I think all of these foods have their place.

[Kirk-o]

Bees naturally Prefer Pollen have for Millions of years.Listen to the bees do what they naturally do Give them Pollen.Get a pollen trap get some from your local freeze till you need it the bees will love you for it so will Mother Nature
kirko

[Buzz Lightyear]

Sure, pollen is best. However, getting hold of it in the UK is difficult at this time of year, and further its expensive. At the moment my bees are lapping up a combo of Fondant and Dates, hopefully stimulating the queen to start laying, ready for the early flow of Oil Seed Rape in Mid April.

[Kirk-o]

You know thats Four months from now.Do you stimulate them that long.It sounds to me like they are hungry.Do your Bees have enough stores?
kirko

[Buzz Lightyear]

good point. Some are a little light, hence the fondant. Maybe its a bit early to encourage brood, when would you start this? :roll:

[reinbeau]

Here's a fondant recipe we've made twice now, the bees took to it like mad!

Stovetop Recipe- (makes nine 5" x 6" pieces)
   1-Mix 5# granulated sugar, 1 pint corn syrup, 1 & 1/3 cups of water in a large pot.
   2- Hold over medium heat to 240 d on a candy thermometer. VERY IMPORTANT TO HOLD THE 240 F.
   3- Stir only occasionally, it takes a while.
   4- At 240, place the pot in a sink of cold water.
   5- Change the water a few times.
   6- Beat with a mixer, cooling the mixture to 190
   7- Pour onto greased (Pam) cookie sheets to ¼ inch thick
   8- Cool and slice into patties

Use two jellyroll pans.  I lined them with parchment paper before, that way you can cut them and put them on with the parchment paper beneath.

[KONASDAD]

9 weeks prior to rape bloom start to feed for brood and hive number increase. It takes a little time for bees to develop so they can lay more eggs and still cover them in the cluster. The queen can outlay the hive, it takes extra bees to cover capped brood, so eight to nine weeks before a flow start the buildup. A recent seminar i took suggested there is no statistical differance in the numbers of bees raised on substitute or real pollen in early spring. It should be placed w/in two inches of brood area because only the nurse bees will utilize the patties according to speaker.

[Cindi]

Konasdad, that is correct about the nursing bees and pollen. The nurse bees require pollen to develop the royal jelly in their hypopharyngeal glands, this is what is fed (along with other stuff) to the babies.  Without pollen the glands do not produce royal jelly.  Older worker bees do not need enormous amounts of pollen for protein.  It is the nursing bees and yes, they need lots and lots of pollen!!!  Have a wonderful and beautifully fabulous day, our good ol' life.  Cindi