Spent Brewer's Yeast

[bhfury]

Hi Iddee,

I found a local brewery that will give me all the spent brewer's yeast I want. I've never fed spent brewer's yeast. I have a few questions:
Have you had any problems with it and your bees?
Do you dry the yeast before feeding it?
Anything to be concerned about?

Thanks,
Greg

[iddee]

I have found they take it quite readily, and have never seen a drawback on using it. I get it dry, so that's how I feed it. At times I will add 10% granulated sugar and/or 10% soy flour to it. I open feed it 50 to 200 feet from the hives to keep from inciting robbing.

Go for it, it works well.

[sc-bee]

I have been trying to decide whether to feed it or not. You can find anything you want on the internet as to replies or remarks. My point is I question as I have read comments about the alcohol and dysentery. I guess you have no trouble or you would not feed it iddee.

Do the bees really get anything from it after it is spent other than a feeding substrate/ base for the other products you add? Does the process of it going through the cycle make it lose something the bees could use?

[iddee]

As a powder, there's no alcohol. Besides, watch the bees go after fermented grapes and fruit. They love it.
I've not seen any dysentery and I've kept it out for them for months at a time. I don't think the process takes the protein out of it, and that's what you are after.

[sc-bee]

As a powder, there's no alcohol. Besides, watch the bees go after fermented grapes and fruit. They love it.
I've not seen any dysentery and I've kept it out for them for months at a time. I don't think the process takes the protein out of it, and that's what you are after.

Did not think there would be alcohol in the powder form, can it not sometimes be wet when you get it? Guess I need to check om that brewery.

[iddee]

I have only gotten it as dry powder. I don't know if it comes other ways.

[rwlaw]

I was getting it in a slurry from my brew master bud to put it into pollen patties, worked ok, but you have to cook it to kill off the yeast cells to keep from fermenting the sugar that was added (the alcohol boils off too). A lot of guys swear by it.

[sc-bee]

I was getting it in a slurry from my brew master bud to put it into pollen patties, worked ok, but you have to cook it to kill off the yeast cells to keep from fermenting the sugar that was added (the alcohol boils off too). A lot of guys swear by it.

Just put it in a pot and cook it.How long..... how hot. I would think just long enough to evaporate the moisture. The negatives I have read have been in reference to the use of the slurry.

[Dallasbeek]

You'd have to get it hot enough to kill the yeast.  Sourdough yeast came to me dried and when I added water and sugar and flour, it snapped into life, fermenting the sugars and making beautiful bread full of holes.  I'd say heat it to get the internal temp of the mass of yeast to 140, which is the point at which yeast dies.

[sc-bee]

How long will the spent yeast store and still be of some value?

[rwlaw]

2nd vote for 140 degrees

[Dallasbeek]

If it's dry, maybe indefinitely.  I got sourdough yeast called Carl Griffith's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough that comes from starter that was carried across country and maintained since at least 1847, then apparently at some time dried.  You can reconstitute it and keep it fed or dry it out and share it as a dry granular product.  People sharing it dry it and put it in a baggie with instructions.  Great stuff.  A neighbor uses it in his bakery.

[sc-bee]

Ok maybe I mis-read the post. Cause I was thinking indefinitely also because you buy it from bee supplies bagged. What I read was use in two weeks that must have been the mixed patties.