Trying to make my own pollen patties

[tom]

Hello all i hope everything is going well today i went out to try to make my own pollen patties and i want some advice on the stuff i got. I went to wal-mart and got some soy flour ,brewer yeast in tablet form ,powdered milk, sea salt,and some multi vitamin in the liquid form and sugar is there anything else i need or will this work this is my first time trying this i just want to make some of my own stuff and save on money.

Tom

[rdy-b]

Pollen and powdered egg yolk-to bad you cant get beepro at wall-mart try some canola oil so it dont get to hard for them to eat this is a simple recipe from another site hope it helps-RDY-B
(Makes a 1.5 pound patty)

1.5 cups (8oz.) fat-free soy flour
.5 cup (1oz.) Brewer’s yeast
1.5 cups (12oz.) granulated sugar
Sugar Syrup
Mix dry ingredients and add slowly to syrup until mixture is like stiff bread dough. Press between wax paper. Place patty over cluster with wax paper up.

[BeeHopper]

While we're on the subject of pollen patties, I bought a few from Betterbee a few years ago, been in the freezer since then, I wonder if they are still good sans freezer burn  :?

[BMAC]

that sure is a long time to keep them in the freezer.  I threw some out from 1.5 years ago in fear of them being freezer burnt and made new ones up.

[Cindi]

Beehopper.  If I were you, I would not bother to use the pollen patties.  I am of the very distinct impression that pollen is very viable for up to one year, after that period of time, it loses its viability.  I would not trust the viability of the pollen much longer than say 1-1/2 years old.  Just my two cents.  You will hear more comments.  Have a wonderful and great day, Cindi

[Cindi]

I went to wal-mart and got some soy flour ,brewer yeast in tablet form ,powdered milk, sea salt,and some multi vitamin in the liquid form and sugar is there anything else i need or will this work this is my first time trying this i just want to make some of my own stuff and save on money.
Tom

Tom, I don't know why you want to use powdered milk, sea salt and some multi vitamin.  These are ingredients I don't understand.

This is the recipe for pollen patty that was given on the advice of the Bee Inspector for our region.  It does not include sea salt, or powdered milk, I think that Vitamin C has been used by some members.  There are some excellent posts on the making of the ingredients for pollen patties.  You should read the posts, do a search on this forum.  Good luck and have a wonderful day, Cindi

7 cups brewers yeast
7 cups white sugar
3 cups water
6 cups pollen

This makes (10) approximately one pound patties.  The actual recipe called for less pollen, but I changed the recipe slightly because more pollen, the better it is for the bees.

When making pollen patties, it is best to dissolve half the water in the pollen, then add other part of water.  Sugar syrup does not readily dissolve in pollen.

You will more than likely get more comments, but these are mine, take them as you would.  Cindi

[NWIN Beekeeper]

[...pollen is very viable for up to one year, after that period of time, it loses its viability.] - Cindy

I agree.
And any vitamins that were in the patty began to break down once they became wet/mixed.

Bees aren't going to find much nutrition in that - you might even make them a bit sick because there are balances of elements in the patty to make it the most digestible. There is a fair chance that some of those elements are now "out-of-wackâ,,¢".

Pony up a few bucks and make or buy new.

[BeeHopper]

Good Advice, my friends  :-D The frozen pollen just got canned, and the girls can find their own, they're so good at it.  :-D

[Brian D. Bray]

Good Advice, my friends  :-D The frozen pollen just got canned, and the girls can find their own, they're so good at it.  :-D

Yeah, even in early February there is pollen out there.  Right now we have hazelnut catkins with fuzzy willow and alder around the corner.

[Kathyp]

Right now we have hazelnut catkins with fuzzy willow and alder around the corner.

if it ever stops raining-snowing-freezing.......and then there is chunky rain......

[PDCambs]

Hi all

I'm trying to source soya flour for my pollen substitute. Nobody seems able to discover what method of refinement the soya flour was made with <shrug> but I was wondering why, as in a recipe posted here, soya flour should be low fat? Full fat soya is available from fishing bate suppliers with 48% protein content and at good prices.

Would anyone use the fishing bate soya, and if not why not?



Best regards

Peter
Cambridge UK

[dpence]

Right now we have hazelnut catkins with fuzzy willow and alder around the corner.

if it ever stops raining-snowing-freezing.......and then there is chunky rain......

Amen, we have Maple and Willow here in Missouri if the weather levels out.  What scares me is what happened last year, it warmed up and everything started to bud then we had a killing frost.  Bad news for the girls for sure. 

David

[SteveSC]

PD... Are you talking about soy meal..? I used to use soy and wheat bran meal for catfish and carp dough yrs. ago.   Is that what you're talking about....?  What consistency is the soy..?  Thanks.

[Jerrymac]

http://www.honeywayhives.com/EN/main/30/57.html

Soy is also lacking in all the natural ingredients bees need. By feeding sugar and soy to bees, beekeepers are encouraging digestive problems such as constipation within the colony.

[PDCambs]

The recipe I'm pondering currently, having done quite a bit of research, is

3kg Soya Flour
1kg Brewers Yeast (powdered)
1/4kg Dried Simmed Milk
1/2kg Powdered Egg Yoke
1 Multivitamin Tablet (as yut undecided about this ingredient)
Honey (enough to constitute the required consistency)

I'm not familiar with Soy meal here in the UK, but Soya flour is used in fishing baits so is likely the same thing.

This year I plan to collect pollen from my colonies, so that in future I would add 1kg pollen to the above recipe (I'm not buying  in pollen as it might contain foul brood spores)

Last night our association had its 125th anniversary dinner, at which I discovered another beek is feeding his colonies dates. Has anyone experience of using dates as a stimulative feed?



Best regards

Peter
Cambridge UK

[PDCambs]

> Soy is also lacking in all the natural ingredients
> bees need. By feeding sugar and soy to bees,
> beekeepers are encouraging digestive problems
> such as constipation within the colony.


Hi

Do you have a reference that does not have a vested interest in the subject? They are trying to sell a commercial pollen substitute; it therefore does not surprise me they are discouraging using what many beeks use in their own recipes. I also would be interested to know exactly what's in their recipe before I considered using it.

I've done quite a bit of reading up on the subject. Full fat and low fat Soya flour is an issue as the full has 20% oil in it whereas pollen has a much lower lipid content. Fat Bees Skinny Bees is a useful resource, but there are many more to be found with a little digging, and none I have read mention the concerns your link reports, no offence, but do you have any connection to the site?



Best regards

Peter
Cambridge UK

[Jerrymac]

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar03/bees0303.htm

The pattiesâ€"typically made of corn syrup, soy flour, and brewer's yeastâ€"create another problem. For reasons not yet understood, bees that eat soy patties eventually lose their ability to produce a food, called worker jelly, that's vital for the brood.

[Cindi]

The recipe I'm pondering currently, having done quite a bit of research, is

3kg Soya Flour
1kg Brewers Yeast (powdered)
1kg Dried Simmed Milk
1/2kg Powdered Egg Yoke
1 Multivitamin Tablet (as yut undecided about this ingredient)
Honey (enough to constitute the required consistency)

I'm not familiar with Soy meal here in the UK, but Soya flour is used in fishing baits so is likely the same thing.
This year I plan to collect pollen from my colonies, so that in future I would add 1kg pollen to the above recipe (I'm not buying  in pollen as it might contain foul brood spores)

Last night our association had its 125th anniversary dinner, at which I discovered another beek is feeding his colonies dates. Has anyone experience of using dates as a stimulative feed?



Best regards

Peter
Cambridge UK

I don't understand why skimmed milk is used in the recipe, it is not good for the bees.

[PDCambs]

The pattiesâ€"typically made of corn syrup, soy flour, and brewer's yeastâ€"create another problem. For reasons not yet understood, bees that eat soy patties eventually lose their ability to produce a food, called worker jelly, that's vital for the brood.

Surely all bees "eventually lose their ability to produce a food, called worker jelly" and become foragers?

I guess if you can find a website belonging to (or that’s reporting on) a company whos business is marketing pollen substitutes, then you can find a quote cautioning against making your own substitute.

I've made and given the bees their first pollen substitute today; I expect it to be ignored if sufficient pollen becomes available, which is fine, Tonight I'm making candy and syrup as most have run out of honey stores and nearly finished the candy that went on on New Years Day. All hives had between 4 and 7 seams of bees, those I took frames out of (4 of 13) all had capped brood (patches about the size of a large Avocado)


Best regards

Peter
Cambridge UK

[NWIN Beekeeper]

[By feeding sugar and soy to bees, beekeepers are encouraging digestive problems such as constipation within the colony.]

I think more specifically- Feeding only sugar and soy can cause problems.

[Pollen is packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, and perhaps as-yet-undiscovered compounds essential for bees' survival. - USDA ARS]

When sugar and soy is balanced with proper amino acids and enzymes it acts very similar to pollen.
The blend should also mimic natural pollen's vitamins, minerals, and fats.  A recent study shows that fat, a frequently dismissed aspect, is significant in having healthy bees (both from an improved immune system and improved motility - in layman's terms - good poopin').