Pollen Patties . . . expensive?

[thomashton]

This is my third spring with bees and I have never fed pollen patties. Never lost a hive either (knock on wood). I almost did last year, but when I priced out brewer's yeast and especially bee pollen the price of them knocked my socks off.

How do you guys get around the outrageous price of these ingredients? I understand some of you let the bees collect the pollen for you, but I've read quite a bit that you shouldn't take pollen as you're lowering the hive's ability to raise new brood.

What do you say? Is there an economically viable solution to making good pollen patties actually using pollen and brewer's yeast?

[Michael Bush]

Pollen is not necessary to feed.  By the time the bees can fly there is pollen available.  Some years it's helpful to have pollen patties (when the weather is more unpredictable) but most years it makes no difference.

[Brian D. Bray]

I've found pollen patties not worth the bother.  In my area the Filberts (aka hazelnuts or tukwilas) are 1st to produce pollen begining in early February followed by willow, Alder, and Maple which we're into right now.  Natural pollen is better than any substitue man can devise and the bees will ignore it if natural pollen sources are near by.  The patties are also go food lures for SHB so car must be taken in that area--remove as soon as natural pollen is being bathered.  For bees used for early spring pollination, such as almonds, feeding patties can make a difference in hive size when feed in late December and January in areas where the weather is mild enough to permit it.  So, not being a commercial beekeeper, I find it a waste. 

[Cass Cohenour]

I made my own this year and I would bet that from the amount of pollen sub I still have and the amount that I used to make my patties that I have less than $.25 in each patty.

<a href="http://wvbeekeeper.blogspot.com/2008/02/making-pollen-patties.html">Making Pollen Patties</a>

[NWIN Beekeeper]

[I made my own this year and I would bet that from the amount of pollen sub I still have and the amount that I used to make my patties that....]

[.... I have less than $.25 in each patty.]

Something is off in your math. 
Even at $.40/lb for sugar (half the ingredients in a patty), you'd have $.20 in sugar to start with. 
And even at bulk, quality pollen replacement is $2/lb, you'd have another $1 in pollen replacer.

I give you a little slack for the water content but really you'd have be at least $1.00/patty.
We'll leave the 'dollar store' wax paper out of the picture too.  ;)

We're only talking a quarter's difference, but on a large enough scale or in beginner expectations, that can be misleading. ($4 vs. $16, in your case.)

If I'm wrong, please let me know your sources, because I can't make them that cheap!

[Cass Cohenour]

Your right, I was thinking solely  of the pollen sub and not of the sugar. Go ahead and add $.40 to the $.25. That's $.65. To me that sounds better than paying $19.95 for a ten pack of bee pro patties and paying for the shipping which is about another $10. That works out to $3 per patty when buying the 10lb pack from Mann Lake. I think I'll stick to my $.65 patties. I made 1 lb patties. 2/3 was in the form of 2:1 sugar syrup. 1/3 is in the form of the pollen sub. 1 lb of pollen sub will make three patties. Approximately 2 lbs of sugar in three patties. $.80 for the sugar and on average $1 per pound for the sub depending on what you use. This is $1.80 per three patties, or $.60 per patty. Mann lake sells 50 lb bags of Bee-Pro for $49.95 (plus shipping). Even after paying shipping you would still save more than $2 per patty when you make your own opposed to buying premade patties and having them shipped.

[woodchopper]

Cass, I saw in your blog that you've been keeping bees for ten years. How long have you been using your pollen patty recipe ? Looks like something we'd try this year. Thanks

[Cass Cohenour]

The patties in the recipe was a starting point. I've used pollen sub before, like bee pro, it's easier than having to mix the other recipe.

[Moonshae]

I bought patties, a bigger box than I needed. Keep them in the fridge. My girls have been greedy, both hives going through a whole patty every 2 weeks. I don't mind the extra expense, if it helps them build up a bit faster. If it costs $10/hive, but I get extra honey from the bigger population, well...