Feeding Flour to bees for protein?

[GSF]

I've been doing some surfing around and have ran across a couple of comments about feeding flour to bees. It's suppose to act about the same as pollen towards build up/comb building. I think John P from Ga open feeds it to his bees. Has anyone else ever tried this? I think it's un bleached flour. I bought some soy flour, when I was youtub'n Beehealth, to make pollen patties but I think I'd rather open feed if it's feasible.

Does it really help with the comb/brood build up?

[iddee]

I use 80% brewers yeast, 10% soy flour, and 10% sugar. Then open feed the dry mix.

[sc-bee]

I use 80% brewers yeast, 10% soy flour, and 10% sugar. Then open feed the dry mix.

Where do you purchase the brewers yeast?

[iddee]

A local brewery. I use spent brewers yeast, after they are done with it.

[rdy-b]

  when when use dry feed to stimulate pollen or we use a premix in bulk or patty form
what we want to accomplish is a direct account of the DEGroot Amino Acid Profile--
any thing less on any one of the profiles means less direct absorption of all the other
ingredients--not to say that there is no benefit--if you want to gain protein -with dry feed
you will also have to feed a carbohydrate--(SRYUP)--sugar in the dry mix is not what you want to feed
sugar in the bulk or patty form is required at at-least 50-60%% for consumption--but dry mix is a different
approach- it has much value if done corectly -for small amount of colonies i would say stick with one of
the premixed such as BEEPRO--(MANNLAKE )BROOD BUILDER (DADANT) to get a balance profile of what
is needed -you cant buy the ingredients for what they charge for these small portions--and maintain the
needed profile--not to say there is not short cuts on good years --but on bad years you cant afford to leave
something they need out -California is third year drought--it was the extra that gets me to the bank for the deposit  ;) rdy-b

.

[tefer2]

Hey rdy, I think your keyboard is screwed up somehow. What time does the bar's close in California?  :cheer:

[T Beek]

Another approach would be to add some pollen traps to your hives, collect it and store it, and give it all back in the Spring.

[GSF]

tefer2 <Hey rdy, I think your keyboard is screwed up somehow. What time does the bar's close in California?>  cheer

lol

(I do appreciate your reply rdy-b)

[tefer2]

 :imsorry: just kidding around.

[Lone]

GSF, all I know is that at times the bees will be all over the pollard or millrun put out for the fowls.  As far as I can tell, this is the part of the wheat that does not make the flour.  Perhaps they choose pollard more often when there is a lack of pollen or it is protein poor.  I'm not sure.  Here is a website that mentions using pollard and other bee feeds  http://www.honeybee.com.au/Library/Beefeeds.html  I'm sorry, there is no mention there of wheat flour, just soy flour.

I try to avoid deliberate feeding as much as possible, though I tried a pollen substitute someone gave me recently.  I'm not sure what it contains.

Lone

[sc-bee]

The bees will collect whatever at times when nothing is available. They will rob the dust in a bird feeder. They will even collect fine sawdust, I guess cause it is the size of pollen, when desperate?

[sc-bee]

iddee---- no brewer around to get spent yeast. Do I have another option?

[AllenF]

Buy a bag of feed from any of the bee suppliers.  Most all of them sell dry feed.

[Dr. Cricket]

Health food stores also sell brewers yeast.

[iddee]

Try Aiken Brewery in Aiken. Call on Sunday about noon. The owner will be there then.

(803) 502-0707

[sc-bee]

Thanks iddee

[rdy-b]

Hey rdy, I think your keyboard is screwed up somehow. What time does the bar's close in California?  :cheer:

just a couple litel typos-- ;) RDY-B

[rdy-b]

I've been doing some surfing around and have ran across a couple of comments about feeding flour to bees. It's suppose to act about the same as pollen towards build up/comb building. I think John P from Ga open feeds it to his bees. Has anyone else ever tried this? I think it's un bleached flour. I bought some soy flour, when I was youtub'n Beehealth, to make pollen patties but I think I'd rather open feed if it's feasible.

Does it really help with the comb/brood build up?

one thing to think about is that the bees do treat dry mix differently than pollen-pollen gets inoculated by the bee
and turned into beebread-beebread gets stored-the dry mix dose not-just because it comes in the front door in there pollen
baskets dosent make it pollen-this is one reason why they patties work better for me than open feeding dry mix-
the patty is in the hive intill they eat it-they eat it even when they dont fly-RDY-B

[Joe D]

Wonder if rice flour would work, I have some of that for the deer.  If you have SBB's and not a oil pan under it, there is a good bit of pollen that winds up on the floor, under the hive anyway.



Joe

[T Beek]

Oh my  :idunno:. 

If a Beek wants to feed their bees pollen and they have none on hand (via pollen traps) BRUSHY MOUNTAIN sells 'fresh/frozen' pollen that can be fed to bees safely. 

Give your bees what they want and need........pollen. 

Just because bees will consume something (grain flour) doesn't mean its necessarily good for them.  I'm not convinced.  EXAMPLE; Mine spend time rolling around in 'used cat litter' spread around the garden perimeter every Spring, likely attracted to the minerals in the urine. 

That all changes once the willows, maples and dandelions appear  :)