Pollen vs nectar question

[Jeff L]

If bees are bringing pollen into a hive, does it mean they are bringing in nectar also? I have one hive only in CA, and the temps are still in the low 70's and high 60's in the day time here. My bees are bringing back lots of pollen but I wonder if they are bringing home nectar also as it's now the second week in November. Does anyone here know how pollen equates to nectar? Thanks.

Jeff











Jeff

[Finsky]

Pollen and nectar have nothing to do with each other. From many flowers bees gather only pollen because there is no nectar.  Bees have instict to gather mixed pollen and bees no not know the nutrient value of pollen.

[Brian D. Bray]

The bees will bring anything that attracts them whether they need it or not.  If all that is available is pollen, then pollen is what they harvest.  There still may be a few stands of goldenrod or asters hunkering in the shodows but most are gone.  I'm starting to see Crocus and daffodils starting to punch through the light frosty crust of ground.  The normal seasonal flowering of plants in a predicable pattern as in the past seems to becoming more sporadic.

[Jeff L]

Brian and Finsky, thanks for the replies.

Brian my 'paperwhites' (Dafodill family) are coming thru quite early this year, plus 70 degree temps in November are strange also. Hmm.
I'll keep feeding thru this winter and make my hive correct. Saw some neat hives in a farm field today near ours. Interesting setups. 2 hives high on pallets. But the hives were individual. Not stacked and combined. One hive per box with a round hole the size of a golfball where the bees entered. (up high)  Each box was larger than a full deep super. Around 40 hives total. So certainly from a commercial beek. Wonder how robber problems don't exsist with such large entrances? Or maybe it doesn't matter if a person has many hives. Strange to me, but still learning. Thanks again.
Jeff 

[Finsky]

This is very usefull to read to every beekeeper. http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/HBBiology/nutrition_supplements.htm

Bees need over 20 percent of crude protein that it is good pollen. Bees may forage Pinus pollen and it has only 7%. Fireweed have 11% and willows about 15%.

If bees do not haqe enough vitamins, aminoacids etc. nurser bees take it from their own bodies. Then they collapse sooner.

[Brian D. Bray]

I wonder if the hives could have been what used to be called Imperials--hive with 12 frames.  12 Frames once were very popular in Canada and almost exactly square but their usuage was already dying out when I started beekeeping in the 50's.  I had a couple of hives of Imperials and they were very heavy to handle when full of honey.  130 lbs per super probably.  I would think that the golf ball size entrances might be one man's take on a "natural" improvement.
IMO 8 frames makes the least demand on the beekeeping physically for the maximum benefit to the bees as far as hive size is concerned.  As a person gets older even a 10 frame gets to be a bit much, and if you're handicapped like I am, it is definitely too much so I use medium 8 frames and nucs. 
If it gets to be too much for me with those I plan on going to medium depth nucs with the frames slimmed down to fit 6 in a nuc box.

[Jeff L]

I would bet that you are right Brian. From the look of the size of each box, 12 frames would be about right. Just a little bigger than a full 10 frame box. This 'field' is my favorite arrowhead hunting spot, so I'll be back. If I see the keeper of these hives I'll ask him about his hives and let you know. They are quite unique compared to what I see as the standard type here in northern CA.
Jeff

[Michael Bush]

Sounds like O.D. Frank's hives.  :)  He runs all Dadant Deeps in twelve frame boxes in California.