Pollen patties are supplemental foods for bees that provide protein and other essential nutrients. Bees need these essential elements to build their comb, feed their brood, and produce honey.
Beekeepers often utilize supplemental foods to increase brood production during wintertime when pollen supplies are lower. However, not all beekeepers opt for this practice.
Contents
Ingredients
Bees are essential pollinators, and nurse bees need protein-rich pollen from their queen to raise larvae. Furthermore, pollen helps them make royal jelly which they feed their young (brood).
Beekeepers may supplement with patties when pollen is scarce or when populations are high to stimulate brood production and keep a colony healthy. They’re especially beneficial in early spring when nectar flow begins.
To make patties, simply combine pollen substitute and sugar in a bowl. Stir until evenly combined, then divide evenly into 1/4 cup portions. Place on wax paper and freeze until needed.
Mixing
Mixing, often heard in song recordings, is the process of combining tracks together to create a new sound. It’s an essential step in the creation of music.
A pollen patty is an essential component of bees’ winter and spring nutrition, providing carbohydrates, protein, and fat to fuel brood development.
Monoculture areas where pollen sources are limited or hives are stressed due to pesticides, mites and diseases can benefit from using this supplement. Furthermore, it encourages strong hive populations and helps prevent swarming.
Beekeepers do not always supplement their colonies with pollen patties. These supplements must only be used if absolutely necessary and used carefully.
Spreading
A pollen patty is a soft dough composed of various proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins. They’re an ideal addition to your hive’s spring menu for colony health and the production of large honey crops.
Patties should be spread on the top bars of a brood box, with perforated paper facing downward. Do this quickly before it gets sticky in the box; sticky contents make handling and storing difficult.
Bees typically consume pollen patties quickly in September, before cold weather sets in and brood rearing begins again. However, if these patties are not eaten quickly enough, this could indicate an issue within the colony.
In wintertime, colonies feed on a protein patty that contains some sugar to help them survive and prepare for spring when they can access nectar again.
Storage
Bees gather pollen during foraging trips and store it in honey cells to be used later. This stored food, commonly referred to as ‘bee bread’ or ‘honey pollen,’ is essential in providing nourishment when natural sources are scarce.
Unfortunately, in certain areas there may not be enough natural pollen to sustain brood production during late winter and early spring. In such cases, pollen patties can be used to support a colony and help boost production until natural supplies resume.
Early spring is an ideal time to add patties, after the winter solstice when bees begin laying eggs and before nectar flows begin. This allows for quick brood growth and a larger honey crop in early summer.
