Bee pollen is an integral component of honey bee diets, providing essential proteins and nutrients necessary for brood development as well as vitamins and minerals that support them.
Feeding bees with pollen feeders is an excellent way to enhance colony productivity. There are various kinds of pollen feeders available – entrance feeders that fit directly into hive entrances, internal feeders that replace one or two frames and top internal feeders that replace your beehive’s lid and allow bees access from within as well.
Contents
Protein
Bees gather pollen from flowers, store it in their corbiculae (pollen baskets), and transport it back to their hives – they can process around 57 kg of pollen annually!
Protein is an integral part of bee nutrition and essential for their optimal development, reproduction, and brood rearing.
Pollen supplements designed specifically to meet the protein requirements of honey bees are available. Their key ingredients include yeast/soy protein, sugar, and pollen.
These protein substitutes serve as temporary support systems when bees can’t find enough quality pollen resources. When needed, these protein sources can be added directly into a beehive as either patty or powder and fed on top of frames within.
Nutrients
Bees depend on pollen as a source of protein, fats/lipids, minerals and vitamins to provide essential nourishment necessary for brood production, development and growth of young bees.
Bees collect pollen throughout the year from flowers and plants in their environment, but sometimes nature doesn’t provide enough. When this occurs, beekeepers may provide pollen supplements or substitutes to strengthen colonies when necessary.
Utilizing a pollen alternative that fulfills honey bee nutritional requirements is of utmost importance, particularly with regards to fat to protein ratios. A good alternative should have at least a 1:1 ratio.
Commercial pollen substitutes often include sugar syrup to increase bee palatability, potentially creating an overriding preference for them over natural pollen sources.
Energy
Pollen feeders provide honey bees with essential energy sources during times of dearth or environmental conditions that prevent foraging for natural protein sources, helping them thrive even during critical times. By feeding your bees an adequate supply of protein through one, your pollen feeder can ensure their survival during these limiting circumstances.
Bees require high-quality proteins for young bees during early spring brood rearing season when pollen collection increases significantly. An abundance of proteins allows bees to more rapidly develop their queen and lay more eggs more rapidly.
Studies on worker responses to diets containing different crude proteins have examined their response in various settings. Some investigators have caged workers in a laboratory setting and evaluated their longevity after being fed an alternative diet (Mattila and Otis 2006b; Li et al 2014; Lamontagne-Drolet et al 2019).
Researchers have studied worker consumption patterns of substitute diets as well as body protein content of bees fed a substitute diet. Although results are inconsistent, it appears that bees who consume substitutes have higher hemolymph protein titers compared with those not consuming substitutes.
Distraction
Provisioning honey bee colonies with dry pollen or pollen substitute during periods of reduced pollen supplies is key to maintaining healthy colonies. Doing so helps ensure strong brood crops and provides protein needed for early spring brood rearing when natural pollen supplies run short or an absence of pollen in the environment causes delays in pollen storage combs.
Bees use corbiculae on their hind legs to collect and transport pollen, creating pollen baskets. When these structures become filled, their presence becomes noticeable to forager bees, encouraging them to return home to the hive.
There are various pollen feeders, each offering different advantages and drawbacks. Some models can be installed directly into a beehive while others may need to be placed outside it for use.
Feeders should only be used as an interim solution until the colony becomes established and foraging increases. As it develops further, reliance should decrease as more food sources become available to it.
