Most beekeepers employ pollen patties during late winter/early spring as protein supplements to promote brood rearing and queen egg laying, along with essential oils, lipids and minerals.
It is easy to place the protein-rich patty inside a hive on top bars near the brood nest where it will most benefit. Remembering when and where this protein feeding will occur is crucial.
Contents
Balanced Nutrition
Bees require protein and lipids when natural sources of pollen are unavailable to raise brood, and HiveAlive contains high concentrations to improve bee health. These ready-to-use patties contain these vital elements for brood production.
Each patty contains 15% natural, real USA pollen with at least 15.5% protein content. Plus they’re enhanced with HiveAlive which has been scientifically proven to improve bee gut health, strengthen colonies over winter, and boost honey production.
Beekeepers use protein supplements, known as pollen patties, to stimulate brood production as the end of winter draws near and natural pollen returns in spring. Some beekeepers have discovered that providing pollen patties too early can hinder a colony’s ability to thrive later in the season during extended cold snaps; it may cause higher population peaks while bees too busy raising brood may not store enough food for winter – therefore it is wiser to wait for an appropriate moment depending on your region and plants before adding pollen patties.
Natural Pollen Traps
Pollen substitutes do not draw bees the same way natural pollen does, which means they should only be fed to bee colonies in moderation to avoid stimulating an overactive colony early. Too large of a colony in spring could result in it swarming which may require drastic preventative measures for effective management and prevention.
Pollen patties do not contain real pollen; instead they’re designed to mimic the protein honey bees need for brood production. Furthermore, they contain other beneficial ingredients for bees such as brewer’s yeast, sugar, dried egg and oil; researchers discovered that bees fed diets containing fortified proteins had larger fat bodies (an indicator of nutrition) than those given unfortified diets (Ricigliano and Simone-Finstrom 2020). This highlights the significance of providing quality feed to honey bee colonies so as to increase populations and improve health while helping populations and enhance health within colonies as hives and increase populations/health benefits overall.
Time of Supply
Pollen patties contain high concentrations of protein as well as vitamins and fatty acids – essential nutrients for bees during winter and late spring when they cannot access foraging sources directly.
Timing of when bees should start receiving pollen substitute depends on weather, region, plant species and population size of their hives. To prevent starving bees or swarming occurring quickly it is essential not to over supply too quickly with protein rich products like pollen replacement.
Beekeepers increasingly opt to create their own pollen replacement patties rather than purchasing commercial ones, instead making their own with ingredients such as brewer’s yeast, sugar syrup and trapped foothill pollen (or Ultra Bee) combined into wax paper sheets for easy access for the nurse bees. Cut slits into the paper as needed to increase access for nurse bees – place on top bars of hive for easy bee access; be sure to remove any uneaten patties to avoid SHB infestation.
Storage
Pollen patties can easily fit under an inner cover and can be fed easily; however, they may not be an ideal choice in areas with small hive beetles (SHB), since the beetles adore eating them until all have been consumed.
For SHB-prone areas, liquid pollen supplement should be combined with sugar syrup to provide maximum nutrition to the apiary.
Mann Lake FD213 Ultra Bee dry feed contains high protein levels that have been scientifically shown to boost brood production, while providing manageable colony sizes until natural pollen becomes plentiful. When feeding early in spring it should not lead to too many outgrow their cluster and potentially face cold temperatures or starvation risks; rather it should provide continuous supply until natural pollen becomes plentiful.
