When & If to feed Pollen Substitute -
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- When should you feed and If you need to feed Pollen Substitute - #Beekeeping Basics - The Norfolk Honey Co.
In the previous video I showed how I mix up my pollen substitute and how I feed it to the bees. Today I visited one of the apiaries to see if the bees were out on cleansing flights and wanted to discuss the when and if's of feeding pollen substitute. I picked a lovely sunny day and the bees were very active!
I have used a few different types of Pollen Substitute but never Bee Pro from Mann Lake which is stocked in the UK by Bee -Equipment.co.uk
This video is not sponsored and the product has not been supplied free of charge. I purchased it from their website paying the full amount including postage.
In this video you will hear my honest thoughts of this product in terms of the purchase, delivery and mixing of the product. I will follow this video with another showing how I use it on my colonies and how the bees react to it.
Here is the description from the Mann Lake product page:
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Different protein sources contain different amino acid levels; it's for this reason that a mixture of protein sources should be included in a pollen substitute. A correct amino acid balance is the key to efficient utilization of protein.
Protein quality is determined by its level of essential amino acids. A shortage of any one essential amino acid makes overall protein utilization by the bee less efficient. For example, the bees require 4% Iso-leucine. If the current feed you are using only has 3% Iso-leucine, your bees can only utilize 75% of the available protein.
Can be fed in dry form in a feeder box placed in the yard or made into patties by mixing with high fructose corn syrup or sugar syrup and placed in the hive.
Free of all contaminants. Natural pollens may contain pesticide residue and disease carrying bacteria (foulbrood).
Can be used for building colonies in late winter or early spring, to prepare for pollination and to maintain or increase brood production prior to and after honey flow.
Gives your bees the best nutrients available for the production of larval food.
High protein pollen substitute which supplies the lipids, minerals, and B-complex vitamins honey bees need to produce larval food.
Specially formulated for the commercial beekeeper who is feeding syrup as the source of carbohydrates in the bee's diet.
I purchased this product in the UK from the following website, I do not currently (Jan 2017) receive any commission for promoting this company or product:
www.bee-equipme...
Available in the USA from Mann Lake:
www.mannlakelt...
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I live in Virginia in the USA and it has been a very mild winter for the most part my bees have been bring in pollen since January and they have been not eating my pollen patties that I gave them this past Feburary I thought they did not like them this yr I am using ultra bee this year, last Year I used Bee pro and they tore them up I am glad to know that the reason they are not eating is because u said they have natural pollen and they do not need it. thanks for sharing watching your videos is like going to bee school that is how informing they are u learn so much because of the way u teach they are just wonderful and I thank u so very much I want to be com e self seficient and not have to buy bees any more and u are teaching me to do just that. Thankyou
Hi Frances,
Thank you so much for your kind comments. I am glad the video's are helping.
Stewart
We are battling the opposite environment, heat waves, drought here in Qld. Terrific videos Stewart enjoy and learn.
Hi Linton,
Thanks for your comments. I'm guessing you still need to feed the bees going through a drought period as there is no nectar flow for them, do you also feed pollen substitute?
Stewart
Hello from the States Stewart. Love your vids. I've learn a lot from you. Thank you.
Hi 357lockdown,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Good luck with your beekeeping.
Stewart
i have a small bee colony hive the brood number are low can i give them pollen fondant in September to try boost the egg laying i am new to the bee keeping great videos 👍
Hi Stuart. I noticed that you don't appear to use mouse guards. Be interested to know your thoughts on these.
Ha Stewart u are a great teacher, the videos are wonderful, I use screen bottom boards also during the hole year but I also put a moister blanket in the top of the hive for condensation the board is a pillow case 1/2 full of cedar chips that are used for animal bedding I notice u do not have a moister blanket do I not need to do this thanks.
I don't use any Winter blankets or wraps to keep the bees warm.
I have lost one out of fifty colonies this Winter so I consider what I am doing is adequate for them. I sometimes think that if I insulate them when the sun does come out it doesn't have a chance to penetrate the hive box and warm up the inside so the pro's and con's are there for each beekeeper to make up their own minds as to what to do. I just know that for me, in my location, what I am doing seems to work fine for my bees.
Stewart
Stewart when installing Pollen patties like Mann Lake Bee Pro, do you remove the wax paper or not?
Hi TOA,
Thanks for the question. No I leave the paper in place to prevent the pollen sub from drying out. It goes really hard and unusable when it gets dry. I make a couple of cuts in the bottom. Another method is using cling wrap and making a couple of holes in it for the bees to get through. I think my preference is probably the cling wrap method now.
Stewart
Hi Stewart I am a new beekeeper so still very unsure what I am doing. It is late summer here in NZ and my area is in a drought. I have made a couple of splits and want to boost their numbers before winter. We haven't much pollen or even a nectar flow around due to the dry conditions. I am feeding them sugar syrup, but should I be also feeling them a pollen pattie.
Hi Julie,
Thanks for commenting. If you are looking to boost the size of the brood nest then yes pollen substitute would be worth feeding especially if you are in a drought and have no natural pollen available for them.
It may be worth having a word with other beekeepers in the area to see what they are doing.
Stewart
loving your videos Stewart. I am looking to get my pollen substitute on my hive next weekend as I am wanting to grow the colony to allow splitting early on in the year. what is you opinion on this?
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comments. I won't be putting my pollen sub on the rest of my colonies until mid Feb, so around 15th ish. A lot depends on your location, weather conditions, the bees etc. All I would say is once you start you need to keep going to make sure they have a continuous source of food until the main Spring flows start or they could starve.
Good luck with it and let me know what you decide to do and how it works out for you.
Stewart
The Norfolk Honey Company thanks your your comment, am in Scotland so depends on the weather (maybe next weekend will be too early) but will let you know how I get on. thanks.
I would probably leave it for a couple of weeks and then start.
Stewart
Why do you have chicken wire on
My bees were collecting pollen today for the first time since winter. Does this mean that the queen is laying now and the bees are feeding the brood?
Hi Conor,
Yep I would say the queens are now beginning to start laying again and the brood need it's protein. Been sunny again here today although cold and the bees are breaking out of the cluster and grabbing some pollen while they can.
Stewart
Thanks stewart
For me i feed pollen substitute because i noticed that the queen stopped laying eggs and lack of pollen might cause that behavior,, is that right??
Hi GFK,
A lack of food can cause queens to stop laying but there are so many variables it's difficult to say precisely why she would have stopped. I don't think feeding Pollen sub will do any harm but a lot depends on your location and individual set of circumstances.
Stewart
What is the purpose of the hex wire wraps?
It's to prevent our native Green Woodpecker from knocking a hole in the side of the boxes. Once they work out there is something to eat inside they can be a really destructive pest.
I don't do it in all my apiaries over winter, just those where I have seen or heard the woodpecker.
Stewart
OK, makes complete sense. Thank goodness I don't have to consider that a threat around here in Denver, Colorado......
ha there do u make your own patties if u do how do u make them thanks
Check out this video
ua-cam.com/video/bXTJVOLtQjs/v-deo.html
Why do you put chicken wire around your hives?
Just read another reply, it's to reduce the green woodpecker attacking the hive :)
Why put chicken wire around hives? Thanks
Hi Steven,
It's to prevent damage from Greeen Woodpeckers.
Stewart
Why is there chicken wire around hive.
Hi WWO,
It's to prevent Green Woodpecker damage. It's removed in the Spring.
Stewart