Feeding Pollen Substitute
Here we show putting your own pollen substitute patty on wax paper and feeding it to bee hives.
This video we show the consistency of the mixture you are looking for. Put it on regular food wax paper. If you are not feeding it right away, put it in the freezer for storage.
Next we show putting it into a 5 frame Nuc hive. Obviously you can put it into any size of hive. But you want to be sure to put it right above the brood nest. Typically this will be in the middle, but each hive is different.
You want the bee’s to consume the patty within a week top, more like 3-5 days. If the hive is not strong and the patty is in there for a while, you will get SHB (Small Hive Beetle) laying egg’s and developing up in the patty. It is not a pretty site to see. If needed, cut the patty in half or 1/3 strips to start feeding.
Either remove one side of the paper like we show, or cut a slit in the wax paper in the middle area so that the bee’s can get to it easier. Gently with giving bee’s time to get out of the way, lay it across the frames.
Last bit. Once you start feeding pollen substitute, you want to continue feeding it. Especially in early spring this can be an issue. If they are getting fresh pollen, and then you get a freeze and pollen sources stop, you really want to be sure that you feed, otherwise the bee’s may crash due to lack of food.
We also have dry pollen substitute feeders throughout the yard. This is another good way to feed. They won’t hit the feeders if they have fresh pollen, but can allow them to take it back when they can’t find any.