Pollen patties: when?

[Derek Uchman]

I want to get my colonies up-and-running as soon as poss this year. Are pollen patties a good idea? if so, when should I put them on?

[Mellifera Crofter]

I gave pollen patties to my colonies early last year (from about March). I don't know whether it's generally a good idea - but I thought it might help my bees because of where I live - a very exposed hill where the forage - even the gorse - is later than anywhere else, and we're surrounded by an agricultural desert. In contrast with my bees, I know somebody in Aberdeen whose bees were thriving by then, in a sheltered apiary with lots of willow and butterburs to forage on. He obviously doesn't need pollen patties.

[Adam]

I have made pollen substitute - I have no idea whether it did any good - there was no appreciable difference between the fed and unfed.
There are back page ads for pollen patties now - something from the US I suppose. I'm not convinced that they are needed apart from occasionally. I wonder if they (the suppliers) are trying to encourage use whether they are needed or not - so beekeepers THINK they should use them and sales are driven up as a result??

[Bridget]

I gave mine pollen patties last year in about late March april. They loved it so even if it makes no difference look on it as a little treat after winter!


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[madasafish]

Pollen patties cost money. I may be exiled but my Aberdonian education still comes to the fore...

[gavin]

I've only once used protein supplement (not sure if there was any pollen in that one, it was a gift from a commercial beekeeper) and it was in August in a particularly wet summer when the bees had shut down early and looked like going into the winter with no fresh brood. It did seem to stimulate a little brood rearing.

If your aim is to encourage early build-up, and knowing your location on the fringes of suburbia with mixed flora around, I would try syrup rather than pollen. What matters more will be the autumn state of the colony. A young queen, late brood raising, plenty of stores and a long warm autumn (!) and you are fairly likely to have stronger than average colonies in March ready to build quickly and take advantage of the spring flora including oilseed rape.

If your bees are sited well away from spring pollen perhaps in an agricultural desert where rape is the main crop, then artificial boosting may be worthwhile. But in that situation the best bet would be to find somewhere better for the bees.

[mbc]

I think you have it Gavin, there's only any real benefit in a pollen dearth. These rarely if ever occur during a west Wales spring, but on occasions like the late summer leading to autumn and winter 2012/2013 I think feeding pollen supplements might have been very cost effective. Sorry for the west Wales reference, but it might have been different elsewhere so needed qualifying.

If anybody's interested I have some beekeeping specific crystal balls at a very reasonable price, pm me for details, first come, first served.

[drumgerry]

I can see the benefit of trying to get them going early where OSR is going to be your main nectar flow of the year. Speaking for myself I don't mind a steadier build up as my year is built around firstly the clover followed by the heather. No OSR around here so I don't see the point in giving them pollen supplements/substitutes. Once they get going properly in Spring there's no shortage of pollen for my bees.

[Mellifera Crofter]

... If your bees are sited well away from spring pollen perhaps in an agricultural desert where rape is the main crop, then artificial boosting may be worthwhile. But in that situation the best bet would be to find somewhere better for the bees.

Where shall I take my bees, Gavin? The nature of a desert is that it stretches for miles and miles.

I do however move most of my colonies to other apiaries in spring, and I've just come back from visiting somebody's native woodland that I hope to use as a new, permanent, apiary. I'm also happy to say that here on my hill all of my colonies are alive and well and buzzing around today.

Kitta

[gavin]

If that native woodland has some of the useful trees - willow, bird cherry/gean, sycamore, lime, horse chestnut and a decent understorey then you can hardly better it.

Delighted to have a West Wales reference. I reckon the same applies in much of Scotland.