>For the past several years I have been evaluating methods to increase the >amount of pollen honeybees gathered off of cranberry bogs. This includes >sugar feeding, wave placement, egg laying/brood manipulation, pollen >removal, hive locations, hive numbers, QMP, use of complementary nectar >rich plants etc. Cranberry pollen is not all that attractive to honey bees and >they will go out of their way to collect anything other than cranberry >pollen. Some of these methods appear to work some of the time but there is a >tremendious variation between hives and locations. Getting good consistent >data is hard. Any suggestions? This is purely hear say but I have heard that the chinese when wanting bees to forage particular plant species feed a 30% sugar syrup puree containing flowers of the target species of plant. It may be an "old wives tale" but give it a try. Robert Rice Apiculture Services Manager (Sth Island) Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Lincoln New Zealand. E-mail [log in to unmask]