> This is not an uncommon complaint.  There are several ways to get bees to
> take it, and most work just some of the time.  The only way I know of that
> works all of the time is to mix approximately 25% natural pollen, and then
> add just enough 1:1 sugar water to make firm patties.

I no longer use any natural pollen at all when making patties, and do not
recommend using it -- unless you have trapped it yourself.  Even then, unless it
is stored undried and frozen, trapped pollen will likely have lost many -- if
not most -- of its best properties, and may contain brood pathogens.

Our carefully considered discontinuation of pollen use in patties is due to the
increasing incidence of resistant foulbrood in North America, and the
*certainty* of spreading other brood diseases when trapped pollen is used in a
diet.  FWIW, I am not even convinced that radiation treatment --  which we have
used -- will ensure safety.

In the past, we used pollen primarily as an attractant, but excellent results
can be achieved with patties that do not contain any pollen if white sugar is at
least 50% of the patty formula.

Rearing of queens is still, in my mind, and exception.  Pollen cakes are
recommended over artificial diets for queen rearing by Steve Tabor (I don't know
why.  He does not say).  As I recall, he cautions against artificial diets for
feeding cell builders, and we have never tried using artificial supplementation
for that job.  Nonetheless, I would guess that, in addition to the benefits,
there may be some downside to feeding pollen cakes if the pollen contains any
chalkbrood or sacbrood.  Some mortality of the developing queens must be caused
by pollen borne disease.

allen

http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Misc/Pollen/PollenSup.htm