> >My question is, what should I expect to see in my hives one month later,
> having done this? ...What does a protein patty do?
>
My basic recommendation to beekeepers is to not do anything to a hive
unless you fully understand the reason that you are doing it.
I do not know about your specific area, but in most temperate areas, the
natural cycle is that November is the month of the least broodrearing. If
you are managing varroa, it is an opportune window for effective treatment.
In my area, colonies may ignore pollen sub in November, since they are
minimizing broodrearing. We get excellent results from feeding it in Sept
and Oct., and then after they begin broodrearing in earnest in midwinter.
I have found no benefit to feeding sub when quality natural pollen is
available.
Feeding colonies sub if the weather is too cold for cleansing flights may
cause problems.
The effective feeding of protein is also very much related to the degree of
stimulation by nectar or syrup income. You will need to learn by
experimentation for your area, but in my experience, sub is poorly
converted to jelly unless we also provide syrup or some other form of sugar
stimulation.
The exception is for colonies in midwinter, after they have naturally
started broodrearing, if they have plenty of honey. Those colonies do not
appear to need syrup to utilize supplemental protein, but syrup still
appears to be stimulatory.
Before feeding any sub, I suggest that you spend some time to understand
the natural cycle of colonies in your area, the availability of quality
pollen and nectar flows, and the timing of when you wish to make splits or
mate queens. Then you can make a plan for experimenting with supplemental
feeding to see what works best in your area.
--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com
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