> The question was asked: "Why feed pollen patties at all?"

Long flights this weekend,  much time to ponder this question.  It seems its
us.  Our incessant need for bigger earlier hives, Good bad or ugly.   For
the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of comparing hives,  east vs west
package producers vs pollinators,  honey guys vs pollinators.  Etc.   No
real standard answer other than most of us think bigger  is better.

The one thought that sticks in my head is my friend Ron,  Ron makes more
honey than anyone else I know consistently. Year in year out hes in the
150-200 per hive range, for around 1000 hives.  In farm country.  There are
some features that help him,  but  not my point.   Ron starts over every
year in March,  with 2 lb packages  Roughly 2 frames of bees.  Tiny hive in
most minds.   And yet manages to split many of them and still make more
honey than everyone else.....  point being maybe for many of us,  pollen
patties are not a perk.  Bigger hives earlier may not be a real value.

Your mileage may vary!


But  on to Pollen patties and SHB.  This has been a real problem for my
operation for a few years. SHB are killing me. Towards that I have done a
ton of work and experiments.

No answers here just  lots of observation that may help stimulate thought.


Don mentioned too much space,  and in spring and summer it's a great point,
tight is better,  but in winter something happens,  and it's a moot point.
Those beetles winter right in or on the edge of the cluster.  Bees no longer
harass them, and the move right in to the warmth. Can't tell you why,  but I
can show you pictures.  Come Nov.  SHB or pretty much not harassed.  Seems
the bees are much more tolerant.

To feeding patties

First,  the global patties,  the paper seems tough enough to stop the beetle
from ovipositing eggs thru it.  They still hit the exposed edges,  but the
paper seems pretty tough.  I can't claim any value as the beetles work the
edges and still destroy the patty.   

2nd  was a feeder rim,  the theory being that if the bees can patrol the
whole patty  they would clean up eggs.  Nice plan,  no go....  beetles lay
deep in the patty if its not being consumed fast enough and hatch.  FWIW
they also do this in the pollen band on healthy hives.  Once consumption
slows beetles move ahead quickly.

Small patties,  a help,  but no a complete solution  We tried small densely
packed patties last year in early spring (cold snap)  and found beetles
larve deep in the patty after 5-6 days.

That said,  I think I am on to something.  By luck!  I did switch to Nutra
bee patties this spring.  For those of you who don't use them,  they are
very wet and oily.  The hives we wanted to use them on were loaded with
beetles.  So 2 weeks ago  I put on very small patties (because of SHB)  I
flew back out to check them out.  And was pleased.

Heres why I think,  all of the SHB larvae I have found have tunneled in the
pattie,  and the tunnels are obvious. The larve can carve out a living
space, much like a snow tunnel.  I have many pictures and images of SHB
larva in spring summer winter and fall in patties.  All are dryer patties
that are dense.

Keiths patties are wet and sloppy.  Without paper they run down the frames.
(email me for pics) I suspect that the wet nature suffocates the eggs and or
larve of SHB.   I noticed my partner had used some Nutra bee last fall he
won as a door prize,  some was still in hives,  none had larve.  Most of the
AP23 patties were ridden with larva.  Some alive,  some frozen.



One last observation for SHB fans everywhere,  one you need to comprehend.
Those small batches of larvae are reproducing.  They are making it to the
ground and surviving.  Those are the ones we need to stop.

SHB Larvae do practice a trend of congregating en mass before pupation.
Jamie has written about it.  We see thousands on a bottom board,  all
waiting to drop to the soil at one time.  It happens.    But  I don't
suspect that is the normal at all.   The normal is 1 at a time,  individual
success.  (actually normally 30-40 at a time)  but not en mass.   These go
on daily and weekly all season long.  Until a threshold is reached.    
Move hives at night,  look close and you will spot them crawling out of what
appear to be great hives very early in the evening.   These are eh ones we
need to stop.


Charles

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