​SHB in pollen patties was a topic of discussion at the North American Bee
Conference in Galveston at a Q&A session moderated by Jerry Hayes and
Dennis vanEngelsdorp.  I asked about SHB larvae that show up in pollen
patties.  My experience has been that most hives have no problem
handling/consuming two 1-pound patties at a time.  My product of choice is
15% pollen Global patties.  If I feed a single patty at a time they are
quickly consumed and my labor costs go up checking and adding a second (or
third, or more).  But there are occasional hives that do not readily
consume two patties at a time, and of those occasional hives, a subset will
have SHB larvae feasting on the patties.

It was offered in the discussion that the SHB larvae do not mature to the
adult stage.  Reassuring though that may be, I remove the larvae-infested
patties from the hive, and replace it with a fresh, much smaller portion.
I make note of all hives; those that readily consumed 2 patties, those that
did not consume 2 patties, and those hosting SHB.  Their consumption
pattern gives me a way to assess colony strength without unwrapping and
inspecting, I just need remove outer and inner cover.  That in part answers
Mark's question (Why feed pollen patties?).  The other part of the answer
to Mark's question is I see very positive results in colony strength and
development when I feed.  I start feeding pollen patties around Valentine's
day, to jump start my colonies in upstate New York so I can make splits by
tax day (April 15).  Roger Morse used to teach that in these parts, feeding
pollen supplements was unnecessary, as soft maples bloom at just the right
time, and supplements were a good way to assure your bees would swarm in
May.  But splits in April may avert swarms in May.  And with climate change
(pardons to our new administration) soft maples aren't as predictable as
they were in Roger's day.

Summary: 1) Unequivocally the SHB do not generate spontaneously from the
pollen patties.  The SHB come from your hives, not from the patties.
2) I don't necessarily buy into the assertion that SHB larvae feeding on
pollen patties do not mature to adults.  Perhaps so, since the larvae
cannot burrow into frozen ground (I presume), but I'll continue to remove
and discard larvae-infested patties.
3) Patties consumption (or lack thereof) is a good, benign, mid-winter
barometer of colony strength and well being.

Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!

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