Graham asked "I have pollen I trapped last year. What is the best way to
feed this back yo my bees."
FIRST AND FOREMOST...if you had AFB in the hives you collected from, or if
you prophylacticly treated with Terra. for AFB, don't feed the pollen back.
The only possible exception to this would be if you used a Sundance trap to
collect the pollen. Even then it would be risky. More about this later.
For 8 lbs. of patty mix, use 1 quart of syrup (more later) and 6 lbs. of
pollen.
For 4 lbs. of patty mix use 2 cups of syrup and 3 lbs of pollen.
For 34 lbs of patty mix use 1 gallon of syrup and 24 lbs. of pollen.
The syrup can be either a 1:1 mix of sugar and water (portions either by
weight or volume), or 100% 55 Corn Syrup. Syrup should be no warmer than
100 degrees.
If necessary, adjust mix by adding more pollen so that the mix is about the
consistency of dough. Use of a dough mixer will save a lot of muscle ache.
Form the patties into cakes about 8" in diameter. Wrap each patty in wax
paper and freeze. About 30 days before natural pollen collection in your
area start feeding pollen (and syrup if honey stores are light). Once you
start, the bees will commence brood rearing big time and you must continue
until there is good pollen coming in from natural sources. If you stop too
soon you will have undeveloped bees, and possibly dead larvae.
The AFB contamination fear is that the bees will try to pull scale from
cells and some will drop into the pollen, thus contaminating it. If you
treat prophylacticly with Terra., you don't know if you have AFB or not, so
you should assume you DO have it. The Sundance trap has a board above the
pollen drawer that acts as a collection point for hive debris.
Theoretically, this could include AFB scale.
My advice, as always, is don't treat for AFB with Terra. Burn when you see
it, even if it means burning everything and starting over.
Good luck with feeding pollen. It is one of the best, and least
appreciated, management practices.
Lloyd
Lloyd Spear, Owner Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacturers of Ross Rounds Comb
Honey Equipment, Sundance Pollen Traps
and Custom Printer of Sundance Labels.
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