> Has anyone done any trials on the Mann Lake patties compared to Dadant's
> new super duper Mega Bee patties? I will this spring. I thought that we
> could feed half the yard one and half the yard the other. I would kindly
> appreciate any comments. Mann Lake claims that dollar for dollar they are
> a better buy.
Actually, there is a third source you might want to include in your trials.
I should warn you in advance, I am biased. I think for good reason, but you
can decide.
Global Patties, ( http://globalpatties.com/ ) located in Montana and
Alberta, and supply or have have supplied patties using a wide variety of
materials, including BeePro, FeedBee, MegaBee, and simple yeast/sugar and
yeast/soy/sugar patties. All of these, other than MegaBee, have been
offered with and without pollen as well.
All Global patties contain approximately the same proportion of sugar as
well, for preservation and to encourage consumption. The formula for the
yeast/soy/sugar patties -- the favourite -- is not secret and the details
are freely available at http://www.honeybeeworld.com/misc/pollen/. It is
the formula we used ourselves in the past, and was initially adopted by
Frank and Mike, since they originally began by custom-making patties for me
and some friends. Global were so well appreciated by beekeepers, that they
grew from there into an international supplier with very little advertising.
Interestingly, even after trying many different highly rated products, the
original simple yeast/soy/sugar/pollen formula has proven the most popular
and enduring product by far. There may be better formulas out there, but as
far as bang for the buck is concerned, this seems to be the beekeepers'
choice.
Besides cost, another big plus is that, with this simple formula, you know
exactly what the ingredients are, and that they are high quality food-grade,
non-spoiling, and fresh. You are not putting unspecified ingredients into
your hive. Moreover, these patties do not dry out or drip down.
Global is the originator of the rectangular patty and punctured paper
design, which has more recently been widely copied by competitors (without
anyone asking). They are neat and simple to use.
Global is also the price leader. Their low-cost approach and low margins
have driven down the prices of products offered by competitors. They also
custom-make patties, so some proprietary patties offered on the market have
actually originated at their plant.
Patties made up with MegaBee, FeedBee and BeePro although, and offered as
Global products in the past, failed to maintain sufficient interest to
justify being made in the volumes Global requires, and have been dropped
from the price list in the US, although Global will make up anything you
want on request, assuming the minimum batch size is met. You actually might
save money by buying a competitor's ingredients and having the patties made
by Global!
These various feed combinations that Global has made up in the past, in
response to requests by beekeepers and/or feed product owners or dealers,
have been widely tested in Canada and the US, by beekeepers, and the clear
choice, if volume of sales is any indication, seems to be for the yeast, soy
and pollen patties. As to be expected, though there are some who prefer
some one or another brand name product, and some have custom batches made.
Price, texture and customer preference for the basic, lower cost patties
were the main reasons to drop the other lines. Even though Global offered
them very competitively, the volume simply was not there.
Beekeepers found overwhelmingly that the simple yeast/soy/pollen/sugar
formula provided the best results per dollar and keep well both in the box
and on the hive. Global requires minimum volumes in any product they make
because they have to source fresh ingredients direct from the manufacturer
if possible, and their policy is to get the finished product to the
beekeeper ASAP, since proteins degrade over time, and warehousing of either
ingredients or patties for anything longer than a few months has been
demonstrated to result in very diminished efficacy of patties! Global's
products are available factory-direct by truckload lots, or from depots
around North America for smaller amounts.
One thing to consider, since you mentioned Florida, is that there have been
reports that pollen patties are enjoyed by Small Hive Beetles, just as much
as by the bees under some circumstances, and that this must be considered
when feeding patties there. I am not entirely conversant with the details,
but asking around might be in order.
One last consideration, when obtaining protein feeds, be sure to ask how
long the ingredients were warehoused and what the manufacture date of the
patties was. I don't know how long it takes for these things to degrade to
where they have absolutely no benefit, but I think a year is too long for
unrefrigerated storage. Maybe some of our scientists can comment.
In the interests of full disclosure, I continue to do some consulting for
Global and consider them good friends, so I am not unbiased. I hope this
does not sound too much like a commercial, but I am really impressed with
this outfit.
allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/misc/pollen/
---
We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless
help us to be much more than what we are. -- Adelle Davis (1904 - 1974)
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