New colony.
Early Summer.
Installed an 8-frame nuc for a new “Hive2” 3 days ago.
All frames were full, so adding a 2nd box today.
What to feed?
I have another hive “Hive1”, but it’s been weak also in its first season. First season for both so no frames of emerging brood to transfer.
If it were me I would, and go ahead and give them a pollen patty. I did mine even though they were bringing in lots of pollen, they still devoured the patty, and the syrup.
Why would they need a pollen patty? (calling it a pollen patty is like calling that yellow stuff they put on your popcorn at the theater, “butter”). There are things blooming. I would never put a pollen patty on because it is not pollen and makes short lived bees. The only time I would feed pollen would be in a failed fall flow to make sure I have young (long lived) bees going into winter. And that would be real pollen, not substitute. “Pollen patties” are just food for small hive beetles…