# Bees setup in a strawhile bale
**URL:** https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bees-setup-in-a-strawhile-bale/16523
**Category:** Swarms & Bee Catching
**Created:** [October 10, 2018, 11:19am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bees-setup-in-a-strawhile-bale/16523 "2018-10-10T11:19:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Medusa](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Medusa)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2018, 12:40pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bees-setup-in-a-strawhile-bale/16523/24 "2018-10-13T12:40:00Z")
I too have enjoyed the discussion/banter about your unbleached flour suggestion. This started when I thought I was dealing with honeybees in a straw bale, not wasps. Although I won’t be discussing how to care for bees in a straw bale with my beek club tomorrow, I will be talking about using unbleached flour as a pollen substitute. I’ll let you know what I learn from my group of longtime beeks. Cheers.
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### Author:  [@Peter48](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Peter48)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2018, 10:18am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bees-setup-in-a-strawhile-bale/16523/26 "2018-10-14T10:18:43Z")
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### Author:  [@Martha](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Martha)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2018, 3:47am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bees-setup-in-a-strawhile-bale/16523/27 "2018-10-19T03:47:03Z")
I’ve seen it fed in early spring here in the Deep South by large commercial bee keepers to stave off early spring starvation. I’ve put some out and the bees didn’t touch it by both home recipe and through a bee supplier. I might add my bees didn’t eat fondant eather. I figure if they eat it, they need it. But since I have all these foods I keep setting out just to see if it’s my timing or they’ve got ample stores. I mean what the heck right? I discovered bees like bananas last week. 😂😀👍🙌🐝🐝🐝🍌🍌🍌🍯
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### Author:  [@Peter48](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Peter48)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2018, 7:40am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bees-setup-in-a-strawhile-bale/16523/28 "2018-10-19T07:40:10Z")
I am thinking the bees have their minds programed to forage for pollen on flowers but if there is a shortage of pollen then we need to look at alternatives, as good hive management or use the option of not feeding them and the result is less brood and a weaker hive.
If the bees are leaving it then they have ample pollen store and likely are foraging well for it.
I took the tops off my 3 experimental hives today having banana mashed on the tops of a couple of frames, it was covered in bees, I figure it must be of benefit to them and the colonies were not hot so for me that puts paid to what I was told by my mentor many years ago.
Cheers
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### Author:  [@Martha](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Martha)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2018, 2:17am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bees-setup-in-a-strawhile-bale/16523/29 "2018-10-23T02:17:42Z")
Banana seems like a fast easy food to feed when in a pinch too. And if it rids a problem in the hive then great.
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### Author:  [@Peter48](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Peter48)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2018, 9:58am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bees-setup-in-a-strawhile-bale/16523/30 "2018-10-23T09:58:37Z")
Banana and flour, that’s sounding like a banana cake when you have some spare time on your hands.😁
Regards
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