Hi Bianca…nicely worded original post…emphasizing the nuances in beekeeping environments.
For beekeepers that are in areas where extended periods lapse between pollen flows, it may be prudent to use a pollen substitute. In my case this happens twice a year…spring and fall.
So far this spring, I have fed patties once already…2 weeks ago…and will do so once again in a weeks time. I feed the stronger hives 3 patties (about 3 lbs total) each feeding so they get alot. I’m amazed how much they consume but a natural pollen flow is still 3 weeks away.
My reasons for feeding pollen substitute are:
Spring
-
After a long winter, my bee population is about to implode…not explode…at this time of year. I have to maintain that critical mass of worker bees by having new bees emerge to supplement that rapidly aged population that has been confined for 5 months.
-
It’s been my experience from collecting pollen on a larger scale that when the hives are running short on protein, a hive panic sets in to go out to find pollen. Where are they going to find pollen in snow drifts…or will they visit the neighbors livestock feed areas? Those aged worker bees desperate to find a natural source fly themselves to death. This contibutes to the phenomenon of “spring dwindling”. The problem is exacerbated for me when single brood chambers are run the previous summer.
-
Pollen patty consumption is usually…but not always… indicative that all is well in the hive. Early in the season I don’t like being too obtrusive in my inspection so I lift the lid and can see under the plastic if the patty has been consumed. In the photo above, I don’t even disturb the hive except for folding back the plastic and adding more patties. So pollen patties save me a lot of work by reducing inspections.
I also add salvaged beebread derived from scraping excess stored pollen (beebread) from brood frames…not recommended if brood diseases are present in your equipment.
Fall
- After the honey is removed, I use pollen patties to stimulate a couple more brood cycles of “winter bees”…these “winter bees” are morphologically different than spring and summer bees in that they have a longer lifespan. Here there is a two month fall dirth of pollen flows before the bees go dormant for the winter…that’s a lot of time for the general hive population to dwindle.
As has been mentioned by others above, pollen patties can be associated with honeybee colony parasites. It’s been my experience that wax moth eggs can also be embeded in pollen patties but in that case I simply changed to a more reputable supplier.
In North America, a lot of research has been included in the formulation of pollen patties…vitamins, minerals, essential oils etc. etc. etc. and ultimately I feel it is of benefit for me to use them.