Protein shortage

Following recent threads regarding protein feeding, I thought I'd just add this 2d- worth.

I've just inspected my hives. 5 out of 5 alive and with brood. some stores/fondant remaining- and not a scrap of pollen anywhere, bar a few fossilized cells in one hive. I've seen them bringing pollen in, but not enough, and this is clearly, at the moment, their limiting factor.

My brewers yeast arrived yesterday, and my patties will be going on ASAP.


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I hope you have better luck than I did. I made pollen patties for the very first time ever; then the weather changed; natural pollen is now coming in (albeit in small amounts) - but they've had a taste of 'the real thing', so are now turning their noses up at my culinary creation. The consensus view is that good weather lies ahead for many weeks, so can't see them changing their minds.

But - it's all good stuff, so I think I'll eat it myself ... maybe blend it with some oats and turn it into flap-jacks ?

LJ

Following a link from a recent thread I read that if you use sugar to make up 50% of the dry weight then they will eat it!
I did 1 part brewers yeast to three parts soya flour to four parts sugar then added some of my own honey and a little osr oil to stop it drying out and then water to get a nice soft consistency.

poshpikey said:

Following a link from a recent thread I read that if you use sugar to make up 50% of the dry weight then they will eat it!
I.

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That is not true. 50% is needed that patty does not ferment or take mold.

It is not easy to make patty which bees are willing to eate. There is no simple solution in protein feeding.

I have only 20 years experience in it. No one need to mind about my words.

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poshpikey said:

I did 1 part brewers yeast to three parts soya flour to four parts sugar then added some of my own honey and a little osr oil to stop it drying out and then water to get a nice soft consistency.

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That is wikipedia reciept. I bet if it works.

what ever patty, soya/dry yeast ratio must be about 1:2.
Soya is very easy to dry up and harden and bees cannot eate it.

Pussy willow

Woohoo first sign of a crack willow flowering near the river - bees starting to pile it in already, it's onlythe one tree, but it's a start.

Hi Skyhook and LJ,
Protein has definitely been a problem not because of a shortage, but for not being able to get out the hive due to the dismal weather this spring. I was toying with the idea of pollen patties, but decided to wait for better weather as I thought it was probably already too late. With that I mean by the time stocks arrived in the bee shop, totally bombed out of stores following Bee Unit emails, or I had got all the weird ingredients together then the sun would come out or the damage will already have been done anyway. Time will tell on this as I had copious amounts of pollen going in October time and next to no pollen in two hives inspected on 5th March! Anyhow, pollen going in, but now there is a water shortage in the hives! Finally, decided that 1:1 has to go in as weather milder. I don't know what to expect on Sunday +20C forecast! It's great to be a beek... sometimes.

jenkinsbrynmair said:

Woohoo first sign of a crack willow flowering near the river - bees starting to pile it in already, it's onlythe one tree, but it's a start.

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Yep same here, goat willow in the garden see videos, and I agree with the protein/pollen scarcity , i have had pollen sub patties on since feb 14th, in some apiaries all eaten others not touched

http://youtu.be/CRwwzgqLvtM

jenkinsbrynmair said:

Woohoo first sign of a crack willow flowering near the river - bees starting to pile it in already, it's onlythe one tree, but it's a start.

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Hi jenkins,
I have one in my garden, but not in flower yet. Probably will be on Sunday!!! One of my neighbours has a very nice looking hazel with loads of catkins - never appreciated the beauty of it B.B. That does not appear to have flowered yet either. Can't wait to see bees on it. They are, however, on my flowering cherry tree (which probably isn't one), not collecting pollen as the pollen baskets are empty. So, they must be looking for nectar. Is there any? They would not waste their time looking if there wern't any would they?

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I would bet that UK will burst in bloom, because soon it is half of April.

Bees have shortage of protein and it may take couple of days before queens are able to lay. Other hives have eggs but bees do not feed larvae.

But it takes 3 weeks before new bees start to emerge.
During that time foragers will die off with rapid speed.

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Finman said:

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I would bet that UK will burst in bloom, because soon it is half of April.

Bees have shortage of protein and it may take couple of days before queens are able to lay. Other hives have eggs but bees do not feed larvae.

But it takes 3 weeks before new bees start to emerge.
During that time foragers will die off with rapid speed.

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Hi Finman,
It's sure going to be a close call!!!

Just started raining and 11 degrees which is well over due even for Wales so hopefully it will kick start the vegetation world and get things moving

It rained here again today, heavy enough and for long enough to cause local flooding.

beeno said:

One of my neighbours has a very nice looking hazel with loads of catkins - never appreciated the beauty of it B.B. That does not appear to have flowered yet either.

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Hazel catkins are the male flowers, the female flowers are open at the same time. All you'll see are tiny little red anthers poking out of the end of what looks like a bud. The whole thing is about the size of a grain of rice. The flowers are wind pollinated. There's a picture of both male and female flowers on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel

Witch hazel is the one with fancy-looking flowers.

Here's one I took earlier

beeno said:

Hi Skyhook and LJ,
Protein has definitely been a problem not because of a shortage, but for not being able to get out the hive due to the dismal weather this spring. I was toying with the idea of pollen patties, but decided to wait for better weather as I thought it was probably already too late. With that I mean by the time stocks arrived in the bee shop, totally bombed out of stores following Bee Unit emails, or I had got all the weird ingredients together then the sun would come out or the damage will already have been done anyway. Time will tell on this as I had copious amounts of pollen going in October time and next to no pollen in two hives inspected on 5th March! Anyhow, pollen going in, but now there is a water shortage in the hives! Finally, decided that 1:1 has to go in as weather milder. I don't know what to expect on Sunday +20C forecast! It's great to be a beek... sometimes.

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I've seen pollen going in- but not enough sadly. We had hazel out a while ago, but they couldn't get at it. I've been assuming it will come right, but I'd rather do everything I can than regret that I didn't.

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Hi folks and jenkins,
Just discovered that the bees that are covered all over in yellow pollen, but have none in pollen baskets, are according to one source visiting willow. Since they don't seem to make a good job on the pollen are these bees really collecting the nectar?

beeno said:

Hi folks and jenkins,
Just discovered that the bees that are covered all over in yellow pollen, but have none in pollen baskets, are according to one source visiting willow. Since they don't seem to make a good job on the pollen are these bees really collecting the nectar?

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Most willows do give nectar - so they could be

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Bees need 16C temp that they can make full pollen baskets.

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Finman said:

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Bees need 16C temp that they can make full pollen baskets.

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Haven't had 16C here yet but plenty of pollen going in.

poshpikey said:

Haven't had 16C here yet but plenty of pollen going in.

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Sure they do in 8C temp. But it is not that simple.

Beeks hope the best even if it is not so.

- if you have low temperatures, foraging hours during day are fewer.
- if it is wind or calm, it is a big difference what bees can forage for example from oil rape or from willow.
- in wind shelter they can work much more better (woods/open fields)

- near groud microclimate helps a lot and in windy place bees do not even fly if temp is 15C.


But everybody believes what he wants.

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After decades I accustomed last spring what wind can do to foraging.
When it was wind on rape field, sun shined and temp was 15-18C, bees got almost nothing. In one week the weight of balance hive rised 2 kg.
When temp rised one day to 23C, bees brought 3 kg more weight in one day.

in wind 18C bees flyed "busy" but they had an empty stomach when they returned home.

- bees should get what they eate every day and they should get pollen stores for bad days.

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