Strongest hive so far.

[keith pierce]

Strongest hive so far has just gone on to 8 frames of brood. A two year old breeder queen that was on the heather in August and got no autumn treatment at all, but fumigation in early January then Candipollen in late January and is in a Donegal bees national poly hive. Weather is to turn back cold over the weekend
but they will need a super after that.

 

[Eyeman]

Hi
The Candiploen has been fed continuously since January?
Thats an early start.
Are you building them up for the oilseed rape?
Our early spring flow here starts with the flowering trees; sycamore, cherry, field maple and horse chestnut. These wont bee flowering for another month.
A couple of weeks before the expected flowering date I will equalising all colonies and add extra brood from over wintered nucs to aim to make each colony up to 8 frames of brood, 2 frames of drawn comb and a comb of stores. The brood frames have 25% stores so total stores is approx 3 frames. At the same time queen excluder goes on and 2 drawn supers.
Fingers are then crossed that the weather holds and any swarm preps are delayed.

 

[Insy]

Believe it or not there is a cherry in our neighbours garden in bloom ....

 

[keith pierce]

Hi
The Candiploen has been fed continuously since January?
Thats an early start.
Are you building them up for the oilseed rape?
Our early spring flow here starts with the flowering trees; sycamore, cherry, field maple and horse chestnut. These wont bee flowering for another month.
A couple of weeks before the expected flowering date I will equalising all colonies and add extra brood from over wintered nucs to aim to make each colony up to 8 frames of brood, 2 frames of drawn comb and a comb of stores. The brood frames have 25% stores so total stores is approx 3 frames. At the same time queen excluder goes on and 2 drawn supers.
Fingers are then crossed that the weather holds and any swarm preps are delayed.

that have only got the one bag as i was trying to judge when it would run out and the first of the natural pollen would start coming in. A few have got the second bag but as soon as there is enough natural pollen i will take it away from them

 

[mbc]

I have one apiary with a couple of hives on six frames of brood and laying on the next ones out, plenty of willow and, increasingly, dandylion pollen coming in. No supplements yet though I'll keep an eye on stores as the ivy is being used up at a rate and these colonies will be to the edge of the box in no time and will need extra space for bees and possibly some syrup if the gods don't provide.
Feeding large numbers of hives with that candypolean stuff must cost you an arm and a leg Keith.

 

[mbc]

Just skimmed back over the thread and interestingly there's already three different spellings of candypolean.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Candipolline
I thought it was more or less coloured fondant with a protein level of less than 2%

 

[keith pierce]

I have one apiary with a couple of hives on six frames of brood and laying on the next ones out, plenty of willow and, increasingly, dandylion pollen coming in. No supplements yet though I'll keep an eye on stores as the ivy is being used up at a rate and these colonies will be to the edge of the box in no time and will need extra space for bees and possibly some syrup if the gods don't provide.
Feeding large numbers of hives with that candypolean stuff must cost you an arm and a leg Keith.

in the last 6 years we are after having two bad autumns and long drawn out cold springs with little or no pollen coming in for about 7 months and a lot of colonies were that small that it took all year for them to build up again, so a candypollen for €4 is cheap if its gets them through the danger months.

 

[Finman]

.
Keith, do you have willows on bloom?

 

[keith pierce]

yes, but just in the last week.

 

[alfazer]

Candipolline
I thought it was more or less coloured fondant with a protein level of less than 2%

That's what I thought too, but some folk seem to consider it a pollen substitute. I've even seen a supplier describe it as Pollen Patty.

I don't think the manufacturer is hiding anything, but a little food colouring and some marketing can work wonders in the human mind.

 

[keith pierce]

As a bit of a trial this year i gave about 20 Paynes nucs a riser and then a full bag of fondant and also a bag of Candipolline gold. The Candipolline was just about completely gone before they started on the Fondant. So the bees seem to prefer it and at €4 a bag if it just gets one extra nuc through this month, then it has paid for the spring feed on nearly all the other colonys

 

[Gaz1]

yes, but just in the last week.

Got 3 Willows near the hive looking forward to seeing them in bloom

 

[Finman]

.
IT is Neopoll, which had 3% German pollen. So it is 97% sugar.

It it sold as Pollen Substitute, but it is not such indeed. Expencive alternative of sugar.

I cannot find the protein content on Candipolline.
.