Use of Queen Food

[Luka22]

Hi,

I have just been looking around for different Food Type and found Pollen and Queen Food. I can understand the use of Pollen, but what is the Queen Food for? I want to try out a Mating Hive next year, would I use it in there or just use it when I introduce a queen and put some of it in her little cage? Is Queen food just meant for the Queen? In a mating Hive the other Bees would eat it as well, so what is it for?

If you feed Pollen, how much per Hive is recommended? They come in 1 kg packs I think, would I give a full size Hive the whole pack and a Nuc Size half or less?

 

[Poly Hive]

Where was the site? Always ask yourself is it relevant to the UK?

No such thing as queen food.

Queen candy yes for releasing queens from cages.

Forget it there are many more important things to worry about... mortgage, kids, wife, life, death.... add your own.

PH

 

[oliver90owner]

but what is the Queen Food for?

Clearly for feeding queens! She has to lay her own weight in eggs in a short time in peak times.

However, you are likely referring to queens at the larval stage.

 

[northernsoul]

20 million years without evolving at all. The perfect creation. That is until someone comes along and sets up a new website trying to flog queen food to gullible idiots.

How did bees ever survive without us?

 

[Poly Hive]

Indeed.

PH

 

[Luka22]

It was on a German Beekeeper Website, a shop which offers all sorts of Beekeeping stuff. It says for Queen raising, but nothing else, so I was wondering how to use that.

 

[Poly Hive]

Ignore it.

PH

 

[Outlander]

I have a bridge in New York to sell you.

 

[Luka22]

I have a bridge in New York to sell you.

Cool, I take 2 !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have a bridge in New York to sell you.

and some nice manoookak honey

 

[Luka22]

Ok, its obvious, people don't know and now just want to post for no reason. I therefore recommend to close this post and I will ask the shop directly.

Thank you anyway !

 

[BeeJayBee]

Taking a bit of a leap from Poly's comment re. "Queen Candy" ... Dave Cushman mentions it at the bottom of this page http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/feedingcandy.html. (I spotted this the other day when I was looking up something or other about fondant.) I have absolutely no idea if it's the same thing as you've seen for sale, but could be a starter for you to look further.

Queen Candy is made ... [snip] ... by mixing icing sugar (powdered sugar) with honey until it is the consistency of putty or plasticine (modelling clay). It is important to know the honey is free from disease before making up such candy. It is also important that the powdered sugar does not contain anti-caking agents... ... [snip] ...

There are two basic reasons for using queen candy.

• Feeding queens and attendants in a travelling cage.
• As a medium for releasing queens in the introduction phase of requeening. (The bees surrounding the cage eat away the candy to release the queen.)

 

[Luka22]

Hi BeeJoyful,

Thank you very much for the link, now I know that it's called "Queen candy". Looks like it would be food to add to her cage, so I might try it out next year. A small pack should easily last a season if it is only for the cage. Thank you again, will do some more research.

 

[alanf]

now I know that it's called "Queen candy".

May not be the same thing... In several parts of the world, the time you want the bees to brood and build numbers (including raising queens) is not the time when local plants are producing surplus pollen. In parts of Australia, the US and elsewhere they use pollen patties and other supplements. In most of the UK the mix of what's available doesn't usually result in a pollen shortage. Pollen supplements are available with brand names like the German 'Neopoll' from most of the beekeeping suppliers. It is sold with the line "especially recommended for queen rearing. The bees need both pollen and sugar to raise good queens and Neopoll can provide this". I don't think they sell a lot.

 

[Luminos]

Royal Jelly?