When to start feeding pollen substitute?

[East Yorks New Bee]

When is the time to start feeding pollen substitute to stimulate a colony to grow??

 

[Poly Hive]

As soon as you can access the colonies.

PH

 

[Heather]

Already done mine and they have taken it all up- I have just opened up and have lost one -queen failure and dwindling. One happy, but no brood and the other 7 with capped brood and humming Spring is in the air (Just)

 

[hedgerow pete]

started my lot a few weeks back many because they were struggling for nosh

 

[bobandbec]

Have put mine on during the last week when the weather allowed, not easy at the moment around here.

Just mixed up enough for the second batch today.

Peter

 

[Hivemaker.]

HP, where did you manage to get your fat free soya flour and yeast in the end?

 

[hedgerow pete]

the yeast and flour came from survival foods at leominster the flour was not fat free but full fat which is not realy what i wanted but will have to do , what caught me out massivly and i realy did make a pigs ear of it was the fact that the yeast i used to buy off a friend was heat dried brewers yeast which is DEAD so when mixed up does not ferment at all, i mixed it up and suddenly it started to ferment wildly it went every where, even the dogs got yeasted

 

[bobandbec]

A source online is Goodness Direct. They have soya flour (fatted) and brewers yeast with free delivery over £35 (I think).

No connection with them just where I source my ingredients over the last three seasons.

Peter

 

[tkwinston4]

Newbee alert!! What is pollen substitute? I haven't heard about that, am I missing something?

 

[Black Comb]

Bees need pollen to feed the brood. In the spring you want to build up the colony as fast as you can and if there is a shortage outside (as there seems to be this year) then you can give them a substitute to encourage them to raise brood.

It's also an insurance against them not having enough food at the very end of the winter.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Peter,
not so much a shortage of pollen for the bee's to collect,well not in the SW, more of a shortage of good foraging weather allowing the bee's to collect the pollen.
Today was a warm day here, and the bee's were returning well loaded with pollen.

 

[Black Comb]

Snowdrops not been long out here.
No sign of daffs.
Some bees flying today but no pollen being brought back.

 

[East Yorks New Bee]

Same here, a few snowdrops and crocus's, no sign of daffs, but no bees flying for several days either, just plenty of crap weather.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Snowdrops have been in flower down this way for some while,as has the gorse,hazel,and now the willow well in bud,plenty of daffs,but they are not really much cop.
When do the gorse and hazel start to flower up north?