Why use pollen patties?

[dpearce4]

Quote from Alan Byham's South East Region Annual Report 2012

"How did all this affect the beekeeping? The early warm weather started colonies off well
but they quickly went into a long period of rain, leading to many colonies needing feeding,
some throughout the entire summer. Also, and something which many beekeepers did not
realise, colonies ran out of pollen stores (pollen starvation). Broodnests then contracted and I saw many colonies that only had sealed brood and eggs as there was little or no pollen to feed larvae."

This is a very good reason why you should never discount pollen patties at anytime during the year.

Full report attached makes very interesting reading....

 

[waverider]

Are people actually planning on making patties now or just preparing?

Could they be made, rolled between greaseproof paper and then put in the freeze ready for spring?

 

[dpearce4]

I have just taken delivery of my soya and yeast. will be making the stuff on the last weekend in jan to put on the bees the weekend after.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

No problem with pollen last year DP (in my area), the bees continued to collected it during all the wet weather, the problem here was lack of nectar and not much surplus honey for us to take, although the heather was reasonable and the ivy yielded well topping up winter stores, most colonies only needed a little feed to finish off, just shows how different it can be from region to region. Chris

 

[Hivemaker.]

No problem with pollen last year DP (in my area), the bees continued to collected it during all the wet weather,

Much the same here Chris, the bees were even collecting loads of pollen today and yesterday, but as you mention, not everyone is in a good area.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Perhaps we should harvest pollen and give up on the honey

 

[Hivemaker.]

Perhaps we should harvest pollen and give up on the honey

Might be a good idea

 

[PBee]

Perhaps we should harvest pollen and give up on the honey

I harvested a good bit last year ...... still in the freezer though ..... its a fairly specialist market. I reckon the way to sell it is probably in capsules - it's an acquired taste.

 

[Finman]

.
How to become rich

http://www.nextag.com/raw-bee-pollen-sellers/shop-html

UK

http://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/bee-pollen-grains?gclid=CIz8v43s2rQCFYJ2cAodjzQATQ

 

[dpearce4]

I have a company wanting to buy over 800kg of pollen a year so cant be that specialist. At present they buy from china and retail it at over £40 per kg.

 

[TooBee...]

Sugar Syrup mix / recipe

.
Pollen patty recipe
...

4 kg sugar as 2:1 syrup...

I know this is old, but my question has more to do with Syrup mixes;

When I read add "4kg sugar as 2:1 syrup" does that mean I measure out 4kg of sugar and add 2kg (2 litres) of water, heat slightly + mix, wait for it to dissolve (or does it mean the sugar syrup in total weighs 4kg??)

Or for example, when I read "add 1 litre syrup at a 2:1 sugar to water ratio" does it mean, 666.6 grams of sugar and 333.3ml (333g) of water OR as 1 kg of sugar + 1 kg of water = 1650ml but weighs 2 kg in a 1:1 syrup mix, how do I measure backwards to calculate how much sugar and water to add to make up only 1 litre of syrup?

Help would be appreciated. Thanks

PS: There's bound to be a website where these calculations are done automatically for you...

 

[Finman]

.
You may use your own brains.

 

[Finman]

I know this is old, but my question has more to do with Syrup mixes;

When I read add "4kg sugar as 2:1 syrup" does that mean I measure out 4kg of sugar and add 2kg (2 litres) of water, heat slightly + mix, wait for it to dissolve (or does it mean the sugar syrup in total weighs 4kg??)

Or for example, when I read "add 1 litre syrup at a 2:1 sugar to water ratio" does it mean, 666.6 grams of sugar and 333.3ml (333g) of water OR as 1 kg of sugar + 1 kg of water = 1650ml but weighs 2 kg in a 1:1 syrup mix, how do I measure backwards to calculate how much sugar and water to add to make up only[/


PS: There's bound to be a website where these calculations are done automatically for you...

... Use your own brains...

Pound about : 2 pounds= 1 kg.

666.6 g + 333.3 ml= 600 g + 300 g

333 ml sugar is not 333 g
.

 

[Finman]

how do I measure backwards to calculate how much sugar and water to add to make up only 1 litre of syrup?...

Make syrup. Measure 1 litre and feed the rest to bees or cast away.
.

 

[Leigh]

Here you go (posted on the forum previously, but buried deep now..): http://www.synthium.net/resources/convert.html#sugarmix1

 

[TooBee...]

Thanks Leigh, you're a star

 

[TooBee...]

.
Pollen patty recipe

2 kg dry yeast
1 kg soya flour
1 kg irradiated pollen
....

I was looking through my Links for this forum and came across this Thread, I see that the ratio of (Brewers) Yeast to Soya Flour is 2 to 1, while the other recipes I see on other websites / blogs (all american) have the ratio the other way round, more Soya than Yeast, usually 1 part Yeast and 3 parts Soya. Or does the Irradiated Pollen make a difference?

I just want to check if this has been written the wrong way round, what have other people here used? More Yeast than Soya, or more Soya than Yeast? The patties that I've seen used on YouTube, etc. are all quite yellowish, but the Brewers Yeast (horse feed) that I've seen is very dark brown, therefore suggesting that there is a lot more Soya than Brewers Yeast in the Patties that I have seen?

 

[Finman]

.
If you put too much soya, the patty becomes hard, and bees cannot eate it.

Yes, I have used dry yeast/soya 2/1. IT is easy to try yourself, how it goes.

 

[Finman]

Brewers Yeast (horse feed) that I've seen is very dark brown, therefore suggesting that there is a lot more Soya than Brewers Yeast in the Patties that I have seen?

Content of yeast on horse food is very Low. IT is almost hay. You cannot use it.. A horse cannot eate much protein.

Ok, you suggest but as said, patty hardens with soya.

You have seen but I have tried many mixtures along time.

 

[TooBee...]

Content of yeast on horse food is very Low. IT is almost hay. You cannot use it..../QUOTE]

I thought it was Brewers Yeast that beekeepers used in the Patties?

If not Brewers Yeast then what?

I'm reasonably sure we cannot use Bakers Yeast, wouldn't it start fermenting the moment you add water, or are we supposed to cook it a little to prevent the fermentation?