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  • Honeybee pests and diseases.
Honeybee pests and diseases.
 #5580  by AdamD
 28 Jan 2020, 10:42
Chris you mention two things in your post - varroa treatment and also nutrition. Firstly what has changed with regard to your varroa treatment and secondly, would you consider yourself in a location where pollen sources are low which is why you need to help out with suppliment?
 #5581  by MickBBKA
 28 Jan 2020, 15:44
AdamD wrote:
28 Jan 2020, 10:42
Chris you mention two things in your post - varroa treatment and also nutrition. Firstly what has changed with regard to your varroa treatment and secondly, would you consider yourself in a location where pollen sources are low which is why you need to help out with suppliment?
I have found a massive difference to my colonies coming out of Spring since I started feeding pollen subs. A couple of years ago I realised it wasn't lack of pollen in Spring, we have tons of it, it was the lack of foraging days due to the weather with cold biting strong winds from march until these days mid June. Some colonies were having brood breaks in April and I didn't have the experience to understand why. Then it dawned on me there was no pollen in the combs in most of the colonies. I walked the local hedgerows for an hour and never saw one bee on the flowers. The following spring I fed pollen subs and the change was amazing.

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 #5584  by AndrewLD
 28 Jan 2020, 16:13
Adam - I am not sure the only worry is the amount of pollen but also enough variety in the pollen. As soon a Vita sell their pollen patty in the UK I was going to buy some so they get the extra vitamins etc. but......
Mick - What have you got on the frames in your photo? Is it syrup with something mixed in (what specifically please). I am trying to avoid feeding syrup and your technique would do that.
 #5585  by Chrisbarlow
 28 Jan 2020, 17:05
AdamD wrote:
28 Jan 2020, 10:42
Chris you mention two things in your post - varroa treatment and also nutrition. Firstly what has changed with regard to your varroa treatment and secondly, would you consider yourself in a location where pollen sources are low which is why you need to help out with suppliment?
I went from one treatment per year in winter to two and three treatments per year.

As for forage, no I didn't think I was but the supplimentary pollen feed certainly dramatically increases the numbers of bees in a box coming out of winter.

I would add that some sites I thought were excellent, small apiaries and lots of water courses , rough ground and small villages with nice gardens located near by.
 #5586  by Chrisbarlow
 28 Jan 2020, 17:11
MickBBKA wrote:
28 Jan 2020, 15:44
. Some colonies were having brood breaks in April and I didn't have the experience to understand why. Then it dawned on me there was no pollen in the combs in most of the colonies.

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I can relate to that comment Mick. I also had very little pollen in the colonies in Autumn and it was not until I started reading books, websites and watching videos that I realised the problem.

Another issue is that most people see supplimentary feeding outside of Autumn and above and beyond syrup as pointless but just see it as normal high winter losses because that's what they're used to.
 #5592  by MickBBKA
 28 Jan 2020, 18:50
AndrewLD wrote:
28 Jan 2020, 16:13
Mick - What have you got on the frames in your photo? Is it syrup with something mixed in (what specifically please). I am trying to avoid feeding syrup and your technique would do that.
Its FeedBee pollen sub mixed with 1:1 syrup, the trick is to mix it just so its thick enough to not run off the frames. Once the bees are able to bring in regular pollen of their own they stop taking it and I stop feeding it or it just gets left to go mouldy.

Cheers, Mick.
 #5598  by Chrisbarlow
 29 Jan 2020, 14:41
NigelP wrote:
29 Jan 2020, 09:04
If anyone wants some pollen clogged brood frames just holler. I have about 5 brood boxes full of them...Pollen is one thing we have in abundance around here.
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Lol. Pollen bound frames! The stuff of dreams in my neck of the woods :D