Pollen Patties For Honeybees

As winter approaches, many beekeepers are working to make sure their bee colonies are prepared for the cold weather ahead.  Most of the focus is on providing the colony with proper honey stores .  Bees use stored honey for fuel to generate heat and once the food stores are gone the colony will fail quickly.  One of the first lessons a new beekeeper learns is how to evaluate food stores.  However, honey isn’t the only important item to look for in your hive.

Honeybees gather pollen from many flowers throughout the bee season.  This pollen is used to feed baby bees that will grow into adults and maintain the colony.  No pollen = no young bees= colony failure.   During the Fall, bees will collect pollen from the many blooming plants and store it for use during the winter months.  When the colony starts to rebuild their population in January/February, we want to make sure they have adequate pollen stores in place.

Due to the recent rains in South Carolina, some beekeepers are finding that their colonies do not have the amount of surplus pollen stores that we want to see for this time of the season.  You can assist your colony by the use of pollen patties.  These patties should be cut in small strips and given to the colony by placing on the top bars near the brood area.  Pollen Patties should be used with caution as they can increase your chance of Small Hive Beetle problems.  Only give the colony as much of the patty as they can consume in a few days – especially in Fall when the temperatures are still warm enough for Small Hive Beetle to reproduce.

Check your colony now and provide pollen if needed.  We have pollen patties in stock in our Natural Market now !