Homemade pollen substitute

[Fishing-Nut]

Anybody ever made their own pollen substitute.  Brewers yeast, soybean flour, dry milk ect. If so how do you like it? Thinking about ordering some ultra bee bit in the mean time thought about putting some of this out while waiting on the other to arrive. Does it boost brood production like the other stuff claims to?

[Oldbeavo]

Pollen plus nectar = brood production therefore you will need a nectar flow or feed syrup.
Unsure about making your own as if they don't like it you have spent a bit of money.

[ed/La.]

I have made some with OK results. I ground my own flower from different beans and peas. You want high protein low oil. It cost about the same as buying. Not worth the trouble unless you want to experiment.

[TheHoneyPump]

A fair amount of effort, trial and error, R D, has gone into the commercially available supplements. You would be best off to just buy those and use them (nutrabee, ultrabee, other).  Unless of course you have all the figuring outing done for the wheel of the next centuries.

[ed/La.]

This was when I  made some years ago. Getting some of the ingredients fine enough is not easy without a flour mill. For test you can use a coffee grinder and finish off with a mortar and pestle. https://youtu.be/-LUBHtqoNy8

[ed/La.]

https://youtu.be/z7zCms6x3T8

[Ben Framed]

Soy flour is  very high in protein. I briefly considered making my own last year but after not being able to find soy flour locally, and pricing it online, I quickly scrapped that idea. A sack of Ultra Bee is my choice. And free shipping if your order is over $100 from Mann Lake.
Phillip

[Anonimo22]

This is a neat thread. Thanks for putting it up guys.

(Also curious if you can use pollen substitute in swarm traps, or if there's any effect if its done when there's no nectar flow?

[BeeMaster2]

Anon,
This is another case where having your location in your profile is important. Here in the south pollen patties can kill a hive. They attract SHBs and they breed by the thousands in the patty. If you are in the south, only put enough pollen in the hive that they can use in 2 days.
Beekeepers in the north, generally do not have to worry about SHBs. They cannot survive the winters outside of the hive.
Update your location.
Jim Altmiller

[Nock]

Anon,
This is another case where having your location in your profile is important. Here in the south pollen patties can kill a hive. They attract SHBs and they breed by the thousands in the patty. If you are in the south, only put enough pollen in the hive that they can use in 2 days.
Beekeepers in the north, generally do not have to worry about SHBs. They cannot survive the winters outside of the hive.
Update your location.
Jim Altmiller

Where would you place KY? 

[Ben Framed]

Anon,
This is another case where having your location in your profile is important. Here in the south pollen patties can kill a hive. They attract SHBs and they breed by the thousands in the patty. If you are in the south, only put enough pollen in the hive that they can use in 2 days.
Beekeepers in the north, generally do not have to worry about SHBs. They cannot survive the winters outside of the hive.
Update your location.
Jim Altmiller

Where would you place KY?

Why that?s easy Knoc,  Earth of course.  😁.  J/K 

[BeeMaster2]

Anon,
This is another case where having your location in your profile is important. Here in the south pollen patties can kill a hive. They attract SHBs and they breed by the thousands in the patty. If you are in the south, only put enough pollen in the hive that they can use in 2 days.
Beekeepers in the north, generally do not have to worry about SHBs. They cannot survive the winters outside of the hive.
Update your location.
Jim Altmiller

Where would you place KY? 

Nock,
I believe you have a pretty deep frost line, I?m guessing more than 2 feet. Even a 6? frost line would kill every SHB pupa.
That being said, you still have SHBs being brought in from the south. The adults can survive the winter inside of your hives and start reproducing young in the spring. If I was I KY, part of my fall prep would be to remove as many SHBs from the hives as I can. They cannot survive outside of hives in freezing weather.
Jim Altmiller

[van from Arkansas]

Jim, you got that right, Fall prep includes beetle killing.  In N Arkansas the beetles are a real constant threat.  Each Fall, I try to kill every single beetle, a few, not many but some always winter over in hives.

Van

[Nock]

Anon,
This is another case where having your location in your profile is important. Here in the south pollen patties can kill a hive. They attract SHBs and they breed by the thousands in the patty. If you are in the south, only put enough pollen in the hive that they can use in 2 days.
Beekeepers in the north, generally do not have to worry about SHBs. They cannot survive the winters outside of the hive.
Update your location.
Jim Altmiller

Where would you place KY? 

Nock,
I believe you have a pretty deep frost line, I?m guessing more than 2 feet. Even a 6? frost line would kill every SHB pupa.
That being said, you still have SHBs being brought in from the south. The adults can survive the winter inside of your hives and start reproducing young in the spring. If I was I KY, part of my fall prep would be to remove as many SHBs from the hives as I can. They cannot survive outside of hives in freezing weather.
Jim Altmiller

Your spot on about the frost line. Luckily I haven?t had much problems with them. During inspections the other day I only saw one between both hives.