Feeding Pollen Substitute

[Waveeater]

For those who use Pollen Substitute and use open feeding. Do you have to keep a certain distance between the bee yard and the pollen like you usually do with sugar water? Was curious if it will create a robbing issue like open feeding sugar water will in some situations If it is fed closer to the hives. 

[paus]

Last spring I fed over 200 yards from any hive.  No problems except when my wife walked around the corner and there were thousands of bees on a picnic table, feeding on substitute pollen I put on old plastic dinner plates.

[beepro]

I have never open feed pollen subs before.   But since all are going to the same feeding source I
don't think there will be a robbing situation.   They will only rob when food source is scarce like going through a
summer dearth.   When there is plenty no bees want to waste their time and risk of being injure or kill to rob another hive.  When in
doubt make the weak hive stronger.

[2Sox]

Open feeding never worked for me.  Bees wouldn't go near it but every creature in the field did.  I use pollen patties and they love it.

[texanbelchers]

I'd use patties if it weren't for the SHB.  I've tried open feed but until this year couldn't get more than 100 feet away due to space constraints.  My new apiary is 1/3 mile from a strawberry farm that was blooming in January.  I hope no sub will be needed.   

[Bush_84]

I personally have not had luck with open feeding. My local conditions render it useless. It seems that for the most part if they are flying there is some natural pollen available. I?ll try some again in the fall but I?ve had more luck with the patties.

[Michael Bush]

I only feed it dry and open feed it.  In a pollen dearth they will gather it regardless of it's location.  If it's not a pollen dearth they will ignore it.

[Waveeater]

You are correct, I have had the pollen out for a couple of weeks now and they are not touching it however I have a couple of birds that love it for some reason.

[beepro]

If SHB is not a problem then why not feed them the patty subs?   I only stimulate feed them when the summer
dearth is on.

[Oldbeavo]

We have open fed pollen sub just 10m from a group of 50 hives, worked well on one group that had no pollen coming in. But a second group only a few  km away that were bring in a very small amount if pollen ignored it. I would have thought they would have supplemented their tiny pollen collection with sub, but no.

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

Wave, I have no issues with robbing while feeding sub pollen.

For years, I feed sub pollen, Ultra Bee.  I have two open, community feeders in my apiary, between hives and have not had any issues with robbing.  One feeder is only six feet from a healthy hive and no robbing issues with the other 21 hives.

I agree with others, if pollen is available, the bees will ignore the sub pollen.  My bees appear to delight in the Ultra Bee, the bees roll in the stuff as Mann Lake places lemon grass oil in the pollen and the bees love it.

I have made my own pollen feeders, raccoon, possum, water proof, 4 inche plastic pipe with gutter end suspended by wire.  I place sticks in the pollen powder so the bees don?t sink in the powder.

Best to the bees.

[BeeMaster2]

Van,
Do you have a picture of it?
Jim

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

https://rvbees.com

The above link to RV Bees show a picture of the sub pollen feeder.   It works very well.  Just scroll down on the page to above link.

[Bush_84]

I built a similar feeder. Tried it this spring but my bees never bothered with it. By the time they get consistent flying weather in spring there?s pollen available. Will try again in fall after things dry up.