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I have reared bees with pollen patty 20 years.
Giving syrup does not help. I have tried that too.
Pollen patty must be palatable. So bees eate it so much as they need.
Feeding of bees
You may feed pollen alone with honey but it is expencive. You may compensate 80% of pollen with yeast and soya flour.
MAAREC:s paper is very good.
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/HBBiology/nutrition_supplements.htm http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/apiculture/factsheets/423_nutrition.pdf From Australia new information May 2005 :
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/HBE/05-054.pdfFrom internet I learned that I can use soya flour and yeast with pollen. If you put over 20% pollen to mixture, it is palatable for bees.
I make dough with dough machine.
3 kg dry irradiated pollen
0,7 litre water to soften pollen over night
3 kg dry baker yeast
2 kg soya flour with fat or without
1 kg fructose ( or honey if you do not have AFB)
1 kg flour sugar
3 multivitamin pill crushed and diluted into water.
150 mg C- vitamin = Ascorbic acid powder
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10,7 kg total
Add two table spoon food oil if soya is fatfree.
28% pollen
If dough is too wet, add soya flour and balance the mixture with it.
Then I roll the paste between two dough paper to 5-8 mm plate and give it to the top bars of frame. During one week 2 super colony can eat 0,5-1 kg that dough. New born bees eat it very eargerly.
Near 20% pollen all colonies are not willing to eat dough. Keep total sugar content 50%. If yeast make bubbles add sugar.
Fructose take moisture from air.
Dough will be in condition at least 3 weeks in cold.
Store dough in plastic case. When you make more plates, warm up diugh in micro wave oven so you may work with it.
Place patty very near of brood area on frames.