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Author Topic: Pollen Sub Improvement  (Read 2198 times)

Offline Mbeck

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Pollen Sub Improvement
« on: January 16, 2013, 07:39:32 pm »
Thought I would try to get help here as well
Just a very short time ago I began to experiment with Feeding Pollen Sub.
I've learned a lot and have seen the potential for this to be a great tool.

I've mixed a few smaller batches, experimented and have a recipe I'm happy enough with to mix a large batch and feed for the remainder of the time I add sub. I'll offer some on here once I understand where I'm at and if I have extra.

The basic recipe is
Brewers yeast #10
Egg #5
Oils. 1 pt
Corn syrup 1 qt
Sugar #25
Isolate 1#
Acids
Vitamins
Attractants E.O's
Water
Etc.

The recipe is a combination of common recipes found on the Internet and speaking with local beekeepers.
I cut the amounts down to give a general idea, the oil is a couple ounces more etc. Acid is lemon juice, vitamin C and citric acid I'm still waffling on lemon and the consitancy of ph it provides.

It's high in sugar and has no soy flour to contribute to my goal of having it consumed quickly and discourage SHB.

I'd like to continue to improve so here are some of the areas I think I need to address first

Sterols,Lipids,cholesterol - what oils or fats I'm using a combination now. As you can see I'm leaning toward higher fat content to both ensure requirements are met as well as keeping product usable and attractive.

Vitamins- Here in Florida my bees aren't stressed as others my be. They often have access to forage.
I'm as concerned with giving them the wrong vitamin or too much of I'm the right ones. That said I need a good... No make that great source of vitamin A & K. I think I've got one but I'm not sure about accessibility of the nutrient so it shall remain nameless. Thoughts?

Isolate proteins, what offers the balance to brewers yeast, eggs with attention to value?

Minerals, I'm erroring on the side of too little for my environment I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the biology and at higher amounts may do harm.

This study made me think that it's not about developing a Pollen Sub but maybe about developing a product that bees can easily utilize to turn into bee bread. I know it's not a huge distinction but it maybe an important one

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:...l.pone.0032962

Thanks

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Pollen Sub Improvement
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2013, 09:04:05 pm »
http://latshawapiaries.com/index.php?page=Latshaw-Pre-Mix

http://latshawapiaries.com/index.php?page=latshaw-supplement

one of the most important things is to make sure your ingredients are micronized as fine as you can get
the bees will consume more at a faster rate--RDY-B

Offline BlueBee

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Re: Pollen Sub Improvement
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2013, 09:22:49 pm »
I always figured it would be worth experimenting with Whey proteins (isolate) so it’s cool to hear your reports. X:X  Beware some may accuse you of trying to reinvent the wheel. :(  Personally I enjoy a little re-inventing from time to time. :) 

Offline Mbeck

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Re: Pollen Sub Improvement
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2013, 09:56:01 pm »
I sent an email to Dr. Joe he's helpful but his supplement is developed specifically for a Soy etc. pollen sub. It's still an option but without understanding what I would be lacking or what I had too much of it would complicate tweaking my recipe.

Offline Mbeck

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Re: Pollen Sub Improvement
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2013, 06:09:51 pm »
I may just roll with my present formula and continue to try to educate myself.
I not sure I know of any other ingredients that I understand enough to put my faith or time into trying.

I read a little about animal electrolytes and probiotics but concrete information on the addition to these to a bee sub is hard to find or in my case hard to understand.

Offline CapnChkn

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Re: Pollen Sub Improvement
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2013, 11:56:26 pm »
I can't really say about the pollen sub, one recipe I made with Chickpea flour was like candy to them, and switching to Soy, they've ignored completely.  I don't know if it's the flour, or they just don't want the sub.

Both times I just took a Multi vitamin pill and ground it in a Mortar and Pestle.  I have been adding the same in solution of 20 pills to a pint, and taking 10ml at a time to mix with their syrup.  I figure there should be enough to give everyone a dose of what they need, feeding this like I might feed a medicine, a dose once a month.

Now I'm sure somebody will pipe up and say, "They bees don't need any vitamins, they get all they need..."  That's what they do at my association.  But then I went into the cold with 9 hives, and still have 9 hives, even after the empty combs and robbing at the end of the warm season.

In November I moved a Nuc to a deep body, and came up with the weirdest honey.  I thought it may be some strange plant.  I asked everyone what it may be, had someone remark it was a "really bright yellow color..."  It took about a month to realize they'd made honey from that syrup.  It tastes lousy, but it's good for you...
"Thinking is like sin, them that doesn't is scairt of it, and them that does gets to liking it so much they can't quit!"  -Josh Billings.

Offline BlueBee

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Re: Pollen Sub Improvement
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2013, 12:11:44 am »
Hmmmmm..... now you got me thinking   :)

What if I mix some Whey into those Valentine Day Honey balls I'm making up for my baby nucs?

Finski will it work?