# Dadant Winter Patties ?



## guyross (Feb 18, 2011)

A friend is going to pick me up some of these patties. There not in there catalog yet. There was an advertisement for them in this months Bee Culture. There suppose to be good winter and spring. Take a look at them and see what you think.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

>There suppose to be good winter and spring.

sorry guy, i don't have the mag so i can't check it out. but what i am taking home from the thread on the main forum is that it "could be good" at different times and for different reasons, and maybe not good at others. 

i have some patties in a couple of weak nucs right now as an experiment, but i don't see the need to put them in my strong hives this winter, (just north of you in jackson co.).

if there is as much natural pollen come spring as last year, i doubt i will need them then either.


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## Ignots (May 6, 2011)

They have it on-line...search for winter patty.


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## guyross (Feb 18, 2011)

I got it today. If the bees don't eat it I will. It smell good enough to eat.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

looked it up on dadant. not much info, but mostly carbs with about 3 % protein. probably just fine for winter here guy. do you have some hives that are short on reserves at this point?


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## guyross (Feb 18, 2011)

I don't think there short Squarepeg. Should they eat there reserves before I feed? I don't know anything about wintering in singles this being my first season. Still so much to learn.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i'm pretty new too, started july 2010. last winter all i had was four established hives with a full deep and one medium, and they all made it without any winter feeding. this year i have five established hives that shouldn't need any help, and five nucs that are in single deeps.

the five nucs range from 5 to 7 frames, again all in full sized deeps, but i have the dead space blocked off with a dummy board and filled with crumpled newspaper for insulation.

i inspected and weighed these nucs around thanksgiving, so i know they have stores, and i can guess about how much they have left by weighing them again. so far so good.

i've only put winter feed, something similar to what you have, in one nuc so far. i was able to inspect this one about 2 weeks ago, and found that it had one frame of comb completely empty. i decided to wire some feed in a frame and replace the empty frame with this feed frame. 

this nuc now has about a frame and a half of bees, about two and a half frames of used honey, and a frame of feed, for a total of five frames. i'm not not sure about pollen, couldn't see any, but there might be some under the honey.

what all do you think you have in your singles guy? when i weighed an empty single with frames, bottom board, and covers i got 24.5 lbs. my nucs are currently weighing 40 to 55 lbs.

we've probably got about 2 months to go before they will have forage again.


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## guyross (Feb 18, 2011)

Without a scale they should all be from 80-100 lb. In just a few months you can replace the paper in your nuc with frames. The two things I was concerned the most about going into beekeeping was varroa and stores. I experienced varroa. I am not going to let them starve if I can help it.
What do you weigh yours with?


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i used a digital fish scale, weighed the front and back, and added the two together. my full sized colonies, again one deep and one medium, weighed 80 - 90 lbs. sounds like you've got plenty in there for one single.

no probs with mites yet, i have battled shb and wax moths though.

yeah, can't wait for them to start building up. i am going to add frames of brood from the big hives to the nucs. my idea is to grow the nucs, and slow down swarming of the big hives.


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## NorthernIllinoisPlumber (Aug 17, 2010)

I added them a month ago. I may check them this week due to warmer weather. I will check to see if they are eating them.


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## guyross (Feb 18, 2011)

I have candy on the top bars next to some patties and they like the candy the best.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I am not trying to jinx anyone, but especially those far enough north to know what a snow shovel is; I wonder if you will hurt your bees with those protein patties now?? I know we aren't having much of a winter anywhere yet, but what if you get your bees all brooded up and winter comes? The bees will die trying to cover that brood. Good luck with it and keep us informed please.


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## BigGun (Oct 27, 2011)

These are not pollen patties. Basically just sugar


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## rjphil (Feb 13, 2009)

52F today - still shaking my head over the weather this winter. Checked the hives today - all were out flying around, eating the winter patties and generally seem to be in good shape. One hive has moved up into the top super (I had left a super of honey on each hive, plus the winter patties). Not sure why, but it's a large cluster and looks ok.


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## guyross (Feb 18, 2011)

Its 64F here. I just refilled open feeders. j.r. I am new and not much help but I can and do shake my head often I had a queen superseded some time in December. There is a Sunkist in her place now from a frame of brood I put in with the moon beam. I don't see how this new lady could be mated. I'm going to watch for eggs the next couple days and go from there. 

Thanks Guy


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