# protein patties and SHB



## JoshuaW (Feb 2, 2015)

I found this article helpful: https://megabee.com/blogs/news/adding-oil-to-your-patties-can-make-difference-in-more-ways-than-one

It looks like the addition of sugar and corn oil in particular, helps speed consumption...

It can also help to feed less than an entire patty, and take them off once natural pollen comes available.


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## TNValleyBeeK (Oct 3, 2012)

I put mine on top of a queen exclude at the top of the hive. With bees on top and bottom of the patty I never have trouble with SHB. Not much trouble if laid on the top bars with a shim either. You get in trouble when the patty is smashed tight in confined spaces that the bees can't patrol. That's been my experience anyway.


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## thesecurityeagle (Jun 21, 2016)

Feed less; stronger hives.


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

That's pretty much the consensus around here. Don't feed more patty than the bees can consume prior to SHB invasion - generally just a few days to a week. I know a lot of folks have had great success is using plain Swiffer pads to trap beetles - their feet get entangled in the material. It may help to set the patty on a Swiffer pad (or sandwich the patty between pads) to trap beetles on their way to the patty. I may try that the next time I feed pollen sub.


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## Branman (Aug 20, 2003)

GaSteve said:


> That's pretty much the consensus around here. Don't feed more patty than the bees can consume prior to SHB invasion - generally just a few days to a week. I know a lot of folks have had great success is using plain Swiffer pads to trap beetles - their feet get entangled in the material. It may help to set the patty on a Swiffer pad (or sandwich the patty between pads) to trap beetles on their way to the patty. I may try that the next time I feed pollen sub.


My only fear is that you'd probably trap a bunch of bees as well. I always find a few that got caught and died. Also try the Brawny Dine-A-Max sheets, they're cheaper than Swiffer pads and I think work better.


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## HiveBeetle (Mar 26, 2017)

I've had issues with patties and hive beetles until I went to my current recipe. The bees eat it so quick beetles don't have time to infest them. The bees are all over my recipe before I can get the lid on the hive. 

Use Dadant AP23 (dry). Mix it with the same amount of sugar by weight. Add HFCS and knead, just like making biscuits. Add more AP23 if needed to make it very stiff. Coat a board with coconut oil and lay the big dough ball on it. Roll it out until it's about 1/4" thick. Smear coconut oil on top and coat it good with sugar. Turn it over and cover it good with sugar. Cut it into about 6"x6" squares and drop it on the top bars. They absolutely love it.


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## westtnbeekeeper (Oct 26, 2015)

HiveBeetle said:


> I've had issues with patties and hive beetles until I went to my current recipe. The bees eat it so quick beetles don't have time to infest them. The bees are all over my recipe before I can get the lid on the hive.
> 
> Use Dadant AP23 (dry). Mix it with the same amount of sugar by weight. Add HFCS and knead, just like making biscuits. Add more AP23 if needed to make it very stiff. Coat a board with coconut oil and lay the big dough ball on it. Roll it out until it's about 1/4" thick. Smear coconut oil on top and coat it good with sugar. Turn it over and cover or good with sugar. Cut it into about 6"x6" squares and drop it on the top bars. They absolutely love it.


Shoot I'd probly eat that. Bake it in Christmas cookies. :banana:


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## HiveBeetle (Mar 26, 2017)

It's not bad. I've licked it off my fingers.


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## westtnbeekeeper (Oct 26, 2015)

HiveBeetle said:


> It's not bad. I've licked it off my fingers.


:thumbsup: thought so...


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## Indiankentuck (Jun 12, 2014)

Purina has recently developed their own protein supplement called Hearty Bee. From their website -"Patent pending formula shown to be less attractive to hive beetles than a leading competitive supplement." I'm looking forward to trying it.


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

it appears HiveBeetle joined BeeSource just to share that with us. Thanks and Welcome to BS (no pun intended).


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I hope HiveBeetle doesn't start laying eggs and slime us.

Lloyd, I don't know what to do to answer your question. I haven't found it to be a problem here in NY yet. Like others have said, feed a smaller amount and feed the stronger colonies. I applied a protein patty to hives as I took the last of the honey supers off. Those that I have checked since them seem to have eaten the patty, nothing left. A couple strong hives I applied two patties to. they are gone now too.

Maybe the answer is keeping the adult beetle population as low as possible.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

TNValleyBeeK said:


> I put mine on top of a queen exclude at the top of the hive. With bees on top and bottom of the patty I never have trouble with SHB. Not much trouble if laid on the top bars with a shim either. You get in trouble when the patty is smashed tight in confined spaces that the bees can't patrol. That's been my experience anyway.


Yes, I've found that if the bees can consume the patty from directions, it cuts way down on the beetle larvae invasion.


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

TNValleyBeeK said:


> I put mine on top of a queen exclude at the top of the hive. *With bees on top and bottom of the patty I never have trouble with SHB.* Not much trouble if laid on the top bars with a shim either. You get in trouble when the patty is smashed tight in *confined spaces* that the bees can't patrol...


We have made feeding shims with wire bottoms that can hold a ball of pollen patty (or a sugar brick for emergency feeding later). The vulnerable spaces on the pollen patty are the small spaces the bees cannot patrol to eliminate those hungry SHB larva. Placing a ball of pollen patty on the wire suspends the ball 3/8 inch above the top of the frames, allowing bees to control the beetle larvae. Commercials won't be able to spend that much time per hive, but we can. HTH


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## homegrown (Jul 24, 2016)

How about open feeding dry pollen sub in a 4 inch pipe?


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

homegrown said:


> How about open feeding dry pollen sub in a 4 inch pipe?


Yes, but that’s not the discussion...


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## HiveBeetle (Mar 26, 2017)

I've been following this forum for years, but up until now I had nothing to say. 

Homegrown, I've had little success trying to open feed dry pollen substitute. The bees will eat a little of it, buts it's just too humid here and it starts to get hard and mold in a couple of days.


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## homegrown (Jul 24, 2016)

Hivebeetle, that’s good to know. I can only imagine how bad the beetles are down there. Luckily we’re dry as a bone most of the time in Southern California. 

How is the fall honey crop this year down there?


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## HiveBeetle (Mar 26, 2017)

The fall flow's been pretty good, but not as good as normal. It's been dry as a bone ever since Irma came through. That's the last rain we've had. 
The beetles have been very bad this fall. I wasn't seeing too many in the spring but they're making up for it now. I've got a couple swifter pads in every hive but they don't catch all of them. I've got a few hives here at the house that I checked last weekend and I bet I mashed 40-50 that the pads didn't catch.


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## homegrown (Jul 24, 2016)

Wow! Give em hell. Have you tried checkmite to knock the beetles down? How about drenching the perimeter of the bee yard with an insecticide like guard star? I’ve been hesitant to try either.


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## HiveBeetle (Mar 26, 2017)

I haven't tried either of those. I've thought about checkmate in a CD case, but never tried it because of the varroa resistance issue.


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## homegrown (Jul 24, 2016)

Why the CD case?


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