# Building Brood Before Almond Pollination



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Well built up honey stores with pollen supplementation, and of course, healthy bees. The high amount of pollen supplementation can keep the bees brooding. Here is a nice video of hives in mid January in prep for almonds...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETLi3Jquor4


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Keith....


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

swarm_trapper said:


> Keith....


Ditto! On your way down take a tour through Jackson and pick up a pallet or two. "Slap it on" as Keith says........ and a few weeks later there will be brood through and through.... PM me for his number if you can not find it on your own.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Tony in your area you want to start feed pollen sub early September to have very good bees. Once she is laying just keep adding sub and she wont stop. Lays like its spring. There might be brood Sept, Oct w/o sub but the bees emerging in sept and oct that have been raised on sub are healthy full of vitellogenin. Seems like the once raised on fall pollen are more susceptible to viruses and nosema. But of course these are my observations...


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Honey-4-All said:


> Ditto! On your way down take a tour through Jackson and pick up a pallet or two. "Slap it on" as Keith says........ and a few weeks later there will be brood through and through.... PM me for his number if you can not find it on your own.


Do you find a need to feed syrup when you feed protein patties? I didn't notice any feeders in Keith's hives.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

sqkcrk said:


> Do you find a need to feed syrup when you feed protein patties? I didn't notice any feeders in Keith's hives.


They are in there and he uses them "as needed" 

With all the bags of sugar around his place it looks like the Taj Mahal of Sutter Creek. He feeds.. A lot... 




As for your tag line plug for MSF they seem to be doing great work. Especially with the Ebola crisis the way it is. Having a brother who has lived and worked in Guinea for over twenty years this one is close to home. Nice to see you post one I can agree with and support. They are a great example of people getting stuff done while bureaucrats sit and scratch their heads. :thumbsup:


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

I have the right address & the right HOUSE!


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Keith Jarrett said:


> I have the right address & the right HOUSE!


:thumbsup:

Can't run away from the past...


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## RDY-B (May 20, 2007)

---bee brother if you can start with 5 frames of bees and get 3 rounds of brood you will be smiling --so what it takes for this is temps above normal which will provide natural pollen during the natural change in bee metabolism --there is no secrete that you can do this with 4 frames of bees and start in mid september---feeding the required amount of protein and knocking back mites--these are all good beekeeping practices---so if you want to push forward remember---- credibility is never off topic in my opion---weather its a credible refrains --or just a question ask--the challenge of 
a bee-broker to a beekeeper has always raised tension-for good or worse--this year has yet to play out-it is my opinion
there will be a cleansing of bad bee brokers --rather than honest beekeepers---RDY-B


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

RAK said:


> Tony in your area you want to start feed pollen sub early September to have very good bees. Once she is laying just keep adding sub and she wont stop. Lays like its spring. There might be brood Sept, Oct w/o sub but the bees emerging in sept and oct that have been raised on sub are healthy full of vitellogenin. Seems like the once raised on fall pollen are more susceptible to viruses and nosema. But of course these are my observations...


Heres a formula for success!


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## Tony Rogers (Oct 18, 2012)

Thanks for all the many great responses. When we head down November 21st, I think we will feed them up and put 4-5 lbs of pollen sub in each. This really all makes since. I've had hives in Lewiston start building brood in Feb and definitely by March. The average highs in Feb is 47 and March 55 with swarming in April (when we are just reaching the 60's). The average highs in Bakersfield are Nov 66, Dec 57, Jan 56. This would seem to indicate, nectar and pollen stimulates brood production and keeps it going. Looks like our kind Lord steered me right last year. I had ran in to Randy Oliver's http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ and Kieth Jarrett's video http://youtu.be/y6B5qm2ut18, I also learned how to make candy boards from this fella http://youtu.be/E_WLCc21-Hk My hives were really low on honey so I packed 20 lbs of sugar and 3-4 lbs of pollen sub on top of each and they turned out good.


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