# Best Dry Supplement for Open Feeding?



## Brandy (Dec 3, 2005)

I've got 3 different buckets of different pollen subs that I open feed dry. A home made sub by a past member, MegaBee, and BeePro. The bee's empty the bucket of BeePro first, then a toss up as they root around in the home made sub to dig the actual pollen grains out, and the MegaBee. Thought it was interesting.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Like you Allen at times I've open fed to keep the bees out of trouble. I don't really reember the number of nucleus colonies but it could have been around 600. Had 2 drums out and the bee pro bag was cut open. The drum was to shield the rain. After a few weeks the bees still were milling in it but had hardly taken any. The only value it had was in public relations, the bees hardly collected any product. I would not do it again for the bees. It seemed to keep the farmer happy, in that at least I tried something.

Jean-Marc


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Ya, mostly open feed to keep the little bees busy!
You know, I have fed some bees BeePro, and other yards soy meal flour.
By the end of my split, there was no noticeable difference between the two yards in terms of brooding/hive strength.

I always figure the bees really brood up when the trees come out anyway, 
I suppose the soy flour might kick start the queen into laying a bit,
But I tell you, on a good spring, my bees are thinking of swarming mid way through the dandelion flow. 
The only thought I sometimes give to supplemental feeding is during a cool spring. Then I think a couple pounds of protein patties goes along way in colony health.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I like pollen. Real pollen...


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

I don't do open feeding but, Bee pal from International ingredient corp.


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## Allen Dick (Jan 10, 2009)

> I like pollen. Real pollen...


Me too, preferably on the stamens of real flowers. However, when that is not available, people tend to use substitutes.

Your comment is interesting, since cheap pollen has not always been available as it seems to be now. Are you feeding bee pollen in open feeders? If so, do you grinding oir crushing it? Is there any problerm with spoilage?


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## Allen Dick (Jan 10, 2009)

> I don't do open feeding but, Bee pal from International ingredient corp.


I wonder about that one. That's a feed that tends to fall under the radar. Last I looked it has a lot of sugar in it, and assume it would clump. Has anyone tried it for open feeding? 

Has anyone been using it in other forms?


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## stangardener (Mar 8, 2005)

i've open fed beepro and the bees took it very well. i stopped open feeding when i noticed a very large portion of the loaded bees flying home away from my bee yard. i did not stop mixing it into patties.


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## pahvantpiper (Apr 25, 2006)

took up feed bee and bee pro ok but just drug brewers out of the feeder and left it on the ground. That really surprised me since they eat brewers pretty well in a patty.


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## Nick Noyes (Apr 28, 2005)

We open feed Bee Pol (international). It keeps the bees away from feedlots , houses,dairies late in the fall and early spring. I don't think they consume enough to stimulate them to brood much. Mostly just a good PR tool.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Are you feeding bee pollen in open feeders?

Yes.

>If so, do you grinding oir crushing it?

No.

> Is there any problerm with spoilage?

Always somewhat. I put it on a screened bottom over a solid bottom so it stays drier that way and lasts better.


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## Allen Dick (Jan 10, 2009)

Thanks, people. We passed on the recomendations, including the idea of feeding pollen. Radical? At current prices, and with irradiation eliminating the disease worry, why not?


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*Thanks, people*

There is the potential of the pollen containing pesticides.
Ermie


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## Allen Dick (Jan 10, 2009)

That is a thought, too. I guess that is the case with any pollen, natural or purchased these days. I don't think it is as bad now as it was a few decades back, though.


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## mbholl (Dec 16, 2007)

If it's warm enough for bees to fly, is it just as good to open, dry feed?

It would be so much easier to put out a pail of dry BeePro instead of cracking each hive and putting in a patty! And the hive wouldn't be disturbed!! We are fairly isolated from other hives. 

Would the dry sub be stored like pollen? Would nurse bees get any benefit?

Thanks.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

Does anybody know or has any study been done on cottenseed meal for a bee pollen or protein supplement? Jack


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## Alwin (Nov 24, 2009)

brooksbeefarm said:


> Does anybody know or has any study been done on cottenseed meal for a bee pollen or protein supplement? Jack


Well for studies about cottonseed meal, I do have this old one. 
The results show that it is not a good pollen substitute. 

http://www.apidologie.org/index.php.../03/Apidologie_0044-8435_1977_8_3_ART0002.pdf


Georges


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## Myron Denny (Sep 27, 2009)

I used to buy bulk soybean meal, we stored it in a grain bin, the bees knew every hole in and out of that bin. They seemed to prefer the extra fine stuff. I don't remember ever seeing a dead bee in the bin either. They were never aggressive in the bin either. I wonder if a cup full of SBM on paper on the topbars or on top of the inner cover might work?


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

We used soy flour when putting on pollen sub recently. The bees were all over the sub and on the flour, in the bag, following me around, collecting it off my jacket. They loved the stuff. They were not aggressive at all, in fact they couldn't have been happier, but I always felt it best to put what you want in your hives IN the hives, so as not to support the entire neighborhood, unless the goal is to distract from neighboring farms or bird feeders.
Sheri


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