# BeePro patties or pudding?



## Billboard (Dec 28, 2014)

Its like any other recipe. You have to make adjustments. Maybe more powder, little more sugar. You have to experiment to get it right to your liking. I made my patties from ultra bee. I just made up my recipe. The bees ate mine faster when it was like yours a little oozy. Give a small taste to the bees and see how they like it. I used HFCS, and 1:1, sugar, ultra bee, bee pollen and vitamin c powder.


----------



## spunky (Nov 14, 2006)

I just mixed some beepro patties up and u have to experiment with the ratios . I just mix with hot tap water and cane sugar and the bees do well on them . I gave up trying to get it to stay suspended in 2:1 , gunked up my mason feeders every time YMMV


----------



## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

So you feed yours as a liquid then instead of party? I want to stick with patties so they can go right above the brood nest in the hive.


----------



## Billboard (Dec 28, 2014)

Who said anything about liquid. I said mine was very soft like yours the bees jumped all over it. You have to make your own recipe. What they give you is a general ingredients. You have to add what you want to make it into a patty. Maybe it says a cup of bee pro but in reality it takes 2 cups to make it the way YOU want it. Experiment.


----------



## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

I make it the consistency of thick mustard or ketchup, place it into a .97 cent ketchup or mustard squirt plastic bottle, and place a big fat line on the topbars. All above the brood cluster. Its an easy way, if its warm enough to open up. Its mostly gone before hardening up. I make it with syrup, same as for the syrup feeder.


----------



## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Add more flour till you get the consistency wanted. Every batch we make ends up with adding a bit or a bit more flour to finish off the mix


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Adding BeePro will stiffin it up some, adding sugar will make it more syrupy. Adding corn syrup will help keep it from drying out hard as a brick. Play around with your mix so you get it the consistency you like.


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I use Ultrabee, but the recipe is about the same...

25 lb. Ultrabee
42 lb. sugar
17 lb. water
6 c. veg oil


----------



## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

It it's too gooey for comfort, plunk it into one of those shallow plastic trays that microwaveable dinners come in and set it where you want it on the top bars. Except in very cold weather, where it might be a condensation plane I just put it over the center. I find those plastic trays to be very useful, so every one is diverted to my box of bee-stuff.

Enj.


----------



## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

I placed 3 patties in hives yesterday. Even with the 60* temp, the patties were oozing out of the paper while waiting for placement. What came out the side was very sticky and 'wet'. I considered some of the prior comments, and the point of what I'm attempting to do... feed the bees a protein supplement. I realize the construct of a patty is a convenience for us as beekeepers and took this in stride. The bees immediately began working on these gooey patties as soon as they went in, so I guess that's a winner. I WILL need to thicken them up for summer use I'm sure. From what I've read, I'll likely use 2:1 instead, will add some veg. oil to prevent hardening, and will round off with extra powder to thicken it up. Thanks all for the tips!


----------



## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

PITA, but inverting the sugar keeps Ultra Bee from being Ultra Brick.


----------



## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

Saltybee said:


> PITA, but inverting the sugar keeps Ultra Bee from being Ultra Brick.


Inverting.... so this is complete by simmering the syrup for about minutes, right? I always do this when making syrup as it breaks down the sugar molecules making it more comparable to nectar chemically (if I understand that science correctly). I have had the patties in place for about a week now. They did firm up a little, but not much. The edges seemed 'dry' but the bees were still working it just fine. Inside the 'crust' it was still plenty moist and pliable, maybe because of how I prepare my syrup.

On the topic of oil, what benefits will it provide?


----------



## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Fats


----------



## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

I understand the oil is fats. I guess my question is, patties provide protein for brood rearing, are the fats a bonus, or essential? Will patties without the oil do the job well enough or are the fats required to achieve balance and boost brood rearing? I ask as some recipes show oil, while others do not. I'm just curious specifically what level of improvement they give, or if the patties simply don't perform without them.


----------



## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Poke around Randy Oliver;

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/fat-bees-part-1/

Extra fat is probably only used when under stress, like coming out of winter in a rainy stretch.


----------



## Swarmhunter (Mar 5, 2015)

I cut the lower inch off the bottom of milk jugs all winter. Put soft patties in them with feeding rims. No running between frames.


----------



## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Brick or clean up?

I have seen cases where the bees simply suck the oil out of the pattie and leave the sub behind. I have placed a paper towel soaked with vegetable oil over a screen feeder just to watch what happened. They preferred just the towel, basically sucked all the oil out. The towel was left almost oil free, almost white again, they did not touch the paper. Strong preference for the towel over the pattie right beside it.

I think some cases of brick patties are really the bees picking their plates, like kids not eating their vegetables, just taking what they want or need and leaving the rest. It makes sense that even a balanced diet is not what the bees need at the moment, rather they have a greater need for one component. Like runners carbing up before a race, rather than the standard or balance diet best over time.


----------



## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

Would this imply then that the patty should omit the oil, which could be given separately, free choice? I like the idea of that better than wasting material to offer all options, to have the whole ignored or picked over. Also, is the oil a seasonal thing or year round need? I may experiment with this over time.


----------



## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Please do experiment. I think it only means bee nutrition is complicated.

Do the nutritional needs of most species have seasonal variations? More than likely. 

Is it practical to have a fall blend and a spring blend? Not likely. 

Nutritional needs vary by forage as much as season would be my guess.

Oil often makes the product more palatable and fluid for a longer time. For the cost it is a good bet.

As for giving oil separately, probably sound on some occasions. My thought is a grease patty of shortening and sub in the spring might be a good delivery system. Not tried it though.


----------



## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

I'm a fan of simple ingredients. If they need it, they can have it. Combinations lead to varied formulations I'd rather not manage if it can be avoided. I'll try a few things and see what happens.


----------



## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

DrJeseuss said:


> I'm a fan of simple ingredients. If they need it, they can have it.


That would be my preference, I just do not believe it is in my ability to know which is which.


----------



## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

Just an update, the batch of patties I made remain pliable even in the freezer. Once room temp, they are gooey, but thankfully in paper. In hives that I've been feeding, when I visit the following week to check on it, any remains of patty appear dry, but it's still soft and the bees continue to consume it. While these patties are a pain to work with, the bees like it, so that's a win in my book. I'll likely continue with this formulation until needs dictate otherwise. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!


----------

