We want to Pump You Up!

-Posted by Isaac

This time of year is hard on bees. The weather is turning, sun is out, days of flight are taking place with increased energy expenditure. The queen's egg laying rate is on the upswing, the brood nest is building... but there's nothing to eat!

In this area, until the maples bloom, there's really not much out there. 

Here's a little trick for some quick protein.
Dry Feeding:

This bag came free, compliments of Joe Latshaw, and compliments of Dan Williams our Scioto Valley Beekeepers club president. (Dan's always hobnobbing with the bee world upper echelon.)
It is basically a protein / nutrient mix meant for combining with syrup and placed on the bees in patty form. I mentioned feeding patties in that last blog post... same thing.
Bee Pro from Mann Lake works well also. But we've actually had to pay for it.

The good thing about dry feeding is that it requires all of one minute in the bee yard. You can cover a lot the ground fast.

I like to use buckets turned sideways with a hole cut in the lid. This keeps the powder from getting wet. The chicken wire keeps unwanted guests from grabbing a free meal. Placing the bucket high helps with this also.

The bees are crazy about it.

Until the maples bloom... then they simply ignore it.