Bee Pro Protein Patties

When natural pollen runs short, brood rearing stalls — and a colony that isn't raising brood isn't building toward the flow. Bee-Pro Protein Patties are a ready-to-feed pollen substitute you lay right on the top bars, no mixing and no prep. We reach for them in late winter and early spring to push buildup, and again in fall to raise strong winter bees.

Key Features

• Ready to feed — pull a patty from the box and set it across the top bars. No water, no mixing, no waiting.
• Drives brood rearing — the added protein encourages the queen to lay and the colony to raise more brood when pollen is scarce.
• Feeds on your schedule — unlike a real pollen flow, you decide when the protein goes in, rain or shine.
• Better consumption — includes Pro-Health, a digestive-health additive meant to encourage bees to eat the patty and any medicated feed with it.
• Balanced nutrition — contains not less than 12% protein per patty.
• Easy to portion — each patty runs about 1 lb (454 g), simple to cut into smaller strips.

How We Use Them

A word of honesty: protein feeding works, and that's exactly why it needs a light hand. Push a colony too hard and rapid population growth can tip it into early swarming. Patties are also a magnet for small hive beetles, which will happily lay eggs in feed the bees haven't cleared yet. What's worked for us: cut each patty into 1–2 inch strips so the bees finish it fast, and don't put out more than they can eat in a few days.

According to the manufacturer, Bee-Pro's testing showed overall brood production up by roughly 1½ to 3 frames compared with control hives.

Seasonal Use

Feed during late-winter and early-spring buildup, and again in fall while colonies raise their winter bees. During a strong natural pollen flow you usually won't need it.

Product Details

Related Reading

• Feeding Bees Pollen and Protein Substitutes: What You Need to Know
• What Do Bees Eat?
• How to Catch Small Hive Beetles With a Beetle Blaster

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