LIBRARY

STATE PLANT BOARD

E-531 la ean March 1941
\ DEPARTMENT
OF
AGRICULTURE
BUREAU OF
ENTOMOLOGY AND
PLANT QUARANTINE

THE USE OF POLLEN TRAPS AND POLLEN SUPPLEMENTS IN

DEVELOPING HONEYBEE COLONIES 1/

By C. W. Schaefer and C, L. Farrar, Division of Bee Culture

The lack of sufficient pollen is a serious handicap in wintering and

in developing colonies from packages in time for the honey flow. Investi-
gations during the last 10 years have shown that winter brood rearing is
both normal and desirable. The surviving populations of overwintered colo-
nies are proportional to the amount of their fall pollen reserves when colo-
nies with normal populations are headed by good queens and provided with
adequate honey stores. Pollen collection early in the spring may be light
or intermittent, owing to inclement weather. A lack of reserve pollen or of
dependable field sources prevents package colonies from being established
sufficiently early to allow the necessary time for them to reach maximum
strength for a June honey flow.

The object of all beekeeping practices is to have maximum producing

populations during honey-flow periods. Brood rearing is the basis for
colony development. The amount of brood reared is dependent upon the queen's
capacity to lay eggs, the supporting population of bees to provide brood-
rearing temperatures and care for the brood, an adequate reserve of both
pollen and honey, and comb space properly arranged to allow the queen and
bees to expand brood production to full capacity. The development of maxi-
mum populations is dependent upon the rate of brood rearing, the length of
time for development, and the length of life of the adult bees.

No satisfactory complete substitute for pollen has been found.

Cane or beet sugar can be fed as a syrup to meet deficiencies in the honey
supply, and the other basic requirements for brood production can be pro-
vided. Pollen deficiencies during critical periods in colony development
therefore present a major problem in the productive management of colonies.

1/ A contribution from the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine,

U. S. Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the University of
Wisconsin.
 sal Be

A good colony requires 40 to 50 or more pounds (6 to 8 gallons)

of pollen in maintaining optimum brceod rearing during a calendar year. The
amount which a colony collects is determined by its population of worker
bees when plants are yielding pollen and the abundance and location of these
plants within the flight range of the colony. Observations have shown that,
during periods of pollen scarcity, not all colonies in an apiary will locate
and collect pollen from the same source, with the result that colonies of
equivalent strength may collect larger or smaller quantities. The accumu-
lation of pollen reserves within the colony is dependent upon the quantity
of pollen available, the colony strength, the balance between brood production
and population, and the selective collecting activity of the bees. Queen-—
less colonies, or those with failing queens, accumulate larger pollen re-
serves, provided a good source is available in the field, because the pollen
collected is not required for feeding the normal quantity of brood.

Efforts to increase the storage of pollen reserves through colony

manipulations are in general inadequate. In some seasons, and in some
localities, colonies may be made queenless temporarily during heavy pollen-
yielding periods without sacrificing the honey crop or the colony popu-
lations required for good wintering. Colonies operated under the two-—queen
system of management, when united and returned to a single-queen status,
have an excess population in relation to their brood rearing which results
in the accumulation of pollen reserves comparable with those of queenless
colonies. Success with these practices depends upon timing the manipulation
with an abundant pollen supply in the field during periods when it will not
sacrifice the honey crop or the colony for wintering. Extra storage space
for pollen may be provided by placing a super of dark brood combs underneath
the active brood nest, which helps to concentrate the pollen reserves.

The preceding interpretation of important aspects of the pollen

problem has been given as a background to the recommendations which are
the basis for this circular. A brief summary of experimental tests is
followed by directions for feeding colonies deficient in pollen during
critical brood-rearing periods. This is done for the purpose of continuity,
even though it is recognized that pollen must be collected before it can
be fed with supplements. The description of a pollen trap and its use
are given at the end, since at present there are no commercial sources where
pollen for feeding can be purchased.

Preliminary experiments to determine the brood rearing value of

different types of pollen, and other protein foods resembling pollen in
composition, have shown that soybean flour has value as a supplement to
pollen even though it is not a complete substitute. The experimental tests
since 1938 have shown sufficient practical value to warrant the feeding of
soybean flour, supplemented with 25 percent of pollen, to overwintered or
package colonies. This feeding should be done early in the spring when
colony development is curtailed because of lack of pollen reserves or the
intermittent collection of pollen from the field.
 eas

It is not the purpose of this circular to present the detailed ex-

periments. However, a brief summary of some results is useful. A series of
18 colonies headed by sister queens of uniform stock were maintained, under
greenhouse conditions, in individual compartments enclosed by cheesecloth.
The average numbers of bees produced from the colonies fed with the different
combinations of pollen and soybean flour between December 12, 1939, and
January 30, 1940, were as follows:

Food of bees from December 12 Average number of bees

to January 30 produced per test colony

Be a eG ees) cate nce eeoe. aera ys gh ia cco ge sk vSocestes wep cesewgesendoneens 575
Somer eo Gates (OL SOYDeal PEOUG iii... csceeececenesessedeenee 2,600
Honey plus cakes of soybean flour and 12.5% of pollen. 4,900
Honey plus cakes of soybean flour and 25% of pollen .... 5,500
Honey plus cakes of soybean flour and 50% of pollen .... 7,500
Haney wolusscakes (01, POLLEN! ALONG y cise... cisvecrcieeessnescccesseseene 8,600

The queens in all colonies continued laying throughout the period,

even though brood rearing did not continue for the entire period in the
first two groups. The pollen and soybean flour and their combinations
were fed as moist doughlike cakes prepared by mixing the dry foods with sugar
syrup.

These averages are not entirely significant, because the best colony
in each group reared approximately as much brood as the average for the
group above it. The best colony receiving soybean flour with 50 percent of
pollen reared as much brood as the best colony receiving pollen alone. The
differences in brood production among groups receiving pollen or soybean
flour were not great during the first 12-day sealed—brood cycle. - However,
colonies receiving soybean flour as a complete substitute curtailed active
brood rearing soon after a 10- to 14-day period, whereas those receiving
soybean flour supplemented by pollen continued to maintain brood rearing.
Strong outdoor—wintered colonies given soybean flour continued active brood
rearing for longer periods than smaller colonies used in the greenhouse.
All these observations suggest that colonies rearing brood from soybean flour
utilize food reserves stored within the body tissues of the worker bees to
Supplement the nutrients obtained from the flour.

Overwintered colonies lacking pollen reserves have responded in

brood rearing when cakes of soybean flour supplemented with 25 percent of
pollen were fed during February, March, and April, before pollen was avail-
able in the field. They reared considerably more brood than the experi-
mental colonies under greenhouse conditions. Two-pound packages established
during the first week of March in 1939 and in 1940 produced brood in amounts
similar to those colonies in the greenhouse when fed the respective test
foods.

The "cakes" of pollen or soybean flour are consumed more rapidly

when young bees emerge than when a similar number of larvae are reared with-
out the presence of emerging bees. Based upon the air-dry weight of pollen
and soybean flour, approximately 0.CS2 gram of pure pollen, 0.078 gram of
50 percent of pollen, 0.062 gram of 25 or 12.5 percent of pollen, and 0.049
gram of pure soybean flour were consumed for each bee reared in the respec-—
tive groups. Most pollens contain from 20 to 25 percent of protein, while
the soybean flour fed contained from 50 to 52 percent. There is an inverse
relationship between the amount of dry food required per bee reared and the
total number of bees reared from the respective foods and their combinations.
This relationship suggests that pollen is more palatable to the bees, and
soybean flour more nutritious, although lacking in some essential food ele-
ments present in pollen.

Preparation and Feeding of Soybean Cakes Supplemented with Pollen

Soybean and pollen cakes are satisfactory when fed for immediate use
in brood rearing but they cannot be used to build up fall pollen reserves.
Beekeeping practice should be directed toward building up maximum pollen
reserves in colonies to be wintered. Normal colonies under northern con—
ditions will consume 500 or more square inches of pollen, to advantage,
during winter and early~spring brood rearing. This amount of pollen repre—
sents the equivalent of from four to six well-—filled pollen combs, commonly
referred to as pollen—clogged combs. Where colonies fall short of adequate
pollen reserves, soybean and pollen cakes may be fed advantageously during
critical brood-rearing periods early in the spring. It must be recognized
that strong colonies developed because of early brood production will require
larger quantities of honey than those held back in development until pollen
can be collected. However, strong colonies may replace the honey consumed
during the winter from early flows, which only sustain the smaller colonies,
and they will yield a much larger surplus during the main flow.

Soybean flour cakes containing 25 percent of pollen are most practical

in regulating early-spring brood production. A higher percentage of pollen
may increase brood production, but with a limited supply of pollen, cakes of
75 percent of soybean flour will permit practical brood production in more
colonies at a lower cost per bee. The cost of dry bulk pollen may be esti-
mated at 50 cents and soybean flour at 5 cents per pound. One pound of 75
percent of soybean flour and 25 percent of pollen will develop 7,000 to
7,500 bees at a cost of 164 cents, while one pound of 50 percent of soybean
flour and 50 percent of pollen will develop 5,500 to 6,000 bees at a cost of
27 cents, The inverse relation between the number of bees reared and the
quantity of food required per bee has been discussed previously. Cakes con-
taining 25 percent of pollen remain in a palatable condition longer than
those containing less pollen.

The pollen trapped from one good colony should provide a sufficient
quantity, when mixed with 75 percent of soybean flour, for approximately
50 colonies. It is economical to sacrifice the production of one colony in
order to advance the development of 50 colonies during critical brood-rearing
periods.
 = © a

Where no bulk pollen is available, cakes made with soybean flour

alone can be fed advantageously to colonies containing scattered pollen
reserves in the combs; to colonies lacking pollen about 10 days prior to
spring pollen collection; and in the spring when pollen collection is likely
to be intermittent.

The formula for making fifty l-pound cakes is as follows: 4 pounds

of dry pollen is softened with 23 cups of water. This moist pollen is
added to 30 pounds of thick sugar syrup made by dissolving 20 pounds of sugar
in 10 pounds of hot water. Twelve pounds of soybean flour is added to the
syrup and pollen mixture and stirred until uniformly mixed to produce a
doughlike paste. The pollen does not soften readily in sugar syrup but
breaks up when a little water is added. Where the pollen supply is abun-
dant and the percentage can be increased from 25 to 50 percent, less syrup
will be needed; if soybean flour is used alone, more syrup will be required.

There are many grades of soybean flour on the market, many of which
have not been tested as a pollen supplement. It is recommended that one be
selected having a low fat content (0.5 to 2 percent) and containing ap-
proximately 50 percent of protein, refined by the heat-treated expeller proc-—
ess rather than by the chemical-extraction process.

Cakes of about 1 pound should be fed to each overwintered colony

beginning March 10 to 20 in regions where the main honey. flow begins in
June. The hive cover should be removed and the bees smoked down below the
top bars. The soybean-pollen paste flattened out into cakes about one-half
inch thick should be placed on the top bars directly over the center of the
cluster, and covered with waxed or paraffined paper to prevent drying. The
inner cover should be inverted to provide space for the cake. New cakes
should be added before the previous cakes are consumed. Generally-7-— to 10-
day intervals are satisfactory. For sustained brood rearing, a large feed—
ing surface proportional to the colony strength is desirable. Package col-
onies deficient in pollen should be fed in the same manner.

Figure 1 shows a colony feeding on parts of two cakes. When the

cakes have been consumed so that they no longer cover the brood nest, the
bees should be smoked down and the pieces of the front cake pulled to one
side to permit a new cake being placed over the center of the cluster.

Construction and Use of Pollen Traps

Pollen traps, which were designed for experimental control of pollen

in colonies and collecting pollen for feeding tests, now have a practical
use in productive colony management. Pollen traps are useful in determining
the heavy pollen-yielding periods of a locality which will aid the beekeeper
in applying manipulative practices to increase the storage of pollen reserves.
They provide a means of collecting reserve pollen for supplemental feeding
with soybean flour during critical periods in brood rearing, when colonies
are unable to develop because of a pollen deficiency. By collecting pollen
before it enters the hive, the danger of spreading disease is minimized,
whereas distribution of pollen combs presents a risk which the -beekeerer
should be reluctant to take unless he is certain no diseasé-exists in his
locality.
 a

A
line drawing of the pollen trap is shown in figure 2. Figure 3
shows a pollen trap in position at the hive entrance. It will be noted
that the bottom board must be raised several inches to hold the pollen
trap off the ground. Figure 4 shows the shape and the dimensions of the
pieces necessary to construct a pollen trap of this type.

The trap consists of a double grid of a 5-mesh. hardware cloth,

through which the bees must pass, which scrapes off the pollen pellets from
their legs as they enter the hive. These pellets fall through a screen
into the pollen tray beneath. The grid and the pollen tray are supported
and protected by 2 storm shield which prevents rain from reaching the pollen
and closes the entrance except through the grid. The principle used in
this trap may be applied to any pollen trap which will compel the bees to
pass through a S-mesh grid, collect the pollen, and protect it from rain.

The grid of the trap is shown in figure 2 and the details of its
construction are illustrated in the cross section of the pollen trap to the
right of figure 2. The grid is constructed by folding a piece of 5-—mesh
hardware cloth to form a "U" approximately 2 inches deep with the two sides
spaced 1/2 inch apart. The cut edges are turned at right angles to permit
soldering to the storm shield, which is constructed from galvanized sheet
-iron, The bees' passing through the first side of the grid may only loosen
the pollen pellets, but these will be dislodged in passing through the sec—
ond. The pollen tray is constructed of wood and 1/8-inch masonite, with the
length slightly less than the width of the hive, and with a cross section
of approximately 3 by 3 inches. The tray is covered with 7—mesh or 8-mesh
hardware cloth to exclude bees from entering the tray and to close the
hive entrance except through the grid. The metal storm shield extends
approximately 8 inches in front of the hive, with turned-in edges providing
a support for the pollen tray. The roof of the shield is cut to allow
1/4 or 3/8 inch right-angle flange fitting inside the front of the hive
body. The back of the storm shield, as shown in figure 2, should extend
1/4 inch above the hive floor to exclude water from the tray. Small wooden
supporting blocks are used to fill the corners between the grid and the back
of the shield. These blocks help to reinforce the ends of the grid and to
permit the use of a pollen tray short enough to allow easy removal yet
prevent the bees from entering at this point. A shade board, as shown in
cross section to the right of figure 2, is used to prevent the storm shield
from getting too hot under sunlight. The bottom board of the hive is
pushed back even with the front of the hive, and a cleat or board is used
to close the opening at the rear (see figure 3). The exact dimensions of
the pollen trap will be determined by the size of the hive. Almost any
of the dimensions given may be varied and the storm shield may be made of
wood if desired. The principle to keep in mind is that the bees must be
completely excluded from the hive except through a double 5-mesh grid and
that a suitable receptacle be provided to collect the pollen and protect
it from rain. Any number of variations in the construction of a pollen trap
are possible.

Figure 5 shows a pollen trap in use on a hive. The hive must be

raised above the ground level to allow space for the trap to hang free. The
shallow rim with screened holes on two sides provides ventilation for the
colony during hot weather. Ventilation may be provided equally well in
the floor of the bottom board, provided the hive supports permit free cir=
culation of air underneath the hive.
 eh

The bees usually require several days to become accustomed to the

trap. The pollen trapped during the first week will be below normal, thus
making it desirable to leave the traps on the same hives rather than shifting
them to different hives in the apiary. Colonies equipped with pollen traps
will rear some brood but brood rearing will be curtailed. They may be given
combs of pollen from other colonies to keep up their production, but good
colonies at the beginning of the season will survive and may produce some
honey. They can be united at the end of the season.

Figure 6 shows a pollen tray, about two-thirds full of pollen, re-

moved from the trap. The pollen should be removed every 2 or 3 days under
ordinary conditions and more often when the humidity is high or when the
pollen is unusually moist. The pollen should be spread out to a depth
of 1/2 to 3/4 inch for air drying. To prevent molding, moist pollen can
be dried rapidly in an improvised oven heated with electric light bulbs.
The oven may be constructed from a large fiber carton equipped with a rack
to support five or six trays which consist of wooden rims covered with
cheesecloth. The pollen should be spread in a thin layer on the trays to
allow the warm air which is generated at the bottom to pass through each
tray and escape from an opening in the top of the oven.

When the pollen is dry enough to prevent caking, it should be stored

in glass or metal containers to exclude moths. If it becomes infested, it
should be fumigated with carbon disulfide. Thoroughly dried pollen stores
well in 5-gallon honey cans. From 20 to 40 pounds of pollen may be col-
lected from good colonies during the season. In the South even larger quan-—
tities may be collected.
Summary

Sufficient pollen may be trapped from one good colony which will
provide a source of protein food, when supplemented by 75 percent of soybean
flour, for 50 colonies that will sustain desirable brood rearing during the
late winter and early spring. Brood production during this period enables
the colony to replace the overwintering bees with young bees, so that when
pollen becomes available in the field the colony will develop to a maximum
population for the honey flow. Colonies lacking in reserve pollen or a
substitute material, frequently pass through a period of spring dwindling
which results in the colony reaching its maximum population after the honey
flow. Profitable honey yields are produced by those colonies which have
maximum populations throughout the honey—flow period.

Soybean flour supplemented by 25 percent of pollen is equally useful

in developing new colonies from package bees. The packages can be estab—
lished earlier because they need not be dependent upon favorable weather for
pollen collection from the field in order to carry on rapid brood production.

There are no known complete substitutes for pollen. It is therefore

necessary to trap the pollen at least a season in advance of when it is to
be fed. The collected pollen must be dried and stored in moth-proof con-—
tainers until needed. Where no collected pollen is available, cakes of
soybean flour may be fed advantageously about 2 weeks prior to the normal
spring pollen collection or early in the spring when its collection is inter-
mittent pecause of inclement weather. LIBR >.RY
STATE. PLANT BOARD
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Figure 1.--Winter cluster feeding on cakes made from
pollen and soybean flour. This colony is ready
for a new cake to be placed over the center of the
cluster to insure an adequate feeding surface.
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 TOP AND SIDES
STORM SHIELD
SHEET METAL

2 SIDE PIECES
MASONITE - POLLEN TRAY

le 16” >| kK 2%;

BOTTOM —- WOOD
T2%
s
5"
IS%

HAROWARE CLOTH
7 OR 8 MESH

.
4- SHAPE
FIG AND DIMENSIONS OF PIECES NEEDED
TO CONSTRUCT A POLLEN TRAP.
Figure 5.—-Hive equipped with a pollen trap, showing a shade
board on top of the storm shield, ea cleat closing the rear
end of the bottom board which projects because the hive is
placed forward to accommodate the trap, and a shallow ven-
tilating rim which has a screened opening on both sides.
The hive rests on a suitable support to allow the pollen
trays to hang free.

Figure 6.—-Pollen tray removed from trap. Approximately 24

ounces of pollen is shown in the trey.
 UNIVERSITY OF FLOR

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