Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

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Colino
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Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

Unread post by Colino »

For the last week now my bees have been bringing in a white, pasty type material and I'm convinced it is milk re-placer from some neighbor hand feeding spring calves. Milk re-placer is full of protein, fats ,minerals and carbohydrates. It could be a good pollen sub but it also contains lactose. I was wondering if anyone would have any knowledge or experience with it.http://www.servalcanada.com/IMAGES/happycalf.pdf
Colino
Narcissism is easy because it's me or I, Empathy is hard because it's they or them.-Colino
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Charlie
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Re: Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

Unread post by Charlie »

While checking the bees today I also noticed some of the bees were carrying back a creamy white pollen substance and some the bees were carrying a yellowish pollen. In Calgary there is very little with any hint of green the trees have not budded nevermind leafed. However I did go for a walk to find out what they could possibly be bringing in. While I'm completely mystified at the yellowish pollen unless they are robbing a nearby garden center, I believe I found a possibility for the creamy white substance are bringing in. To my complete and utter surprise I found a clump of poplar trees that have buds on them that look like pussy willows, small fuzzy grayish white. I even followed the branch back to the main trunk to make sure it was a poplar tree. These poplar trees are your typical poplar that you find on the prairies anywhere 5 inches thick and 20 feet tall at best. I'm very familiar with the poplar trees that will rain down cotton in a couple months from buds that are 2 to 4 inches long after they are in leaf.

So my question is has anyone else observed this and if so can you tell me what kind of poplar tree does this. I did spend a few minutes with Google trying to track this down but apparently my search criteria was not up to the task.
The other possibility is my bees are flying down to Colino's bees for milk replacer :lol:
Allen Dick
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Re: Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

Unread post by Allen Dick »

I have some native poplars here. They have small, dark green leaves, grow only about twenty feet tall, have rough bark and leaf out earlier than any others and hold their leaves later in fall. They give a grey pollen.
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Colino
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Re: Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

Unread post by Colino »

Charlie wrote: The other possibility is my bees are flying down to Colino's bees for milk replacer :lol:
If they are they will have a whitish tinge on their abdomens. My ears don't hear that well anymore but if I listen close I think I hear them mooing. :D
Narcissism is easy because it's me or I, Empathy is hard because it's they or them.-Colino
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Colino
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Re: Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

Unread post by Colino »

Charlie wrote:While checking the bees today I also noticed some of the bees were carrying back a creamy white pollen substance and some the bees were carrying a yellowish pollen.
I think my girls found some of your yellowish pollen today, it's definitely pollen and no whitish tinge on their abdomens. This sure seems awful early.
Narcissism is easy because it's me or I, Empathy is hard because it's they or them.-Colino
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Vance G
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Re: Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

Unread post by Vance G »

I have yellow pollen coming in but not a ton. The elm pollen must have came and went as I don't see that anymore. It is a shiny grey pellet that I thought was roofing sealer the first time I saw it. Bees are really chowing down on the patties. It was in the seventies but I only pulled frames on one that sounded and looked suspicious and was indeed queenless. I combined them with the weakest in the yard and added a pound of bees off the soundboard inner cover of the hive on the end of the row! It is huge and booming. It had bees bearding out of the wrap in the 70's temps. I used the bottom box off the queenless hive to add space to the boomer. I put down a clean bottom board next to it and put the boomer on top in original order. I will have to check for swarm cells in a couple weeks I am thinking. Won't be drones for over a month! I will need to rob some brood frames from them I am thinking.
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Charlie
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Re: Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

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Post by Allen Dick » Fri Mar 27, 2015 2:32 am

I have some native poplars here. They have small, dark green leaves, grow only about twenty feet tall, have rough bark and leaf out earlier than any others and hold their leaves later in fall. They give a grey pollen.
Allen,.. :I believe you've hit the nail on the head, the middle picture of the poplar trees that you posted on your blog today , looks like an exact match for what I found in fish creek. I did see a few Bee's flying around the trees so I'm guessing this is the creamy white pollen they're bringing back.

I have lived in Alberta for over 50 years and I would have bet a good lunch that poplar trees do not have pussy willow type buds. To make matters worse fish creek is basically my backyard and I've never noticed this before. Maybe my wife is right "I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other"
PeterP

Re: Milk Replacer As Pollen Substitute

Unread post by PeterP »

WRT your original question, Milk Replacer as a Pollen Sub; non-instant milk powder has long been recommended as an ingredient in protein patties. The problem is that bees seem to be lactose intolerant. a study (http://jn.nutrition.org/content/107/10/1859.full.pdf) was done feeding bees a variety or "ose" type sugars in a sucrose solution. The study found many were toxic to bees at various levels. Lactose seemed to be one of the worse and bees were dying even at a 2% solution. I believe it is recommended to keep lactose below 4% of sugars. The bees are able to deal with low levels of lactose but it is probably hard on them.

Given that powdered milk costs about $10 a pound it may not be cost effective relative to the benefit.

Regards Peter
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