Bees require pollen as part of their diet. Brood food is made up of nectar or honey, pollen and water. If any of these are not available or in short supply then brood production reduces or in extreme cases ceases.

The best way to guarantee that honey bees have enough pollen is to ensure there are adequate and suitable pollen-bearing plants close to the bees. Assessing the plants around apiary sites is important to ensure plenty of pollens are available through the season.

Furthermore:

• Don’t forget that adequate pollen stores are very important. Pollen tends not to be stored in abundance but rather collected as required. Do not assume that there is enough pollen in the colonies as shortages are common especially in early spring.

• If you find it is insufficient then feed a pollen substitute, pollen patty or pollen collected during the previous season.

• Pollen can transmit bee disease so only collect it from a strong and healthy colony using a suitable pollen trap. There are many types of traps and they trap up to 20% of the pollen collected by the bees. They can be left on the hive for long periods but are best used when there is a plentiful and varied pollen supply. The pollen must be collected regularly to avoid it becoming damp. Entrance traps should be emptied at least every 24 hours.

• Pollen collected from one hive will be adequate to feed at least 50 hives.

• Avoid using other beekeepers` pollen.

• Pollen can be stored in a number of ways but the easiest is to put it into paper or plastic bags and store it in a deep freeze at -18°C. When defrosted use immediately.

• Fresh or freshly thawed pollen can be fed to a colony by placing it in a shallow dish close to the feed hole.