How to Make Pollen Patties: The Complete Guide

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: June 20, 2022 References

If you keep bees, you know that your hive can sometimes use a little nutritional boost. This is where pollen patties come in! Using just a few ingredients, you can make pollen patties that will increase brood production, so you have more bees gathering pollen during the busy spring and summer seasons. Check out our recipe for pollen patties, and read on to learn about how and when to feed them to your bees.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (100 g) of granulated sugar
¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of boiling water
1 cup (160 g) of pollen powder
1 to 2 drops of essential oil for bees (optional)

Makes 1 pollen patty

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Mixing the Pollen Patties

1
Dissolve 1/2 cup of sugar (100 g) in ¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of boiling water. Make a 50% sugar syrup to simulate the nectar that bees get from flowers.^{[1]
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Research source} Just heat equal parts of granulated sugar and water in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves and you can't see any crystals.
- Use granulated sugar, not brown sugar, since this sometimes has molasses added to it.
- The sugar syrup also provides the bees with carbohydrates, which give them energy.
2
Stir in 1 cup (160 g) of pollen powder to make a thick paste. Turn off the heat and mix in your powdered pollen. Keep stirring until the syrup absorbs the powder and it becomes thick, like the texture of playdough.^{[2]
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- Shop for pollen powder at farm supplies stores, some bird supply stores, or online.
- The pollen contains protein, which the bees need to create drones and keep the hive healthy over the winter.
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3
Mix in 1 to 2 drops of essential oils if you want to attract the bees. Although the patty mixture is now ready, you can add certain essential oils that attract the bees to the pollen patty. Find an essential oil blend that is designed for bees like Honey B. Healthy.^{[3]
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- To make your own essential oil mixture for bees, combine 15 drops of spearmint essential oil and 15 drops of lemongrass essential oil with 5 cups (1.2 L) of sugar syrup and 1/8 teaspoon (0.4 g) of lecithin granules.
4
Spoon the mixture onto waxed paper and smooth it ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) flat. Tear off a sheet of waxed paper and lay it flat. Scoop all of the pollen patty mixture onto 1/2 of the paper and fold the other 1/2 of the paper onto the patty. Then, push down on the patty with your hand or a rolling pin until it's around ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) flat.^{[4]
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- You don't have to get out a ruler to measure the patty, but don't push so hard that the mixture spills out from the waxed paper.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Feeding the Patties to Your Bees

1
Use the patty immediately or store it in the refrigerator. It will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. Don't worry about removing the paper when you feed the patty to your bees—it prevents the patty from drying out and they'll chew right through it!^{[5]
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- For long-term storage, freeze the pollen patties in their wax paper for up to a few months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before you place them in the hive.
2
Place the patty under the top board, so it's on the frame. You want the bees to have easy access to the pollen patty, so place it directly in the center of the frame. 1 patty is enough to feed 8 to 10 frames of bees while 1/2 a patty is enough for 5 to 6 frames of bees.^{[6]
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- If you're concerned about disturbing the bees when you place the patty in the hive, remove the hive cover and smoke the bees down so they're below the top bars. Then, put the patty in the hive.
3
Provide a pollen patty for your bees from March through May. To stimulate foraging drones, put a pollen patty in the hive in early spring. The patty gives them a good nutritional boost when they're raising their spring brood. Continue to offer them pollen patties until flowers begin blooming in May. ^{[7]
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- It will probably take your hive a week or two to eat through a patty, so check at least once a week.
- Pollen patties are especially helpful if there's only a single flower source of pollen in the summer.
- It's important to stop feeding your bees when pollen and nectar are easily available. If you continue to feed them, they can become reliant on your supply of pollen, and their brood numbers might increase to an unmanageable size.
4
Skip feeding the bees during the fall or winter. You may have heard of beekeepers offering patties in August or September in order to build up their colonies. However, feeding them extends their rearing season, and workers that are rearing won't survive the winter.^{[8]
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- Most beekeepers agree that it's important to stop feeding pollen patties by October.^{[9]
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