ya ya lots of other people show the same feeder but the way you share mr dunn is just so much mor eentertaining for me! you are the man!!!! the skunks were awesome why don't they squirt each other?!!!
Hi Mister Dunn! Thanks a lot for this cool video! I have a technical question for you, do you notice your bees eating less of the pollen substitute when natural pollen sources such as willows appear? Kind regards! -Yara
Yes, the willow pollen kicked in on Sunday and there are maybe 3 honey bees visiting the pollen substitute now. They definitely go for natural "real pollen" sources when they are available. :)
@@FrederickDunn Egypt together with the whole world is fighting the new corona virus so far we are doing well we only have 402 cases 96 of which have already been treated and they left hospitals and unfortunately we have lost 10 people most of them where with previous medical cases including the old German and American tourists who started the infection in Egypt so wish us and the whole world success so that we all can defeat the virus
I had no idea that bigger animals like skunks would just straight up eat something like pollen. Until I watched your video, I had no idea what skunks sound like!
Ha Fred I have 1 of the blue things I never filled mine up like that for fear of it going bad but I will not since u do it At my place the rats came and got there belly full.. The rat traps u told me about did such a wonderful job for me I got 7 I did not get the monster rats but I cleaned house on the others they were pretty being dead. so hopefully I will get to keep my tomatoes this year and I will fill up my pollen thing and the bees will get it instead of the rat family. this was another great video I am looking forward in u getting into your hives and recording that have a great day and stay safe and well
I cannot tell you how much I take rats seriously. If just one showed up on camera, I'd stake it out all night... they are that serious == yes, I'm hoping for reasonable weather sometime very soon. :)
Just came in from checking my bees and they were carrying pollen in it seemed by the buckets. 2 weeks ago 1st inspection showed 4 different colored pollens coming it. Not many were at my pollen substitute so no more was added. Today there were most I've seen at the feeding station cleaning up the remnants of the ultra bee sub. But I've had 50-60-70 degree days for weeks.early wildflowers have been going that long. Hopefully others will start seeing the same.
Yes other animals will come eat the pollen sub. I put out trays in other places, and whatever the bees do not take that day in the pan, sometimes a possum comes and eats it. Possums love the protein and will eat the whole tray.
Hello, First of all , love your channel and what you do. I'm going to be setting up one hive at a friend's place. A 300 acre place in the Arizona desert. It's a journey to get there so I won't be there every weekend. The hive will be from a 5 frame nuc that I will be putting in a 10 frame Langstroth. This will be my first hive in the desert. It's been about 6 years since I've had hives. The last hives I've had were in Western Canada. Big change. I should be leaving this month to set up. Any tips ? I guess it's going to be trial and error. One question regarding Ulta bee. I was thinking of leaving a feeder out year round. Is it safe if I put on honey supers ? I was thinking of running one brood chamber. Put on a queen excluder and maybe one or two supers for room if I can't get back up there in a week or two. Any info will help from you or your followers. Sorry for the long post. Cheers.
I've used just flat trays on the ground with pollen sub on them. Just have to go collect if it is going to rain - less expensive than the blue feeder if you only have a few hives.
Hi Nancy, that sounds great, the sun does deteriorate the quality, but if they nab it up fast that's probably not much of a problem, or are you shading the pans?
You need to support that white disk underneath better. The weight can make it collapse and all your pollen will end up on the ground. Ask me how I know. lol
When you use your own homemade feeders did you also use the same food source? It looks like they would be drawn to this food source no matter what you use. Thanks Fred really appreciate you.
Yes, it was actually from this same bag of pollen sub. Good question though, they absolutely do go after the smell of Ultra-Bee. I was just carrying an empty bag of the pollen sub and picked up hundreds of honey bee hitch-hikers that wanted the remnants. I think the key is to have plenty of it around, even if that means several smaller feeders.
Fred, I have one of these blue feeders and it seems to work well however, it seems that the mice love it just as good as the bees. Before I knew it, the feeder had mice feces and urine throughout the feeder. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep the mice out? Thank you
Hi Phillip! We have squirrels here, but none have shown up at the pollen sub feeder "yet". Are you saying they come to the feeder even when the bees are present? I would video that activity == I have an ongoing feud with our red-squirrels that can chew holes in buildings faster than anything I've encountered.
@@FrederickDunn Oh, I can relate to your feud with red-squirrels...and gray squirrels...they love the pollen; I made a PVC tube feeder and put an X across the opening with wire so the bees can come and go, but the squirrels can only reach in about an inch or so...however, the BIG BLUE feeder (I have one) seems like the openings are such that you would have to put a number of "posts" across the opening to keep the squirrels (of all types) out...thoughts or any other observations or suggestions? And double thumbs up on the UltraBee - great stuff!
Feeding Station "Big" [?] It's HUGE! = ) BEES taking this when Trees Blooming or it was before? lol It Could be the BLUE? i was asking to self ~ Why Blue? not my color, not my pollen. haha Didn't use small one, Bees Hood Size = fights. - > Yes! *Target = Large Field w\Same planting.* SAW your pollen video, now i understand your comment about the Board. This was NICE!
Hey, thank you for the video. Newbie question though but won't the bees fight over it? I read that robbing is always bad, or does that only apply to honey?
They don't fight at feeding stations, they fight at hives where robbing occurs. A robbing station is just another name for a feeding station where hive components are put out for the bees to clean them up. It actually serves to curb robbing at the actual hives.
And sadly a robbing station is not allowed in Australia. Seems like such a good idea but they have good reasons to disallow it too, so we do as we are told.
Maybe the color blue? I know when I put a dot of yellow or red food coloring (yellow seems to be favored over red) on a field of white sugar the bees concentrate on those spots. Of course the food coloring could have something else entirely that's triggering this.
I used those feeders with the blue trays, and the bees INSTANTLY go to it when I set it down. It is like they see that blue color and relate it to food or water source. They learn.
Theory: the very first flowers to bloom and bear pollen here in central Illinois are blue. Creeping Charlie. That weed we all hate. Bees must be programmed to look for blue.
All I know is what they say: "Ultra Bee Dry Pollen Substitute is a bee feed formulated to provide essential nutrients that bees need, especially when natural pollen sources are scarce. While the exact ingredients can vary slightly between manufacturers, it typically contains: High-quality protein sources: These are essential for bee development and colony health. Essential amino acids: These building blocks of protein are crucial for bee growth and reproduction. Vitamins and minerals: These provide vital nutrients for overall bee well-being. Lipids: These fats are necessary for energy and cell membrane structure. Key Points: No animal by-products: Ultra Bee is designed to be safe for bees and is free from animal-derived ingredients. High protein content: It offers a concentrated source of protein, which is essential for bee brood development and colony strength. Scientifically formulated: The ingredients are carefully selected and blended to meet the specific nutritional needs of bees. " Note: While Ultra Bee is a valuable supplement, it's generally recommended to provide bees with natural pollen whenever possible.
It's definitely the scent, not the appearance... guess how I know? I was walking with the empty Ultra Bee bag and was mobbed by honeybees in the driveway. I put the bag down and they cleaned it out like a vacuum cleaner. Getting that scent into the air is the key and then offering a large enough quantity to get them so perform extra waggles back in the hive :)
That's alot of money for something I personally dont feel is needed. I dont have anything to compare it to because I've never used it, but my bees seem fine finding pollen early on their own. I'm in northern CT saw they had pollen coming last week in Feb this year, then started bringing it in hard early March. I know areas are differ but that seems like a huge expense that just is not needed for me. I hate spending money on stuff I dont have to for bees, expensive enough hobby as it is.
Hi Pete, I absolutely agree with you. It's not necessary at all. The bees will ultimately get going when the pollen sources arrive with the new growing season. It is expensive to say the least. For those who are engaging in natural beekeeping, you aren't going to see these feeders nor Ultra-Bee in backyard apiaries. Leaving them enough resources in winter is the key. Half of my hives/colonies aren't showing evidence of bringing in this pollen sub. If they all went for it, we'd see thousands of bees on it, rather than the several hundred shown. You are a wise man! I needed to test and observe, or I wouldn't have gone this far.
@@FrederickDunn Left mine outside all winter after I emptied it. If the pollen gets wet inside which sometimes hard rain will make it leak from the roof. It ferments and goes black. I washed it out in my bathtub. BIG mistake. It is much better to wash it outside. ITS A PAIN IN THE BUTT to clean it.
Got 500lb of ultrabee delivered yesterday, I’m making some patties to go into winter with. We pay near $200 AU for a 50lb bag so if you think it’s expensive for you in the states spare a thought for us paying double! In Australia 🇦🇺
Frederick Dunn unfortunately Fred it’s the price we have to pay to keep the hives healthy, I’m looking at making a recipe and having it made for me in bulk. I will say Im not sponsored in anyway by anyone but I recommend ultrabee to any beek, newbee’s to masters should have a supplementary feeder full of ultrabee throughout the season
@@FrederickDunn I was wondering because I had my colony killed out because of them last summer. The beetles trashed the honey combs and made a mess of the hive. They absconded immediately. I only had about 1 or 2 cups of bees left and no queen. I tried to feed them up but eventually they left too. I don't ever want that to happen again.
Ultra bee is the best of the best.
word
We have 2000 hives and our bees, love Ultra Bee.
Amazing slo mo video!
ya ya lots of other people show the same feeder but the way you share mr dunn is just so much mor eentertaining for me! you are the man!!!! the skunks were awesome why don't they squirt each other?!!!
Thank you, it's always nice to see your comments!
Hi Mister Dunn! Thanks a lot for this cool video! I have a technical question for you, do you notice your bees eating less of the pollen substitute when natural pollen sources such as willows appear? Kind regards! -Yara
Yes, the willow pollen kicked in on Sunday and there are maybe 3 honey bees visiting the pollen substitute now. They definitely go for natural "real pollen" sources when they are available. :)
Hi Fred!
Nice and informative, thanks so much.
I did not know how much I needed to laugh! Thank you!
me to
That was very entertaining and informative. Love how you can even turn an oops or into a learning event 😂
:)
Hi Mr Fred how are you??? the bees slow motion was super amazing thank you very much for this video
Very well thank you, and I'm so glad you enjoyed that sequence. It's fun to make videos like that. I hope all is well with you there across the world!
@@FrederickDunn Egypt together with the whole world is fighting the new corona virus so far we are doing well we only have 402 cases 96 of which have already been treated and they left hospitals and unfortunately we have lost 10 people most of them where with previous medical cases including the old German and American tourists who started the infection in Egypt so wish us and the whole world success so that we all can defeat the virus
Thank you.
I Always enjoy your photography skills ! !
me to!!!
I had no idea that bigger animals like skunks would just straight up eat something like pollen. Until I watched your video, I had no idea what skunks sound like!
Always thorough, appreciate you efforts.
You're welcome James!
Nice weather Mr.Dunn,,🇱🇨👊👍🖤
Thanks Robert!
Ha Fred I have 1 of the blue things I never filled mine up like that for fear of it going bad but I will not since u do it At my place the rats came and got there belly full.. The rat traps u told me about did such a wonderful job for me I got 7 I did not get the monster rats but I cleaned house on the others they were pretty being dead. so hopefully I will get to keep my tomatoes this year and I will fill up my pollen thing and the bees will get it instead of the rat family. this was another great video I am looking forward in u getting into your hives and recording that have a great day and stay safe and well
I cannot tell you how much I take rats seriously. If just one showed up on camera, I'd stake it out all night... they are that serious == yes, I'm hoping for reasonable weather sometime very soon. :)
@@FrederickDunn Thanks u are great the videos u do are great keep them coming have a great day
Mice and rats a bit of a problem here especially in colder weather. Thought I had mouse proofed the chicken coop but they burrow in from miles out.
Very interesting and informative. Thanks again for your efforts and time
Just came in from checking my bees and they were carrying pollen in it seemed by the buckets. 2 weeks ago 1st inspection showed 4 different colored pollens coming it. Not many were at my pollen substitute so no more was added. Today there were most I've seen at the feeding station cleaning up the remnants of the ultra bee sub. But I've had 50-60-70 degree days for weeks.early wildflowers have been going that long. Hopefully others will start seeing the same.
Yes other animals will come eat the pollen sub. I put out trays in other places, and whatever the bees do not take that day in the pan, sometimes a possum comes and eats it. Possums love the protein and will eat the whole tray.
Hello,
First of all , love your channel and what you do. I'm going to be setting up one hive at a friend's place. A 300 acre place in the Arizona desert. It's a journey to get there so I won't be there every weekend. The hive will be from a 5 frame nuc that I will be putting in a 10 frame Langstroth. This will be my first hive in the desert. It's been about 6 years since I've had hives. The last hives I've had were in Western Canada. Big change. I should be leaving this month to set up. Any tips ? I guess it's going to be trial and error. One question regarding Ulta bee. I was thinking of leaving a feeder out year round. Is it safe if I put on honey supers ? I was thinking of running one brood chamber. Put on a queen excluder and maybe one or two supers for room if I can't get back up there in a week or two. Any info will help from you or your followers. Sorry for the long post.
Cheers.
I will address this situation in my next FAQ video, or earlier if I end up doing a live feed this week :)
I mix ultra bee with honey and feed it in patties. They gobble it up.
I've used just flat trays on the ground with pollen sub on them. Just have to go collect if it is going to rain - less expensive than the blue feeder if you only have a few hives.
Hi Nancy, that sounds great, the sun does deteriorate the quality, but if they nab it up fast that's probably not much of a problem, or are you shading the pans?
@@FrederickDunn The bees consume it within an hour or two.
You need to support that white disk underneath better. The weight can make it collapse and all your pollen will end up on the ground. Ask me how I know. lol
Watch the whole video Carlos!!! You'll learn that I also know ;)
When you use your own homemade feeders did you also use the same food source? It looks like they would be drawn to this food source no matter what you use. Thanks Fred really appreciate you.
Yes, it was actually from this same bag of pollen sub. Good question though, they absolutely do go after the smell of Ultra-Bee. I was just carrying an empty bag of the pollen sub and picked up hundreds of honey bee hitch-hikers that wanted the remnants. I think the key is to have plenty of it around, even if that means several smaller feeders.
Big amount in one area...hmmm, I like that thought. Glad I didn't make any type of feeder yet. Bigger might just be better. Thanks again.
It is, I've convinced myself (because I'm home alone) that this is the reason... bigger is better when enticing bees. They are into mass production.
@@FrederickDunn Makes total sense. I'm dumping mine in the yard too...LOL just kidding. Thanks Fred!
LMAO the video did not even end before the center piece fell out. I TOLD YOU!
It fell out 72 hours after filling... yes you told me Carlos!
Frederick Dunn - LoL!!!
I did not see the link to get the blue feeder. Do you have that handy Sir?
@@LarryLeesBees www.mannlakeltd.com/dry-bee-pro-feeder
Its a good feeder. I have been using it for 2 years now.
Carlos Murphy - ThankYou Sir! 😃
Fred, I have one of these blue feeders and it seems to work well however, it seems that the mice love it just as good as the bees. Before I knew it, the feeder had mice feces and urine throughout the feeder. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep the mice out? Thank you
That's a first on the mice. You could put hardware cloth at the entrances to prevent mouse entry while allowing the bees to come and go.
John, I feel that this, and all other commercially made/sold feeders, should come with built in mouse guards.
Fred,
I find squirrels LOVE pollen substitute and will take all they can get...any suggestions on how to prevent that from happening...?
Hi Phillip! We have squirrels here, but none have shown up at the pollen sub feeder "yet". Are you saying they come to the feeder even when the bees are present? I would video that activity == I have an ongoing feud with our red-squirrels that can chew holes in buildings faster than anything I've encountered.
@@FrederickDunn Oh, I can relate to your feud with red-squirrels...and gray squirrels...they love the pollen; I made a PVC tube feeder and put an X across the opening with wire so the bees can come and go, but the squirrels can only reach in about an inch or so...however, the BIG BLUE feeder (I have one) seems like the openings are such that you would have to put a number of "posts" across the opening to keep the squirrels (of all types) out...thoughts or any other observations or suggestions? And double thumbs up on the UltraBee - great stuff!
I only have 1 colony. Do I really need to have the big pollen feeder???
No, absolutely not necessary...
Feeding Station "Big" [?] It's HUGE! = ) BEES taking this when Trees Blooming or it was before?
lol It Could be the BLUE? i was asking to self ~ Why Blue? not my color, not my pollen. haha
Didn't use small one, Bees Hood Size = fights. - > Yes! *Target = Large Field w\Same planting.*
SAW your pollen video, now i understand your comment about the Board. This was NICE!
Hey, thank you for the video. Newbie question though but won't the bees fight over it? I read that robbing is always bad, or does that only apply to honey?
They don't fight at feeding stations, they fight at hives where robbing occurs. A robbing station is just another name for a feeding station where hive components are put out for the bees to clean them up. It actually serves to curb robbing at the actual hives.
And sadly a robbing station is not allowed in Australia. Seems like such a good idea but they have good reasons to disallow it too, so we do as we are told.
Maybe the color blue? I know when I put a dot of yellow or red food coloring (yellow seems to be favored over red) on a field of white sugar the bees concentrate on those spots. Of course the food coloring could have something else entirely that's triggering this.
I used those feeders with the blue trays, and the bees INSTANTLY go to it when I set it down. It is like they see that blue color and relate it to food or water source. They learn.
Theory: the very first flowers to bloom and bear pollen here in central Illinois are blue. Creeping Charlie. That weed we all hate.
Bees must be programmed to look for blue.
@@mikeries8549 Blue is a color they see sure. But they learned that the blue trays = some sort of food source.
What’s the ingredients corn gluten meal one of them?
All I know is what they say:
"Ultra Bee Dry Pollen Substitute is a bee feed formulated to provide essential nutrients that bees need, especially when natural pollen sources are scarce. While the exact ingredients can vary slightly between manufacturers, it typically contains:
High-quality protein sources: These are essential for bee development and colony health.
Essential amino acids: These building blocks of protein are crucial for bee growth and reproduction.
Vitamins and minerals: These provide vital nutrients for overall bee well-being.
Lipids: These fats are necessary for energy and cell membrane structure.
Key Points:
No animal by-products: Ultra Bee is designed to be safe for bees and is free from animal-derived ingredients.
High protein content: It offers a concentrated source of protein, which is essential for bee brood development and colony strength.
Scientifically formulated: The ingredients are carefully selected and blended to meet the specific nutritional needs of bees. "
Note: While Ultra Bee is a valuable supplement, it's generally recommended to provide bees with natural pollen whenever possible.
I wonder what the big blue feeder looks like in ultraviolet.
It's definitely the scent, not the appearance... guess how I know? I was walking with the empty Ultra Bee bag and was mobbed by honeybees in the driveway. I put the bag down and they cleaned it out like a vacuum cleaner. Getting that scent into the air is the key and then offering a large enough quantity to get them so perform extra waggles back in the hive :)
That's alot of money for something I personally dont feel is needed. I dont have anything to compare it to because I've never used it, but my bees seem fine finding pollen early on their own. I'm in northern CT saw they had pollen coming last week in Feb this year, then started bringing it in hard early March. I know areas are differ but that seems like a huge expense that just is not needed for me. I hate spending money on stuff I dont have to for bees, expensive enough hobby as it is.
Hi Pete, I absolutely agree with you. It's not necessary at all. The bees will ultimately get going when the pollen sources arrive with the new growing season. It is expensive to say the least. For those who are engaging in natural beekeeping, you aren't going to see these feeders nor Ultra-Bee in backyard apiaries. Leaving them enough resources in winter is the key. Half of my hives/colonies aren't showing evidence of bringing in this pollen sub. If they all went for it, we'd see thousands of bees on it, rather than the several hundred shown. You are a wise man! I needed to test and observe, or I wouldn't have gone this far.
Dang Fred was that a new feeder? How did you get it so clean at first.
Yep, new feeder :) I plan to clean it with a power washer before going back into storage :)
@@FrederickDunn Left mine outside all winter after I emptied it. If the pollen gets wet inside which sometimes hard rain will make it leak from the roof. It ferments and goes black. I washed it out in my bathtub. BIG mistake. It is much better to wash it outside. ITS A PAIN IN THE BUTT to clean it.
Skunks love soybean meal.
Got 500lb of ultrabee delivered yesterday, I’m making some patties to go into winter with. We pay near $200 AU for a 50lb bag so if you think it’s expensive for you in the states spare a thought for us paying double! In Australia 🇦🇺
I don't think I'd buy it at that price, wow :(
Frederick Dunn unfortunately Fred it’s the price we have to pay to keep the hives healthy, I’m looking at making a recipe and having it made for me in bulk.
I will say Im not sponsored in anyway by anyone but I recommend ultrabee to any beek, newbee’s to masters should have a supplementary feeder full of ultrabee throughout the season
I would really surprise me if hive beetles weren't drawn to it.
Zero hive beetles... however, if you put patties inside the hive, you cand find them there munching away....
@@FrederickDunn I was wondering because I had my colony killed out because of them last summer. The beetles trashed the honey combs and made a mess of the hive. They absconded immediately. I only had about 1 or 2 cups of bees left and no queen. I tried to feed them up but eventually they left too. I don't ever want that to happen again.