To satisfy one of my 2022 goals, I need to keep my costs low. With 4 hives it's expensive to buy pollen patties for each hive. $14 for a pollen patty for a hive isn't tenable for the hobbyist.
Why Feed bananas?
According to some research Bananas have positive effects on honey bees as they rear up in spring. There are claims that bees rear up faster producing 10% more brood, but they will also produce 20% more honey.
Feeding of the bee colonies with banana paste slightly increased the population growth of the foraging worker bees and the honey yield.
While looking for others that did the same thing I came across a couple of quotes. I'm curious to see if I'll get the same feels after trying this out.
This was one of the oldest tricks my grandfather taught me about beekeeping, is to NEVER feed them sugar, but instead, blend together filtered water, bananas and mineral salts. It give the bees everything they need. Fats, proteins, minerals, potassium, and carbs.
Blend this all together and feed through a top feeder. 1 gallon of filtered water, 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, 1.5 teaspoon of mineral salts, 3 tablespoons of your own bees honey, 3 semi-ripe bananas, and two tablespoons of dry powdered pollen (preferably really pollen.) This will actually help build your bees immune system.
After 1 Week
I observed the banana definitely browning but covered in bees. I didn't see any remnants outside of the hive. At this point most of the banana was consumed while the peel was still being worked on by the bees. I've heard rumors that the smell of bananas could be crossed by with the bee's natural pheromone to raise an alarm for intruders but as of 7 days their temperament is normal.
After 2 Weeks
One of my stronger nucleus hive made the banana disappear, I opened the hive and it was 100% gone 🤯. This was my clue to replenish the banana stock in all 3 of my hives for another round. Temperament remains normal.
After 6 Weeks
Temperament remains normal on all 3 hives. As spring started to take off the bees stopped showing interest in the bananas, so I will keep this method in mind during dearths. I'm not sure of any conclusion that could be made after this experience but I'm motivated to try this again during the next dearth.