Old pollen patties

[Mikey N.C.]

Beek gave me , half box of brushy m.  pollen patties . They're dry to the touch and crumbles.  Do ya'll think that it's ok to use.?

[Mikey N.C.]

Meant to post on 101 my bad

[Bakersdozen]

I moved it for you Mikey.

[Chip Euliss]

Toss  them Mikey.  Patties need to be used fairly fresh to be of value.  Since yours are crumbly, they've had time to dry out and likely were exposed to warm weather.  The nutritional value in patties lies mostly in the amino acids that comprise the protein.  When warm and dry, those amino acids denature into products that are of little value to bees.  The best way is to feed fresh but if that isn't an option, put any unused patties (or even dry sub) into a freezer; it will extend the shelf life considerably

[riverbee]

mikey what chip said:

"The best way is to feed fresh but if that isn't an option, put any unused patties (or even dry sub) into a freezer; it will extend the shelf life considerably"

for me anything that is unused gets double bagged in zippys or vaccum sealed and thrown in the freezer and used the next season. also like chip pointed out the dry sub gets thrown in the freezer until the next season.  i don't keep them beyond that.