Pollen Patty Calculator
Scale Kamon Reynolds's Ultra Bee pollen patty recipe to any batch size. Choose the sugar + water + oil base or the Pro Sweet base.
Kamon Reynolds's Ultra Bee pollen patty is one of the most popular homemade protein recipes in commercial and sideliner beekeeping. The hard part isn't the ingredients – it's scaling them. This calculator takes the published recipe and re-proportions every ingredient for whatever batch size you actually want to make, in pounds, ounces, kilograms, or grams.
Recipe
Sugar, hot water, and vegetable oil form the binding base. Reach for this version when Pro Sweet isn't available.
Watch Kamon's sugar recipe videoUnits
Batch Size
How much total patty you want to end up with after mixing.
Sugar Recipe: makes ~40 lb of patty
Mixing Steps
- Heat the water until hot but not boiling.
- Stir the sugar into the hot water until fully dissolved.
- Add the vegetable oil and mix well.
- Slowly fold in the Ultra Bee pollen substitute.
- Mix until you reach a smooth, pliable, play-dough-like consistency.
- Press into patties between sheets of wax paper or parchment.
- Refrigerate or freeze any patties you are not feeding right away.
Tips
- → Aim for a play-dough consistency. If it crumbles, add a splash more liquid; if it sticks to everything, fold in a bit more pollen sub.
- → Press patties between two sheets of wax paper or parchment so they're easy to peel and lay on top bars.
- → Freeze portions you won't use within a week or two.
- → Feed in late winter / early spring before natural pollen, or during summer dearths.
Assumptions & Notes
- Ratios come from Kamon Reynolds's published recipe (Ultra Bee with sugar/water/oil or with Pro Sweet syrup).
- The sugar recipe uses the 40 lb reference batch: 19.42 lb sugar / 7.63 lb water / 1.39 lb oil / 11.56 lb Ultra Bee.
- The Pro Sweet recipe uses 6 lb sugar / 26 lb Pro Sweet / 15 lb Ultra Bee → 47 lb of patty.
- Vegetable oil volume assumes ~0.92 g/mL (typical for canola or soybean oil); other oils may differ slightly.
- Any dry pollen substitute can be swapped 1:1 by weight for Ultra Bee.
Sugar Recipe vs. Pro Sweet Recipe
Both recipes produce a soft, pliable Ultra Bee patty. They differ in what they use to bind the pollen sub together.
Sugar Recipe
Sugar + hot water + vegetable oil
Uses pantry ingredients you already have. A little vegetable oil keeps the patty soft on the hive.
Reach for it when:
Pro Sweet Recipe
Pro Sweet syrup + a little sugar
Pro Sweet contains sucrose and fructose at ratios bees readily store. Patties stay soft and pliable longer on top bars.
Reach for it when:
When to Feed Pollen Patties
Pollen patties supplement natural pollen, they don't replace it. Timing matters more than the exact recipe.
Late winter
4–6 weeks before natural pollen kicks in, to start the brood build-up cycle for spring.
Early spring
Bridge the gap until reliable forage is in, especially in cooler climates where spring arrives slowly.
Summer dearth
When natural pollen drops off mid-summer, a small patty can keep brood rearing going.
Small hive beetle caution: in heavy SHB regions, feed smaller patties more often. Uneaten patty is prime beetle breeding habitat.
Common Mixing Mistakes
Boiling the water
Hot water dissolves sugar fast – but boiling water can scorch it. Hot tap or just-off-the-stove is plenty.
Too dry, too crumbly
If your dough is sandy, add a splash more hot water or Pro Sweet until it squeezes together like play-dough.
Too wet, too sticky
Fold in a little more Ultra Bee. Sticky patties tear when you try to lift them onto the top bars.
Forgetting the freezer
Mix a big batch once, press patties between wax paper, and stash them in the freezer until you need them.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I feed pollen patties?
Most beekeepers feed pollen patties in late winter and early spring – 4 to 6 weeks before the first natural pollen comes in – to kick off brood rearing. They can also help during summer dearths when foraged pollen drops off. Avoid feeding when small hive beetles are a serious problem locally, since uneaten patties can become beetle breeding sites.
What's the difference between the sugar recipe and the Pro Sweet recipe?
The sugar recipe uses regular white sugar, hot water, and a little vegetable oil as the sticky base. The Pro Sweet recipe replaces most of that with Pro Sweet syrup, which already contains sucrose and fructose in the right ratios. Pro Sweet makes patties that stay soft and pliable longer; the sugar recipe is what you reach for when you can't get Pro Sweet.
Can I substitute another pollen sub for Ultra Bee?
Yes. The ratios are by weight, so any dry pollen substitute powder (Bee-Pro, AP23, MegaBee, FeedBee, etc.) can be swapped in 1:1 for the Ultra Bee. You may need to adjust the liquid slightly – some subs are thirstier than others. Mix until the dough feels like play-dough.
How much patty should I give each hive?
A typical placement is a ½–1 lb (225–450 g) patty laid directly on the top bars over the brood nest. Strong colonies will burn through a 1 lb patty in 1–2 weeks during heavy brood-up. Check at each inspection and replace before it dries out or grows mold.
How long do mixed patties keep?
Wrap individual patties in wax paper or parchment and store in the freezer for up to a year, or the fridge for a few weeks. Patties left on the hive in warm weather can sour or attract small hive beetles within a couple of weeks – feed smaller patties more often rather than one giant one.