Fresh, new ATTTA publication! Read below to find out more about the effect of feeding late summer pollen substitutes in our region in a recently published paper by the ATTTA team. This research, performed 2018-2020, reveals significant results! This work provides an important evaluation of economic and biological advantages, specific to our region, of the use of pollen substitute.
Perennia has an upcoming webinar all about supporting wild bees! Keep reading below for details and registration.
Evaluating Late Summer Pollen Substitutes on the Growth and Overwintering Success of Honey Bee Colonies and Analyzing Natural Fall Pollen Nutrition in Nova Scotia, Canada *
It is well known that when these resources are abundantly
available, nectar and pollen provide honey bees with their nutritional
requirements. Nectar provides bees with carbohydrates and pollen provides proteins
and amino acids. These are particularly
important for strong and successful brood rearing and therefore overall colony
growth. If these resources are in short supply, it is common for beekeepers to
substitutes these essential nutrients with the aim to increase colony growth
and, ultimately, overwintering success. This research by ATTTA investigates how
pollen substitutes in late summer translates to colony growth and overwintering
success in our region.
In 2018, research colonies were randomly assigned to one of
three groups: Nutra Bee TM, Ultra Bee TM, or control (no
pollen substitute fed). However, due to unforeseen limitations, in 2019,
colonies were randomly assigned to one of two groups: Ultra Bee TM,
or control. Colonies were fed and monitored according to a set schedule and
standardized protocols to determine how these late summer pollen substitutes
contributed to colony growth and overwintering success. Pollen traps were also
installed in some colonies to allow for analysis of natural pollen that the
bees were collecting in the late summer months. Interestingly, results from
2018 revealed no significant difference in colony growth or overwintering
success between colonies fed late summer pollen substitutes and control
colonies exempt from feeding. Still more intriguing, results from 2019 showed
colonies fed Ultra Bee TM grew significantly less than control
colonies fed no pollen substitute. Analysis of naturally collected pollen from
the installed pollen traps indicate that all 10 amino acids essential to honey
bees were available on the landscape, however, not all in sufficient quantities
to adequately support honey bee growth. The conclusion drawn by ATTTA from
these results is, “…there does not seem to be an economic or biological
advantage to feeding honey bee colonies pollen substitute in the late summer
under typical Maritime (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island)
beekeeping conditions when there is an abundance of natural pollen available at
this time.” * However, it is important to note the key word in this conclusion
is, “typical” and under certain conditions there may be an advantage to feeding
pollen substitutes. This is where the
art of beekeeping comes into play with experienced beekeepers deciding what is
best for their bees, in their areas under local, seasonal conditions.
*McCallum, R., Olmstead, S., Shaw, J., & Harrison, J.
(2020). Evaluating late summer pollen substitutes on the growth and
overwintering success of honey bee colonies and analyzing natural fall pollen
nutrition in Nova Scotia, Canada, Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society,
full text available online.
"Supporting Wild Bees" Webinar
Mark your calendars: February 18th at 1:30pm!
We have an exciting webinar coming up on "Supporting Wild Bees" with guest speaker Dr. Nancy McLean, Assistant Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Dalhousie University's Faulty of Agriculture.
This webinar is presented by the Nova Scotia Agri-Environmental Program (AEP) in partnership with the Clean Annapolis River Project.
Connecting with ATTTA Specialists
If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:
visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/
Email abyers@perennia.ca