Observations on Pollen Subs
Half 2
Why Didn’t My Check Hives Develop?
First printed in ABJ September 2021
Randy Oliver
ScientificBeekeeping.com
After the primary of July we discover it tough to get nucs to develop, regardless of continuous feeding. Is the dearth of response to feeding as a result of warmth, the day size, the dearth of moisture, or is it one thing else?
BUILDUP TIME FOR NUCS AND PACKAGES
I hear that beekeepers within the North and East are capable of begin nucs in July or August and that they’ll develop in power [[1]]. However it’s a special story within the arid West. I’m hardly the one California beekeeper who complains about it being tough to get nucs to develop throughout these months.
Within the springtime, we will develop a 5-frame nuc with a laying queen right into a full-strength colony in as little as two months. However throughout our summer season dearth, even with continuous feeding of patties of pure pollen or high-quality pollen subs, we regularly battle to get nucs to construct up. Such was the case in my comparative discipline trials of pollen subs in 2013 [[2]] and 2020. However it’s not all the time the case — through the discipline trial that I ran in 2018, August nucs grew from 4.8 FOB (Frames of Bees) to eight.5 FOB by November (Determine 1).
Fig. 1 Outcomes from my 2018-2019 discipline trial [[3]], during which we have been capable of practically double the scale of the clusters between August and November. However in my 2020 trial in the identical yard (Yard E), with many colonies beginning even stronger and fed the most effective subs, general they decreased in dimension over the identical time interval. I used to be actually interested in why the distinction!
So I made an inventory of each potential stimulatory or inhibitory contributing issue concerned in colony buildup that I may consider, and went by them one after the other.
THE HIVES
Hive configuration
We’ve tried rising summer season nucs in 5-frame bins, “5 over 5s” (two nuc bins stacked one above the opposite), in single deeps and double deeps. Usually, it seems that colonies do finest in comparatively “cosy” cavities, with out a considerable amount of further house across the cluster. The “5 over 5” configuration (because of Mike Palmer) seems to assist small clusters to broaden their broodnests (going upward reasonably than sideways). On this case, throughout setup, we began with decent-size clusters within the backside bins, and added a field of drawn comb above.
Availability of appropriate drawn comb
It’s simpler for colonies to broaden on drawn comb than on basis. We had stocked the take a look at hives with 8 frames of good-quality drawn comb in every hive physique, flanked by a body of basis on either side. So the colonies weren’t restricted by lack of drawn comb.
THE BEES
High quality of the queens
All of the queens have been of my very own inventory, reared that spring, and had been laying since April. All exhibited strong brood patterns at first of the trial. So the dearth of progress was not going as a result of queens.
Colony dimension
We hadn’t began the trial with nucs — not solely did the colonies begin with a mean of practically 8 frames lined with bees, however the correlation between beginning power and November power was truly adverse(Determine 2).
Fig 2 Every knowledge level’s peak on the y-axis signifies its cluster dimension in November (when clusters have been tighter as a result of chilly climate), relative to its beginning dimension. Surprisingly, there was a slight development for the bigger the colony in August, to grade disproportionally smaller in November. Go determine!
Sensible utility: Properly, it doesn’t seem that the issue was as a result of beginning with weak colonies.
NUTRITION
Sugar: nectar, syrup, honey; incoming or saved
As identified by Somerville [[4]]:
The lack of the stimulating influence of nectar may also equate to a discount within the space of brood being cared for by the colony. The availability of nectar continues to maintain the brood space “open” and inhabitants alternative at a excessive or increasing degree. This stimulus could be artificially created by the supply of sugar syrup.
If there isn’t any recent nectar out there to foraging bees or sugar syrup just isn’t being supplied to the colony, then it’s a doubtful train to feed pollen dietary supplements. In any other case a pollen complement could also be an costly technique of feeding sugar.
An experimental limitation was that I didn’t need to feed these pretty sturdy double-deep colonies “an excessive amount of” syrup, since I anticipated them to develop quickly, and didn’t need to plug out the broodnests or add extra supers. The intent of this trial was to not fill supers with sugar “honey,” however reasonably to construct up colony power in double deeps.
So we fed 1:1 sugar syrup together with the pollen sub patties, and I rigorously monitored for the presence of open cells of nectar/sugar syrup across the broodnests to guarantee that lack of syrup wasn’t a limiting issue. All colonies placed on loads of weight through the trial — to the extent that towards autumn I needed to swap frames of honey out of some hives to take care of some open drawn comb above their broodnests for growth.
Sensible utility: It’s potential that had we fed sugar syrup day by day, that the colonies may need grown extra, however for the reason that colonies constantly saved syrup “honey,” I query whether or not syrup (synthetic nectar) was the limiting issue. Plus, our full-sized colonies usually reply to pollen sub alone, even with out feeding syrup.
Protein: pollen or substitute, incoming or saved
There was seldom a lot pollen seen within the combs, however patties of pollen sub have been all the time out there, centered over the cluster between the 2 brood chambers. If the cluster moved to the higher field, we reversed the brood chambers.
Sensible utility: The colonies didn’t lack for “out there” protein, since they’d patties of pollen sub (some containing loads of pure pollen) within the hive always. However I’ll return to the topic of the place it was positioned.
THE ENVIRONMENT AND WEATHER
Daylength, time of Season
I’ve not seen proof that shorter days or time of yr forestall colonies from increase. In areas with eucalyptus honey flows, colonies will vigorously brood up and develop in November by the winter solstice. And in my arid local weather, in September and October, our full-size colonies reply instantly to the feeding of pollen sub, and broaden their broodnests previous to winter. So I’ve no purpose to consider that the day size in August inhibits colony buildup.
Temperature
It was unusually scorching and dry through the trial; I’ll go into this additional on.
Sensible utility: We in California are aware of local weather change (Determine 3).
Fig. 3 I preserve asking, is it simply me rising outdated, or are our summer season temperatures certainly getting hotter? The blue line signifies the development over my lifetime. My sons are too younger to recollect “the way it was once.” Our warming local weather just isn’t solely inflicting excessive climate and worse fires, but in addition affecting agriculture, the native flora, and beekeeping. Chart from NOAA [[5]].
Sensible utility: Beekeepers want to arrange for “the brand new regular” so far as temperature change and climate extremes.
BEES, MONARCHS, AND OTHER INSECTS
Honey bees keep a broodnest temperature of round 94-95°F, and optimum flight temperature for foragers is round 72-77°F, though foraging exercise will proceed at temperatures as much as about 100°F earlier than declining [[6]]. Temperatures above that begin to strategy the thermal restrict of honey bees. Dalmon [[7]] discovered that the survivability of European honey bees begins to drop off quickly at temperatures above 104°F. What occurs at increased temperatures is that the enzymes that drive metabolic processes within the bees stop functioning. And this brings us to a vital concern as our local weather warms.
Dr. Orley (Chip) Taylor just lately printed three wonderful articles on the impact of upper temperatures on Monarch butterflies [[8]], and makes the purpose that:
It needs to be clear that the whole lot I’ve simply described for monarchs applies to honey bees, bumble bees, solitary bees, different pollinators and most different bugs. I can envision situations based mostly on the above that account for inhabitants declines of all of those organisms.
Sensible utility: As our local weather warms and we proceed to set new excessive temperature data (116°F in Portland, for cryin’ out loud), honey bees (in addition to beekeepers) might want to adapt. A few of our business shares could not be capable to deal with hotter climate, so we could also be pressured to discover bee bloodlines which are higher tailored to increased temperatures.
I discovered an attention-grabbing research from the Tucson Lab, during which they in contrast the temperature tolerance of “home” inventory to that of a locally-adapted feral colony (Determine 4).
Fig 4 Atmowidjojo [[9]] in contrast the crucial thermal maxima (CMT) for bees collected from the doorway of a single locally-adapted feral colony in Arizona to these from a USDA colony of “home” bees, over the course of 14 months. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a transparent correlation between month-to-month ambient temperature and the thermal tolerance of the bees. However the feral bees clearly have been extra tolerant of excessive temperatures.
Sensible utility: Though the above research concerned bees from solely two colonies, it’s clear that the “home” inventory would have hassle at temperatures above 104°F (40°C = 104°F; 50°C = 122°F)..
Temperature tolerance of races of bees
So how in regards to the numerous races of Apis mellifera? Kovak [[10]] decided the thermal limits of Carniolans (carnica) vs. Italians (ligustica):
We discovered variations in a number of traits, suggesting that A. m. ligustica populations can tolerate a excessive temperature publicity higher than A. m. carnica populations. This absolutely represents a characteristic of adaptation of A. m. ligusticapopulations to the hotter atmosphere of the South European local weather.
Curious, I checked to see what kind of excessive temperatures that Italian bees developed in. Historic common August excessive temperatures for many cities in Italy seldom exceeded 85°F [[11]], suggesting that they will not be tailored for increased temperatures.
So how about races of bees from hotter areas, such because the Arabian honey bee, Apis mellifera jemenitica? I used to be capable of finding some informative research from Saudi Arabia.
Alqarni [[12]] notes that:
Central Saudi Arabia has the very best summer season temperatures for the Arabian Peninsula, and it’s on this area the place solely A. m. jemenitica survives, whereas different subspecies fail to persist.
He discovered that jemenitica forages earlier and to a larger extent at excessive temps than does A. m. carnica.
The optimum humidity for the survival of eggs and profitable larval emergence for our “home” bees is 90-95% RH [[13]], with the speed of emergence dropping to as little as zero at 50% RH. Of curiosity, Al-Ghamdi [[14]] discovered that larger tolerance of decrease humidity by the eggs of A. m. jemenitica permits for extra profitable brood rearing within the desert than by European bee races.
So far as grownup bees, Alqarni [[15]] in contrast the efficiency of jemenitica to that of mellifera and carnica, and located that jemenitica loses much less physique water and forages extra extensively at excessive temperatures than both European race.
Sensible utility: In correspondence, Dr. Alqarni steered that “As situations proceed getting hotter and drier in your space, you may think about testing totally different bee traces.” That’s a sobering thought — much like how the remainder of the ag business is being pressured to adapt to a warming planet, we beekeepers could have to begin choosing for extra heat-tolerant bees. So may my Italian mongrels merely have hit their thermal restrict for buildup throughout a scorching summer season?
CAN WE BLAME HIGH TEMPERATURE ALONE?
The colonies in my trial by no means shut down broodrearing till November, however they maintained solely a few single comb’s value of brood, regardless of being regularly equipped with nutritious pollen subs. So may their lack of growth have been as a result of excessive temperatures?
The Sierra Foothills are usually heat and dry throughout summer season, however a latest NOAA report [[16]] confirmed that the September – November interval in 2020 was one of many hottest on report. And it wasn’t simply the warmth — over the course of the August-October interval we acquired solely 0.05 inch of whole rainfall.
The colonies in Yard E gave me an opportunity to check efficiency between the trial in 2018, during which the colonies grew, to that in 2020, once they tended to shrink. So as to see simply how totally different the climate was in 2020 in comparison with 2018, I looked for knowledge data for private climate stations within the space. Sadly, I may solely discover one with knowledge for each years at about 400 ft increased elevation, the place it’s barely cooler. That stated, I downloaded and graphed out the climate knowledge for the 2 years for comparability (Determine 5).
Fig. 5 Examine the day by day temperature highs and humidity lows over the course of the 2020 trial (strong traces), in comparison with that of 2018, when colonies grew properly in response to feeding (dotted traces). Not solely have been the temperatures typically increased in 2020, however the humidities have been typically decrease. Our “regular” common September excessive is 81°F, and for October solely 71°F, so 2020 was certainly hotter than “regular.” Information from an area private climate station [[17]].
Oh boy, I’d absolutely nailed it! It was apparent that in 2020 we merely reached the thermal tolerance restrict for small colonies of my Italian mongrels — it was simply too danged scorching for them to develop!
Sensible recommendation: Any time you’re feeling cocksure about one thing, do not forget that the simplest particular person to idiot is all the time your self. And that’s precisely what I’d achieved. Within the phrases of Thomas Huxley: “The good tragedy of science [is] — the slaying of a fantastic speculation by an unsightly truth.”
Certainly, when later rigorously reviewing my knowledge, I observed a few “ugly information” which certainly slayed my stunning explanatory speculation. The ugliest truth needed to do with the shock nectar/pollen move that occurred in mid-August.
A BEAUTIFUL EXPLANATORY HYPOTHESIS SLAIN
We now have an invasive weed in Northern California referred to as yellow star thistle. Star thistle produces a really tasty honey, however in my expertise, the plant doesn’t produce a lot nectar and pollen except daytime highs exceed 95°F. Resulting from drought, we’d written off the potential of a star thistle move once we began feeding pollen sub on 13 August, so have been utterly shocked when the bees within the two lower-elevation take a look at yards began bringing in a great deal of nectar and pollen just a few days later (Determine 6).
Fig. 6 The bees briefly crammed the combs with recent yellow star thistle nectar and pollen. This photograph of freshly-stored pollen was taken on 16 August, on which date the temperature reached 105 F (the day by day excessive for the previous week had solely as soon as fallen under 95 F). Not proven is that in response, the colonies briefly ramped up brood rearing to the max.
After taking the above photograph, the temperature dropped, and so did the nectar/pollen move. The bees shortly thereafter began to shrink their broodnests. So let’s examine that burst of broodrearing to daytime temperatures and humidities (Determine 7).
Fig. 7 I overlaid when the thistle move occurred (from 16-24 August). Be aware that it occurred throughout among the highest temperatures and lowest humidities through the course of the trial. By 4 September, regardless of cooler temperatures and having some thistle beebread remaining within the aspect combs of the broodnest, the nurse bees had already begun slicing again on the quantity of jelly being fed to larvae, and the broodnests have been shrinking. We resumed feeding pollen sub on 10 September.
A stupendous explanatory speculation slain: The colonies brooded up massive time through the hottest temperatures of your entire trial. So the general lack of colony progress can’t be blamed on temperature alone.
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
So let’s evaluation what I noticed:
- Continuous feeding of pollen sub patties together with ½ gallon of 1:1 sugar syrup was not sufficient “stimulation” to get the bees to broaden their broodnests through the scorching summer season of 2020 (in Yard H there was no thistle move, and no broodnest growth).
- However, regardless of day by day excessive temps properly over 100°F, weak colonies have been capable of quickly broaden their broodnests when a nectar and pollen move occurred.
- As soon as the nectar and pollen move stopped, the colonies quickly decreased brood rearing, regardless of there being loads of recently-stored beebread, and combs filled with ripening nectar.
So how can we clarify why I couldn’t get the colonies to develop properly throughout the remainder of the trial, regardless of offering them constantly with patties of pollen sub together with ½ gallon feedings of 1:1 sugar syrup? Subsequent month I’ll discover whether or not it needed to do with water, humidity, or maybe the place we positioned the pollen sub patties.
REFERENCES
[1] Connor, L (2006) Making & Wintering Summer season Improve. http://www.wicwas.com/websites/default/information/articles/Bee_Culture/BC2006-07.pdf
[2] http://scientificbeekeeping.com/a-comparative-test-of-the-pollen-sub/
[3] http://scientificbeekeeping.com/an-experiment-to-improve-pollen-sub-part-2/
[4] Somerville, Doug (2005) Fats Bees Skinny Bees, A guide on honey bee vitamin for beekeepers. https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/objects/05-054
[5] https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/statewide/time-series
[6] https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/background-honeybee-flight-activity-index/
Caron and Connor give a wider vary: Caron, D & L Connor (2013) Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping. Wicwas Press.
[7] Dalmon, A, et al (2019) Temperature-driven modifications in viral hundreds within the honey bee Apis mellifera. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology Quantity 160: 87-94.
[8] https://monarchwatch.org/weblog/2021/01/19/insect-population-dynamics/
https://monarchwatch.org/weblog/2020/02/10/why-monarchs-are-an-enzyme-part-1/
https://monarchwatch.org/weblog/2020/02/25/why-monarchs-are-an-enzyme-part-2/
[9] Atmowidjojo, A, et al (1997) Temperature tolerance and water steadiness in feral and home honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Camp. Biochem. Physiol. Vol. 118A(4): 1399-1403.
[10] Kovak, H, et al (2014) Metabolism and higher thermal limits of Apis mellifera carnica and A. m. ligustica.Apidologie 45:664–677.
[11] https://www.currentresults.com/Climate/Italy/temperature-august.php
[12] Alqarni, A, et al (2011) The indigenous honey bees of Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner): Their pure historical past and function in beekeeping. ZooKeys 134: 83–98.
[13] Doull Ok.M. 1976. The results of various humidities on the hatching of the eggs of honeybees. Apidologie 7: 61–66.
[14] Al-Ghamdi A, et al (2014) Hatching charges and a few traits of Yemeni and Carniolan honey bee eggs. J Entomol Zool Stud 2:06–10.
[15] Alqarni, A (2006) Tolerance of summer season temperature in imported and indigenous honeybee Apis mellifera L. races in central Saudi Arabia. Saudi Journal of Organic Sciences 13(2) 123-127.
[16] Shoemaker, C (2021) NWS Sacramento Fall 2020 Local weather Abstract.
[17] Due to KCAGRASS28.
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