Stabilized synthetic brood pheromone delivered in a slow-release device enhances foraging and population size of honey bee, <i>Apis mellifera</i>, colonies

Pankiw, Tanya; Birmingham, Anna L; Lafontaine, Jean Pierre; Avelino, Norman; Borden, John H.

doi:10.3896/ibra.1.50.4.02

Cited by 10 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Nonetheless, they are well within the target rates of 0.1Ð1.0 mg/day set by Pankiw et al (2011). Moreover, the higher release rates can be attributed to greater activity caused by more contact than a daily swabbing of the membrane, as well as warmer temperatures later in the season than for the measurements taken by Moeri et al (2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…1 and Table 2, as well as a later study by Foster et al (2011a), constitute the Þrst demonstrations that treatment with brood pheromone can enhance the production of honey. In separate studies at three different times in the year, colonies treated with SuperBoost had more adult bees or produced more splits than control colonies (Foster et al 2011a, Moeri et al 2011, Pankiw et al 2011. It is thus possible that the divergence of the cumulative honey harvest curves in early July (Figs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The above-mentioned release rates are somewhat higher than the daily rates of 0.37 Ϯ 0.25 and 0.54 Ϯ 0.23 mg determined for two 5-wk periods during spring build-up feeding of established colonies in spring 2009 (Moeri et al 2011), and the daily release rates of 0.29 Ϯ 0.04 Ð 0.35 Ϯ 0.04 mg obtained by removing exuded pheromone by swabbing the low-density polyethylene pheromone release membrane in the laboratory (Pankiw et al 2011). Nonetheless, they are well within the target rates of 0.1Ð1.0 mg/day set by Pankiw et al (2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…For the Þrst three 5-wk treatments in spring and early summer 2009, loaded pouches were mounted in Gepe 35-mm slide frames, and were suspended between the frames of a hive at the level of the brood comb by using 22-gauge galvanized steel wire (Pankiw et al 2011). For fall-feeding in 2009 and spring build-up feeding in 2010, loaded pouches were mounted in a new twopiece plastic holder (Foster et al 2011b).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In late summer 2007 in southeastern Texas treatment with SuperBoost caused higher ratios of pollen to nonpollen foragers in treated than control colonies for over 5 wk, and stimulated foragers to bring back heavier pollen loads to the hive (Pankiw et al 2011). Moreover, colonies treated in AugustÐSeptember experienced 47 and 36% increases in brood comb area and adult population size, respectively, at the same time that untreated control colonies were respectively declining by 24 and 10.7%.…”

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confidence: 85%

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Treatment With Synthetic Brood Pheromone (SuperBoost) Enhances Honey Production and Improves Overwintering Survival of Package Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies

et al. 2012

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We evaluated a year-long treatment regime testing synthetic, 10-component, honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), brood pheromone (SuperBoost; Contech Enterprises Inc., Delta, BC, Canada) on the productivity and vigor of package bee colonies in the lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Fifty-eight newlyestablished 1.3-kg (3-lb) colonies treated three times with SuperBoost at 5-wk intervals starting 30 April 2009 were compared with 52 untreated control colonies. Treated colonies produced 84.3% more honey than untreated control colonies. By 8 September 2009, SuperBoost-treated colonies had 35.4% more adults than untreated colonies. By 28 September, net survival of treated and control colonies was 72.4 and 67.3%, respectively. On 5 October, treated and control colonies were divided into two additional groups, making up four cohorts: SuperBoost-treated colonies treated again during fall and spring build-up feeding with pollen substitute diet (BeePro, Mann Lake Ltd., Hackensack, MN; TIT); controls that remained untreated throughout the year (CCC); colonies treated with SuperBoost in spring-summer 2009 but not treated thereafter (TCC); and original control colonies treated with SuperBoost during the fall and spring build-up feeding periods (CTT). There was no difference among cohorts in consumption of BeePro during fall feeding, but TTT colonies (including daughter colonies split off from parent colonies) consumed 50.8% more diet than CCC colonies during spring build-up feeding. By 21 April, the normalized percentages of the original number of colonies remaining (dead colonies partially offset by splits) were as follows: CCC, 31.4%; CTT, 43.8%; TCC, 53.59%; and TTT, 80.0%. The net benefit of placing 100 newly established package bee colonies on a year-long six-treatment regime with SuperBoost would be US$6,202 (US$62.02 per colony). We conclude that treatment with SuperBoost enhanced the productivity and survival of package bee colonies and hypothesize that similar results could be achieved with established colonies.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 85%

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Treatment With Synthetic Brood Pheromone (SuperBoost) Enhances Honey Production and Improves Overwintering Survival of Package Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies

et al. 2012

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Beekeeping and Science

Conte

2017

Beekeeping – From Science to Practice

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The effects of brood ester pheromone on foraging behaviour and colony growth in apicultural settings

Peso¹,

Barron²

2014

Apidologie

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International audienceBrood ester pheromone (BEP) is a pheromone emitted by developing larvae in a honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony. It has been shown to have multiple potential commercially beneficial effects on worker physiology and behaviour, but like other bee pheromones, its effects are likely context dependent. To better understand the utility of BEP treatment, we examined the effects of BEP treatment in an apicultural setting (using a SuperBoost BEP treatment) in two contexts: in newly established colonies from bee packages in the summer and on large, established colonies in the autumn. We found that in small, newly established colonies, BEP treatment had no effect on colony growth (measured as brood cover). Further, BEP treatment decreased overall foraging activity and the proportion of pollen foragers. In established colonies, BEP had no effect on brood cover or foraging behaviour later in the season. Our data show that BEP treatments can change the behaviour of bees, but these can only translate into improved colony conditions if other factors are not limiting of colony performance

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Stabilized synthetic brood pheromone delivered in a slow-release device enhances foraging and population size of honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies

Cited by 10 publications

References 27 publications

Treatment With Synthetic Brood Pheromone (SuperBoost) Enhances Honey Production and Improves Overwintering Survival of Package Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies

Treatment With Synthetic Brood Pheromone (SuperBoost) Enhances Honey Production and Improves Overwintering Survival of Package Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies

Beekeeping and Science

The effects of brood ester pheromone on foraging behaviour and colony growth in apicultural settings

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