Abstract
Malnutrition is a major cause of colony losses. In managed hives, bees are fed protein supplements (PS) during pollen shortages. If bees were provided with natural forage instead of PS, would they have lower pathogen levels and higher queen and colony survival? We addressed this question by either providing colonies with forage (Brassica rapa—rapini) or feeding them PS from November to February. Soluble protein concentrations in the PS were lower than the rapini pollen as were levels of most amino acids. Nurse bees digested less of the protein in PS than the pollen. Hemolymph protein titers in nurse bees and colony growth did not differ between those fed PS or foraging on rapini. However, colonies fed PS had higher levels of black queen cell virus and Nosema and greater queen losses, indicating that natural forage might improve overwintering survival.
Highlights
The health and longevity of individuals and the growth of populations depend on the availability and nutritional value of food
Protein and amino acids (AAs) analyses Soluble protein concentrations did not differ between sites or diets, so values for each food source were combined
Soluble protein concentrations in bees Baseline hemolymph protein concentrations did not differ among the treatment groups (F 3,36=1.24, P = 0.3)
Summary
The health and longevity of individuals and the growth of populations depend on the availability and nutritional value of food. The nutritional needs of honey bees are met with nectar and pollen. Pollen supplies protein and all other nutrients (Brodschneider and Crailsheim 2010). Pollen is essential for colony growth, but when it is unavailable, managed hives are fed protein supplements (PS) (Nabors 2000; Mattila and Otis 2006; DeGrandi-Hoffman et al 2008). Colonies usually are fed PS in the spring when pollen stores are low, and flowering plants and foraging weather are inadequate to support vigorous brood rearing. Feeding PS in fall and through the winter has become increasingly common in the US especially for hives that pollinate early crops such as almonds
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