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1 August 2012 Effects of Brood Pheromone (SuperBoost) on Consumption of ProteinSupplement and Growth of Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae)Colonies During Fall in a Northern Temperate Climate
Ramesh R. Sagili, Carolyn R. Breece
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Abstract

Honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), nutrition is vital for colony growth and maintenance of a robust immune system. Brood rearing in honey bee colonies is highly dependent on protein availability. Beekeepers in general provide protein supplement to colonies during periods of pollen dearth. Honey bee brood pheromone is a blend of methyl and ethyl fatty acid esters extractable from cuticle of honey bee larvae that communicates the presence of larvae in a colony. Honey bee brood pheromone has been shown to increase protein supplement consumption and growth of honey bee colonies in a subtropical winter climate. Here, we tested the hypothesis that synthetic brood pheromone (SuperBoost) has the potential to increase protein supplement consumption during fall in a temperate climate and thus increase colony growth. The experiments were conducted in two locations in Oregon during September and October 2009. In both the experiments, colonies receiving brood pheromone treatment consumed significantly higher protein supplement and had greater brood area and adult bees than controls. Results from this study suggest that synthetic brood pheromone may be used to stimulate honey bee colony growth by stimulating protein supplement consumption during fall in a northern temperate climate, when majority of the beekeepers feed protein supplement to their colonies.

©2012 Entomological Society of America
Ramesh R. Sagili and Carolyn R. Breece "Effects of Brood Pheromone (SuperBoost) on Consumption of ProteinSupplement and Growth of Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae)Colonies During Fall in a Northern Temperate Climate," Journal of Economic Entomology 105(4), 1134-1138, (1 August 2012). https://doi.org/10.1603/EC11437
Received: 29 December 2011; Accepted: 1 April 2012; Published: 1 August 2012
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KEYWORDS
brood pheromone
colony growth
honey bee
nutrition
protein supplement
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