1. Nutrition Management for Robust Populations
Nutrition Management for Robust Populations-We will look at what bees eat and the effects of nutrition on colony health. We will finish with how to identify nectar and pollen flows, stored resources and feeding strategies to avoid nutritional stress.
Lance Wilson
Certified Master Beekeeper-GMBP

2. Disclaimer This is the way I keep bees
Need to tailor what you learn from all sources to your area and personal philosophy of beekeeping
Only thing that matters is what works for you
I will be adjusting the fonts and sizes…..not sure what displays well.

3. The Beekeeping Prime Directive
Maximize The Adult Population

4. Maximize the adult population
Prevents disease expression
Increases honey production
Insures against SHB or wax moth infestation
Promotes winter survival
I will change this up a bit

5. C.L. Farrar-Larger is Better
30K
30K
60K
53% Increase

6. The Big Picture
Most important concept…..very different from what was though historically

8. Nutrition Management
Increase brood production, allow them to tolerate poisons and boost tolerance to pathogens and parasites.
photo sciencedaily.com

9. What do bees eat?
Need energy, vitamins, minerals, proteins and sterols.
They get all of this from just two things- nectar and Pollen
Energy
Everything Else

10. What do bees eat? vitamins, minerals, proteins and sterols Pollen
Crude protein about 10-30%
vitamins, minerals, proteins and sterols
Essential for brood production
Increases immunocompetency -add

11. Polyfloral Need10 essential amino acids
Strategy is to collect from multiple sources

12. Bee Bread
Honey has been mixed with the pollen and enzymes and bacteria added creating lactic acid fermenting the pollen. This is thought to preserve the pollen and create by products that are nutritious.

13. Skinny Bee and fat bee Low Vitellogenin High Vitellogenin
Increases longevity and boosts immunocompentency
Photo Keller2005

14. Nectar Nectar 10-50% sucrose (sugar)
Provides the carbohydrates (energy)
Store in the form of honey
Need 15LBs stored at all times or will shut down

15. How do you know when to feed?

16. Your bees always need to eat
Coming in
Stored
Both is better
-In the winter, little brood but they need resources to produce heat
-When they are producing brood they are always feeding
-Randy Oliver while it is raining story
Your bees always need to eat

17. Assess foraging and food stores
First access food stores and foraging

18. Nest architecture
Hive
Honey
Pollen
Brood

19. Do they have pollen stored?

20. Do they have honey stored?
You need 15lbs of honey stored or you need to feed
One deep frame is 5lbs so 3 deep
One medium frame is 3lbs so 5 mediums
Do they have honey stored?

21. How do you Tell if you are in a flow?

22. How do you tell if you are in a flow?
Get a feel for nectar flow calendar Lot of foraging activity
Much nectar being added
Much white wax being produced
Top bar whitening
Nectar processing fragrance
Nectar in brood area

23. Pollen flow are easy to recognize

24. How do you know when to feed?
No pollen coming in and none stored
No incoming nectar or less than 15lbs
Guard bees dearth indicator
Pollen in the morning

25. Signs of abundant resources

26. Stimulative feeding in spring
Nectar Flow
HIGH
Bee Population
Boost early production in time for honey flow….light syrup
-Brooding up in early spring is when they starve
LOW
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

27. Winter feeding strategy in fall
Nectar Flow
HIGH
Bee Population
Feed to create fat winter bees to stabilize the winter population
LOW
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

28. What do you feed? Sugar syrup No more than they can eat in 5 days
Clean container before every feeding
Make sure they are not backfilling!
1/1 to stimulate ….2/1 to prevent starvation
Should talk about the type of feeder here, pail more simulative

29. Feeders

30. Pail Feeder

31. What do you feed? Pollen substitute Close to brood area
No more than they can eat in a week
Need to check on viability of sub over time

32. How do you feed?

33. What happens IF you need to feed but don’t

34. Pollen dearths
Queen lowers egg laying

35. Pollen Dearths Cannibalizes larvae
Thresholds to succumb come to pesticides are disease are also dramatically lowered

36. Timing is everything

37. Recommended
List of books, websites, etc.

38. END