Research Topics I’d Like to See!

Apologies ladies, we are not well represented in this image…

I had a particularly lively and curious set of classmates in Jo Miller’s Journeyman class. We frequently ranted that in the 150+ years of local beekeeping, not only has no one come up with a general template of how to run local bee colonies, but many basic questions remain unanswered. Questions to do with the most simple aspects of bee physiology, bee behaviour, and basic management.

So I have started this list. Perhaps against the day I get back on the academic treadmill and need an MSc. topic of my own. Meanwhile, you little bee scholars you, if you take up one of these topics let me know what you find. We’d all be interested, and grateful.

Hemp Cultivars

I have no issue with responsible genetic modification/engineering. So with the legalization of cannabis products I would like to see a GM hemp cultivar that provides nectar as well as improved pollen for honey bees. Why not? It is going to be in fields all over the place, let’s at least make sure it benefits the honey bees.

Varroa Resistance

There are a LOT of projects out there trying to establish a line of hygienic/Varroa-resistant/Varroa-proof bees. Stack that against the fact that most traits of bees have a low heritability factor. If bees are displaying any level of Varroa resistance, what is the mechanism of that resistance? And is it heritable…or is something else going on?

Chalkbrood

This simple fungal disease is spread to larvae via contaminated feed, and tends to strike when cool, wet conditions prevail: presumably larvae who chill and struggle/die tend to be colonized by the fungus. It does not generally have a big impact on the colony, but it is pesky and a danger to healthy colonies nearby (it can spread via drift). Genetics may play into this scenario, with some bees more susceptible than others. All that said we use lots of antifungals to treat fungal infections in lots of species. Why o why do we not have an effective antifungal drench for chalkbrood in honeybees?? Sounds like a great post-grad project to me!

Ventilation

I am deeply skeptical that in the PacNW…or anywhere else cold/wet/snowy/rainy for months of the year…that the bees actually need more than a front door to use for cleansing flights. And I am concerned that in cold weather areas, providing both upper and lower entrances causes so much heat loss in the hive over winter that bees need extra food to stay warm and alive. And if you do use an upper entrance in winter, do you put it on the same side as the lower entrance, to minimize strong cross-draughts (particularly in breezy sites)?? Who knows? This is a critical piece of management information, and the debates over ventilation are endless. We need clarity.

Oxalic Acid: How does it kill Varroa Mites??

We still have no clear idea of how or why oxalic acid (either in dribble or applied as a vapour) actually kills mites. I’d sure like to know!

Mite Treatment Scheduling

We all have to treat for mites. But how often? Does timing impact frequency? What is the best schedule for things like Oxalic Acid Vapourization? It seems to me it is getting harder to control mite populations. We need to know how to make more effective treatment schedules and protocols.

Winter Bees

There is still no consensus on how and when winter bees are created. Are they raised in late summer? Early fall? Winter? Are they raised differently, fed some special diet as larvae? Or do late summer adult bees just shift their physiology based on environmental cues (waning sunlight? pollen dearth? dropping temperatures? reduced brood amounts?).

If, as I did in 2017, you plunder big colonies for bees and brood to give to newly mated queens, do you thereby plunder all the winter bees out of the hive, dooming the original colony to a winter death? Or will they raise another crop of winter bees? How long would that take?

Winter Wrapping

In spite of the fact our local winter weather (gloom and torrential rains Nov-April = 6 months), there is no consensus on what method of wrapping is best for our bees. Some use tarpaper, some bee cozies, I experimented with Reflectix one year, and have stopped wrapping at all. Do you keep the summertime upper entrance or not, put on emergency rations, and/or insulation over the cluster (which I think is critical!)? You will hear a bunch of “recipes” and while microclimate comes into this, what is the best way to wrap particularly if your site is less than ideal??

Feeding Pollen Sub

There have been some interesting observations on the whole art of feeding pollen sub. One study suggested winter bee raising is cued by a fall pollen dearth (although I think it is the shorter days that trigger winter bee creation as well as telling flowers to quit making pollen)…so should you remove all pollen sub before September? If you are building small, late summer colonies (as I was in 2017, thanks to a late and surprise queen rearing run), does feeding them up with pollen sub to push brooding ruin their winter prep? Randy Oliver feels pollen sub helps in the short run but hurts the colonies in the long run…he speculates that pollen sub has a missing mystery Factor X. Or does it have something already in it that slowly affects the colony over time, sapping vigour (like a constant hangover effect)?? Soy flour has been implicated as a bee toxin when fed over time….should we move to non-soy based preps, particularly in areas with predictable pollen dearths?

Sugar Syrup Additives

People like to add all kinds of things to their cane sugar syrup, which in our biozone is an essential feed in the long dearths we have in early spring and late summer. I have heard of people adding Rooster Booster, thymol crystals (my bees would not touch THAT syrup!), essential oils, Honey B Healthy, etc. ad infinitum. My own sense is that they do best on straight white sugar syrup. Do floral nectars have anything in them past sugar and water that the bees need? Some small suite of micronutrients? Or do they get all they need from the pollens they collect?

Hive Configuration

What hive design and/or box config is best for bees? This year our club is experimenting with the single box broodnest approach used by the University of Guelph. Some of our members are trying horizontal hives of all sorts, and Warré hives (note: not only are Warré hives illegal in Canada as their frames are not removable for disease monitoring, they are a PITA!!! I have been helping a local beekeeper with one for several years…my advice is run in the opposite direction!). Are the larger frames and larger boxes like the British National hives better for bees and/or beekeeper? Which config best supports increased vigour and honey harvests?? What makes the best honey supers, deep frames or shallow frames?