Feeding strategies for sugar syrup and protein supplements, its implications on hive strength and performance with a focus on financial costs and benefits

Summary

There is an increasing need to advance the understanding of supplementary feeding strategies of honeybees to adapt to a changing climate and subsequent effects on the environment, particularly fire and drought. The biggest challenge that beekeepers face is the lack of floral resources and the unfamiliarity of supplementary feeding practices to support a viable business. Key to managing the impact of limiting resources is to generate an understanding about how supplementary feeding strategies can be integrated in meeting the changing needs of beekeepers. The project will address how supplements can be used to maintain bees during nectar and pollen shortages and how beekeepers can stimulate bees for example for increased honey production or for increased hive strength and health for crop pollination.
Overall, the project aims at developing feeding strategies for sugar and protein supplements to improve hive and business performance, testing strategies across multiple seasons in one location, unless another location needs to be sourced.
The proposed project will address the frequency, concentration (for sugar only) and quantity to feed. It is foreseeable that due to the complexity of the topic, other questions such as a comparison between different climatic zones and open vs in-hive feeding will still require further investigations. However, the project will be the first step in identifying and testing supplementary feeding strategies and will include a cost-benefit analysis as a guideline for beekeepers to assess the effectiveness of feeding supplements. The project will also assess the risk of feeding sugar in contaminating extracted honey.

Program

Honey Bee

Research Organisation

(DPIRD NSW) The Crown in right of the State of New South Wales acting through the Department of Primary Industries and Regional