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The battle of trying to make honey bees go where people want them to, rather than where the bees want to go, is several decades old. Early attempts used sugar water, protein supplements and other food-oriented substances sprayed on crops to be pollinated. These were only moderately successful, and then only to the point of having the bees collect the material from leaf surfaces. Visiting the flowers wasn't usually a result - nor was success. Several years ago a worker honey bee pheromone was used to entice bees into an area, and, finally, onto a crop. This was more successful In that once there, the bees did manage to visit the flowers, reporting back to the hive and recruiting more foragers. There had to be some reward to make this occur. The reasoning was that in marginal years - when the weather was less than favorable, the flower crop less than abundant or other limiting factors occurred - applying an attractant was good insurance. Using it during optimal years, moreover, would, it seemed, increase visitation and thus yields. The cost per acre was the key factor - was yield in creased enough to more than pay for the spray? In marginal years the answer was often yes, in good years it was questionable. However, the most recent research indicates that it is generally more profitable to apply the substance than not, especially with high value crops like apples. The newest product is this line uses the queen's pheromone to attract bees to an area (queen mandibular pheromone). Even more specific than earlier products, it claims to be more successful in attracting bees to at least certain crops. Still, there must be a reward, at the end of the pheromonal rainbow. Again, when conditions are optimal this additive's advantages are marginal when considering cost. However, when crop or flying conditions axe less than ideal it may make the difference between success and failure for a grower. Another potential use for this newest product is in manipulating other honey bee behavior. This would certainly be a boon if it retards swarming, increases foraging or other positive activities. This product may soon be available to the general beekeeping public. |
