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Author Topic: Will feeding prevent them from pollinating things?  (Read 2274 times)

Offline chiaco

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Will feeding prevent them from pollinating things?
« on: August 07, 2013, 04:34:41 am »
We're currently set up on a pumpkin farm that requires a fair bit of pollination. But our hives are young and we're heavily feeding them to encourage wax construction before winter. I'm just concerned that because they get so much sugar at home that they have no desire or motive to go out and collect nectar. They need pollen for protein and I'm afraid that they might not be going out to gather it. We still see a large number of bees coming and going at all times so that's encouraging. But will feeding them decrease their pollinating behaviors?

Also out of curiosity, what types of bees are the ones that grab sugar water from the feeders? Are they young House Bees? Or are they Foragers? We're using Boardman Feeders right now.

Offline LindaL

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Re: Will feeding prevent them from pollinating things?
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2013, 05:10:19 am »
From what i have read they will take food if there is nothing else around.  For example if you feed them in the spring once the flow starts they will stop taking the feeding.   So if there are flowers around for them they would rather have that.   So you should be ok.


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Online Michael Bush

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Re: Will feeding prevent them from pollinating things?
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2013, 09:48:14 am »
>Also out of curiosity, what types of bees are the ones that grab sugar water from the feeders? Are they young House Bees?

I've wondered the same thing.  Since they tend to backfill the broodnest and swarm when fed constantly, my guess is that the usual feedback mechanism between foragers and receivers is bypassed.  I think it's the receivers taking it from the feeders, but it could be house bees that think they are cleaning up a spill.  I'm pretty sure they are not foragers.

As far as pollination, I don't think the bees are working the Pumpkins for the nectar.  They still need pollen to raise brood.

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Offline chiaco

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Re: Will feeding prevent them from pollinating things?
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2013, 12:16:41 pm »
The bees that are taking syrup from the feeder seem to be mid-sized bees, smaller than the older foragers. Since I still see foragers bringing back some pollen I'm hopeful that it's the house and receiver bees that are pulling from the feeders. I wouldn't want the foragers super distracted with local feeders.

But, along that same line of thought. If we ever had an open feeder in the field I imagine it would be 100% forager bees that were gathering the sugar water.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Will feeding prevent them from pollinating things?
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2013, 12:32:20 pm »
The bees that are taking syrup from the feeder seem to be mid-sized bees, smaller than the older foragers. Since I still see foragers bringing back some pollen I'm hopeful that it's the house and receiver bees that are pulling from the feeders. I wouldn't want the foragers super distracted with local feeders.

But, along that same line of thought. If we ever had an open feeder in the field I imagine it would be 100% forager bees that were gathering the sugar water.

When your bees hatch they are the size that they are going to be the rest of their lives. They would have to shed their skin to grow because they have an exoskeleton. The size of the cell is the major determining factor of the size the bees will be.
Forager bees are the ones that you will see in an open feeder.
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Online Michael Bush

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Re: Will feeding prevent them from pollinating things?
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2013, 12:42:14 pm »
People for hundreds of years have noted the difference in size between a newly emerged bee and a forager.  Their abdomen has segments and connective tissue and can stretch a lot.  It is the same with a newly emerged queen and a laying queen.  The difference can be huge, despite the fact that they cannot grow a bigger exoskeleton.

"Two kinds of workers in the hive

"The following observations may also furnish indications of the presence of honey in the flowers.  They are based upon a remarkable fact which was unknown to my precursors; it is that there are two kinds of workers in the hive; the ones which may attain a considerable size when they have filled themselves with all the honey that their stomach may contain, are in general destined to the elaboration of wax; the others whose abdomen does not perceptibly change in appearance, retain only the quantity of honey which is necessary for their sustenance and immediately hand out to others that which they have harvested; they are not in charge of the provisioning of the hive, their particular function being to care for the young:  we will call them nurse bees, or small bees, in opposition to those whose abdomen may be dilated and which deserve the name of wax-workers.

"Although the external difference by which the two sorts may be recognized be inconsiderable, this distinction is not imaginary.  Anatomical observations have taught us that there is a real difference in the capacity of their stomach.  We have also ascertained that the bees of one sort cannot fulfill all the functions shared among the workers of a hive.  In one of these tests we painted with different colors the bees of each class, to observe their behavior, and we did not see any interchange.  In another test, we gave the bees of a queenless colony both brood and pollen and we at once saw the small bees busy themselves with the food of the larvae, while those of the wax-working class paid no attention to them. (Note:  Huber did not then know what we learned later, by the introduction of Italian bees, that the difference in functions is due to the difference in age, of the bees of the colony.—Translator.)"--Francis Huber, New observations Upon Bees, Volume II, Chapter II, 2012 edition page 275
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Offline Finski

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Re: Will feeding prevent them from pollinating things?
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2013, 02:06:10 pm »
we're heavily feeding them to encourage wax construction before winter.

What they do with wax in winter?  What is the idea to fill hives with  sugar in the middle of summer?  You eliminate recent  free combs with sugar and try to make new combs?

And it is long time to winter?


Even if it is pumpkin fields, they may fly mile or more and get other flowers. They cannot live with pumkins.
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