Assistant Professor University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky
The late-winter early-spring is a difficult time of the year for overwintering honey bee colony survival. During this time food is critical because of the population build-up leading to spring reproductive swarming. On agricultural landscapes fields are often left untilled or fallow leading to an abundance of flowering winter annual plants. Little research has been done to evaluate the nutritional value of these plants to honey bees or the associated risks of foraging on croplands. In this study we aim to investigate the macronutrient profiles of winter annual plants using bee collected mixed pollen samples and evaluate preffered forage based on honey bee waggle-dance behavior aided by NLCD and ArcGIS. We will also investigate associated pesticide risks from foraging on agricultural lands. This research will help us evaluate the potential value of flowering winter annual plants as a cost effective way to aide in overwinter colony survival as opposed to other methods that only provide flowering plants during the spring and summer months.
