Opportunities for Precision Feed in Apiculture for Managing the Efficacy of Feed and Medicine
Authors: John Michael Russo
Abstract:
Honeybees are important to our food system and continue to suffer from high rates of colony loss. Precision feed has brought many benefits to livestock cultivation and these should transfer to apiculture. However, apiculture has unique challenges. The objective of this research is to understand how principles of precision agriculture, applied to apiculture and feed specifically, might effectively improve state-of-the-art cultivation. The methodology surveys apicultural practice to build a model for assessment. First, a review of apicultural motivators is made. Feed method is then evaluated. Finally, precision feed methods are examined as accelerants with potential to advance the effectiveness of feed practice. Six important motivators emerge: colony loss, disease, climate change, site variance, operational costs, and competition. Feed practice itself is used to compensate for environmental variables. The research finds that the current state-of-the-art in apiculture feed focuses on critical challenges in the management of feed schedules which satisfy requirements of the bees, preserve potency, optimize environmental variables, and manage costs. Many of the challenges are most acute when feed is used to dispense medication. Technology such as RNA treatments have even more rigorous demands. Precision feed solutions focus on strategies which accommodate specific needs of individual livestock. A major component is data; they integrate precise data with methods that respond to individual needs. There is enormous opportunity for precision feed to improve apiculture through the integration of precision data with policies to translate data into optimized action in the apiary, particularly through automation.
Keywords: Apiculture, precision apiculture, RNA varroa treatment, honeybee feed applications.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 216References:
[1] P. Cerosaletti and D. Dewing, "What is precision feed management?," Cornell University Ecommons, December 2008. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/36721/dec15.pdf. (accessed 11 January 2018).
[2] A. Zacepins, E. Stalidzans and J. Meitalovs, "Application of information technologies in precision apiculture," in Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, 2012.
[3] N. Steinhauer, D. Aurell, S. Bruckner, W. Mikayla, R. Karen, v. Dennis and W. Geoffrey, "United States honey bee colony losses 2020-2021: Preliminary results," 22 June 2021. https://beeinformed.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BIP_2020_21_Losses_Abstract_2021.06.14_FINAL_R1.pdf.
[4] United States Department of Agriculture, "Honey bee colonies," 2 August 2021. (Online). Available: https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/rn301137d/8g84nk42x/00000x890/hcny0821.pdf.
[5] N. Koeniger and G. Koeniger, "Mating behavior in honey bees (Genus Apis)," Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension, pp. 13-28, July 2004.
[6] "Microclimate," 2008. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/microclimate.
[7] A. Kviesis, A. Zacepins, M. Durgun and S. Tekin, "Application of wireless sensor networks in precision apiculture," Engineering for Rural Development, vol. 20, pp. 440-445, 22 May 2015.
[8] D. B. Hill and T. C. Webster, "Apiculture and forestry (bees and trees)," Agroforestry Systems, vol. 29, pp. 313-320, 1995.
[9] B. H. Gabdo, "Modelling apiculture production in Adamawa State, Nigeria: The ordinary least squares technique," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science, vol. 5, no. 7, pp. 79-83, July 2020.
[10] "Honey Bee Farming Project Report, Costs, Profits," 26 August 2018. https://www.agrifarming.in/honey-bee-farming-project-report-cost-profits.
[11] D. M. Caron, S. Ramesh and M. Cooper, "Pacific northwest pollination survey," University of Delaware, 1 April 2012. http://www.orsba.org/download/surveys_past_and_current/2011%20BL%20Caron%20et%20al.%20Summary%20reduced.pdf. (accessed 11 January 2018).
[12] J. Treynor, "2015 almond pollination," BeeSource, 1 July 2014. http://beesource.com/point-of-view/joe-traynor/2015-almond-pollination/. (accessed 11 January 2018).
[13] L. N. Standifer, F. E. Moeller, N. M. Kauffeld, E. W. J. Herbert and H. Shimanuki, "Supplemental feeding of honey bee colonies," United States Department of Agriculture Agriculture Information Bulletin, no. 413, pp. 1-8, 1977.
[14] C. J. Jack, S. S. Uppala, H. M. Lucas and R. R. Sagili, "Effects of pollen dilution on infection of Nosema Ceranae in honey bees," Journal of Insect Physiology, vol. 87, no. April, pp. 12-19, 2016.
[15] W. Hunter, J. Ellis, D. vanEngelsdorp, J. Hayes, D. Westervelt, E. Glick, M. Williams, I. Sela, E. Maori, J. Pettis, D. Cox-Foster and N. Paldi, "Large-scale field application of RNAi technology reducing Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus Disease in honey bees (Apis mellifera, Hymenoptera: Apidae)," PLOS Pathogens, vol. 6, no. 12, p. 10, 2010.
[16] E. Andrade and W. B. Hunter, "RNA Interference - natural gene-based technology for highly specific pest control (HiSPeC)," InTech, pp. 391-409, 2016.
[17] S. Y. Rojahn, "Monsanto's plan to help the honeybee," MIT Technology Review, 9 July 2013. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/516466/monsantos-plan-to-help-the-honeybee/. (accessed 8 January 2018).
[18] "RNA, good for vaccines, can also be used as a pesticide: A new approach to debugging," The Economist, 19 May 2021.
[19] L. N. Standifer, "Honey bee nutrition and supplemental feeding," in Beekeeping in the United States Agriculture Handbook, United States Department of Agriculture, 1980, pp. 39-45.
[20] E. C. Mussen, "Feeding bees nectar substitutes," n.d.. http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/files/147617.pdf. (accessed 9 January 2018).
[21] C. Collision, "A closer look: feeding sugar syrup/HMI," Bee Culture, 23 March 2016. http://www.beeculture.com/a-closer-look-feeding-sugar-syruphmi/. (accessed 9 January 2018).
[22] D. Studinski, "Feeding honeybees honey may increase mortality rate," Bee Informed, 27 June 2014. https://beeinformed.org/2014/06/27/feeding-honeybees-honey-may-increase-mortality/. (accessed 8 January 2018).
[23] T. Jachimowicz and G. El Sherbiny, "Problems of invert sugar as food for honeybees," Apidologie, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 121-143, 1975.
[24] H. G. Baker, "Non-sugar chemical constituents of nectar," Apidologie, Springer Verlag, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 349-356, 1977.
[25] H. R. Mattila, H. G. Kernen, G. W. Otis, L. T. P. Nguyen, H. D. Pham, O. M. Knight and N. T. Phan, "Giant hornet (Verpa soror) attacks trigger frenetic antipredator signaling in honeybee (Apis cerana) colonies," Royal Society of Open Science, vol. 8, pp. 1-21, 2021.
[26] Sci-News, "Study: Eastern honeybees use specific sound to communicate threat of giant hornets," Sci-News, 10 November 2021.
[27] P. Catania and M. Vallone, "Application of a precision apiculture to monitor honey daily production," Sensors (Basel), vol. 20, no. 7, 3 April 2020.
[28] J. P. van den Heever, T. S. Thompson, J. M. Curtis, S. F. Pernal, “Stability of dicyclohexylamine and fumagillin in honey,” Science Direct Food Chemistry, vol. 179, no. 15 July 2015, pp. 152-158, July 2015.