Methods for assessing bee foraging preferences: a short review and a new automated apparatus

Abstract

Bees are essential pollinators for many plant species, but multiple threats exist to both managed and wild bee populations. Their innate foraging behaviors and food preferences are subjects of intense research since bee nutrition is essential for maintaining hive and colony health. Multiple approaches have been developed to assess bee foraging behavior and associated preferences, but they are often labor-intensive and provide data on a limited number of parameters. In this manuscript, we provide a short review of these methods and present the design, build, and implementation of a new, inexpensive, and automated feeding apparatus capable of recording: (1) number of visits, (2) total food consumed, (3) photos and videos of bee behavior while inside of the feeder, and (4) environmental conditions. The efficacy of this apparatus is demonstrated through preference tests with artificial nectars, while also acknowledging the relative strengths and limitations of this approach.

A multifunctional role for riboflavin in the yellow nectar of Capsicum baccatum and Capsicum pubescens

“…To test whether honey bees prefer nectars with riboflavin, we presented them with a choice between artificial nectars with and without riboflavin at biologically relevant levels (500 lM). The experimental setup relied on gravity-fed glass jar nectar feeders equipped with an automated infrared counter at the entrance (Magner et al, 2023a); the placement of the feeders containing riboflavin was switched in between each trial. The switching of the positions of each feeder was used as a control.…”

“…Hive entrance feeders were mounted to small sections of lumber and mounted 0.75 m above the ground. The apparatus was placed c. 10 m away from a cluster of honey bee hives as previously described (Magner et al, 2023a) from June through July 2023 on the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station of the St. Paul campus at the University of Minnesota (44.988213 N, À93.177695 W). Before assessing bee preferences, an acclimatization period was implemented in the experimental setup in which feeders were filled with a 20% (w/v) sucrose solution (no riboflavin) and positioned in the field for a period of 3 d. The acclimation period enabled the bees to familiarize themselves with the feeding stations and the experimental setup, ensuring that subsequent preference tests for riboflavin were done under conditions that closely resembled the bees' natural foraging activity.…”