Skipping fall bee feeding may not hurt colony strength or profits
Corby-Harris V, Snyder L, Watkins DeJong E, Meador C, DeGrandi-Hoffman G, Shook B.
Pollinators
If you grow fruit trees, squash, or any crop that needs pollination, the financial health of commercial beekeeping operations directly shapes whether rented hives show up strong in spring, and this study suggests beekeepers may be spending money on fall feed that doesn't actually improve those outcomes.
Beekeepers often spend heavily on special feeds in the fall to bulk up their colonies before winter, hoping for stronger hives when almond and fruit trees bloom in spring. Researchers tracked about 700 colonies across two years and found that colonies given no feed at all performed just as well as colonies given pollen or commercial supplements. A couple of supplements did match natural pollen when feeding was done, but the bigger surprise was that skipping fall feeding entirely didn't hurt the bees.
Key Findings
Unfed colonies performed as well as pollen-fed and supplement-fed colonies in trial 2, suggesting fall feeding is not always necessary.
Two commercial supplements, Global 4% and AP23, consistently matched natural pollen in colony size and likelihood of grading adequately for almond pollination.
Study evaluated approximately 700 colonies across 2 years and 2 North Dakota apiaries, measuring colony size at 4 time points from pre-feed through post-almond pollination.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A large commercial study found that fall feeding programs for honey bee colonies — whether natural pollen or manufactured supplements — didn't consistently outperform leaving colonies unfed. Two commercially available supplements matched natural pollen in colony size and profitability, but unfed colonies did just as well in a second trial, suggesting fall feeding may often be unnecessary.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Comparable performance of commercial honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies under alternative fall feeding strategies.
Beekeepers use supplemental diets to support colonies when natural forage is scarce. Fall feeding is commonly used to bolster colony health, prepare them for winter, and ensure strong colonies for ...
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