Actually, there were four papers, not three.

>
> >There's a big different between claiming bees are "deficient" and stating
> the colonies have had their pollen supply "limited."
>
My bad.  The word "deficient" was used by one of the authors during our
recent friendly discussion, but not in the papers.  My apologies.  They
also used the term "pollen reduced."
"Limited" indicates that there is less than desired.  In their "pollen
limited" colonies, that was not the case, since the bees stored a surplus
during "limitation."

> Pollen traps [placed 26 Aug] were emptied every 2 – 5 days depending on
the rate of pollen collection in colonies, and a mean of 6.0 ± 0.47 kg of
pollen was collected from each colony by the time traps were removed on 23
October.
That's over 13 lbs of pollen trapped from the "pollen-reduced" hives!
Pollen traps typically prevent about 50% of the pollen loads (the largest
loads) from entering the hive.
So we can estimate that the "pollen-reduced" colonies enjoyed about 6 lbs
of fresh pollen coming in during Sept and Oct.  I'd hardly consider those
colonies to be hurting
for pollen.

> Pollen trapped colonies had less pollen than control colonies when stores
in comb were compared on 3 October 2001

> (80 +/-  35 versus 780 +/-  180 cm2 per colony, respectively; 2003 (700
> +/-279 versus 1,720 +/- 356cm2 per colony;
>
The area of surplus pollen stored in the combs of the "pollen-limited"
colonies also tells us something.
In October 2003 there was 80 cm2; in 2003 700 cm2.
That works out to 12.4 sq in of surplus pollen in the combs in Oct 2001,
and 108 sq in in Oct 2003.
So in 2001, that's equivalent to a "pollen band" a half inch wide and 25
inches long around the small amount of brood.
And there was nearly 10x as much stored pollen in the combs in 2003 in the
"pollen-limited" hives.
A California beekeeper would give his eye teeth for that amount of surplus
pollen in a hive, and we certainly wouldn't call that colony
"pollen-limited."


> >Out of curiousity, do colonies produce winter bees in California?

It depends upon the apiary's  elevation and the weather.  For my area,
generally yes, but less so than a couple of decades ago, due to climate
change.


> >I know there are dearth periods but during those periods do colonies
> produce winter bees?

Yes, the proper term is "diutinus" bees, which can be produced during
dearth at any time of the year.  Russian bees kept in my area shift to
diutinus physiology in August,
going completely broodless due to pollen dearth.

>The Mattila and Otis studies found supplementing in the fall did result in
> a boost in bees, but these bees weren't winter bees; they were the shorter
> lived summer bees.
>
That would be expected so long as there was foraging going on.

>
> I certainly wouldn't take any research done in Canada and apply it to bees
> in California.

Good idea!  Nor the inverse.

Let me make clear that I have no problem with Mattila and Otis's research,
which was performed very well, and interpreted well.  They are both
outstanding researchers,
and Heather performed an excellent practical study for the benefit of
Canadian beekeepers.  It is the extrapolation of their findings by others
that I have issue with.

Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
530 277 4450
ScientificBeekeeping.com

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