Poor nutrition is one of the stressors out there that can bother bees.   I posted a fairly dense synopsis of nutritional disease under this topic heading.  Here are several measurable effects of poor nutrition:


From "Introductory Insect Physiology" by Robert Patton, Saunders, 1963.


To understand whether a particular nutrient is essential to an insect, four criteria have been identified:


1.  Survival fraction, defined as the ratio of the final number of adults to the initial number of nymphs.

2.  Growth index, defined as the ratio of the product of the  average length times the number of nymphs at the end of the nymphal growth period divided by the product of the average length times the number of nymphs at the beginning of the experiment (zero days).

3.  Maturation period, defined as the interval in days between the appearance of the first and last adult.  The maturation period is a rough indicator of growth rate but not necessarily a criterion of adequacy.

4.  Reproduction index:  The number of nymphs produced per egg in the first hatch, divided by the number of days from the start of the experiment.  This has significance not only in that it proves that reproduction has occurred, but also because it gives a record of the duration of the life cycle.


Nutrition and nutritional deficiencies are poorly understood....an "adequate" diet is a fairly vague concept.  Colony weight and number of bees have been used to quickly evaluate whether a colony is strong or not.  But there are other metrics we could consider. Some of the effects of nutritional deficiencies are fairly subtle.   Shortened queen lifespan, poor foraging behaviors, "slow to build" colonies, spotty brood, and of course increased susceptibility to diseases and chemical stress (all the 'cides) can be observed if something is lacking in the diet.


Christina



             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html