AD>From: Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]>
  >Date:         Tue, 22 Apr 1997 14:43:55 -0600
  >Subject:      Measuring Nutritional Status
  >Organization: The Beekeepers
 
AD>I have since often wondered how one goes about getting such an assay done,
  >and what the standard measurements are.  I suppose food labs may well do
  >this type of work, but unless some previous work, is used to compare, the
  >measurements would be only relative.
 
In testing protein used in bee diets an easy biological test is if the
bees will rear drones as they do in most areas in the spring. It is nice
to have all that chemical information, but you will find that what makes
a difference is how the bees use the material you want to test. You can
feed you bees pure whole blood and run the nitrogen tests off the scale,
but you will end up with nothing.
 
One way that I have done this is to take 20# of bees and a queen in a
large cage, no flight. Or you can use hives during the winter when even
if the bees would fly they would find no outside protein sources. And
yes if the diet is good they will thrive and rear brood, and many drones
and amaze all your beekeeping friends. Of course smaller bee test units
would be used in most tests, each to his own.. Twenty pounds of bees in
a single hive unit with nothing but empty combs does not look that
crowded in the winter.<G> Most would use smaller units and much less
bees.
 
The big question is and has always been at what COST? <g>
 
I have found that in commercial beekeeping the cost of labor soon
overcomes most attempts to rear bees in the feed lot situation.
 
* As a rule if it was true that bees require or consume 100# of honey
per year to maintain themselves, then it would also require 100# of
protein in addition to the honey...
 
Here in central California an average field hive will consume 1# to 2#
of protein extenders a week and rear normal brood, but if they run out
all is set back to day one, so as they consume the protein in ever
grater amounts it is necessary to tend them more often with more protein
and of course they will also need syrup.
 
                            ttul Andy-
 
 
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