Guttation and risk for honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.): Use of guttation drops by honey bees after migration of colonies - a field study

Abstract

Background: The aim of this experiment was to investigate whether honeybees from colonies that are not familiar with their surrounding landscape, due to short-distance migration to a new location, are more at risk by guttation drops from seed-treated plants than bee colonies which are already familiar with alternative water sources in the surrounding of their apiary. Results: The mean mortality of bees, which occurred after moving beehives to a new location, increased only slightly from 6 bees/day (-1 day before moving) up to a maximum of 21 bees/day (1 day after moving). No significant differences in the mean number of dead bees between bee colonies that were familiar with all sites of water sources in the surrounding area and bee colonies that were only recently moved to the field were observed.Conclusion: There was no indication that honey bee colonies which were not familiar with the surrounding landscape are more at risk by guttation drops from seed-treated plants than bee colonies which are already familiar with the alternative water sources in their surrounding landscape.

Keywords

• guttation
• seed treatments
• transport beehives
• pesticides
• honey bee
• water foragers