D3493: The effect of integrated pest management on honey bee behavior and colony level health

Honey bees face threats from many directions, but the most pressing is the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. One popular organic method of combatting Varroa is adding drone comb, which forces the colony to raise larger, mite-preferred male bees. While this method reduces mite numbers, it may add unnecessary colony-level stress. My research investigated how forcing the hive to raise drones for mite management affects honey bee population growth, foraging behavior, and nutrition. I accomplished this by estimating adult bee population and area of drone brood, and by examining foraging behavior of the bees before, during, and after management with drone comb. Pollen and nectar were collected from returning foragers and analyzed for nutrition. Data collected will help us to understand unintended effects of integrated pest management and how to further support honey bees, telling the story of how integrated pest management affects honey bees.