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Tubene S, Kulhanek K, Rennich K, vanEngelsdorp D. Best Management Practices Increase Profitability of Small-Scale US Beekeeping Operations. J Econ Entomol 2023; 116:47-55. [PMID: 36373593 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toac174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the economics of small-scale beekeeping, due in part because many of these beekeepers are motivated by personal enjoyment and not profit. These beekeepers, however, represent more than 90% of US beekeeping population, so economic analysis of this majority group is warranted. Understanding how management practices impact colony profitability in small apiaries can inform beekeeper management decisions. Best management practices (BMPs) can increase colony productivity and survival, but often require additional labor and materials compared to less intensive beekeeping practices. Here, we investigate the impact of BMPs on the profitability of small-scale beekeeping. We found that BMPs required higher costs in labor and materials, but that they also produced higher revenue from honey and nucleus colony production. As a result, after three years, BMP apiaries were 8 times more profitable than less intensively managed apiaries. The increased profitability in BMP apiaries is largely attributed to improved colony health and survival due to more active Varroa management and reduced Varroa and viral loads. These results can inform small scale beekeeper budgeting and management, and also support extension efforts to increase BMP adoption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Tubene
- Department of Agriculture, Food, and Resource Sciences, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, 1104 Trigg Hall, Princess Anne, MD 21853, USA
| | - Kelly Kulhanek
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646382, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Karen Rennich
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Dennis vanEngelsdorp
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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Traynor KS, Tosi S, Rennich K, Steinhauer N, Forsgren E, Rose R, Kunkel G, Madella S, Lopez D, Eversole H, Fahey R, Pettis J, Evans JD. Pesticides in honey bee colonies: Establishing a baseline for real world exposure over seven years in the USA. Environ Pollut 2021; 279:116566. [PMID: 33839524 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Honey bees Apis mellifera forage in a wide radius around their colony, bringing back contaminated food resources that can function as terrestrial bioindicators of environmental pesticide exposure. Evaluating pesticide exposure risk to pollinators is an ongoing problem. Here we apply five metrics for pesticide exposure risk (prevalence, diversity, concentration, significant pesticide prevalence, and hazard quotient (HQ)) to a nation-wide field study of honey bees, Apis mellifera in the United States. We examined samples from 1055 apiaries over seven years for 218 different pesticide residues and metabolites, determining that bees were exposed to 120 different pesticide products with a mean of 2.78 per sample. Pesticides in pollen were highly prevalent and variable across states. While pesticide diversity increased over time, most detections occurred at levels predicted to be of low risk to colonies. Varroacides contributed most to concentration, followed by fungicides, while insecticides contributed most to diversity above a toxicity threshold. High risk samples contained one of 12 different insecticides or varroacides. Exposures predicted to be low-risk were nevertheless associated with colony morbidity, and low-level fungicide exposures were tied to queen loss, Nosema infection, and brood diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten S Traynor
- Global Biosocial Complexity Initiative at ASU, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Simone Tosi
- Epidemiology Unit, ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety) Animal Health Laboratory, F94701 Maisons-Alfort, France; Department of Agricultural, Forest, and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Via Verdi 8, 10124, Torino, Italy
| | - Karen Rennich
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Nathalie Steinhauer
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Eva Forsgren
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Robyn Rose
- USDA Farm Production and Conservation Business Center 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20250, USA
| | - Grace Kunkel
- Project Apis mellifera, PO Box 26793, Salt Lake City, UT 84126, USA
| | - Shayne Madella
- USDA ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Building 306, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Dawn Lopez
- USDA ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Building 306, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Heather Eversole
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA; Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Rachel Fahey
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | | | - Jay D Evans
- USDA ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Building 306, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
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Kulhanek K, Steinhauer N, Wilkes J, Wilson M, Spivak M, Sagili RR, Tarpy DR, McDermott E, Garavito A, Rennich K, vanEngelsdorp D. Survey-derived best management practices for backyard beekeepers improve colony health and reduce mortality. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245490. [PMID: 33449973 PMCID: PMC7810333 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bee colony losses in the US have exceeded acceptable levels for at least a decade, leaving beekeepers in need of management practices to improve colony health and survival. Here, an empirical Best Management Practice (BMP) regimen was tested, comprised of the top four management practices associated with reduced colony mortality in backyard beekeeping operations according to Bee Informed Partnership Loss and Management survey results. Seven study locations were established across the US, and each location consisted of ten colonies treated according to empirical BMPs and ten according to average beekeeping practice. After 3 years, colonies treated according to empirical BMPs experienced reduced Varroa infestation, viral infection, and mortality compared to colonies managed with Average practices. In addition, BMP colonies produced more new colonies via splits. The colonies under Average practices were given chemical Varroa treatments only once per year, and thus spent more months above economic threshold of 3.0 mites/100 bees. Increased time spent above the economic threshold was significantly correlated to both increased viral infection and colony mortality. This study demonstrates the cumulative effects of management and colony health stressors over months and years, especially the dire importance of regular Varroa monitoring and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Kulhanek
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Nathalie Steinhauer
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - James Wilkes
- Department of Computer Science, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Michaela Wilson
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Marla Spivak
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Ramesh R. Sagili
- Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - David R. Tarpy
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Erin McDermott
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Andrew Garavito
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Karen Rennich
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Dennis vanEngelsdorp
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
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Vanengelsdorp T, Tarpy DR, Baylis K, Spivak M, Caron DM, Connell J, Delaplane KS, Donohue S, Esaias W, Gross B, Hayes J, Lengerich EJ, Pettis J, Rennich K, Underwood R, Rose R, Skinner J, Wilkes J. The Bee Informed Partnership: Using Beekeeper's Real-World Experience to Solve Beekeepers' Real-World Problems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/ae/58.2.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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