Lost in translation – How to convince beekeepers to adopt best management practices?

Beekeepers in the United States continuously experience high honeybee colony losses, caused by biotic and abiotic factors. Some factors are beyond a beekeeper’s control, others can be mitigated by adopting best beekeeping management practices (BBMPs). BBMPs have been established for several beekeeping aspects such as the management of Varroa destructor, and yet many beekeepers do not adopt them. Potential reasons include the scientific information not being delivered appropriately, or beekeepers being skeptical of its credibility.

To address this, we assessed the impact of two different information delivery methods on behavior change in beekeepers. We found that only the in-person delivery convinced beekeepers to adopt the (lethal for honeybees) BBMP to monitor for V. destructor, the alcohol wash. Online participants preferred to use an inferior practice, the presumably non-lethal sugar shake. To verify its harmlessness, we measured the longevity of honeybees subjected to the sugar shake. Not only does this method reduce honeybees’ longevity, but it is also less accurate in estimating mite density which could impact subsequent decisions regarding mite control measures.

Although many beekeepers rely on synthetic chemicals to control V. destructor, organically managed honeybee colonies are equally strong and healthy. Organic management could also present the opportunity to sell organic bee products if current requirements in the U.S. would not be unobtainable. To address and adjust those requirements, we are testing whether honeybee foraging distance can be restricted to organic landscapes by provided high quality forage nearby and manipulating colony size. Preliminary results will be discussed.