Source: TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
HONEY BEE NUTRITION ACROSS LANDSCAPES - A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF POLLEN, BEE BREAD AND FATTY ACIDS REGULATION
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030052
Grant No.
2023-67013-39354
Cumulative Award Amt.
$764,919.00
Proposal No.
2022-08507
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Mar 1, 2023
Project End Date
Feb 28, 2027
Grant Year
2025
Program Code
[A1113]- Pollinator Health: Research and Application
Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This proposal addresses AFRI's program priority A113: "Pollinator Health: Research and Application." Poor nutrition and landscape changes are two top factors responsible for causinglosses of over 40% of managed honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the U.S. annually. However, what constitutes "poor nutrition" for honey bees is currently inadequately defined. Additionally, the quality and quantity of nutritional resources available to honey bees across different landscapes is poorly characterized. The shortcomings impede the development of satisfactory food supplements. Our overarching hypothesis is that honey bees tightly regulate their intake of multiple nutrients using a two-level process. First, foragers selectively collect pollen based on its nutritional content. Next, nurse bees selectively feed on stored pollen (bee bread) to balance their nutrient intake, which optimizes their performance. We predict that the nutritional content of pollen varies across landscapes and seasons, but both foragers and nurse bees can assess these changes and respond appropriately. We have three objectives. (1) Perform a multidimensional nutrient analysis of pollen to characterize the nutritional space available for honey bees in three different landscapes (agricultural, urban, and rural) across seasons. (2) Perform a multidimensional nutrient analysis of bee bread to understand the role of pre-digestive pollen processing. This will bridge the gap between nutritional inputs (pollen) and the diet available to nurses (bee bread). (3) Characterize the link between bee bread fatty acid composition, nurse bee feeding behavior, and colony-level performance. The data generated from every objective will inform beekeepers on practices they can change/implement to improve colony health.
Animal Health Component
20%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
80%
Applied
20%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
30230101130100%
Knowledge Area
302 - Nutrient Utilization in Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
3010 - Honey bees;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
Our overarching hypothesis states that honey bees can simultaneously regulate an intake of multiple nutrients through a two-tiered process. First, foragers show preferences for pollen based on its availability and nutritional content, and store it for fermentation into bee bread. Second, nurses regulate their nutrient intake by selectively feeding on bee breads of different nutritional compositions. We predict that the nutritional content of pollen changes seasonally, but that both foragers and nurse bees can assess these changes and respond appropriately (Figure 1). However, we also predict that a decrease in pollen diversity in agricultural and urban settings limits honey bees' nutritional regulation process and negatively impacts colony health.Our long-term goalis to develop a standardized and multidimensional nutritional approach for characterizing and quantifying the key suite of nutrients that influence honey bee foraging behavior and colony-level performance. Our results will enable us to develop solutions tailored to agricultural, rural, and urban settings that mitigate the serious economic and agricultural problems associated with poor honey bee health.Objective 1.Perform a multidimensional nutrient analysis of pollen to characterize the nutritional space for honey bees in selected agricultural, urban, and rural settings at different times of the year, and determine how the consumption of different pollen types affects colony health.Hypothesis 1:Pollen diversity is lowest in agricultural sites, intermediate in urban sites, and highest in rural sites. Given this trend, the nutritional space available for honey bee foragers will be narrow in agricultural sites, intermediate in urban sites, and broad in rural sites. Also, colony health will be highest in rural settings and lowest in agricultural settings.Objective 2.Perform a multidimensional nutrient analysis of bee bread to understand the role of pre-digestive pollen processing in the hive. This will bridge the gap between nutritional inputs (i.e.,bee-collected pollen) and the diet available to the nurses (i.e.,bee bread).Hypothesis 2:The nutritional content of bee bread differs from pollen in a predictable fashion, contributing to its easier digestibility and longer preservation, but reducing its content in essential fatty acids.Objective 3.Determine the extent to which nurse bee feeding behavior and metabolism is influenced by diet fatty acid composition and measure its impact on colony-level performance, particularly to understand how fatty acids are metabolized by nurse bees to produce brood food.Hypothesis 3:Essential fatty acids (i.e.,fatty acids that cannot be synthesizedde novoand must be acquired from the diet) such as linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) are critical for developing honey bees. Thus, their intake should be tightly regulated, especially in nurse bees that require these lipids for their own development and for the production of brood food. We predict that the amounts and ratios of omega-6 and omega-3, and their metabolites, will be under strict regulation in the brood food, and that departures from functionally optimal quantities will have significant repercussions on colony health and development.
Project Methods
3. APPROACH3.1. Objective 1. Perform a comprehensive nutrient analysis of pollen to characterize the multidimensional nutritional space available to honey bees in agricultural, urban, and rural (non-agricultural) settings at different times of the year.3.1.2. Proposed approach for Objective 13.1.2.1. Experiment 1: Multidimensional elemental and lipid analysis of pollen collected from agricultural, rural, and urban settings.We will collect pollen from colonies located in three different types of landscapes: agricultural, rural, and urban. Pollen will be analyzed for total protein content (using the Dumas combustion assay), total lipid content (using the Folch assay), fatty acid content (using GC-MS to characterize fatty acid profiles qualitatively and quantitatively), and ten physiologically important elements (P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and B).Hypothesis: Pollen from agricultural settings will be mostly monofloral, while pollen collected pollen from rural and urban areas will be polyfloral. Variation in nutrient content will be high in rural settings, intermediate in urban settings, and low in agricultural settings.We expect more variability in colony health in agricultural settings depending on the type of crop. Urban and rural colonies will be more homogenous, while rural colonies will be the healthiest.3.2. Objective 2. Perform a multidimensional nutrient analysis of bee bread to understand the role of pre-digestive pollen processing in the hive. This will bridge the gap between nutritional inputs (i.e., bee-collected pollen) and the diet available to nurses (i.e., bee bread).3.2.2. Proposed approach for Objective 23.2.2.1. Experiment 2: Role of foragers on the nutritional composition of bee bread.Five-frame nucleus colonies will be placed under individual canopies and provided with one of three types of bee-collected pollen, or ablend of the three pollen types. The foragers will be allowed to collect pollen and store it in an empty frame. After five days of pollen collection and storage, the pollen frames will be collected and kept in an incubator for three weeks, to ensure sufficient pollen fermentation for it to be considered bee bread (Nagai et al. 2004, Somerville 2005). The nutritional analysis (nitrogen, lipid, fatty acid, and elemental content) of the pollen before and after fermentation will inform us on the nutritional changes associated with fermentation. The floral species composition of the bee bread cells under the blended types of pollen treatment will inform us on the nature of the pollen manipulation during storage.With respect to the effect of fermentation on pollen nutritional content, we propose two hypotheses (Ha).Ha1: Pollen fermentation breaks down large molecules into simpler components (DeGrandi-Hoffman et al. 2013a) and converts various unsaturated fatty acids into fewer types of saturated fatty acids (Van der Vorst 1982, Human & Nicolson 2006), leading to a nutritional convergence of different pollen types during fermentation.Ha2: Fermentation could contribute to increased complexity and diversity of nutrients (e.g., polyunsaturated fatty acids (?eksteryt? et al. 2016)), and lead to the nutritional divergence of pollen types during fermentation.Regarding pollen storage:Ha1: Pollen loads are placed in cells irrespective of the type of pollen already present in the cell. OrHa2: Foragers could selectively deposit their pollen loads in cells containing similar pollens and increase the nutritional differences between cells or, deposit the pollen loads in cells containing a different type of pollen to decrease the nutritional differences between cells.3.3. Objective 3.Determine the extent to which nurse bee feeding behavior is influenced by diet fatty acid composition, and its impact on metabolism and colony performance.3.3.2. Proposed experimental approaches for Objective 33.3.2.1. Experimental cages.Our experimental cages will simulate in-hive conditions: nurses will be provided a piece of comb containing larvae to feed; adjacent to the brood will be the artificialfood. The cages will be built from translucent polypropylene containers (diameter: 100 mm; height: 150 mm) lined with a wire mesh to facilitate movement. Each cage will have two gravity feeders, one with 50% w/w sucrose-water solution, the other with pure water. A fragment of comb containing the brood will be embedded, vertically, in a foam board frame in the cage. Openings on both sides of the lower part of the cage will allow entry of a food tray without disturbing the bees. The tray will be composed of a foam board frame pierced with two holes. Each hole can receive a food dish (plastic queen cup, diameter: 8 mm; height: 8 mm). The cages (Figure 5) will be kept under controlled conditions in an incubator (dark, 34°C, 60% RH).3.3.2.2. Experiment 1: Lipid intake regulation with respect to oil's fatty acid composition.This no-choice experiment explores which fatty acid's characteristic is the main driver of lipid regulation in nurse bees.Ha1: Nurses regulate their lipid intake based on fatty acid saturation.Ha2: Nurses regulate lipid intake based on the lipid's relative amounts of LA and ALA.3.3.2.3. Experiment 2: Lipid intake regulation with respect to fatty acid concentration and metabolism.The aim of this experiment is to determine whether nurse bees regulate the amount of fatty acids they consume and the metabolic fate of the consumed fatty acids.Ha1: Nurses do not regulate the amount of fatty acid collected; amounts of artificial food eaten across treatments will be the same regardless of the fatty acid concentrations.Ha2: Nurses prefer some key fatty acid concentrations; the artificial foods containing the preferred fatty acid concentrations are more stimulatory and are eaten in larger amounts; smaller amounts are eaten as the fatty acid concentration diverges from the preferred concentration.Ha3: Nurses tightly regulate their intake of fatty acids; dilute foods are eaten in larger amounts to compensate for the lower concentration in fatty acids, and the most concentrated foods are eaten in lower amounts to avoid over-consumption of fatty acids. This is the idea of compensatory feeding (Behmer 2009a; 2009b).3.3.2.4. Experiment 3: Fatty acid intake target regulation - SFA vs. UFA.Here our aim is to determine whether nurse bees actively regulate their diet consumption to reach a defined intake target when only imbalanced foods are available. Two types of artificial foods will be provided per experimental colony, allowing the nurse bees to freely select each of the foods. The focus here is on the regulation of fatty acidclasses: saturated fatty acids (SFA) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA). The treatments will be selected based on the results of experiments 3 and 4 (see below). Experiment 3 will give us an estimate of the preferred proportion of SFA to UFA, and from those results, we will select a pair of artificial foods that comprise this value. Flaxseed oil has the highest UFA concentration and Palm oil the lowest (Figure 6). The blend of equal parts of the three oils (flaxseed, soybean, and palm) has a more balanced proportion of SFA to UFA. Thus, these three oils will be used to make the artificial foods for this experiment. Experiment 4 will inform us on the preferred concentration of fatty acids in the diet (expected to be~8%). Therefore, we will test a lower and a higher concentration, to determine if nurses can simultaneously regulate the quantity of food collected. However, if the preferred experimental food in the first or second experiment is very different from the expected values, the oils and concentration used will be re-evaluated accordingly.Hypothesis (Ha): Nurse bee fatty acid preferences will be strongly biased towards a high proportion of UFA compared to SFA.

Progress 03/01/24 to 02/28/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this proposed work includes the following: • Scientific community interested in the fields of honey bee biology, apiculture, social insects, animal behavior, behavioral ecology, toxicology • The beekeeping community in the state of Texas and in the United States • The farming community that is directly or indirectly involved in using honey bees for crop pollination, or those who own or operate farms where pesticides might be used to control crop pests • The students at Texas A&M University who will be involved in designing, carrying out, analyzing, and presenting experiments as well as taking courses relevant/related to this grant • The general public, as an increase in honey bee health will help increase food security in the country Changes/Problems:Objective 1: Honey bee colony loss issue: A significant challenge we've encountered is colony loss in both urban and rural areas, directly impacting the number of samples available for nutritional analysis in the first year. To mitigate this, we are procuring additional colonies to replace those lost. This is essential for continuing data collection into the second year, particularly for pollen and bee bread samples. Amount of pollen and method of quantification: Throughout the first year, we faced significant challenges in lipid extraction due to varying pollen amounts and quantification mechanisms. We have made significant progress on this front and are currently writing a short methodological review report "Revisiting Lipid Extraction Methods in Pollinator Studies: Insights and Limitations". This report will be valuable for future researchers aiming to quantify constant lipid presence in pollen. Sample preparation issue for MetaDNA barcoding: As outlined in the proposal for the MetaDNA barcoding technique to study pollen diversity from urban and rural areas, we initially planned to prepare pollen soup and use it as a template for PCR. However, we encountered significant challenges in successfully amplifying the ITS from the crude and library preparation as part of the MetaDNA barcoding process. The crude extracts were not stable, leading to DNA degradation, and were unsuitable for reliable amplification. Therefore, the method was modified to include DNA extraction using the Omega kit, which enabled us to obtain pure, PCR inhibitor-free DNA, ensuring successful amplification of the ITS region for the intended purpose. Objective 3: Regarding efforts to encourage egg laying by a caged queen using bee-drawn comb cells on empty wax sheets, this approach proved unsuccessful. The bees took longer to build the comb, and concurrently, workers were storing pollen and honey in the cells. This made it unsuitable to cage the queen, as it hindered the production of a greater number of eggs. Consequently, we opted to acquire BetterComb Deep Combs to facilitate egg laying by caged queens for both brood development and nurse bee collection in upcoming experiments. We observed varying queen performance based on the type of cage used; specifically, when using a steel mesh wired net with the same size as the deep foundation frame, the queen did not lay eggs. However, when using the queen net, the queen laid eggs in nearly 80% of cases within 48 hours. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We conducted a queen rearing workshop (2023-2024), where we discussed the current project and had a valuable opportunity to interact with beekeepers from Texas. This workshop directly benefited the beekeepers by providing them with the knowledge to maintain their colonies by supplementing the required proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids in the form of an artificial diet called bee bread, especially when the colony struggles to obtain enough nutrients. Additionally, this project has provided direct benefits to both graduate and undergraduate students. They received training from a post-doctoral research associate on the molecular and nutritional analysis of corbicular pollen from different landscapes (including molecular taxonomy, protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and mineral quantification). The funding for the graduate and postdoctoral students working on the project has enabled them to participate in departmental seminars and research discussion meetings, which have professionally helped them enhance their knowledge and skills. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During our department seminar, the post-doctoral research associate for this project delivered a talk on Arthropod Physiology and Behavior: Insights Using RNA Interference and Metabolomics as part of the Fall Department Seminar Series, conducted by the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA, on September 18, 2024. His presentation focused on future biotechnology tools for managing the honey bee ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, and highlighted the importance of this project in examining nutritional variations in honey bees collecting pollen from different landscapes. The talk was followed by a discussion among academic staff and students. Additionally, our project team (principal investigators, graduate student, and post-doc) continuously participates in local beekeeping meetings to discuss our project aims and gather support from local beekeepers: Participated in the 14th Annual Central Texas Beekeepers School Meeting at Brenham, Texas, USA on March 2, 2024. Participated in the Brazos Valley Beekeepers School at Bryan, Texas, USA on September 14, 2024. Demonstrated at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, Bryan, during Festive Boonville Days on October 12, 2024, where we educated schoolchildren about honey bees and their products. The results from the objectives were also presented at an international conference and departmental seminars by the graduate students. ?The results from Objective 1 were presented at the Entomological Society of America (ESA) Annual National Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, under the title "Exploring the Effects of Nutrient Content in Pollen Collected by Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) from Different Landscapes on Colony Growth." on November 11th, 2024 Additionally, the preliminary results and study design of Objective 1 were presented as an oral presentation at the 27th Annual Graduate Student Forum in the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University under the title "Exploring the Effects of Nutrient Content in Pollen Collected by Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) from Different Landscapes on Colony Growth.", on August 16, 2024. Moreover, the results from Objective 1 will be presented by our post-doctoral research associate at the upcoming Southwestern Branch Meeting-2025 in Round Rock, Texas. He will be delivering a talk titled "Seasonal- and Landscape-Driven Variation in Plant Taxonomic Diversity and Macronutrient Composition of Honey Bee-Collected Pollen in Urban and Rural Environments." This talk will be valuable to both the scientific community and beekeepers, helping them understand the nutritional quality and quantity of pollen from different landscapes and how these nutrient variations impact colony strength. This presentation will foster interaction with academic and research communities. The outcomes of our research work and data are currently under analysis for publication, which will help extend the findings to a global audience. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the first year of the project, we established 25 honey bee colonies in urban locations and 19 colonies in rural areas. Unfortunately, a significant number of colonies were lost. Reports from beekeepers and honey bee research centers indicate that colony losses this year have been higher than usual, suggesting broader environmental or ecological stressors.? As a team, we are conducting a comprehensive, multidimensional pollen nutritional analysis to investigate the relationship between landscape composition and honey bee colony development. Our goal is to identify nutritional gaps and mitigate colony stress, ensuring sustainable food resources for both honey bees and agricultural systems. To address these challenges and revitalize the project, we plan to undertake the following strategic actions:?

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1 Actions or steps taken: Due to the peak purchasing period for colonies from commercial producers, we received our package colonies in early May, causing us to miss the spring sampling period for 2024. To address this, an additional spring sampling is planned for 2025. On May 10, 2024, we established 44 purchased package colonies, each weighing approximately 1-1.5 kg (2-3 lbs.) with a queen, in five-frame nucleus colonies at the Janice and John G. Thomas Honey Bee Facility on the RELLIS Campus of Texas A&M University in Bryan, TX. At the time of establishment, each package colony contained approximately three frames of bees. Throughout May, the colonies were fed a 1:1 sugar-water solution using external one-kilogram jar feeders attached to the hive entrances, adjusting the feeding based on their consumption. During this period, the colonies developed steadily, reaching approximately 4-6 frames of bees. In the first week of June, we equalized all 25 colonies to standardize adult bee population, brood population, and nutritional resources. Each colony was adjusted to contain approximately five frames of bees with uniform feeding resources. After equalization, the colonies were transferred to ten-frame experimental hives and relocated to their final urban sites, with five colonies placed at each location. By the first week of July, the colonies had continued to develop, and we conducted an assessment. During this July assessment, we also collected corbicular pollen and bee bread samples using external pollen traps, marking our summer sampling period. Simultaneously, the remaining 19 five-frame nucleus colonies were fed and equalized throughout June. As they developed, they were transferred to ten-frame experimental hives. By late June, once fully developed and equalized, these colonies were moved to their final rural locations. The relocation was structured as follows: five colonies were placed at each of two locations, while the remaining three locations each received three colonies, for a total of five rural sites. These colonies were then assessed and sampled in early July as part of the rural summer sampling. Corbicular pollen and bee bread samples were collected from all colonies and were transported to the Honey Bee Lab at Texas A&M University and stored at -20 °C. Following the summer sampling, all colonies underwent an additional assessment in mid-August to monitor their development. However, pollen samples were not collected during this evaluation. Subsequently, in early October, colonies were again assessed and sampled during the fall sampling period, with corbicular pollen and bee bread samples collected at that time. A final fall assessment was conducted in mid-November to evaluate colony conditions before winter. During this assessment, all colonies were fed a 1:1 sugar-water mixture, and Varroa mite and hive beetle treatments were administered as needed. Apivar® (amitraz, Véto-pharma, France) were used for Varroa destructor control, while mechanical hive beetle management was implemented using Swiffer pads and mineral oil traps. In summary, we outlined a two-year data collection plan spanning the spring, summer, and fall of each year, with data gathered from our experimental colonies. In the first year, data was collected from both urban and rural locations during the summer and fall seasons. The second year of data collection is scheduled to begin in late April, 2025, marking the start of the second-year spring sampling period. As stated in the proposal, we will analyze monocultural crop pollen pollinated by honey bees across the United States. To achieve this, we collaborated with multiple universities and honey bee research laboratories to collect monocultural pollen from six key crops: almond, blueberry, cherry, cotton, watermelon, and meadowfoam. All collected samples were transported to the Honey Bee Lab at Texas A&M University and stored at -20°C to maintain their integrity for further analysis. Adult Honey Bee Population Summary As described in the Actions and Steps Taken section, honey bee packages were established in five-frame nucleus hives, each initially containing approximately three frames of bees, meaning three full frames were covered with bees on both sides. After the colonies settled and were transferred to ten-frame experimental hives, they were assessed four times during the summer and fall season of 2024 at their final urban and rural locations.? Brood Development Summary As described in the Actions and Steps Taken section, honey bee colonies were monitored for brood development through multiple assessments across different field locations. Both capped brood and open brood levels were evaluated over time to identify trends in colony growth and seasonal variations. During the first summer assessment, colonies in both urban and rural locations showed similar brood levels, with mean capped brood averaging four frames. Statistical analysis indicated no significant difference between urban and rural colonies (p = 0.0875). By the second assessment in mid-August, colony populations increased to approximately five frames of capped brood, with no statistically significant differences between urban and rural locations (p = 0.438). In the fall assessment, capped brood levels declined significantly across all locations, with an average reduction of two frames. Statistical analysis showed a highly significant effect of sampling period on brood development (F = 23.933, p < 0.001), confirming that brood levels changed significantly over time. However, the interaction effect between field location and sampling period was not significant (p = 0.1469), indicating that brood decline occurred consistently across both urban and rural colonies. For open brood, a similar trend was observed. Statistical analysis revealed a significant effect of sampling period (F = 16.967, p < 0.001), suggesting that open brood fluctuated over time. However, field location had no significant effect (p = 0.438), and there was no significant interaction between field location and sampling period (p = 0.129). Post-hoc analysis using Tukey's HSD test confirmed that the third sampling period had significantly lower mean capped brood compared to the first and second periods (Third vs. First: p < 0.0001; Third vs. Second: p < 0.0001). However, differences between the first and second sampling periods were not significant (p = 0.248). The final assessment parameters have not yet been fully analyzed, and further evaluation is in progress. These results suggest that brood production is primarily influenced by time rather than location, highlighting the importance of seasonal changes in honey bee colony health. ? Objective 3 ?As a result of Objective 3, we developed the mini-cage setup as per the proposal and executed a pilot experiment to evaluate how to prepare the diet, control moisture, and assess the effect of the diet on nurse honey bee survival and brood rearing behaviors. We improved in the mini-cage set up for the up-coming experiment. We found that there was no effect on the oil addition in the diet on bees' survival. We tried to make bee drawn empty comb for egg laying by caged queen but it was not successful. So, we purchased the BetterComb Deep Comb for egg laying by caged queen for both brood and collecting nurse bee for the forthcoming experiment. Our pilot scale revealed that three days old egg or freshly hatched larvae (0-day larvae) and nurse bee (6 days old) right stage to be used for the feeding experiment. This stage nurse bee shows more caring on the younger larvae.

Publications

  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. March 2024
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. May 2024
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. July 2024
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. September 2024
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. November 2024
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: J Rangel. Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. January 2025
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: J Rangel. Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. March 2025
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Rangel J, Houston B, Aurell D, Steinhauer NA, Fauvel AM, Meredith A. Quantifying Texas honey bee health risks associated with dominant beekeeper business models to improve colony survival, honey production, and crop pollination services. American Bee Research Conference. New Orleans, LA. 12 January 2024. NV
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Erin Jones, Juliana Rangel, Ashley Mortensen, James Sainsbury. Effect of colony-wide physiological state on honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination efficiency. Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society of America meeting. Oral presentation. Albuquerque, NM. 23 April 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Invited Seminar Speaker, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Title: "Dont compromise: food lipid content shapes protein-lipid regulation in honey bee (Apis mellifera) nurses." 26 November 2024 Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Invited Seminar Speaker, Department of Entomology and Nematology, UC Davis. Title: "Dont compromise: food lipid content shapes protein-lipid regulation in honey bee (Apis mellifera) nurses." 8 October 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Erin Jones, Juliana Rangel, Ashley Mortensen, James Sainsbury. Invited speaker, New Zealands 5th Honey Bee Research Symposium Plant & Food Research, Kirikiriroa-Hamilton, New Zealand. 17 June 2024. Title: "Effect of colony-wide physiological state on honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination efficiency."
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Bozkus M, Mani K, Behmer S, Rangel J. Exploring the effects of nutrient content in pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) from different landscapes on colony growth. ESA annual meeting. Phoenix, AZ. 11 November 2024. NV
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Tsuruda J, Bartlett L, Breece C, Caranton O, Chakrabarti P, Cook S, Goblirsch M, Jack C, Johnson J, Koh D, Lau P, Li-Byarlay H, Kroh D, McCalman P, Meikle W, Parton C, Rangel J, Rinkevich F, Rogers S, Sagili R, Shabel A, Sheridan A, Sweatman M, Tokach R, Topitzhofer E, Underwood R, Weiss M, Williams G. Clustering together to characterize winter brood production. American Bee Research Conference. New Orleans, LA. 11 January 2024. Poster Presentation. NV
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Quantifying Texas honey bee health risks associated with dominant beekeeper business models to improve colony survival, honey production and crop pollination services Rangel, J; Houston, B; Aurell, D; Steinhauer, NA; Fauvel, AM; Meredith, A Part 1: Gilchrist IR, L�pez-Uribe MM, Chakrabarti,P., Harpur, BA. Proceedings of the 2024 American Bee Research Conference, Part 1. Bee Culture. https://doi.org/10.55406/ABRC.4.24.1
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jones E*, Mortensen A, Sainsbury J, Rangel J. Effect of colony-wide physiological state on honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination efficiency. ESA annual meeting. Phoenix, AZ. 11 November 2024. NV
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Guest interview for the radio program Garden Success hosted by Skip Richter. KAMU 90.9, Brazos Valleys NPR station. Re-run. 4 May 2024. PRI. https://kamu.tamu.edu/podcast/garden-success-5-2-2024-dr-juliana-rangel-associate-professor-of-apiculture-in-the-department-of-entomology-texas-am-university/
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Invited Speaker, "Nutritional ecology of honey bees in a changing landscape." Back Yard Beekeepers Association Meeting. Weston, CT. 28 May 2024
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: J Rangel. Guest interview for the webinar series Liga de La Ciencia, Chile. Title: La importancia de las abejas para el bienestar humano, hosted by Ana Maria Mora. 5 July 2024. PRI. https://www.instagram.com/ligadelacienciaong/
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Bozkus M*, Mani K, Behmer S, Rangel J (2024) Exploring the effects of nutrient content in pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) from different landscapes on colony growth. Texas A&M Universitys Entomology Graduate Student Forum.


Progress 03/01/23 to 02/29/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this proposed work includes the following: • Scientific community interested in the fields of honey bee biology, apiculture, social insects, animal behavior, behavioral ecology, toxicology • The beekeeping community in the state of Texas and in the United States • The farming community that is directly or indirectly involved in using honey bees for crop pollination, or those who own or operate farms where pesticides might be used to control crop pests • The students at Texas A&M University who will be involved in designing, carrying out, analyzing, and presenting experiments as well as taking courses relevant/related to this grant • The general public, as an increase in honey bee health will help increase food security in the country Changes/Problems: In January 2024 we recruited Mr. Mustafa Bozkus, M.S., as a full-time Ph. D. student that will be working mostly on objectives 1 and 2. It took time for us to recruit Mustafa because he was the perfect candidate for the position but he didn't finish his MS from Oregon State University until December 2023. Therefore, we are a bit behind on achieving our goals, but we will be catching up this and next year with Mustafa's hard work and dedication to the project. Mustafa just successfully completed his first semester at Texas A&M University and will be working full time on this project in summer 2024.He has already created 25 of the 50 colonies needed for the landscape colony growth experiment, and is getting ready to place them in their urban and rural settings. A similar situation happened in fall 2023 we recruited Mr. Kannan Mani, Ph. D. as a full-time postdoctoral research associate that will be working mostly on objectives 3 and 4 of the project. It took time for Kannan to move to the U.S. because 1) he is a citizen of India, and 2) prior to coming here he was a postdoc in Israel, and then the war in that country ensued, so Kannan was air-evacuated by the country of India and sent back to his country for safety. So, it took more months than expected for Kannan to finally get all the paperwork he needed to get his work visa in place. As soon as he started in spring 2024, he hit the ground running and is already performing experiments on the macronutrient content of several types of pollen samples. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students Mustafa Bozkus and Keegan Nichols are actively involved in the following organizations: The Entomology Graduate Student Organization (Texas A&M University) The Texas Beekeepers Association The Central Texas Beekeepers Association The Entomological Society of America (ESA). As such, they have already presented their work at the following venues: The Texas Beekeepers Association's annual convention in Temple, TX, November 2023 The Central Texas Beekeepers Association's bee school in Brenham, TX, March 2024 Texas A&M University's Student Research Week, College Station, TX, March 2024 The Southwestern Branch of the ESA's annual meeting in Albuquerque, NM, April 2024 Postdoc Kannan Mani has been asked to join the following organizations so that he can present his preliminary work at their respective conferences in 2024 and 2025: The Texas Beekeepers Association The Central Texas Beekeepers Association The Entomological Society of America (ESA) The Southwestern Branch of the ESA All of the students and staff involved in this project are encouraged to participate in professional development activities offered by the Texas A&M University's Center for Teaching Excellence, our weekly laboratory meetings, our monthly Departmental meetings, and we have one-on-one mentor-mentee meetings at least every two weeks to assess progress and determine next steps, etc. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dr. Rangel and/or her postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects attended and presented oral talks or posters at least one scientific conference per year, in one of the following conferences: • Annual National and Regional meetings of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), 2023 • American Bee Research Conference, 2023 • Graduate Research Forum, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, 2023 • American Beekeeping Federation Annual meeting, 2023 • Texas Beekeepers Association annual convention, 2023 • Texas Beekeepers Association summer clinic, 2023, 2024 • Central Texas Beekeepers Association Bee School, 2023, 2024 • Brazos Valley (TX) Beekeepers Association Bee School, 2023 The PI, postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects attended and presented oral talks or posters at least one beekeeping meeting per year to share our results with the beekeeping community, at: • Texas Beekeepers Association Summer Clinic or Annual Convention • American Beekeeping Federation • Local, county beekeepers association in TX • Heartland Beekeepers Association or any State or Regional Beekeeping conference • Eastern Apicultural Society meeting The PI, postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects also attended and presented oral talks or posters at least one university-wide conference or meeting per year to share our results with the local academic/student community, which can be any combination of the following conferences: • Texas A&M University Department of Entomology's Annual Graduate Research Forum • Texas A&M University Department of Entomology's Seminar Series • Ecological Symposium, Texas A&M University • Student Research Week, Texas A&M University The PI, postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects attended and presented in at least one community outreach event to share our results with the public and communicate our work through outreach activities to our local community, which can be any combination of the following conferences: • Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History's Boom Days • Texas A&M University's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Annual Tailgate We will continue to train undergraduate and graduate students, research staff and postdoctoral research associates to accomplish the research, service and outreach goals set by this Hatch Project, as we have been doing for the last eight years. We will change knowledge of the students and postdocs involved in the projects through: • Development, execution, and delivery of research projects • Completion of graduate level courses at Texas A&M University that will help increase the knowledge of students in the field of Entomology and Apiculture • Weekly laboratory meetings with all members of the Rangel Lab to assess progress in all objectives • Instruction of Honey Bee Biology, and Honey Bee Management courses at the undergraduate level at Texas A&M University • Development and execution of several scientific techniques/tools to accomplish research goals The target audience for this proposed work includes the following: • The scientific community interested in the fields of honey bee biology, apiculture, social insects, animal behavior, behavioral ecology, toxicology, entomology • The beekeeping community in the state of Texas and in the United States • The farming community that is directly or indirectly involved in using honey bees for crop pollination, or those who own or operate farms where pesticides might be used to control crop pests • The students at Texas A&M University who will be involved in designing, carrying out, analyzing, and presenting experiments as well as taking courses relevant/related to this grant • The general public, as an increase in honey bee health will help increase food security in the country What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Now that we have all the personnel needed for this project, we will be performing the first round of experiments for all objectives in 2024 and early 2025, and plan on presenting our work at events and create products, as follows: We will participate in the following events: The PI, postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects will attend and present oral talks or posters at least one scientific conference per year, which can be any combination of the following conferences: Annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) American Bee Research Conference Biannual meeting of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects Annual meeting of the Southwestern Branch of ESA Animal Behavior Society International Society of Behavioral Ecology The PI, postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects will attend and present oral talks or posters at least one beekeeping meeting per year to share our results with the beekeeping community, which can be any combination of the following conferences: Texas Beekeepers Association Summer Clinic or Annual Convention American Beekeeping Federation Local, county beekeepers association in TX Heartland Beekeepers Association or any State or Regional Beekeeping conference The PI, postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects will attend and present oral talks or posters at least one university-wide conference or meeting per year to share our results with the local academic/student community, which can be any combination of the following conferences: Texas A&M University Department of Entomology's Annual Graduate Research Forum Texas A&M University Department of Entomology's Seminar Series Ecological Symposium, Texas A&M University Student Research Week, Texas A&M University The PI, postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects will participate in at least one community outreach event per year to share our results with the public and communicate our work through outreach activities with our local community, which can be any combination of the following conferences: Brazos Valley Worldfest Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History's Boom Days Texas A&M University's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Annual Tailgate Products We will produce the following: The PI, postdoctoral research fellow, graduate student(s) and undergraduate student(s) involved in these projects will produce at least two of the following tangible products per year to share our results with the public: Scientific articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals Articles in Trade magazines such as American Bee Journal, Bee Culture Columns in the Texas Beekeepers Association Journal Blogs and posts in social media sites such as the Facebook page of the TAMU honey bee lab, or its website Oral presentations, posters, and outreach events outlined above

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Throughout summer and fall 2023, we placed a national call for a Ph. D. student and a postdoctoral research associate through all our contacts, social media platforms, and we paid and advertisement in the Entomological Society of America's job postings site. In January 2024 we recruited Mr. Mustafa Bozkus, M.S., as a full-time Ph. D. student that will be working mostly on objectives 1 and 2. It took time for us to recruit Mustafa because he was the perfect candidate for the position but he didn't finish his MS from Oregon State University until December 2023. Therefore, we are a bit behind on achieving our goals, but we will be catching up this and next year with Mustafa's hard work and dedication to the project. Mustafa just successfully completed his first semester at Texas A&M University and will be working full time on this project in summer 2024.He has already created 25 of the 50 colonies needed for the landscape colony growth experiment, and is getting ready to place them in their urban and rural settings. A similar situation happened in fall 2023 we recruited Mr. Kannan Mani, Ph. D. as a full-time postdoctoral research associate that will be working mostly on objectives 3 and 4 of the project. It took time for Kannan to move to the U.S. because 1) he is a citizen of India, and 2) prior to coming here he was a postdoc in Israel, and then the war in that country ensued, so Kannan was air-evacuated by the country of India and sent back to his country for safety. So, it took more months than expected for Kannan to finally get all the paperwork he needed to get his work visa in place. As soon as he started in spring 2024, he hit the ground running and is already performing experiments on the macronutrient content of several types of pollen samples. We continue to receive support from Dr. Tonya Shepherd, Senior Research Associate in our laboratory, who is in charge of placing all orders and making sure that all supplies and equipment are procured. Also, she is in charge of all safety training in the laboratory and the apiary, and makes sure that every person involved in this project is trained first before working in the lab or in the field. We also continue to receive support from Mr. Keegan Nichols, who is our part-time apiary manager, and also a Ph D student in our lab,and who has been taking care of our honey bee colonies, which are needed for the experiments. We have recruited two undergraduate students from Texas A&M University to work part time in our laboratory this summer and fall (2024) to assist Mr. Bozkus and Dr. Mani in their data collection and experiments. We have signed a contract with Dr. Joe Sullivan from Ardea Consulting to perform the GIS analysis of the landscape composition of each site from which we will be collecting pollen samples for our experiments. He will be receiving the GPS coordinates of the sites in May 2024, and will take 2-3 months to send us the results of the analyses.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. March 2023
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. May 2023
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. July 2023
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. September 2023
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. November 2023
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. January 2024
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Bi-monthly article (6 issues per year: Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec). Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. March 2024