Effects of different artificial diets on commercial honey bee colony performance, health biomarkers, and gut microbiota

• Published in: BMC veterinary research Vol. 18; no. 1; p. 52
• Main Authors: Ricigliano, Vincent A., Williams, Steven T., Oliver, Randy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 21.01.2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: almonds; amino acid composition; Amino acids; Analysis; Animal nutrition; Animals; apiaries; Apis mellifera; Artificial diets; Beekeeping; Bees; Bifidobacterium; Biological markers; Biomarkers; California; Colonies; Diet; Diet - veterinary; digestive system; Disease control; Disease susceptibility; essential amino acids; experimental diets; forage; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gene expression; Gilliamella; Growth; Gut microbiota; Health aspects; honey bee colonies; honey bees; Honeybee; humans; Intestinal microflora; intestinal microorganisms; Leucine; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Nutrition; Observations; Pathogens; Plant reproduction; Pollen; Pollination; population size; spring; Sugars; Testing; Tryptophan; California; United States > US

Honey bee colonies managed for agricultural pollination are highly dependent on human inputs, especially for disease control and supplemental nutrition. Hives are routinely fed artificial "pollen substitute" diets to compensate for insufficient nutritional forage in the environment. The ai...