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28 November 2018 Textured Hive Interiors Increase Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Propolis–Hoarding Behavior
Cynthia R. L. Hodges, Keith S. Delaplane, Berry J. Brosi
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Abstract

Numerous papers have shown that propolis contributes favorably to worker honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) immune response and colony social immunity. Moreover, resin-foraging specialists are more sensitive than pollen foragers to tactile information in the nest interior, and they respond to these stimuli by collecting more resin. In this study, we show that in-hive propolis deposition is increased, compared with nonmodified controls, with any one of the three methods for increasing textural complexity of hive wall interior surfaces: 1) plastic propolis trap material stapled to wall interior, 2) parallel saw kerfs cut into wall interior, or 3) roughening wall interior with a mechanized wire brush. Pairwise comparisons showed that propolis deposition was not significantly different among the three textural treatments; however, textural treatments interacted with time to show a more consistent benefit from plastic propolis trap material or roughened interior surface over saw kerfs. Although direct health benefits were not measured, this work shows that it is comparatively simple to increase propolis deposition above background levels by increasing textural stimuli in hive interiors.

© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
Cynthia R. L. Hodges, Keith S. Delaplane, and Berry J. Brosi "Textured Hive Interiors Increase Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Propolis–Hoarding Behavior," Journal of Economic Entomology 112(2), 986-990, (28 November 2018). https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toy363
Received: 17 August 2018; Accepted: 17 October 2018; Published: 28 November 2018
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KEYWORDS
Apis mellifera
foraging
honey bee health
plant resins
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