THE SUPERBOOST SAGA: DEVELOPMENT
OF A NEW PRODUCT BASED ON THE
HONEY BEE BROOD PHEROMONE
John H. Borden
Chief Scientific Officer
Contech Enterprises Inc.
OUTLINE
• Brood pheromone:
how it works
• Product development
and testing
• Product improvement
• Revitalization of overwintered colonies
• Honey yield and economics
• Future prospects
BROOD PHEROMONE:
HOW IT WORKS
• Blend of 10 fatty-acid
esters.
• Produced in salivary
glands of honey bee
drone, worker, and
queen larvae.
• Pheromone tells
workers we are here
and we are hungry.
Yves LeConte
INRA, Avingon
BROOD PHEROMONE
PRIMES THE PUMP
• Sustained exposure causes
enriched protein content in the
hypopharyngeal and
mandibular glands.
• This leads to better nutrition of
both larvae and the queen.
• In turn, this results in more
vigorous larvae and greater
oviposition by the queen.
Tanya Pankiw
Texas A&M
SYNTHETIC BROOD
PHEROMONE MODIFIES
BEHAVIOR
• Up to 150% more pollen
foragers.
• Greater pollen loads returned
to the hive.
• More nectar foragers.
• More frequent foraging trips.
• Greater consumption of
supplementary protein and
sugar in winter.
Almost……...But it took four long years
while we:
• learned how tostabilize the pheromone by
adding a food-grade antioxidant,
• demonstrated durable stability, and
• experimented with 13 potential release devices
before we found one that worked.
LUCKY 13!
• Pouch has polyethylene
release membrane
and Mylar backing.
• Non-volatile pheromone
exudes through membrane
at ca. 0.3 mg per day.
• Removal of pheromone allows more to exude.
• Device (SuperBoost) suspended between
frames by wire or plastic holder.
SUPERBOOST PROTOTYPE HAD SAME
EFFECT AS SYNTHETIC PHEROME
Texas A&M Experiment
September-October 2007
• More pollen foragers.
• More pollen brought
back to the hive.
• More adults.
• More brood.
WE’RE THERE!
(or so we thought……..)
Onour Moeri and John Borden
2008 Langley Bee Club
Fall Symposium
• No increase in brood
or adult population after
105 days.
• No positive effect on
foraging.
• Only a little positive feedback from users of
SuperBoost around the world.
• We promised to return.
After the 2008 Fall Symposium..........
Mike Campbell, our collaborating
beekeeper, reported
- honey harvest two weeks earlier in
SuperBoost-treated colonies, and
- double the honey harvest from treated
colonies (pooled, no statisical analysis)
This gave us hope
through the winter.
DURING THE WINTER………………
We examined the
product very carefully,
looking for ways in
which its performance
could be improved.
SEARCH FOR THE
MAGIC BULLET
• Compared commercial device stored at
room temperature to freshly-loaded device.
• Measured brood pheromone release
rates by wiping and gas chromatographic
analysis of removed pheromone.
SuperBoost devices stored at room temperature
did not perform as expected.
HYPOTHESIS
The polyethylene membrane becomes fouled
during storage at ambient temperature.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION
Freeze device after
manufacturing and store
in freezer.
Freezing SuperBoost eliminates the problem.
Shipping SuperBoost unfrozen for short periods
will not affect performance.
We were so proud of our
first holder, but it………..
• melted in exuded
pheromone
• required too many steps
to assemble and insert,
• jammed when inserted,
and
• hung at an angle so that
one side was against the
comb.
Our new holder is easy to assemble and insert, does not
melt in exuded pheromone, and wiggles or rotates against
comb with pheromone membrane exposed.
REVITALIZATION OF OVERWINTERED
COLONIES
Hypothesis. In the absence of pheromone-
producing larvae, SuperBoost should stimulate
feeding on pollen substitute placed in hives to
revitalize colonies as spring approaches.
• 12 randomly-selected
colonies received two 5-week
treatments of SuperBoost,
starting on 4 Feb 09.
• 12 untreated control
colonies.
• Surplus of pollen substitute
patties (Bee-Pro®) and sugar
was provided.
• Single blind experiment.
• Bee-Pro® consumption
weighed 9 times.
• Brood comb area and adult
population size determined
on Days 16 and 70.
• Splits made on Days 50, 83-85
and 94. Daughter colonies
evaluated with mothers.
• SuperBoost retrieved on
Days 37 and 70. Pheromone
release determined by
weight loss.
SUPERBOOST RELEASED MORE PHEROMONE
THAN LARVAE
• 0.4 mg (661 larval equivalents) per day for first
37 days.
• 0.5 mg (964 larval equivalents) per day for next
33 days.
• On Day 16, there were on
average 131 larvae
per colony.
SuperBoost-treated colonies consumed 50%
more Bee-Pro® by Day 70.
On Day 16 there was no significant difference
between SuperBoost-treated and untreated
control colonies in:
• brood comb area, and
• adult population level.
SuperBoost-treated colonies had a 216% greater
brood comb area by Day 70.
SuperBoost-treated colonies had a 178% larger adult
population by Day 70 and 5 more splits by Day 94.
Population size
on Day 16 was a
better predictor
of brood comb
area and adult
population size
on Day 70 for
SuperBoost-
treated colonies
than for control
colonies.
COLONIES AVAILABLE FOR
POLLINATION SERVICES
• 11 surviving control colonies produced
4 daughters, resulting in 15 colonies by
Day 96.
• 10 surviving colonies treated with
SuperBoost produced 9 daughters,
resulting in 19 colonies by Day 96.
ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO BEEKEEPER
• Pollination fee (Oregon, 2007, 2.5 crops/colony)
$177/colony.
• 4 extra colonies provide $708 or $59 per
colony (N = 12).
• Cost of 2 treatments with SuperBoost,
$5 + $1 x 2 = $12/colony.
• Net return is
$59 - $12 = $47/colony.
• Possibly better
pollination and more
honey later in year.
HONEY
PRODUCTION
Hypothesis. If brood
pheromone stimulates
foraging for both pollen and
nectar, then sustained
treatment with SuperBoost
should result in greater
yield of honey over the
summer.
EXPERIMENTAL DESCRIPTION
• Started with identical 2 lb.
NZ packages.
• 54 colonies untreated
controls, 47 (87%)
survived, 2 splits.
• 59 colonies treated with
SuperBoost, 50 (85%)
survived, 4 splits.
• 3 treatment dates (April 30,
June 3, July 20)
• Weighed all honey harvested.
• Evaluated adult and brood populations,
and honey comb area at end of summer.
End of summer, 30% more adults (Sept 09)
Means + SE
Economic benefit (USD) to the beekeeper
NEW COLONIES FROM PACKAGES
CRITERION
VALUE-
ADDED
PRODUCERCOMMODITY
PRODUCER
Honey price (est.) $6.00/lb $1.35/lb
Increased
production/colony (112%)
4.33 lb 4.33 lb
Value of increase $25.98 $5.85
Cost of SuperBoost at
$5.00/unit = ($5 + $1) x 2
$12.00 $12.00
Net gain or loss/colony $13.98 -$6.15
Economic benefit to the beekeeper
NEW COLONIES FROM PACKAGES
Caveats
• Added benefits: probably better pollination of
target crops, higher adult population, colonies
better prepared for winter.
• Economic benefit would
increase if only one
treatment needed.
Economic benefit (USD) to the beekeeper
ESTABLISHED COLONIES
CRITERION
VALUE-
ADDED
PRODUCERCOMMODITY
PRODUCER
Honey price (est.) $6.00/lb $1.35/lb
Increased production per
colony (75%, 2 yr,
pumpkins, Alabama)
18.75 lb 18.75 lb
Value of increase $112.50 $25.31
Cost of SuperBoost at
$5.00/unit = $5 + $1
$6.00 $6.00
Net gain or loss/colony $106.50 $19.31
Economic benefit to the beekeeper
ESTABLISHED COLONIES
Caveats
• Probable added benefits in better pollination of
target crops, and colonies better prepared for
winter.
• Maximum economic benefit
would occur if only one
treatment needed.
What’s cooking? In 2009
experiments:
• 70% higher visitation of male
flowers in seed carrot fields
pollinated by SuperBoost
treated colonies. Greater crop
yield?
• In fall feeding experiment in
two locations, more diet
consumed, higher brood
comb area and more adults.
Better overwintering survival?
Ramesh Sagili
Oregon State
University
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
• SuperBoost is on the market now.
• Research will continue in BC,
Oregon, California, Alabama
(and elsewhere?).
• Ultimately it will be up to each
beekeeper to determine his/her best
use of SuperBoost.
• We wish you every success in your
journey.
Special Thanks
Cameron Lait
Onour Moeri
Ervin Kovacs
Mike Campbell
Stephen Jones