Quantitative data on the food collected, stored and consumed over time by a colony of honey bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) is an essential aspect of pesticide risk assessment. While a large amount of information related to colony-level food provisioning has amassed over the past century in the literature, much of the data was generated for purposes other than risk assessment. The available information is often incomplete and in some cases based on anecdotal reports from beekeepers. A critical review of relevant data will be presented highlighting areas where deficiencies exist. We gathered, assessed, and summarized quantitative data relating to colony-level consumption of food, including nectar, pollen and food supplements provided by beekeepers. The results of our review will be presented, along with recommendations for future research in support of colony-level dietary exposure assessment.

Honey bee colony-level food requirements and supplemental feeding: A review in support of dietary exposure assessment

254th National Meeting (2017)

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