The effects of brood ester pheromone on foraging behaviour and colony growth in apicultural settings

Brood ester pheromone (BEP) is a pheromone emitted by developing larvae in a honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony. It has been shown to have multiple potential commercially beneficial effects on worker physiology and behaviour, but like other bee pheromones, its effects are likely context dependent. To better understand the utility of BEP treatment, we examined the effects of BEP treatment in an apicultural setting (using a SuperBoost BEP treatment) in two contexts: in newly established colonies from bee packages in the summer and on large, established colonies in the autumn. We found that in small, newly established colonies, BEP treatment had no effect on colony growth (measured as brood cover). Further, BEP treatment decreased overall foraging activity and the proportion of pollen foragers. In established colonies, BEP had no effect on brood cover or foraging behaviour later in the season. Our data show that BEP treatments can change the behaviour of bees, but these can only translate into improved colony conditions if other factors are not limiting of colony performance.