Climate-Smart Agriculture and Cold Storage Practices: Exploring Sustainable Solutions for Honey Bee Conservation

Commodities

• Animals: bees
• Animal Products: honey

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health
• Crop Production: beekeeping

Honey bee colony losses are
regularly at unsustainable levels in PA and nationally. Winter is
the most vulnerable time for colonies, as floral resources are
not available and temperatures fluctuate, so indoor storage in
temperature/humidity-controlled units can greatly benefit
beekeepers. Placement of bees into these units shields colonies
from temperature fluctuations. In addition, placement of colonies
into units early in fall can prevent the stress of being robbed
of food by yellow jackets. Here, we propose to move bees into
overwintering storage units in early October for the winter, a
comparison to work we are currently conducting (SARE Grant
FNE23-050) with colonies moved into storage in mid-November. In
addition, the units will be used during the warm months to
control equipment pests, wax moths and small hive beetles, making
the units more economically valuable. In an effort to teach
beekeepers about the utility of cold storage in beekeeping, a
fact sheet will be created and published through Penn State
Extension where it will be available online for no cost. In
addition, each participant will hold an on-farm demonstration to
showcase the usefulness of the cold storage units.

Developing Climate-Controlled
Storage techniques of honey Bee Colonies utilizing Climate Smart
Agriculture concepts to establish practices that will help
Pennsylvania Beekeepers transition to more sustainable, climate
change-proof management tactics. 

We will build on the research and
findings discovered through research and data collected from SARE
Grant FNE23-050. That funding has highlighted areas where
additional research and study is warranted in evaluating the
benefits of using cold storage techniques at the four already
established locations across Pennsylvania. This multifaceted
project aims to strengthen Pennsylvania's beekeeping and advance
sustainable practices.

1. We will replicate portions of
   FNE23-050, but with an earlier storage date to shield bees from
   robbers and other pests.
2. We will assess the
   effectiveness of the cold storage to safeguard hive equipment
   from pests and the usefulness of the unit in spring and
   summer.
3. We will create a fact sheet
   about the use of cold storage for beekeeping in PA to empower
   beekeepers with greater control over their operations, offering
   valuable insights and guidance.
4. We will host on-farm
   demonstrations, showcasing the benefits and small-scale
   viability of cold storage for beekeeping.