D3151: Are there field expedient hygienic testing alternatives for honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Hygienic behavior, or the ability to detect and remove mite infested or disease infected brood in honey bees, is used to assess pest and disease tolerance and identify candidates for breeding more resilient colonies. To determine hygienic removal efficiency, liquid nitrogen is applied to freeze-killed a portion of pupating brood sealed inside capped comb cells. The rate of removal indicates how effective workers are at detecting and removing dying brood before mites mature and before disease transmission to nestmates may occur. Currently, the challenges associated with access, storage, and safe use of liquid nitrogen limits the ability for hobbyists and small scale beekeepers to assess hygienic performance and select for locally adapted stock. This research seeks is to develop and test novel practical options for beekeepers to use in hygienic behavior assays. Commercially available alternatives, such as compressed air, will be used to expose brood at various time treatments then measured for freeze-kill effectiveness and compared with the current method using liquid nitrogen. Results will inform beekeepers of potentially cheaper, safer, and easily replicable alternatives for assessing hygienic performance in honey bee colonies.