“It causes nurse bees to make enriched protein in their oral glands which is then fed to the queen and the larvae.”
Last spring, Borden’s team completed a year-long study on the effect of SuperBoost on newly- established package bee colonies. Treatments were made during spring and summer nectar flow, when the bees make honey, during fall feeding, and during spring build-up feeding. SuperBoost-treated colonies
produced 84 per cent more honey, had more adult bees in the hive at the end of summer and rebounded in the spring to produce more splits, which beekeepers could divide off to make new colonies.
At the end of the study, 89 per cent of colonies treated with SuperBoost survived, and only 34 per cent of control colonies made it through the year. Better survival provides beekeepers with more revenue from pollination fees and from the honey harvested.
In continuing research last summer, Borden’s team verified the increased honey yield with package bee colonies and also demonstrated that established colonies treated with
Zone 1-South (Summerland to Osoyoos, Keremeos to Cawston)
SIR Program staff will begin once-weekly release of sterile codling moths in all apple and pear blocks from Late April until September 2011
(except growers involved in pilot projects)
Zone 2 -Central (Peachland to Kelowna)
Zone 3 -North (Lake Country to Salmon Arm)
SIR Program staff will apply Isomate CM/LR TT mating disruption dispensers to all apple and pear blocks during the weeks indicated at right (weather permitting).
Growers are invited to any of the neighbourhood tail-gate meetings scheduled (at right) to learn more about mating disruption and codling moth control.
AREA
Peachland, West Kelowna
South Kelowna, OK Mission
East Kelowna
Oyama
Rutland
Coldstream,
Ellison
Armstrong, Salmon Arm
dispenser provides more access for bees, who contact the pheromone when they walk over the device. It releases a half-milligram a day into the colony. It’s hung between the frames, one per hive and lasts for about five weeks.
He recommends that beekeepers use SuperBoost when the supplementary diet is fed to bees to build up the colony in spring and to prepare them for winter in the fall. It also helps increase honey production from package bees in spring and summer and helps new colonies to get established.
The research that resulted in SuperBoost was a collaborative effort led by Borden, including work by Tanya Pankiw of Texas A&M University, and , Cam Lait, Jean Pierre Lafontaine and Ervin Kovacs at Contech.
John Borden, of Contech Enterprises.
SuperBoost produced 78 per cent more honey than untreated control colonies.
Borden says a new design for the
Borden is passionate about the work and delighted with the results. “It feels pretty good. I’m as confident as can be that we’re sitting on a tremendous product,” he comments.
It’s available from Contech. For more information, go to the website at:
www.contech-inc.com
2011 SIR PROGRAM PLANS APPLE and PEAR GROWERS
in the SIR PROGRAM AREA ATTENTION
WEEK OF APPLICATION
March 21 March 28 March 28
March 28 April 4
April 4 April 11
April 11
April 18 April 25
April 18 April 25
April 25 May 2
May 2 TAILGATE MEETING DATES, TIMES, AND LOCATIONS March 25 – 9:00 AM 2745 Hebert Rd, West Kelowna
April 1 – 9:00 AM Spiers Rd, parking area behind South Kelowna Elementary - across from 4102 Spiers Rd
28
For more information call 1-800-363-6684 or visit the SIR web site
www.oksir.org British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Spring 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40