Feed supplement trial after blueberry pollination: what the WSU pilot study does and doesn’t show
A 30-colony pilot in a Washington blueberry field found larger cluster counts with an entrance-fed supplement. Authors call it preliminary; the maker co-authored it.
Beekeepers have grown reluctant to rent colonies for highbush blueberry pollination because of colony declines after the bloom, linked by the authors to brood diseases and pesticide exposure. Washington State University put out a press release on October 28 about a small trial that tested a feed supplement as one possible answer.
The study
Lisa DeVetter, a small-fruit horticulturist at WSU’s Mount Vernon research center, ran an exploratory pilot in a commercial ‘Duke’ blueberry field in northwest Washington. Thirty colonies were split evenly between a treated group and an untreated control. The product, Nano-B-Feed™, is a powder of minerals and organic compounds mixed with powdered sugar. It is placed at the hive entrance, so the colony does not have to be opened. WSU says each ingredient is listed by the FDA as Generally Recognized as Safe; the exact formula is not disclosed.
Colony strength was estimated from cluster counts before and after pollination, and returning foragers were counted on two dates.
Results
Treated colonies showed a larger increase in cluster counts than the controls, which the authors read as more brood and more adult workers. Forager counts did not differ between groups. The researchers don’t yet know how the feed works; one hypothesis is that it helps bees cope with pesticide and fungicide residues.
How to read it
- It is a scientific note on a single field and 30 colonies. The authors themselves call the findings preliminary and say replicated trials are needed.
- Of the four authors, two work for H4Bees, the Israeli company that makes the product, and one for NEXGEN Biopharma Solutions, a private firm. The article page carries no conflict-of-interest statement.
- WSU and H4Bees are discussing a larger study, possibly with honey bee scientists, for the 2027 season.
For now, the trial does not change the basics for colonies coming out of blueberries: check stores and brood, and keep an eye on Varroa levels going into winter.