Beekeepers are unsure about how effective supplementary feeding is. When there is a lack of pollen because of the adverse impacts of drought and bushfires, beekeepers may have no choice than to provide supplementary feed to keep their hives alive. Supplementary feeding over prolonged periods of time can be time consuming, costly and ineffective if done incorrectly. In Australia, supplementary feeding has not been a standard practice and the effectiveness and economics of supplementary feeding are consequently questioned by beekeepers. Currently there are several pollen supplements available on the market.

This project will undertake a small field-based experiment examining the palatability and utilisation of currently available supplementary feeds. The focus of this study is to test the palatability of supplementary feeds and to inform beekeepers about how well honey bees utilise the feeds from a cost benefit perspective.