Effect of Honey Bee Colony Strength on Foraging Productivity and Its Application to Precision Pollination

Honey bee pollination of entomophilous commercial crops is a major input in agricultural management yet unlike irrigation, fertilisation and plant protection have yet to be integrated into precision agriculture practices. This study examines colony strength as a key determinant of efficient pollination. Over three years and across two study sites, we evaluated the relationship between colony strength (frames of bees, FOBs) and colony productivity using continuous hive weight monitoring. Hive weight data were analysed for both absolute gains and relative gains normalised per FOB across colony strengths. In all study periods, stronger colonies showed disproportionately higher weight gains compared to weaker colonies. For each additional FOB, the average increase in normalised weight gain ranged from 0.1 to 0.41 kg per colony, indicating a non-linear relationship between colony strength and productivity. An efficiency factor calculated for groups of strong and weak colonies ranged from 1.2 to 2.6, depending on the season and crop. Moreover, during periods of forage dearth, strong colonies exhibited lower weight losses than the weak colonies per FOB, making them more efficient under resource limited conditions. Our findings demonstrate that colony strength significantly influences foraging efficiency and colony resilience, ultimately supporting the conclusion that fewer stronger colonies will improve pollination outcomes while reducing the economic and environmental costs associated with commercial pollination services.