Beekeeping by the moon
Charles Watene, Waka Paul, James P Sainsbury, Ashley N Mortensen Bee Biology and Productivity Team, Plant & Food Research, Ruakura, Hamilton · 08 Oct 2024
The Bee Biology and Productivity Team at Plant & Food Research explored the connection between Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, and honey bee behaviour. Recent observations reveal patterns in bee activity that align with lunar phases, offering valuable insights for beekeepers.
Maramataka is the Māori lunar calendar and literally translates as ‘moon rotating’. Maramataka is an environmental indicator that can be used to guide predictions of natural phenomena such as ideal planting/harvesting times and behavioural patterns of animals (e.g., fish and tuna (eels)). For example, traditional growing practices identify te rākau-nui, the full moon, and the best time to plant kūmara.
Maramataka can also be looked to for predictions of the energy levels people may feel in response to each moon phase, like high energy during the full moon for example. Recently, a maramataka framework has been proposed for honey bees, Apis mellifera, that has potential to support practical decision-making for beekeepers. This past year the Bee Biology and Productivity Team at Plant & Food Research expanded this work by systematically observing colony behaviours over time to investigate potential alignments with the lunar cycle.
Two minimally invasive and informative assays suitable for frequent assessments, without overburdening the colonies, were conducted for each five managed colonies. Assays were conducted on Mondays and Fridays (with occasional variations due to holidays and/or weather) from November 2023 to April 2024 at Plant & Food Research Kirikiriroa-Hamilton.
The two assays were: 1) ‘foraging activity,’ assessed via four one-minute counts of the total workers returning to the hive with and without pollen; and 2) ’runningness,’ assessed by recording bees on the surface of a comb for one minute before and after a standard disturbance, then calculating the average speed and distance travelled by 10 bees before the disturbance and then again after the disturbance (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Still image of a brood frame immediately post disturbance in the runningness assay.
The previously proposed maramataka framework for honey bees includes practical prediction for days that are likely to have high nectar production or comb production, days where bees are likely to be calm (i.e., good days to work bees), or days that are likely not the best for working bees. Interestingly, we observed a pattern where days identified as ‘do not work bees’ had the lowest foraging activities (i.e., more bees at home, inside the hive on those days) and the highest runningness speeds.
The researchers also observed alignment with traditional maramataka energy level predictions, although in a different manner for bees than in people. Pollen foraging activity was lower on days predicted as medium energy, and higher on days predicted as low or high energy. Moreover, higher average runningness speeds were recorded on medium energy days compared to low or high energy days (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Foraging activity (purple circles) and runningness (green triangles) results averaged by the maramataka prediction aligned with the day of each observation.
It is well known myriad factors including weather, flowering of plants, pollen availability, etc., influence honey bee behavioural patterns. What is very exciting about the early findings shared here is that, in spite of those known sources of variation, researchers observed patterns of behaviour that appear to align with the lunar cycle. This trial has created an exciting foundation for more behavioural research aligned with Mātauranga Māori and the Bee Biology and Productivity Team are already planning how this work can be refined and expanded this year.
This work was funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Smart Ideas Programme: Beekeeping Outside of the Box.
Charles Watene is an undergraduate student at the University of Waikato who completed this research trial with Plant & Food Research's Bee Biology and Productivity Team last summer as a participant in Te Rito Summer Studentship.
Originally published in the New Zealand Beekeeper Magazine.
Further resources
All Right? Maramataka online
Te Papa Tongarewa. Maramataka: The Māori calendar learning resource