Honey bee dispersal of biocontrol agents: An evaluation of dispensing devices

Many reports have been published lately on the use of honey bees to disseminate biocontrol agents to flowers, using various kinds of inoculum dispensers. This technique is mainly used to deliver agents for controlling fire blight and gray mold. The present study evaluated the relative efficiency of a newly developed 'Triwaks' dispenser with three other dispenser types, 'Peng', 'Tub', and 'Harwood', with respect to effects of the dispensers on bee activity, and effectiveness for contaminating bees with high levels of inoculum for a long period of time after its application. We found differences in these parameters of performance between dispenser types, with the Triwaks dispenser having the overall best performance. This dispenser could prove to be an effective tool for biocontrol. The evaluation methods that we present could be used for evaluating other dispenser types.