T Brood pheromone modulated the foraging behavior of commercial honey bee, Apis
mellifera L., colonies pollinating a 10-ha market garden of cucumber, Cucurbita pepo L., and zucchini,
Cucumis sativus L., in Texas in late autumn. Six colonies were randomly selected to receive 2,000 larval
equivalents of brood pheromone and six received a blank control. The ratio of pollen to nonpollen
foragers entering colonies was signiÞcantly greater in pheromone-treated colonies 1 h after treatment.
Pheromone-treated foragers returned with pollen load weights that were signiÞcantly heavier than
controls. Pollen returned by pheromone-treated foragers was 43% more likely to originate from the
target crop. Number of pollen grains washed from the bodies of nonpollen foragers from pheromonetreated
colonies was signiÞcantly greater than controls and the pollen was 54% more likely to originate
from the target crop. Increasing the foraging stimulus environment with brood pheromone increased
colony-level foraging and individual forager efforts. Brood pheromone is a promising technology for
increasing the pollination activity and efÞciency of commercial honey bee colonies.