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The rheological properties of Common Black Horehound, Globe Thistle, and Squill types of dark‐colored Jordanian honey were examined. The types of honey used were identified via assessing the source of nectar using pollen analysis (Melissopalynology). The apparent viscosity, η, was measured as a function of the shear rate, γ. In addition, the apparent viscosity was measured, at constant shear rate (6.12 s−1), as a function of shearing time. Newton's law of viscosity (i.e., τ=ηγ) was found to adequately (R2∼ 0.99) describe the flow behavior of honey samples. The apparent viscosity was found to decrease with temperature, and the temperature dependence of viscosity was contrasted versus both Arrhenius model (η=ηoeEa/RT) and WLF model (η/ηG= 10 (C1(T–T)/C2+(T–TG))). Although Arrhenius kinetics may fit the viscosity versus temperature data for the examined types of honey, nevertheless, it gives a relatively high value of activation energy that is quite comparable with, if not even larger than, that of a typical chemical reaction. On the other hand, WLF‐model was found to adequately describe the data while at the same time it gives quite reasonable values of both TG and ηG, which are in agreement with those cited in literature.

In the present study, bee colonies were smoked with tobacco smoke in order to evaluate the monthly changes in the numbers of worker bees, the infestation rates of worker bees and queens with bee lice, and the annual average honey production per colony. In July of each year, 12 colonies were smoked with tobacco smoke; the remaining hives not smoked with tobacco smoke served as the control. The results indicated that the applications of tobacco smoke during July gave rise to an impressive reduction in the Braula infestation rate on workers (below 1.8%) and reduced the amount of bee lice on the queen to zero throughout the 2–3 months following smoke treatment. In the colonies not treated with smoke, the Braula infestation rates on worker bees started to increase in May and continued to increase constantly during the rest of year, reaching maximum infestation rates of 28.2% and 33.8% in December, with an average of 15 and 17 lice per queen in November in the first and second years, respectively. Worker bee populations peaked in April and July of each year in both treatments. The average honey production per colony was significantly higher in the colonies treated with smoke than those that were not for the first and second years. In conclusion, early summer months may be the crucial time to smoke the colonies with tobacco smoke in order to keep bee lice at low levels for the remaining seasons.