Foraging rhythm of honeybees Apis mellifera in Ismailia, Egypt

Abstract

Most of the human food resources depend on honeybees; they are the most efficient pollinators that contribute to our ecosystem stability, biodiversity and crop productivity. Honeybees' foraging behavior is affected by many environmental factors. Daytime, ambient temperature and food availability (nectar and pollen) are the most influencing factors on foraging behavior. Many ecological studies were done to study this behavior, in addition to its seasonal and monthly abundance. In this study, honeybees' foraging activities, as well as their seasonal and monthly abundance were studied and evaluated. The study was run during the period of 12/2017-11/2018. All beekeeping managements were provided to retain the colony in good condition during the period of the experiment. The obtained results revealed that honeybees have a bimodal daily foraging activity pattern with morning and afternoon peaks. The daily activity pattern of honeybees showed a significant correlation with the measured temperature. Meanwhile, the seasonal abundance of forager bees changed significantly among different seasons with the highest abundance peak during spring. Results also suggest that the honeybees' activity had a microclimatic window of opportunity for ambient temperatures within which foraging flight can be continued, where their forage temperature was fallen within the range of 20°C to 28°C.