Monitoring agrometeorological factors and beehive weight during sunflower (Helianthus annuus) flowering

Abstract

The impact of local agrometeorological factors on beehive changing weight during sunflower (Helianthus annuus) flowering was monitored. The study was conducted in 2021 growing season in a hilly flat area with predominant agricultural crops. The location of the experimental apiary is 43°32’4.02”N and 25°45’14.10”E at an altitude of 223 m. The experimental apiary consisted of 122 bee colonies housed in Dadant-Blatt hives. The bees are of the species (Apis mellifera macedonica). The total number of fields sown with sunflower was 6. All sunflower fields were located within a radius of the bees’ optimal flight area. During the experiment there were observed the outside air temperature (Tair), 0°C and air humidity (Hair)%, atmospheric pressure (Ap) hPa, soil moisture (Sm), % at 20 cm depth, soil temperature (St), °C at 10 cm depth, solar radiation (Sr) W·m-2, wind speed (Ws), m·s-1, precipitated rainfall (R), l·m-2. Also the air temperature inside (Tin) the hive was measured. The nectar flow is determined based on the changes in hive weight (Y). The real-time data were available via a web-based application Meteobot®. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between Y and honey harvesting date D, honey harvesting time per day T, Tair, St, Ap. The other weather indicators as Hair, Sm Ws Dp, Tin are negatively correlated with Y. The indicator Sr is not correlated with Y. The monitoring of the agrometeorological factors and beehive weight during sunflower flowering will help the beekeepers determine the suitable moment for expanding the capacity of the hive and honey extracting.

Reconstruction coefficient analysis of honeybee collapse due to pesticide contamination

“…On the second day, we substitute the initial values u(0, x, y) = u 0 (x, y) and c(0, x, y) = c 0 (x, y) with u(1, x, y) = u 1 (x, y) and c(1, x, y) = c 1 (x, y), and then proceed to solve ( 5), ( 6) using this revised initial condition on the time interval t ∈ [1,2]. The identical procedure, employing equations such as (7) for the second day, extends to time intervals [2,3], [3,4].…”

“…These factors collectively affect the timing, duration, and variability of seasonal events, see e.g. [1,2,4,8,12,18,19,25,26,28,30]. Numerous research studies are dedicated to exploring the reasons behind the global decline of the honeybee population, as documented in works like [25,26,30].…”

“…In [1], the investigation focuses on studying how local agrometeorological factors impact the fluctuation of beehive weight during the flowering period of sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)…”