New Formula of Pollen Supplemental Diets to Study Honey Bee (Apis mellifera carnica) Attractiveness

Abstract

The present work aimed to examine the attractiveness of ten new pollen supplemental diets to honey bees (Apis mellifera) through evaluating the consumption rate, besides their efficiency in supporting the colony through measuring colony growth (sealed workers brood area). Twelve materials were used and mixed with honey bee in different proportions forming diets taking numbers from 1 to 10. These materials were flours of: gram seeds, beans seeds, pea seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, anise seeds, white kidney beans seeds, caraway seeds, rice seeds, fennel seeds and oats. Diets were consumed at rates that were comparable to the control (sugar candy). Generally differences among consumption rates of supplemental pollen diets were highly significant. The highest consumed amounts were recorded in colonies fed on diet (1); 47.42gm/ colony in average, mix. (2); 43.35 gm/ colony in each week. While the lowest consumption rate (27.3 gm/ colony) in each week was recorded for diet no. 10 in average. There was a significant relationship between the amount of diet consumed and the increase in workers sealed brood area. Where colonies fed with mixture diets from gram seeds (Diet 2), dried pea with rice, fennel and fenugreek (Diet 3), dried beans seeds with fennel seeds (Diet 4) and oats, rice, anise seeds (Diet 1), showed 53.71%, 38.44%, 35.98% and 5.85% more brood area than control ones.

Enhancement of Honey Production of Apis mellifera L. Colonies in Egypt

“…The entire supplement diets proved better production of daily egg lying than control group in the beginning of citrus season. These results agreed with those of Aly et al (2014), in the sense that all colonies fed on supplementary diets produced more brood areas than control colonies. On the contrary, pollen supplemented diets produced more brood in early spring than other colonies (Manila and Otis, 2006).…”

“…soybean, maize, wheat, and gram as horse powder mixed with honey, water and soybean, which indicated the best way for visiting bees. Usha et al (2014)and Aly et al (2014) examined certain supplementary diets of gram, bean, pea, fenugreek, coriander, cumin, anise, caraway, fennel, white kidney beans rice, and oats seeds flours calculated the percentage of consumption of each one in comparison to they sugar candy, which has been used as a control. Fermented gluten meal, fermented soybean meal, soybean meal and gluten meal as supplementary diets were used by Rezaei et al (2015) to evaluate their effects on colonies activity compared with pollen and sugar solution, as a control treatments.…”

Evaluation of Ten Supplemental Diets to Enhance Some Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Activities during Winter Season in Egypt.

“…It compensates pollen shortage during severe conditions passing through the dearth period and shortage of pollen especially in winter or raining seasons. It is effective in stimulating brood rearing and increasing honey, but it must be attractive to bees and nutritious (Aly, et al, 2014).…”

Nutritional effects of supplementary diets on brood development, biological activities and honey production of Apis mellifera L

“…They observed that blend with soybean flour blend flour + honey + water was the excellent pollen alternative among the all four blends and bee population was also augmented afterward nourishing diets. Aly et al (2014) compared the effectiveness of flour of cumin, fenugreek, fennel, coriander, grams, rice, peas, beans, oats and white kidney beans with rock sugar (control). Their research results show that the highest colony count per week recorded in Diet 1 is 47.42 g (oatmeal 50% + rice flour 25% + fennel seed powder 25% + honey).…”