Abstract
This study investigated the outgoing and pollen-gathering foraging activities of Apis mellifera jemenitica (AMJ) and Apis mellifera carnica (AMC) under a hot-arid environment in the presence of nectar-rich melliferous Ziziphus nummularia flora. The data revealed the differential effects of weather conditions and Z. nummularia flora on the foraging activities of the studied honey bee subspecies in the Rawdat-Khuraim oasis in central Saudi Arabia. Z. nummularia exhibited two flowering seasons, from June–July (season I) and August–October (season II), with a significantly higher mean flowering density observed during season II (404 flowers/m2) than during season I (235 flowers/m2). AMJ showed significantly higher foraging activities (outgoing and pollen-gathering) than AMC (exotic bees) during all months in each flowering season. The mean outgoing and pollen-gathering foraging rates of AMJ (32.40 ± 0.67 and 4.88 ± 0.40 workers/colony/min, respectively) were significantly higher than those of AMC (15.93 ± 1.20 and 2.39 ± 0.23 workers/colony/min, respectively). The outgoing and pollen-gathering foraging activities of the two subspecies fluctuated throughout the different times of day. Foraging activities were considerably high at sunrise (SR) and low at noon (N) during both flowering seasons. We also observed seasonal variations in the foraging activities of both bee subspecies. The mean foraging activities (outgoing and pollen-gathering) were slightly higher in season I (27.43 ± 1.21 and 4.46 ± 0.45 workers/colony/min, respectively) than in season II (21.71 ± 0.86 and 3.02 ± 0.22 workers/colony/min, respectively). The thermal window analysis revealed a significant difference between the flight activities (bees exiting and returning to the nest throughout the day) of AMJ and AMC; AMJ had a higher temperature threshold than AMC. The outgoing and pollen-gathering foraging activities within each bee subspecies were positively correlated. The present study can help researchers understand the performances of honeybees and the association of their performances with weather and nectar-rich flora conditions.
Highlights
Beekeeping in the tropics and subtropics is challenged by shortage of rich nectar floral resources with variations in the dates of honeyflow occurrence [1]
Temperature (◦C), relative humidity (%) and wind speed observations were recorded during the flowering seasons of Z. nummularia from June–July and from August–October
The highest temperatures were recorded at the AN time and the lowest temperatures were recorded at the SR time
Summary
Beekeeping in the tropics and subtropics is challenged by shortage of rich nectar floral resources with variations in the dates of honeyflow occurrence [1]. 170 native species of the Ziziphus genus have been reported in tropical and subtropical regions of the world [8] These species provide multipurpose benefits, such as conserving soil, stabilizing dunes, favoring the presence of perennial grasses, and serving as forage for livestock [5,9]. Plants of this genus are used as fuel and construction materials; their edible fruits are eaten by humans; and the plants are used as medicine for some human and animal diseases due to their potent antimicrobial and analgesic properties [5,10,11,12,13,14,15]. These trees have the ability to tolerate and withstand harsh conditions such as heat, drought, and salinity [4,13]
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