EFFECT OF POLLEN SUBSTITUTES FEEDING ON THE ACTIVITY OF HONEYBEE COLONIES

Abstract

The effect of pollen substitutes feeding on the activity of honeybee was investigated using F1 generation of El-Wady El-Gadid and F1 Italian honeybee. Some food materials of high protein, sugar, vitamins and minerals content available locally were used to increase colony population, pollen collection as well as honey production. The pollen substitutes were: A (agwa, sugar, soybean, melon shell, mandarin shell), B (yeast, agwa, sugar, maize, melon shell, banana shell) and C ( yeast, agwa, sugar, Egyptian bean, melon shell, orange shell). The results showed that there were no significant differences between food consumption, pollen collection, area of brood rearing and honey production in the two tested strains. The data showed that there was a significant differences between all treatment; A (99.1 % ), B ( 98.5 %) and C (91.03 %) of El-Wady El-Gadid colonies, when the food preference was studied, whereas there was no significant difference between all treatment in case of Italian colonies. There was a significant difference in honey production, sealed brood area and pollen collection among the tested pollen substitutes and control hives treatment of El-Wady El-Gadid colonies, while there were no significant differences between them in honey production and brood rearing area of F1 Italian colonies. There was no significant difference between the two hybrids and pollen substitutes in all activates with the exception of diet A in the honey production and pollen collection. The data also indicated that, there was a significant differences between the worker brood area of all diets in case of El-Wady El-Gadid colonies, where the pollen substitute (B) was the first followed by (A) and (C). On the other hand, there were no significant differences between all diets and control hives treatment in Italian colonies.