Abstract
The study examined the effect of stearin and paraffin adulteration of the wax foundation on brood survival. In combs formed on a stearin-adulterated wax foundation (10, 30, and 50% stearin, which means: 3.9, 11.7, and 19.5% of stearic acid, respectively), the survival of brood decreased statistically significantly (p ≤ 0.001) compared to the survival rates noted on a pure beeswax foundation. The brood appearance resembled the so-called scattered brood although the queens oviposited normally. The scattered brood was caused by the death of young larvae, most probably due to changes in the properties of royal jelly. Larvae transferred into stearin-adulterated wax cups died as well. The adulteration of the wax foundation with paraffin (10, 30, and 50%) did not reduce the survival of the brood but lowered the mechanical strength of the combs. Adulteration of wax with even a small amount of stearin/stearic acid makes it useless for apiculture.
Highlights
As early as in the 1950s, Tarranow (1959) reported a close relationship between the quality of wax used for construction of wax foundations and the abundance of reared brood, and the strength of colonies
The significant impact of stearin adulteration of the wax foundation on brood survival gives grounds to consider it as a yet disregarded factor that may contribute to colony collapse disorder (CCD) through the increasing negative impact of such factors as plant protection products on colonies (Calatayud-Vernich et al 2017; Johnson et al 2009; Medici et al 2015; vanEngelsdorp et al 2017), bee diseases caused by various pathogens (Chen and Evans 2007; Medici et al 2015; vanEngelsdorp et al 2017), and inappropriate methods used in apiary management (Sauer et al 2004)
Survival of brood reared in combs built on the stearin-adulterated wax foundations (STCombs) was significantly lower than in combs on the pure wax foundations (WCombs) (Figure 1) or paraffin-adulterated wax foundations (PACombs)
Summary
As early as in the 1950s, Tarranow (1959) reported a close relationship between the quality of wax used for construction of wax foundations and the abundance of reared brood, and the strength of colonies. The problem of wax adulteration has not been sufficiently studied, and preliminary data on the effect of stearin adulteration on the biology of bee colonies have been provided in few studies, only one of which is a peer-reviewed scientific paper, while others are reports No negative influence of the paraffin content in the wax foundation on brood survival has been found
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