Performance of two honey bee subspecies during harsh weather and Acacia gerrardii nectar-rich flow

Awad Mohamed Awad,Ayman Ahmad Owayss,Abdulaziz Saad Alqarni

doi:10.1590/1678-992x-2016-0101

Awad Mohamed Awad, Ayman Ahmad Owayss + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-992x-2016-0101

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Journal: Scientia Agricola	Publication Date: Dec 1, 2017
Citations: 19	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: King Saud University

Abstract

Both climatic factors and bee forage characteristics affect the population size and productivity of honey bee colonies. To our knowledge, no scientific investigation has as yet considered the potential effect of nectar-rich bee forage exposed to drastic subtropical weather conditions on the performance of honey bee colonies. This study investigated the performance of the honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner (Yemeni) and Apis mellifera carnica Pollmann (Carniolan) in weather that was hot and dry and in an environment of nectar-rich flora. The brood production, food storage, bee population and honey yield of Yemeni (native) and Carniolan (imported) colonies on Talh trees (Acacia gerrardii Benth.), a nectar-rich, subtropical, and summer bee forage source in Central Arabia were evaluated. Owing to their structural and behavioral adaptations, the Yemeni bees constructed stronger (high population size) colonies than the Carniolan bees. Although both groups yielded similar amounts of Talh honey, the Yemeni bees consumed their stored honey rapidly if not timely harvested. A. m. jemenitica has a higher performance than A. m. carnica during extremely hot-dry conditions and A. gerrardii nectar-rich flow.

Highlights

Climatic factors and bee forage characteristics affect the performance and productivity of honey bee colonies
This study investigated the performance of the honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner (Yemeni) and Apis mellifera carnica Pollmann (Carniolan) in weather that was hot and dry and in an environment of nectar-rich flora
The Talh tree Acacia gerrardii blooms from May to Aug every year and produces a remarkable amount of nectar which is assumed to yield approximately 45 kg of honey per tree each season (Alqarni et al, 2015), making it one of the most common types of honey consumed in Saudi Arabia (Adgaba et al, 2012)

Summary

Introduction

Climatic factors and bee forage characteristics affect the performance and productivity of honey bee colonies. The most important factor affecting honey bee activities, i.e. honey production, is bee forage. Acacias are major sources of nectar and pollen for bees in the Arabian Peninsula (Alqarni et al, 2011). The Talh tree Acacia gerrardii blooms from May to Aug every year and produces a remarkable amount of nectar which is assumed to yield approximately 45 kg of honey per tree each season (Alqarni et al, 2015), making it one of the most common types of honey consumed in Saudi Arabia (Adgaba et al, 2012). The nectarrich Talh flow enhances honey bee food collection flights despite the extremely hot-dry-windy weather. Honey bees play a valuable role in cross-pollinating Talh trees (Alqarni et al, 2016)

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