Brood Area Research Articles

Evaluation of Some Pollen Substitutes on Productivity of Honey bee Colonies (Apis cerana F.)

This study examined the effects of different pollen substitutes on the performance of honey bee colonies in Assam, India. Natural Corbicula pollen (CPF) and six artificial diets were compared with a sugar syrup control for 15 days. CPF consistently outperformed other treatments in all parameters. Regarding the honey area, the CPF reached 22.63 cm2 and 22.65 cm2 in 2021 and 2022, respectively, while in the control group it was 15.61 cm2 and 15.72 cm2, respectively. CPF also had the highest pollen area (15.59 cm² and 15.68 cm²) and brood area (20.19 cm² and 20.35 cm²) in both years. Colony strength was maximized in the CPF (7.55 and 7.59 for frames 2021 and 2022). Among artificial foods, OUAT-PS (soy flour, honey, yeast, multivitamin) generally performed best, with no significant difference from CPF in colony strength. All pollen substitutes stimulated honey production and brood development with foods rich in proteins, vitamins and amino acids, and significantly improved colony performance compared to controls. These results can help beekeepers select appropriate additional nutrients in times of pollen shortage.

Toxicological Impact Of Lambda-Cyhalothrin On Apis Mellifera: Comparative Analysis Under Semi-Field And Field Conditions

Abstract Lambda-cyhalothrin is the most widely used insecticide worldwide. This study investigates the impact of lambda-cyhalothrin on honeybees (Apis mellifera) colonies under semi-field and field conditions utilizing the formulated product (Karate 5% at a concentration of 0.85 ml/l). Considering the application of lambda-cyhalothrin in onion fields, the foraging activities reduced by 27.89 and 29.28% under semi-field and field conditions, respectively. The number of dead workers in the comparison group was three-fold higher than that in the control group under both semi-field and field conditions. Under semi-field and field conditions, reductions were observed in the brood (22.6 and 24.01%), pollen (94.46 and 41.51%), and nectar (69.27 and 44.50%) areas. The effect of lambda-cyhalothrin on the strength of A. mellifera under semi-field conditions resulted in a significant decrease until the 14th day (2.20 bee frames/hive) and in field condition it was on the 7th day (4.79 bee frames/hive). This highlights the non-bee-safe nature of lambda-cyhalothrin when applied during flowering, and spraying should be avoided to reduce its contamination of nectar and pollen. Overall, our results show the significance of conducting field trials to accurately assess the risk of pesticides, depicting a more realistic exposure scenario under actual colony conditions.

Field Exploration for Colony Selection: Evaluating Hygienic Behavior in Apis cerana indica Colonies.

Hygienic behavior (HB) emerges as a pivotal trait, impacting colony resistance to diseases. This study aimed to understand the behavioral traits of Apis cerana indica colonies, with a focus on HB and other key characteristics crucial for colony health, and to screen and identify colonies with superior hygienic behavior and better performance to combat prevailing diseases and pests. This research spans a comprehensive field analysis with different seasons and locations, encompassing the distinct environmental and management factors that influence honey bee behavior. The inclusion of A. cerana indica colonies from various locations provides a novel perspective, offering valuable insights regarding the hygienic behavior of A. cerana indica. Several statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), and Aligned Rank Transformation-Analysis of Variance (ART-ANOVA) for repeated measures, shed light on the distribution of hive metrics, emphasizing the significance of considering seasonality and location-specific factors. PCA highlights unique characteristics in Tirupur and Coimbatore colonies, while correlation analyses uncover relationships among HB, honey, pollen, brood area, and adult population. Moreover, the study's nuanced findings gave the status of hygienic behavior of A. cerana indica colonies and identified colonies with better colony performance, which will be useful for future breeding programs with A. cerana indica.

Performance Evaluation of Local Honey Bee Races (<i>Apis mellifera bandansi</i>) at Wondo Genet, Sidama Regional State of Southern Ethiopia

The research was undertaken in Wondo genet agricultural a study conducted at a research facility between 2015 and 2017 focused on assessing the performance of <i>Apis mellifera bandansi</i> honey bee races. The objective was to identify and choose the most effective honey bee races based on various parameters such as defensive behavior, hygienic practices, absconding tendencies, foraging abilities, swarming patterns, and productivity in terms of hive product area. A total of thirty bee races were evaluated during the study period (30) colonies of <i>Apis mellifera bandansi</i>i honeybee were established on station. Basic management practices were made reasonably uniform for tested colonies. The investigation indicated the races exhibited aggressive behavior, resulting in stings on the examiner, with a maximum count of up to 158±15.3 and a minimum of 60 stings on the manipulator. The distance covered by the races extended long, reaching up to 255±74.1 meters away from the entrance. The absconding percentage from a total of thirty colonies ranged from a maximum of 50% in 2015 to a minimum of 26% in 2017. The early and late foraging behavior of the colony was also documented early morning 5:30 am time foraging, whereas late foraging time was at 7:15pm pm e back to their nest in the evening. The remaining hive products were quantified in a 5x5 cm2 comb area cell over the course of the production season, with measurements taken at 21-day intervals to assess the brood area. The values obtained, expressed as the mean ± standard deviation, indicated the range from maximum to minimum for the adult, brood, pollen, nectar, and honey area in cm<sup>2</sup>. 79.5±13.4 107.1±24.6, 74.41±31.3, 48.2±9.0 for year (2015), 74.5±6.5, 107.1±24.6, 48.5±16.9, 81.8±31.6 for (year, 2016) and 114.8±20.5, 96.2±17.4, 50.0±19.4 and 90.7±40.2 for (year, 2017 respectively. The Apis mellifera, typically referred to in a general sense bandansi the race demonstrates positive attributes in terms of hygienic behavior and is also efficient in maximizing honey production when subjected to appropriate management strategies. It is recommended to conduct additional research on the specification of geographical location in relation to the distribution of different races and their identification for the purpose of breed determination and enhancement. This will aid in the selection of colonies that are more suitable in terms of production efficiency, temperament, resistance to pests, parasites, and diseases, as well as foraging and absconding tendencies.

دراسة تأثير استخدام السوبر بروتين، فيتامين C و E كبديل غذائي في نشاط طوائف نحل العسل

The research was conducted in a native apiary in Baghdad Governorate- Al-Buaitha, to evaluate the effect of adding super protein, vitamin C and vitamin E to the diet of honeybee colonies, and to study their effect on the activity, growth, development and productivity of the colonies of honey. The results of the research showed that super protein nutrition achieved the best percentages, and according to the results of the statistical analysis, it significantly outperformed the sugar solution feeding and control, in terms of measuring the honey area 2.631 cm2, the brood area 1.622 cm2 and the pollen area 0.378 cm2. The results of the use of vitamins also showed that the best treatments were using vitamin C nutrition, and according to the results of the statistical analysis, it significantly outperformed all other treatments in terms of measuring the honey area 3.820 cm2 and the brood area 1.821 cm2 and pollen area 0.608 cm2. The results showed that vitamin E nutrition outperformed the sugar solution feeding and control, as the average area of honey, brood and pollen grains were (2.960 cm2, 1.624 cm2 and 0.473 cm2) respectively.

IMPACT OF ACARICIDES ON VARROA DESTRUCTOR INFESTATION IN HONEY BEE COLONIES (Apis mellifera L.) AND THEIR HISTOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON HYPOPHARYNGEAL GLANDS

This study aimed to determine the random role of some acaricides, which are the most commonly used in Egypt for controlling Varroa destructor on Hypopharyngeal Glands (HPGs) of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). The acaricides used in this study were Varroakiller®, Menthocaros®, Amitraz®, Varroby®, and formic acid. Results showed that the total number of fallen mites was 53.5, 47, 28.6, 26, and 24.5 for Varroakiller®, Menthocaros®, Amitraz®, Varroby®, and formic acid, respectively, compared to 16 mites in the control group. For sealed worker brood areas (SWBA), the treatments included Varroakiller® (327.98 cm2), formic acid (228.92 cm2), Varroby® (222.25 cm2), Menthocaros® (129.72 cm2), and Amitraz® (101.73 cm2), while the SWBA for control colonies was 44.83 cm2. Histological studies of the HPGs showed that although Varroakiller® effectively controlled Varroa mites and had no direct impact on worker bees or egg-laying areas, it considerably impacted the HPGs, which could ultimately affect the bee colony. Moreover, formic acid recorded a lower number of fallen Varroa with acceptable outcomes for egg-laying areas and sealed workers. This, coupled with the fact that formic acid was deemed the most significant due to its effectiveness over a short period, resulted in a reduction of 100% after 24 days.

Three Species of Stingless Bee (Meliponini) Honey from Sudan: A Contribution to the Nest Components, Proximate Composition, and Antimicrobial Properties

There is historical traditional use of stingless bee honey (SBH). However, no information concerning composition and antimicrobial properties of SBHs from Sudan was reported. Thus, the paper was aimed to focus on the components of the nests and honey characteristics of three species of stingless bee. Proximate analysis showed similar composition, except protein and ash were significantly (p > 0.01) different. Meliplebeia beccarii honey contained more protein 5.31% and slightly more ash 1.01% than the other species. Antibacterial activity was determined by cup-plate agar diffusion; Hypotrigona squamuligera and M. beccarii were more active against Staphylococcus aureus. None of the Studied SBHs showed activity against Escherichia coli, Apergillus niger, and Candida albicans. Anti-parasite activity as determined by sub-culture method showed that “almost all” SBHs have similar activities against trophozoites of Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica with statistically significant differences when compared to the untreated control. The amount of honey produced by M. beccarii varied from 100 to 150 ml per nest while honey produced by Hypotrigona ruspolii and H. squamuligera varied from 500 to 1000 ml/colony/year. Results also showed different nest architecture and components (entrance, brood areas, honey pots, and pollen pots) as indication for existence of many taxa of Meliponini in Sudan.

A Hive Entrance System That Directs Honey Bees Inside or Outside a Greenhouse Reduced Colony Decline While Effectively Pollinating Zucchini Squash

Honey bee colonies rapidly decline when confined to greenhouses, increasing pollination rental costs as they need to be replaced frequently. We tested a hive system with entrances that can be manipulated to direct bees inside or outside greenhouses containing a zucchini crop. In one greenhouse, the bees could only forage inside for 15 days; in another, bees were directed to the inside from 5 to 9 a.m., after which they only foraged outside. This procedure was repeated two more times in each greenhouse with new hives. Data were collected on how the number of bee flower visits affected fruit production, the frequency of flower visits, and the amount of bee brood and food in the hives. Flowers visited by bees four times or more set more and larger fruit. The frequency of flower visits by bees from the hives confined to the greenhouse was reduced after eight days; it was not reduced in the greenhouse with bees that could forage outside. The bee brood area was reduced in the colonies that were confined to the greenhouse, while it was maintained in the semi-confined hives. The hives with controllable entrances proved effective for pollination, while causing less damage to the bees.

Performance of Artificially and Naturally Inseminated Honey Bee Queens (Apis cerana indica)

Comparative performance of honey bee, A. c. indica colonies, developed from artificially and naturally inseminated queens was recorded in the apiary and under laboratory condition of Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat from September’2015 to March’2018.The selection studies were carried out from April, 2015 to January, 2016. Ten viable colonies were selected from 20 colonies of A. c. indica for the study. During the study between Artificially Inseminated(AI) and Naturally Inseminated(NI) colonies of A. c. indica from April’2017 to March’2018, significant difference were found in terms of brood area, pollen area and nectar area in all the months between AI and NI colonies. Pollination efficiency revealed significant difference between AI and NI colonies in April, May, June, October, December, February and March. Honey yield revealed significant difference between AI and NI colonies in May, July, December, January, February and March. And the comparative performance between AI and NI colonies of A. c. indica revealed that performance of AI queens was significantly better than the NI queens.

Enhancing Honey Bee Health: Evaluating Pollen Substitute Diets in Field and Cage Experiments.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) play vital roles as agricultural pollinators and honey producers. However, global colony losses are increasing due to multiple stressors, including malnutrition. Our study evaluated the effects of four pollen substitute diets (Diet 1, Diet 2, Diet 3, and Control) through field and cage experiments, analyzing 11 parameters and 21 amino acids. Notably, Diet 1 demonstrated significantly superior performance in the field experiment, including the number of honey bees, brood area, consumption, preference, colony weight, and honey production. In the cage experiment, Diet 1 also showed superior performance in dried head and thorax weight and vitellogenin (vg) gene expression levels. Canonical discriminant and principle component analyses highlighted Diet 1's distinctiveness, with histidine, diet digestibility, consumption, vg gene expression levels, and isoleucine identified as key factors. Arginine showed significant correlations with a wide range of parameters, including the number of honey bees, brood area, and consumption, with Diet 1 exhibiting higher levels. Diet 1, containing apple juice, soytide, and Chlorella as additive components, outperformed the other diets, suggesting an enhanced formulation for pollen substitute diets. These findings hold promise for the development of more effective diets, potentially contributing to honey bee health.

Parasite and virus dynamics in the honeybee Apis mellifera unicolor on a tropical island recently invaded by Varroa destructor

In La Réunion, the established honeybee subspecies Apis mellifera unicolor, an endemic subspecies of African lineage, is facing considerable challenges. Since the introduction of the Varroa destructor mite in 2017 high colony losses have been recorded. We investigated the dynamics of V. destructor and two viruses, the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), known to be transmitted by the mite, and the Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV), in A. m. unicolor. Colonies from two apiaries located at 300 and 900 m a.s.l were monitored twice for one year without any acaricide treatment. The brood area, V. destructor infestation rates, DWV and CBPV prevalence and load were recorded monthly. A. m. unicolor maintained brood rearing throughout the year. Varroa destructor infestation resulted in high colony mortality (up to 85 %) and high phoretic mite rates (up to 52 mites per hundred bees). The establishment of DWV in colonies occurred after that of V. destructor and the mite infestation rate had a significant effect on the virus prevalence and load. CBPV appeared only transiently throughout the surveys. The data showed that, in tropical colonies with permanent brood rearing, V. destructor and DWV can reach high levels, but are still subject to seasonal variations that appear to be influenced by environmental conditions. This suggests that beekeeping practices could be adapted by favouring sites and periods for transhumance or acaricide treatment.

Are man-made hives valid thermal surrogates for natural honey bee nests (Apismellifera)?

Honey bees preferentially occupy thick walled tall narrow tree cavities and attach their combs directly to the nest wall, leaving periodic gaps. However, academic research and beekeeping are conducted in squat, thin walled man made hives, with a continuous gap between the combs and the walls and roof. Utilising a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of thermoregulating bees in complete nests in trees and thin walled man made hives, with the average size of tree comb gaps determined from honey bee occupied synthetic tree nests, this research compared the metabolic energy impacts of comb gaps and vertical movement of the thermoregulated brood area. This shows their heat transfer regimes are disparate, including: bee space above combs increases heat loss by up to ∼70%; hives, compared to tree nests, require at least 150% the density of honey bees to arrest convection across the brood area. Tree cavities have a larger vertical freedom, a greater thermal resistance and can make dense clustering redundant. With the thermal environment being critical to honey bees, the magnitude and scope of these differences suggest that some hive based behavioural research needs extra validation to be considered non-anthropogenic, and some bee keeping practices are sub-optimal.

Evaluating the role of social context and environmental factors in mediating overwintering physiology in honey bees (Apis mellifera).

In temperate climates, honey bees show strong phenotypic plasticity associated with seasonal changes. In summer, worker bees typically only survive for about a month and can be further classified as young nurse bees (which feed the developing brood) and older forager bees. In winter, brood production and foraging halt and the worker bees live for several months. These differences in task and longevity are reflected in their physiology, with summer nurses and long-lived winter bees typically having large fat bodies, high expression levels of vitellogenin (a longevity-, nutrition- and immune-related gene), and large provisioning glands in their head. The environmental factors (both within the colony and within the surrounding environment) that trigger this transition to long-lived winter bees are poorly understood. One theory is that winter bees are an extended nurse bee state, brought on by a reduction in nursing duties in autumn (i.e. lower brood area). We examined that theory here by assessing nurse bee physiology in both the summer and autumn, in colonies with varying levels of brood. We found that season is a better predictor of nurse bee physiology than brood area. This suggests that seasonal factors beyond brood area, such as pollen availability and colony demography, may be necessary for inducing the winter bee phenotype. This finding furthers our understanding of winter bee biology, which could have important implications for colony management for winter, a critical period for colony survival.

Increased Mass-Rearing of Queens in High Royal-Jelly-Producing Honey Bee Colonies (Apis mellifera ligustica) Generates Smaller Queens with Comparable Fecundity

The mass rearing of high-quality queen bees is an essential beekeeping practice for producing new queens to maintain colony productivity. A strain of high royal-jelly-producing bees (RJBs; Apis mellifera ligustica) in China exhibits high potential for the rapid mass rearing of queens. To explore the potential changes in the quality of mass-reared queens, a set of morphometric traits and the sealed brood area were compared between the queens reared from 64 and 320 queen cells in RJB colonies. The increase in the queen cell number was found to induce a slightly but significantly reduced body weight and smaller wing length and thorax width in the reared queens at emergence. However, the ovariole number and sealed brood area, an indicator of the queen fecundity, were not observed to be significantly influenced. With respect to body weight and ovariole number, all the reared queens satisfied the current criteria for high-quality queens. Our findings provide evidence for the efficient mass production of high-quality queens using RJB colonies.

Comparative Study of the Effect of Pollen Substitute Diets on Honey Bees during Early Spring.

The nutritional quality of a colony significantly affects its health and strength, particularly because it is required for population growth in the early spring. We investigated the impact of various artificial pollen substitute diets on colony performance in the Republic of Korea during early spring, a critical period for colony health and growth. The colonies were provided with different diets, including the commercial product Megabee (positive control), our developed diet Test A, and four upgraded versions (Diet 1, Diet 2, Diet 3, and Diet 4) of Test A. The negative control group received no supplementary feed. Over 63 days, we observed 24 experimental colonies and assessed various parameters at the colony and individual levels. The results revealed that Diet 2 had the highest consumption and had the most positive impact on population growth, the capped brood area, colony weight, honey bees' weight, and vitellogenin levels. These findings suggested that Diet 2 is most attractive to honey bees and thus holds great promise for improving colony maintenance and development during the crucial early spring period.

Comparison of pure caucasian, carniolan and native anatolian ecotype honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in the eastern anatolia region with reciprocal F1 hybrids

The aim of this study was to compare specific physiological and behavioral characteristics of A. m. caucasica, A. m. carnica, and native honeybees, as well as reciprocal crosses, within the ecological conditions of East Anatolia (Van province), Turkey. The findings revealed that native honeybees exhibited the highest average sealed brood area and the highest average number of frames with bees. In contrast, the highest average honey yield was observed in the crossbreeding of Carniolan bees with native bees. Significant differences were identified among the groups concerning brood area, the number of bee frames, aggression tendency, and honey yield. The study concluded that Carniolan and Caucasian bees exhibited suboptimal performance outside their native habitats. Nevertheless, Carniolan bees were identified as a viable option for mitigating aggression tendencies and enhancing honey yield in native bee populations.

Studying the Effect of Using Super Protein as a Food Substitute on Honey Bee Colony Activity

The research was conducted in a private apiary in Al-Buaitha region - Baghdad governorate to evaluate the effect of adding super protein to the diet of honey bee colonies, and to note its effect on the colonies’ activity, growth, development, productivity and some characteristics of the honey produced. It is clear from the results that the best acceptance rates were achieved by the super protein treatment, and according to the results of the statistical analysis, it was significantly superior to all other treatments in terms of measuring the honey area 2.631 cm2, the brood area 1.622 cm2, and the pollen area 0.378 cm2 It was also noted that there was a positive effect in terms of honey area, where the treated cults produced more honey than the comparison treatment, with an average of (2.631 cm, 1.997 cm), respectively. The results showed that feeding with super protein encouraged the worker honey bees to raise more brood and thus increase the area of the brood, as it outperformed the comparison treatment with an average of (1.622 cm2 1.024 cm2), respectively.

How honeybees respond to heat stress from the individual to colony level.

A honey bee colony functions as an integrated collective, with individuals coordinating their behaviour to adapt and respond to unexpected disturbances. Nest homeostasis is critical for colony function; when ambient temperatures increase, individuals switch to thermoregulatory roles to cool the nest, such as fanning and water collection. While prior work has focused on bees engaged in specific behaviours, less is known about how responses are coordinated at the colony level, and how previous tasks predict behavioural changes during a heat stress. Using BeesBook automated tracking, we follow thousands of individuals during an experimentally induced heat stress, and analyse their behavioural changes from the individual to colony level. We show that heat stress causes an overall increase in activity levels and a spatial reorganization of bees away from the brood area. Using a generalized framework to analyse individual behaviour, we find that individuals differ in their response to heat stress, which depends on their prior behaviour and correlates with age. Examining the correlation of behavioural metrics over time suggests that heat stress perturbation does not have a long-lasting effect on an individual's future behaviour. These results demonstrate how thousands of individuals within a colony change their behaviour to achieve a coordinated response to an environmental disturbance.

Multiple Honey Harvesting Strategy - migratory Beekeeping in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, India

Commercial beekeeping in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry depends on Indian bee, Apis cerana indica. The State had occupied first position in honey production in the country until 1990’s. In commercial beekeeping, migration has assumed really important dimensions. Our results demonstrated that total brood area reached the highest area of 1286.86 cm2 at January II at Puducherry site and lowest brood area at May II (527.38 cm2) at Chidambaram sites. Similarly, a significant difference was noticed in the mean total brood area, pollen area and queen prolificacy between the different migratory sites. Pollen area (cm2) was 155.22±7.88 to 272.56±9.61 cm2. The largest fortnightly mean pollen area was in February I (272.56±9.61 cm2) at Puducherry site, while the lowest was in June II (165.46±7.30 cm2) Chidambaram site. Egg laying area peaked in January II (297.81±4.75 cm2) at Puducherry site and rapidly declining through February, March, and April to reach its lowest point in May II (122.05±4.26 cm2) at Chidambaram site. In contrast, a non-significant difference was observed in nectar area and honey yield at different migratory sites (P>0.05). Current findings add to our understanding the honey yield was high in all the migratory sites without any differences by the way multiple honey harvest was possible in migratory beekeeping practices.

Cold storage as part of a Varroa management strategy: effects on honey bee colony performance, mite levels and stress biomarkers

Placing honey bee colonies in cold storage has been proposed as a way to induce a pause in brood production as part of a Varroa mite treatment plan. Here, we exposed colonies to combinations of with or without an October cold storage period and with or without a subsequent miticide application. We then measured the effects of those treatments on colony-level variables (i.e. colony size, Varroa infestation level, survivorship and hive weight and temperature) and pooled individual-level variables that are associated with nutritional and stress responses. Colonies were assessed before and after cold storage, and again post winter, for a total duration of about 5 months, and the experiment was repeated. Brood levels were significantly lower after cold storage, and hive temperatures indicated that most or all brood had emerged after about two weeks in cold storage. However, Varroa levels at the end of the experiments in February were not significantly different among treatment groups. Colonies kept outside (not subjected to cold storage) and treated with a miticide had higher survivorship on average than any other treatment group, but no other group comparisons were significant, and long-term impact of cold storage on adult bee populations and on colony thermoregulation was low. The bee forage environment was also very different between the 2 years of the study, as rainfall and bee forage availability were much higher the second year. Colonies were over 2.5 times larger on average the second year compared to the first, both in terms of adult bee mass and brood area, and expression levels of nutrition and stress response genes were also significantly higher the second year. The results indicate that limited cold storage would likely have little long-term impact on most colony and individual measures of health, but for such a strategy to succeed levels of stressors, such as Varroa, may also need to be low.