Commercial Bee Research Articles

Reproductive and Morphological Quality of Commercial Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Drones in the United States.

Exploration into reproductive quality in honey bees (Apis mellifera Linneaus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) largely focuses on factors that affect queens, with drones primarily being considered insofar as they pass on effects of environmental stressors to the queen and subsequent offspring. In those studies that consider drone quality explicitly, a primary focus has been on the dimorphic nature of drones laid in worker cells (either through rare queen error or worker reproduction) as compared to drones laid by the queen in the slightly larger drone cells. The implication from these studies is that that there exists a bimodality of drone morphological quality that is related to reproductive quality and competitive ability during mating. Our study quantifies the presence of such small drones in commercial populations, finding that rates of ‘low-quality’ drones are far higher than theoretically predicted under optimum conditions. Observations from commercial colonies also show significant inter-colony variation among the size and fecundity of drones produced, prompting speculation as to the mechanisms inducing such variation and the potential use of drone-quality variation for the colony- or apiary-level exposure to nutrition, agrichemical, or parasitic stressors.

Investigating the Foraging, Guarding and Drifting Behaviors of Commercial Bombus terrestris

Social insects have high levels of cooperation and division of labor. In bumble bees this is partly size-based, with larger bees performing tasks outside the nest and smaller bees remaining inside, although bumble bees still display considerable behavioral plasticity. The level of specialization in tasks outside the colony, including foraging, guarding and drifting (entering a foreign colony), is currently unknown for bumble bees. This study aimed to assess division of labor between outside tasks and the degree of specialization in foraging, guarding, and switching colonies in commercially reared bumble bees placed in the field. Nine factory-bought Bombus terrestris colonies were placed on three farms in Sussex, UK, between June and August 2015. Forty workers from each colony were radio-tagged and a reader on the colony entrance recorded the date, time and bee ID as they passed. The length and frequency of foraging trips and guarding behavior were calculated, and drifting recorded. The mean (±SD) length of foraging trips was 45 ± 36 min, and the mean number of foraging trips per day was 7.75 ± 7.71. Low levels of specialization in guarding or foraging behavior were found; however, some bees appeared to guard more frequently than others, and twenty bees were categorized as guards. Five bees appeared to exhibit repeated “stealing” behavior, which may have been a specialist task. The division of labor between tasks was not size-based. It is concluded that commercial bumble bees are flexible in performing outside nest tasks and may have diverse foraging strategies including intra-specific nest robbing.

Comparative assessment of various supplementary diets on commercial honey bee (Apis mellifera) health and colony performance.

A healthy honey bee stock is critical to the beekeeping industry and the sustainability of the ecosystem. The quality of the supplemental diet influences the development and strength of the colony, especially during the pollen dearth period in the surrounding environment. However, the extent to which pollen substitute protein feeding affects honey bee colony parameters is not fully known. We conducted this study to test the influence of various supplemental diets on foraging effort, pollen load, capped brood area, population density, and honey yield. The treatment groups were supplied with patties of pollen substitute diets, whereas sugar syrup was given to the control group. Our results indicated that honey bees consumed a significantly higher amount of Diet 1 (45 g soybean flour + 15 g Brewer's yeast + 75 g powdered sugar + 7.5 g skimmed milk + 7.5 g date palm pollen + 200 mL sugar syrup supplement with Vitamin C) followed by others supplemented diets. Further, pollen load, worker-sealed brood area, population strength, and honey yield differed significantly when Diet 1 was consumed instead of other supplemental diets. The proportion of biological parameters was less in the control group as compared to other treatments. This study highlights the potential of supplemental diets to improve the bee's health and colony development when the pollens availability and diversity are insufficient.

Proportion of commodity crop pollens and pesticide contamination in honey bee diets in two different landscapes

Honey bees are the most important managed pollinators in commercial agriculture. Large irrigated mixed agricultural landscapes in the mid-south United States can be vital to maintaining commercial honey bee operations during times of prolonged nectar dearth, even if those crops are not dependent on bee pollinators. Severe declines in bee populations have generated concerns about the relationship of pesticide-treated seeds and crops and the health of honey bees. To investigate the role of pollen from seed-treated crops as a component of honey bee diet and pesticide contamination in pollen diet of honey bees from agricultural and urban landscapes, we monitored honey bee colonies in both agricultural and urban areas. Pollen collection began in mid-March, before seed-treated crops were planted, and continued through the end of August, after crops had ceased blooming. Pollen samples from returning bees were identified to determine the botanical origin of the bees’ pollen diet, and were also analyzed for pesticide contamination. Honey bees in the agricultural landscape visited crop sources only during the seasonal period of natural nectar dearth, when other wildflower sources were limited, and they encountered acutely toxic pesticide residues (above LD50) during this period. These bees also encountered toxic levels of herbicide on multiple occasions throughout the season, in pollen from non-crop plants. Bees in the urban area were also exposed to toxic levels of insecticides on several occasions. Urban bees were exposed to herbicides throughout the season, but not at concentrations approaching acute toxicity. Simultaneous exposure to multiple pesticides occurred at both sites on multiple occasions. The results underscore the need to conserve areas of habitat and forage for both wild and managed pollinators within both agricultural and urban landscapes.

Genetic and Usurpation Data Support High Incidence of Bumble Bee Nest Invasion by Socially Parasitic Bumble Bee, Bombus insularis.

Cuckoo bumble bees (Psithyrus) (Lepeletier, 1832) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are a unique lineage of bees that depend exclusively on a host bumble bee species to provide nesting material, nutritional resources, and labor to rear offspring. In this study, we document usurpation incidence and population genetic data of Bombus insularis (Smith, 1861) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), a bumble bee species in the Psithyrus subgenus, on field-deployed B. huntii colonies in northern Utah, United States. Within 12 d of deploying B. huntii Greene, 1860 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies at two field sites, 13 of the 16 colonies contained at least one established B. insularis female. Although our results demonstrate that field-deployed bumble bee colonies are highly susceptible to B. insularis usurpation, applying a fabricated excluder to prevent the inquiline from invading a colony was 100% effective. Sibship analysis using microsatellite genotype data of 59 B. insularis females estimates that they originated from at least 49 unique colonies. Furthermore, sibship analysis found siblings distributed between the field sites that were 7.04 km apart. Our result suggests that B. insularis females have the capacity to disperse across the landscape in search of host colonies at distances of at least 3.52 km and up to 7.04 km. Our study underscores the detrimental impact B. insularis usurpation has on the host bumble bee colony. As B. insularis significantly impacts the success of bumble bee colonies, we briefly discuss how the utilization of excluders may be useful for commercial bumble bee colonies that are used to pollinate open field crops.

The effects of commercial propagation on bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) foraging and worker body size

Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) have been commercially propagated for over three decades. As the environmental conditions experienced by commercial bumble bees differ greatly from those experienced by wild bumble bees, commercial rearing of bumble bees may cause phenotypic changes. Here, we compare the foraging behavior and size of worker bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) from commercial and wild colonies. For this experiment, we measured worker body size, recorded if the workers returned with pollen, and examined the contents of pollen loads via microscopy. We found that, while commercial and wild bumble bees foraged on similar communities of flowers, wild bumble bees returned to colonies with purer pollen baskets (higher proportion of the most common species) and were more likely to return to the colony with pollen than their commercial counterparts. Commercial bumble bees were also smaller than wild bees. Our work highlights differences between commercial and wild bumble bees, in addition to raising important unanswered questions about the mechanism and drivers of these differences.

PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEE IN DANG DISTRICT OF NEPAL

This paper studied the production and management of honey bee in dang district. 35 respondent rearing commercially honey bee of Tulsipur and Ghorahi sub-metropolitan city and Banglachuli rural municipality were selected by using Purposive sampling techniques out of 141 commercial bee growers (Registered AKC, PMAMP). Structure questionnaire where designed to sample opinion of respondents. Data were collected using M-water surveyor mobile Application by using pretesting questionnaire and analyzed using MS-Excel, Statistical Package of Social Science. Results obtained that 72% respondents commercially rearing Apis millifera and 11% rearing Apis cerana. Farmers having 22-117 numbers of hives found maximum (77%). Maximum number of hives rearing found was 500 by commercial bee keepers. Average hive number and Average productivity found were 98 and 31.2kg per hive per year (Apis millifera). 89% respondent were found increasing their enterprise and good source of income was found as the main reason to increase their enterprise whereas 11% respondent were decreasing their enterprise and Shortage of forage was found as the main reason to decrease their enterprise. Hive cleaning practice was adopted by majority of the farmer (40%) to protect the hive from rainy and summer season whereas feeding with sugar syrup was adopted by most of the farmer (80%) during rainy and summer season. Hive covering with jute sacs and straw was found most adopted practice (69%) to protect the bee colonies during winter season. Commercial bee keepers having more number of bee hives and migrate their beehives for foraging in different places outside the valley were found 4 and more times honey harvesting whereas two times harvesting was found by beekeepers rearing Apis cerana. Most of the farmer used to sell honey from farm gate (94%) however the most selling was done to the whole sellers due to lack of storing and processing equipment.

The costs and benefits of sunflower pollen diet on bumble bee colony disease and health

AbstractPathogen transmission between domesticated and wild host species has important implications for community ecology, agriculture, and wildlife conservation. Bumble bees provide valuable pollination services that are vital for both wildflowers and agricultural production. Intense concerns about pathogen spillover from commercial bumble bees to wild bee populations, and the potential harmful effects of pathogen spillback to commercial bees, has stimulated a need for practical strategies that effectively manage bumble bee infectious diseases. Here, we assessed the costs and benefits of a medicinal sunflower pollen diet (Helianthusannuus) on whole‐colony bumble bee disease and performance using commercial colonies of the common eastern bumble bee,Bombus impatiens, and its protozoan pathogen,Crithidia bombi(Trypanosomatida). We first found that a 1:1 mixture of sunflower combined with wildflower pollen reducedC. bombiinfection prevalence and intensity within individualB. impatiensworkers by nearly 4‐fold and 12‐fold, respectively, relative to wildflower pollen. At the colony level, a 1:1 mixture of sunflower and wildflower pollen reducedC. bombiinfection prevalence by 11% averaged over a 10‐week period and infection intensity by 30% relative to wildflower pollen. Colony performance was similar between pollen diets and infection treatments, including the number of workers and immatures produced, and size and weight of workers, drones, and queens. Infection significantly reduced the probability of queen production in colonies fed a pure wildflower pollen diet, but not colonies fed a mixed sunflower pollen diet, suggesting that the medicinal benefits of a mixed sunflower pollen diet can reverse the negative effects of infection on reproductive success. This study provides evidence that sunflower pollen as part of a mixed pollen diet can reduce infection in individual bees and whole colonies with no significant nutritional trade‐offs for colony worker production and most aspects of colony reproduction. A supplemental mixed sunflower pollen diet may provide a simple and effective solution to reduce disease and improve the health of economically and ecologically important pollinators.

Technical Efficiency of Commercial Stingless Bee Honey Production in Peninsular Malaysia

The Stingless beekeeping project, a relatively new industry in Malaysia, has a huge economic potential because the production of stingless bee honey is low but the demand for this type of honey is slightly higher. This study was developed to measure the technical efficiency of commercial stingless beekeeping farms in Peninsular Malaysia by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Ninety-two respondents were selected using clustered random sampling and they were personally interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results showed that the average technical efficiency was at 75%, with a minimum of 21% and a maximum of 100%. However, 25% of the farms were found to be fully efficient. The output slacks were 24.7, revealing that the bee farms produced honey with a shortfall in outputs. Labour hours indicated the highest input slacks which was 457. Mean slack for farm size indicated that the farms should be reduced by 0.58 acre while for the total number of colonies, the value of slack indicated that beekeepers should reduce it by one colony. Determinants of inefficiency results indicated that bee flowers and agricultural extension were significant. In conclusion, the technical efficiency of commercial stingless bee honey production in Peninsular Malaysia is high, but efficiency and inefficiency factors should be of concern to improve the value of technical efficiency.

Increasing Carthamus Tinctorius L. Yield by Managed Bees

Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower) is a drought-tolerant plant that has been cultivated for its oil, carthamin pigment, and edible parts. Seed production by safflower is related to its pollination success. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Apis mellifera L. (honey bee) and Bombus terrestris L. (bumble bee) pollination on safflower seed quality. Experiments with five treatments were prepared, four of which consisted of cages with either honey bees, bumble bees, or honey bees and bumble bees together in them, or without any insects, plus one open-pollinated plot treatment. To determine seed quality in the different treatments, the total seed yield, 1000 grain weight of seeds, number of seeds per capitulum, total oil content, fatty acid composition, and total oil yield in each treatment was determined. Total seed and oil yield was increased with bee pollination, whereas no significant difference was found in the total oil content and 1000 grain weight of seeds among treatments. Significant differences were observed among treatments in their seeds’ fatty acid compositions, specifically in their content of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. As a result, it was found that pollination by bees can positively affect the seed characteristics of safflower, while also increasing the total seed yield. We thus recommend using commercial bees in the cultivation of safflower.

Honey Bee Diversity Is Swayed by Migratory Beekeeping and Trade Despite Conservation Practices: Genetic Evidence for the Impact of Anthropogenic Factors on Population Structure

The intense admixture of honey bee (Apis melliferaL.) populations at a global scale is mostly attributed to the widespread migratory beekeeping practices and replacement of queens and colonies with non-native races or hybrids of different subspecies. These practices are also common in Anatolia and Thrace, but their influence on the genetic make-up of the five native subspecies of honey bees has not been explored. Here, we present an analysis of 30 microsatellite markers from honey bees from six different regions in Anatolia and Thrace (N= 250 samples), with the aim of comparing the impact of: (1) migratory beekeeping, (2) queen and colony trade, and (3) conservation efforts on the genetic structure of native populations. Populations exposed to migratory beekeeping showed less allegiance than stationary ones. We found genetic evidence for migratory colonies, acting as a hybrid zone mobile in space and time, becoming vectors of otherwise local gene combinations. The effect of honey bee trade leaves very high introgression levels in native honey bees. Despite their narrow geographic range, introgression occurs mainly with the highly commercial Caucasian bees. We also measured the direction and magnitude of gene flow associated with bee trade. A comparison between regions that are open and those closed to migratory beekeeping allowed the evaluation of conservation sites as centers with limited gene flow and demonstrated the importance of establishing such isolated regions. Despite evidence of gene flow, our findings confirm high levels of geographically structured genetic diversity in four subspecies of honey bees in Turkey and emphasize the need to develop policies to maintain this diversity. Our overall results are of interest to the wider scientific community studying anthropogenic effects on the population diversity of honey bees and other insects. Our findings on the effects of migratory beekeeping, replacement of queens and colonies have implications for the conservation of honey bees, other pollinators, and invertebrates, in general, and are informative for policy-makers and other stakeholders in Europe and beyond.

No sex differences in learning in wild bumblebees

Abstract Females and males often face different sources of selection, resulting in dimorphism in morphological, physiological, and even cognitive traits. Sex differences are often studied in respect to spatial cognition, yet the different ecological roles of males and females might shape cognition in multiple ways. For example, in dietary generalist bumblebees (Bombus), the ability to learn associations is critical to female workers, who face informationally rich foraging scenarios as they collect nectar and pollen from thousands of flowers over a period of weeks to months to feed the colony. While male bumblebees likely need to learn associations as well, they only forage for themselves while searching for potential mates. It is thus less clear whether foraging males would benefit from the same associative learning performance as foraging females. In this system, as in others, cognitive performance is typically studied in lab-reared animals under captive conditions, which may not be representative of patterns in the wild. In the first test of sex and species differences in cognition using wild bumblebees, we compared the performance of Bombus vancouverensis nearcticus (formerly bifarius) and Bombus vosnesenskii of both sexes on an associative learning task at Sierra Nevada (CA) field sites. Across both species, we found that males and females did not differ in their ability to learn, although males were slower to respond to the sucrose reward. These results offer the first evidence from natural populations that male bumblebees may be equally as able to learn associations as females, supporting findings from captive colonies of commercial bees. The observed interspecific variation in learning ability opens the door to using the Bombus system to test hypotheses about comparative cognition.

Economic Efficiency of Stingless Bee Farms in Peninsular Malaysia Estimated by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

The commercial stingless beekeeping industry has good economic growth potential in Malaysia, which is a tropical country rich in flora that serves as food sources for stingless bees. Local consumption of honey is increasing and its production locally can be raised to meet the demand by sustainable stingless beekeeping. An important indicator that measures the success of the industry is the economic efficiency of the farm. This study hence examined the cost efficiency (CE), technical efficiency (TE), and allocative efficiency (AE) of commercial stingless beekeeping farms in the East Coast and Northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia using Cost Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) under the assumption of Constant Return to Scale (CRS). Interviews with 47 respondents in the East Coast region and 28 respondents in the Northern region showed that the average CE scores for the two regions were 0.291 and 0.172, respectively. TE for the East Coast region and Northern region were 0.656 and 0.385 while mean AE scores of 0.445 and 0.404 were obtained. Factors that influenced the efficiency of the farms included farmers’ years of schooling and extension officer visits. In conclusion, CE, TE, and AE of commercial stingless bee honey production in Peninsular Malaysia were fairly low, and the determinants responsible for this low efficiency is of concern. Economic efficiency in stingless beekeeping needs to be further elevated to optimise productivity.

Turkish royal jelly: amino acid, physicochemical, antioxidant, multi-elemental, antibacterial and fingerprint profiles by analytical techniques combined with chemometrics

Royal jelly is one of the most remarkable commercial bee products used in cosmetics, medicine, and as a dietary supplement. This study aimed to determine some quality parameters (amino acid, multi-elemental, total phenolic-flavonoid, 10-HDA, sugar, and moisture content) as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of different royal jelly samples (domestic and non-domestic samples). In this study, royal jelly samples exhibited high antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. 10-HDA values were found to be higher in domestic royal jelly samples (2.17–2.71%) compared to non-domestic samples (0.31–1.71%). Also, it was found that the acidity value varied between 2.57–3.37 mL 0.1 N NaOH/g and 3.87–4.97 mL 0.1 N NaOH/g in non-domestic and domestic royal jelly samples, respectively. L-Proline was the amino acid with the highest rate of occurrence in both domestic (21972.39–35053.00 nmol/g) and non-domestic (19688.31–21711.50 nmol/g) samples. It was determined that the new method developed for amino acid analysis has many advantages over other methods. Chemometrics of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that amino acid profile, elemental profile, and chemical parameters were capable of presenting characteristic and descriptive properties of royal jelly samples. In addition to these findings, Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometrics of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was successfully used to distinguish domestic and non-domestic royal jelly samples. The obtained results will provide an important basis for subsequent research on the evaluation of the amino acid content, physicochemical properties, phenolic content, and the antioxidant and elemental profile of royal jelly.

Lithium chloride outperformed oxalic acid sublimation in a preliminary experiment for Varroa mite control in pre-wintering honey bee colonies.

Since lithium salts were demonstrated to be very effective for the potential control of Varroa destructor, a highly detrimental parasite of honey bee (Apis mellifera), no studies have been reported on their comparison with any commonly used varroicides in commercial bee colonies. In this study we compared the effectiveness of lithium chloride to that of oxalic acid, a widely used miticide. The results of the present study confirm that lithium has superior efficacy to oxalic acid sublimation both as a main or a supplementary pre-wintering treatment at moderate infestation levels, restricted to certain pre-wintering conditions. Considering its easy implementation in apicultural practice and its twofold mode of action, trickling would be the preferred way of administration after the use of lithium salts as varroicides is authorised.

Comparing Survival of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus Infection among Stocks of U.S. Honey Bees.

Simple SummaryHoney bees and other pollinators are threatened by numerous stressors, including virus infections. Currently, no effective treatments are available, stressing the importance of natural defenses. These defenses may be enhanced through selective breeding. This study sought to evaluate the potential for breeding, while also testing a few potential mechanisms of natural immune responses and assessing how widespread viruses are in commercial honey bee queens in the U.S. We identified significant differences in survival of virus infection among and within U.S honey bee stocks, indicating that selective breeding may be able to decrease the virus susceptibility of honey bees. Survival differences may be related to differences in the natural immune system of honey bees and could relate to how much virus stress bees have experienced in the past.Among numerous viruses that infect honey bees (Apis mellifera), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) can be linked to severe honey bee health problems. Breeding for virus resistance may improve honey bee health. To evaluate the potential for this approach, we compared the survival of IAPV infection among stocks from the U.S. We complemented the survival analysis with a survey of existing viruses in these stocks and assessing constitutive and induced expression of immune genes. Worker offspring from selected queens in a common apiary were inoculated with IAPV by topical applications after emergence to assess subsequent survival. Differences among stocks were small compared to variation within stocks, indicating the potential for improving honey bee survival of virus infections in all stocks. A positive relation between worker survival and virus load among stocks further suggested that honey bees may be able to adapt to better cope with viruses, while our molecular studies indicate that toll-6 may be related to survival differences among virus-infected worker bees. Together, these findings highlight the importance of viruses in queen breeding operations and provide a promising starting point for the quest to improve honey bee health by selectively breeding stock to be better able to survive virus infections.

Prick and intradermal skin tests in patients with severe hymenoptera sting allergy using commercial versus in-house allergen extracts.

Fire ant, honey bee, and wasp allergen extracts are useful in the diagnosis and treatment of severe Hymenoptera allergic patients. To evaluate the result of skin prick test (SPT) and intradermal test (ID) compared between local and commercial insect allergen extracts in patients with severe Hymenoptera sting allergy. SPT and ID using local and commercial insect allergen extracts were performed. Specific IgE (sIgE) to honey bee, wasp, and fire ant; component-resolved diagnosis (CRD); (rApi m1, rApi m2, rApi m3, rApi m5, rApi m10, rVes v5, rPol d5, and rVes v1); and, cross-reactive carbohydrate determinant (CCD) were performed. Twenty-seven patients were included. Twenty-five had anaphylaxis, and 2 had severe systemic skin reaction. Positive skin test (SPT and/or ID) result from local and commercial allergen extracts was 74% vs. 67% for fire ant, 48% vs. 59% for honey bee, and 52% vs. 74% for yellowjacket. Local and commercial allergen extracts showed substantial agreement for fire ant (k = 0.647, p = 0.001) and honey bee (k = 0.632, p = 0.001), and moderate agreement for wasp (k = 0.547, p = 0.001). When compared with sIgE subtracted with CCD and/or CRD, skin test results of local fire ant allergen extract showed higher sensitivity (87% vs. 67%), specificity (42% vs. 33%), and accuracy (67% vs. 52%) than commercial extract. Commercial honey bee and wasp showed higher sensitivity (62% vs. 50%, 85% vs. 65%) and accuracy (63% vs. 52%, 78% vs. 70%), respectively. SPT and ID with local or commercial insect venoms could help in confirming and/or identifying the causative insects.

The cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory potential of Tetragonula sapiens propolis from Sulawesi on raw 264.7 cell lines

Propolis is a naturally produced resinous mixture the bees are secreted through collecting resin of plants, buds, and exudates. According to several studies, propolis possessed various properties, one of which known as immunomodulatory property. Immunomodulatory property can be assessed and observed through the anti-inflammatory and cytotoxicity properties of propolis. In Indonesia, Tetragonula sapiens (T. sapiens) from Sulawesi is considered as one of the most commercial and productive bees. Despite of their productivity and commerciality, they have never been tested for their immunomodulatory property. In order to explore their potential even further, this present study was aimed to observe the anti-inflammatory and cytotoxicity properties of T. sapiens propolis from Sulawesi, Indonesia against RAW 264.7 cell lines. The cytotoxic assay of propolis against RAW264.7 cell lines was conducted using MTS assay. The anti-inflammatory properties were determined using LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages cells to measure inhibitory activity of propolis on production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and nitric oxide (NO). The cytotoxic test results showed that propolis extract concentration affected the cell in terms of increasing or decreasing the cell viability. The results of the anti-inflammatory test disclosed that propolis at 120 µg/mL had an anti-inflammatory property which was evidenced by TNF-α levels of 304.28 ± 30.25 pg/mL, iNOS of 5.42 ± 0.82 ng/mL, and NO 101.09 ± 1.49 µmol/L. It can be concluded that the Indonesian propolis from T. sapiens possess anti-inflammatory properties related to the inhibition of NO production by macrophages.

COMPLIANCE OF SELECTED STINGLESS BEE HONEY IN KELANTAN ACCORDING TO MALAYSIAN STANDARD (MS) 2683:2017

In Malaysia, commercial stingless bee honey is in demand due to its nutritional and healing properties, especially in the cosmetic, food and beverage and pharmaceutical industry. However, up to date, these honey products from various districts of Kelantan were not subjected to compliance according to the specification of the Malaysian Standard (MS) 2683:2017. Thus, the objective of the current study was to determine the compliance of selected stingless bee honey (SBH) in Kelantan based upon physicochemical properties and microbiological analysis following MS 2683:2017 specifications. Physicochemical analysis of commercial stingless be honey shows the value of moisture, ash, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and pH were in the range of 27.05 ± 1.39 to 32.61 ± 2.79 %, 0.08 ± 0.01 to 0.14 ± 0.01 g, 8.78 ± 0.92 to 218.66 ± 0.70 mg/kg and
 2.34 ± 0.01 to 3.22 ± 0.02, respectively. There was an absence of total coliform in all samples. In summary, all samples of stingless bee honey complied with MS 2683:2017 specification for physicochemical properties and microbial contaminant limits of total plate count (TPC) and total coliform. However, for the microbial contaminant limit of yeast and mold, only sample 6 was contaminated.

The Productivity of bee colonies on different temperature parameters and duration of the winter rape flowering period

The production of honey and pollen by bee colonies at different temperatures and durations of winter rape flowering periods in the conditions of the right-bank Forest-Steppe has been studied. The influence of ambient temperature and duration of winter rape flowering period on the production of commercial honey and bee pollen was established. The need of bee colonies for food and the level of nectarproductive plants in the radius of their achievement by bees contributes to the demographic movement of these insects on the planet. Due to the healing and highly nutritious properties of bees processing nectar and pollen, honey, perga, royal jelly and other beekeeping products are widely and constantly used, which require a stronger honey base and increase its productivity. Therefore, nectar and pollen of plants are an important component in the existence of the honey bee and its evolutionary development. Over the last century, one of the most important environmental problems on the planet has been global warming, which has resulted in climate change. Agriculture, in particular crop production, was the most vulnerable to climate change. A slight decrease in the supply of nectar and pollen of plants in nature significantly affects the existence of the honey bee. First of all, their development and productivity are reduced, there is an increase in the level of the disease and a decrease in the efficiency of the industry as a whole. There are known facts of bee colonies taking off and moving from lowyielding nectar-pollinating lands to more productive ones. With a decrease in air temperature compared to the optimal +22 ° C during the flowering of winter rape, regardless of the length of its stay in this phase, there was a decrease in honey production from 23.8% to 76.2% and bee pollen from 33.3% to 55.5% . Key words: bee colonies, winter rape, honey, bee pollen, temperature flowering.