The paper presents the study on the effect of two types of probiotic feed additives of different composition on the quality of honeybee colonies during wintering. Feed additive called SpasiPchel contains 2 strains of bacteria Bacillus subtilis anfeed additive PcheloNormosil contains Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains and arabinogalactan (prebiotic isolated from Siberian larch needles). If honeybees received Spasipchel and Pchelonormosil during the feeding in cages their lifespan increased. Honeybee colonies that received Spasipchel in autumn exceeded the control group by 21.3% in colony strength and by 58.7% in the number of sealed brood in spring. Food consumption in these colonies per honeybee frame during the winter period was 22% lower. Honeybee colonies, that received PcheloNormosil feed additive, were slightly behind in strength compared to the control colony during spring, but surpassed it by 23.5% in the number of sealed brood. Further research should be made to identify optimal composition of probiotics that are better at preserving honeybee colonies under the conditions of the continental climate characterized by long cold winters.

Introduction. Pesticide poisoning is one of the main causes of mass death of bee colonies observed in different countries of the world. However, at present, abandoning the use of plant protection products is not possible, since insects and crop weeds are responsible for the loss of at least half of the world's food supply. An increase in insect pest activity due to global warming will lead to even greater losses. All this dictates the need for a wider introduction of biological methods of plant protection. Bioinsecticides based on entomopathogens can become an alternative to chemicals that have a pronounced toxic effect on nontarget organisms.Methods. The object of the study was honey bee Apis mellifera mellifera L. of the Carpathian breed, subjected to oral and contact exposure to Turinbash-G, the active ingredient of which is the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai strain 12K and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis, strain VNIIVEA-177. As a guide, the work used «Methodological recommendations for assessing the effect and potential hazard of pesticides for honeybees», approved by the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, as well as GOST 33038-2014 and GOST 33039-2014 «Mеthods for testing chemical products posing a danger to the environment.» In the course of the studies, the acute oral toxicity and acute contact toxicity of the active substance of Turinbash-G.Results. Studies have not revealed signs of acute toxicity of the Turinbash-Zh bioinsecticide for honey bees both with oral and with contact exposure to the drug. The maximum mortality rate of bees in the experimental groups 96 hours after the end of exposure to the studied drug is 16.7%. LD50 in determining the acute oral toxicity of the active substance of the drug Turinbash-Zh — above the value of 1·106 CFU/bee, LK50 — above 100 ml/l; in determining the acute contact toxicity LD50 above the value of 1·105 CFU/bee, LK50 — above 100 ml/l.

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To develop high-yield dairy cattle characterized by good health and long production cycle is impossible without a regular assessment of exterior characteristics and body type of animals. In our research we aimed to study specific constitution features of cows of the black-and-white and Kholmogory breeds, identify selection and genetic parameters and correlation between exterior parameters and milk production, as well as estimate the influence of external factors on biological features of the studied livestock. The research was conducted on the cows of the black-and-white and Kholmogory breeds in 2016-2018. The initial data was used to calculate the selection and genetic parameters of exterior and production activity of dairy cows in the studied population. By calculating the correlation index, we identified the correlation between all assessment parameters of exterior, body type and milk production ability of cows. The study results reveal relatively low variability of body types among dairy cows. It is found that such features as the cow height (2,50-3,22 %) and the hip width (2,70-3,18 %) are the least variable parameters. The maximum variable parameters are body length (3,30-4,60 %) and chest girth (3,63-4,38 %). Among parameters characterizing the milk production, a high level of variability is shown by the milk yield per 305 days of lactation (15,83-17,78 %) and the yield index (15,72-17,74 %). The correlation between the milk yield, milk quality and exterior features was either weak or there was no correlation at all (r from -0,21 to +0,24). At the same time, it is important to note a weak (r = +0,16) positive correlation between the exterior index of body and the yield index. The research finds that the influence of the environmental factor on the milk yield and the yield index is mean and amounts to 28,6 % and 26,3 % with a relatively low influence on the mass fraction of fat and protein in milk -4,1 % and 5,8 %, respectively. The environment has low influence (10 %) on the exterior index of body type. It proves that body development mostly depends on heredity. Thus, modern methods to assess dairy cows by their exterior type will make it possible to identify and select the cattle of the desired dairy type and improve selection efficiency. РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ САДКОВЫХ ОПЫТОВ ПО ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЮ ПРОБИОТИКОВ В ПОДКОРМКЕ ПЧЕЛКлючевые слова: пчелиные семьи; пробиотик; кормовая добавка; динамика гибели пчел; садковые опыты.

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