Exploration of various flours as pollen substitutes for Apis mellifera L. during Dearth period at Tarai region of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

All the flours were mixed with honey and water to make a total of 4 treatments (4 flours + honey + water). Treatment T 1 (Soybean flour + honey + water) were found to be best in reference to visitation of bees with a mean number of 32.59 honey bee foragers /5min/day and weight loss in flours was 19.12 g due to foraging by bees followed by the treatment T 3 (Maize flour + honey + water) and T 2 (Wheat flour + honey + water) were found 29.30 and 23.05, respectively. Gram flour + honey + water (T 4 ) combination were found to be least preferred pollen substitute for A. mellifera (19.76 honey bee foragers/5min/day) with a weight loss 6.66 g. The overall study has great significance for bee keepers. The use of pollen substitute is important for growth and development of the bee colonies not only in dearth periods but also at other times (during foraging, pollination process and to overcome pesticide exposures.). From the present findings it can be concluded that although bees have accepted and grew on all the diets.

Nutritional effects of supplementary diets on brood development, biological activities and honey production of Apis mellifera L

“…mellifera brood have also been used. For example, Blends of soybean flour + honey + water showed the excellent pollen alternative among all the four blends and supported a healthy population of bees after nourishing these diets ( Usha et al, 2014 ). Similarly many studies noted a significant worker sealed brood by feeding the bee’s colonies with pollen alternate enriched foods for growing the worker brood area ( Saffari et al, 2010 , Sihag and Gupta, 2011 , Islam et al, 2020 ).…”

“…In Pakistan, during lien periods (June-July) when natural pollen provisions are not adequate to support colony health and development, apiarists frequently nourish honey bee colonies with pollen enriched artificial diets like gram flour, maize and defatted soybean ( Safari et al, 2006 ). Sugar syrup as additional nursing is also practiced by many of the apiarists to speed up brood development and oviposition ( Usha et al, 2014 ). Inadequate diet sources harmfully affect the ability of bee colony.…”

“…Moreover, it was also noticed that every tested artificial diets was expressively superior over control. Usha et al (2014) executed research work by providing flours of soybean, wheat, maize and gram as pollen replacements for A . mellifera broods.…”