Physiological Effects of Some Pollen Substitutes Diets on Caged Honey Bee Workers (Apis mellifera L.)

Abstract

Nutritional value of four proteinaceous diets and their physiological effects on honey bee workers were evaluated under laboratory conditions. The tested diets were as follows: diet 1 – date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) syrup, skimmed milk powder and dried brewer's yeast, diet 2 – Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) powders and dried brewer's yeast, diet 3 – chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) flour, wheat germ and dried brewer's yeast and diet 4 - soybean meal, skimmed milk powder and dried brewer's yeast, beside a control group (bee bread). Caged Carniolan honey bee workers were used in the experiments. The consumption rate, workers longevity, development degree of hypopharyngeal glands (HPG), and weight of rectal contents were determined. The greatest consumption rate was recorded for the control group while the lowest one was recorded for diet 4. Feeding bees on diet 3 gave the longest longevity (LT50= 27.0 days) among the tested diets and as a second rank after bees in the control group (LT50 = 29.0 days) while diet 4 showed the lowest longevity (LT50 =20.5 days). The highest HPG development degree (3.78) was recorded for 9 days old bees in the control group, followed by diet 3 (3.24) while the lowest degree (2.14) was to diet 4. The weight of rectal contents of honey bee workers was 13.43, 16.03 and 16.12 mg/bee/3 days for diet 3, diet 1 and diet 2, respectively, suggesting the suitability of these diets to bees. In light of this study, diet 3 and 2 have the best physiological effects for bees with good nutritional values.

Effect of yeast and essential oil-enriched diets on critical determinants of health and immune function in Africanized Apis mellifera

“…However, in the present study, food intake was similar to field conditions, suggesting that the bees ingested sufficient food to maintain their physiological processes. The high food intake in the Z. mellis and S. cerevisiae diets coincided with vigorous food intake of S. cerevisiae-enriched diets reported in caged bees in another study (Amro, Younis & Ghania, 2020) and was similar to food intake in honey bee colonies under field conditions (Sihag & Gupta, 2011). High food intake of the two yeast-supplemented diets may be due to the nutritional components contained in yeast cells (e.g., lipids or proteins) (Herbert Jr & Shimanuki, 1978) and/or the volatiles produced by microbial metabolism (Christiaens et al, 2014).…”

“…Pioneering studies using caged bees found that using brewers' yeasts in bee food resulted in survival rates similar to those in bees fed pollen (Standifer et al, 1960). Recent studies have found that addition of brewers' yeasts to pollen substitutes can maintain bee longevity in cage conditions, resulting in survival rates similar to those observed in bees fed bee bread (Smodiš Škerl & Gregorc, 2014;Esanu, Radu-Rusu & Pop, 2018;Amro, Younis & Ghania, 2020). These studies and our results suggest that the nutrients provided by bee-associated yeasts are a good food source for bees and could further improve bee health.…”

“…There is no research to date on bee-associated yeast in pollen substitutes as nutritional modulators of GOx. However, one study did find that the hypopharyngeal glands, the main GOx synthesis site (Ohashi, Natori & Kubo, 1999), were stimulated in bees after being fed a pollen substitute containing the yeast Candida tropicalis (Amro, Younis & Ghania, 2020).…”

The Effect of Supplementary Feeding with Different Pollens in Autumn on Colony Development under Natural Environment and In Vitro Lifespan of Honey Bees

“…In other studies, it is seen that different feeding patterns affect the lifespan. There are differences in incubator conditions (temperature/humidity) in some of the studies [ 12 , 13 , 55 , 56 ]. In a study that supports our findings, the difference between the groups according to the average lifespan was statistically significant in the trial which was formed in an incubator at 35 °C and 70% humidity with energy and protein-rich replacement feeds.…”

“…In the beekeeping sector, pollen and supplementary feeding with honey are used to prevent hunger and to develop a higher population in bee colonies in spring, by providing for brood formation in autumn and the beginning of winter in the young worker bee population, and in queen and drone breeding, in order to have healthier colonies and prevent loss of bees after using agricultural chemicals in plant production [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Especially, the composition and ratio of nutrients affect the longevity of honey bees [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”