Population dynamics of the Syrian Honeybee,<i>Apis mellifera syriaca</i>, under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions

Zaitoun, Shahera; Al-Ghzawi, Abd Al-Majeed; Shannag, Hail Kamel

doi:10.1080/09397140.2000.10637839

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This finding is, to a large extent, in harmony with former data recorded in the Jordan upland and northern Jordanian deserts (Zaitoun 2000;Al-Ghzawi et al 2001), in addition to results observed in different parts of the world (Avitabile 1978;Free 1986;Liebig 1993). The increase in worker population from its annual minimum in December to its maximum in April in less than 3 months could be accredited to elevated brood rearing as a result of raised adult foraging on wild plants, vegetable and citrus trees, in addition to moderate temperature prevailing in the Jordan Valley during this period.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Management of Braula orientalis Örösi (Diptera: Braulidae) in honeybee colonies with tobacco smoke under semiarid conditions

Ghzawi

Zaitoun

Shannag

2009

Entomological Research

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In the present study, bee colonies were smoked with tobacco smoke in order to evaluate the monthly changes in the numbers of worker bees, the infestation rates of worker bees and queens with bee lice, and the annual average honey production per colony. In July of each year, 12 colonies were smoked with tobacco smoke; the remaining hives not smoked with tobacco smoke served as the control. The results indicated that the applications of tobacco smoke during July gave rise to an impressive reduction in the Braula infestation rate on workers (below 1.8%) and reduced the amount of bee lice on the queen to zero throughout the 2–3 months following smoke treatment. In the colonies not treated with smoke, the Braula infestation rates on worker bees started to increase in May and continued to increase constantly during the rest of year, reaching maximum infestation rates of 28.2% and 33.8% in December, with an average of 15 and 17 lice per queen in November in the first and second years, respectively. Worker bee populations peaked in April and July of each year in both treatments. The average honey production per colony was significantly higher in the colonies treated with smoke than those that were not for the first and second years. In conclusion, early summer months may be the crucial time to smoke the colonies with tobacco smoke in order to keep bee lice at low levels for the remaining seasons.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Management of Braula orientalis Örösi (Diptera: Braulidae) in honeybee colonies with tobacco smoke under semiarid conditions

Ghzawi

Zaitoun

Shannag

2009

Entomological Research

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“…The activities of drone brood rearing during this period can be attributed to the presence of adequate number of nurse bees, and the availability of nectar and pollen from wild plants and fruit trees in the area. Furtheremore, the peak of drone production was during April and May, which coincided with the swarming season and the highest brood and worker population (Zaitoun 2000) and with the time at which most new queens are reared (Al‐ghzawi & Zaitoun 2008). Drone brood rearing activities decreased from April until the last sampling date in August due to a comparative lack of incoming nectar and pollen in this period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monthly changes in various drone characteristics of Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis mellifera syriaca

Zaitoun

Al-Ghzawi

Kridli

2009

Entomological Science

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This study was conducted to investigate drone rearing activity and semen production of Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis mellifera syriaca. Tendency of worker bees of both subspecies towards egg laying under semiarid conditions were also monitored in the experiments. Differences were not observed in drone brood production between both honeybee subspecies throughout the investigation. Worker bees of both subspecies needed a significantly shorter time to start egg laying during February and March in comparison with the time those workers needed for laying eggs during the remaining months of the study. Syrian bee workers started egg laying earlier than Italian bee workers. Drones from laying workers were much smaller and produced less sperms with more abnormalities than normal drones. Drones produced from queens in May were heavier and produced more sperms with less abnormalities than those produced during the other months. The drone brood rearing of both subspecies tended to follow the same general cycle in 2005 and 2006. The study suggests that virgin queens have a better chance to receive adequate viable sperm amounts from drones in April and May in semiarid Mediterranean conditions.

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“…It is characterized by bright yellow color, small size, aggressiveness and a tendency to construct several swarm cells (Ruttner, 1988). This honeybee subspecies is tolerant of the environmental conditions prevailing in the Jordan valley and mountain areas of Jordan (Zaitoun, 2000). However, in comparison with other honeybee subspecies, this bee is not easy to manage because it is aggressive and produce little honey.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin of Jordanian honeybees Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) using amplified mitochondrial DNA

Zaitoun¹,

Hassawi²,

Shahrour³

2008

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. The honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) has a large number of geographic subspecies distributed across Europe, Africa and Asia, many of which have been described. This identification is important for bee breeding and preserving honeybee biodiversity. To investigate the origin of Jordanian honeybees, 32 samples collected from different locations in Jordan were analyzed using four different enzyme systems: Bg/II site in cytochrome oxidase b (Cytb), EcoRI site in large ribosomal (lsRNA) subunit, XbaI site in cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) subunit and HinCII site in cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) subunit. The first three enzymes were found to be polymorphic. The DNA banding pattern analyses revealed that Jordanian honeybees belong to the East Mediterranean and Middle Eastern mitochondrial lineages.

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Population dynamics of the Syrian Honeybee,Apis mellifera syriaca, under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions

Cited by 20 publications

References 4 publications

Management of Braula orientalis Örösi (Diptera: Braulidae) in honeybee colonies with tobacco smoke under semiarid conditions

Management of Braula orientalis Örösi (Diptera: Braulidae) in honeybee colonies with tobacco smoke under semiarid conditions

Monthly changes in various drone characteristics of Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis mellifera syriaca

Origin of Jordanian honeybees Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) using amplified mitochondrial DNA

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