Testing the Effects of Some Pollen Substitute Diets on Colony Build up and Economics of Beekeeping with Apis mellifera L.

Sihag, R. C.; Gupta, Manisha

doi:10.3923/je.2013.120.135

Cited by 20 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Similarly, Abd El-Wahab, Ghania [ 31 ] represented the same results that sealed brood area increased in supplementarily fed bee colonies in relation to un-fed bee colonies. DeGrandi-Hoffman, Wardell [ 34 , 39 , 40 ] revealed that supplemental diets increased the population density in comparison to the non-supplemented control group. Honey yield also increased significantly in those bee colonies which fed on supplemental diets than the control colonies that fed only sugar syrup [ 26 , 31 , 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Ahmad

Khan

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Ahmad

Khan

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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“…For example, Abbas et al (1995) conducted the study during the rainy season in summer in Pakistan. Sihag and Gupta (2011) found an increase in adult bee populations with pollen substitute feeding during winter pollen dearth in India, and again later during a "harsh summer dearth period" (Sihag and Gupta, 2013). Pollen traps were not used in these studies to simulate pollen dearth.…”

Section: Adult Bee Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reviewing the Efficacy of Pollen Substitutes as a Management Tool for Improving the Health and Productivity of Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies

Noordyke

2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Western honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) collect pollen from flowers as their source of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Beekeepers feed pollen substitutes to their honey bee colonies to mitigate a lack of natural pollen resources in the environment. Despite their widespread use, it is unclear if pollen substitutes are beneficial to colony health and productivity. Herein, we review the literature regarding pollen substitute efficacy in four major categories: (1) consumption/palatability of pollen substitutes, (2) colony productivity, (3) pest and disease response, and (4) physiological response. Collectively, the literature shows a mix of positive, neutral, and negative impacts of pollen substitutes on honey bee colony health. Additionally, we recommend areas for improvement in pollen substitute research. We hope this review will lead to more research on pollen substitutes given nutrition is a key factor impacting the health of managed honey bees globally.

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“…Providing sugar syrup as supplementary feeding to honeybee colonies can be one of the management option during dearth period [4]. Sugar syrup feeding is popular and the most effective during dearth periods to maintain optimum colony population [4] that ensures early colony build up to produce surplus honey during honey flow season [5,6]. To this end, different types of feeders and feeding methods have been invented, tested and used for feeding honeybee colonies of different races with varying behaviors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Feeder Type on the Honeybee Colonies (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) and Hive Operation During Colony Feeding

Hora¹,

Negera²,

Wakjira³

2021

BIO

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Several types of feeder have been used by beekeepers for feeding their colonies with sugar syrup during dearth periods. However, each feeder type has its benefits and drawbacks both for the bees and beekeepers. The effects of different feeder types on honeybee colonies well-being and their conveniences for feeding by the beekeepers were investigated. Time required to feed a colony, amount of feed consumed, number of dead bees during feeding, number of dead bees in/on the feeder when removed, disturbance and convenience based on technicians' opinion were compared. Accordingly, significantly (p<0.000) shortest time (40.45 sec) was obtained for top feeder than bucket (71.25 sec) and frame (137.80 sec) feeders. Likewise, significantly (p<0.001) less number of dead bees (2.50) were observed while feeding a colony using top feeder as compared to bucket and frame feeders in which 5.45 and 11.00 dead bees were recorded under hive stand, respectively. Moreover, no dead bee was recorded on the top surface of top feeder compared to frame feeder in which 1.60 dead bees were counted. However, feeder type did not affect the amount of sugar syrup consumed and colony survival during the experiment. Regarding bee technicians' opinion, top feeder is highly convenient to feed colonies with a minimum colony disturbance and reaction. Thus, the current results indicate that feeding colonies using top feeder is less time consuming, inflicts less damage to the bees, and more convenient feeding method for the beekeeper.

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Testing the Effects of Some Pollen Substitute Diets on Colony Build up and Economics of Beekeeping with Apis mellifera L.

Cited by 20 publications

References 4 publications

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

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

Reviewing the Efficacy of Pollen Substitutes as a Management Tool for Improving the Health and Productivity of Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies

The Impact of Feeder Type on the Honeybee Colonies (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) and Hive Operation During Colony Feeding

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Testing the Effects of Some Pollen Substitute Diets on Colony Build up and Economics of Beekeeping with Apis mellifera L.

Cited by 20 publications

References 4 publications

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

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

Reviewing the Efficacy of Pollen Substitutes as a Management Tool for Improving the Health and Productivity of Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies

The Impact of Feeder Type on the Honeybee Colonies (&lt;i&gt;Apis mellifera&lt;/i&gt; L.) and Hive Operation During Colony Feeding

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

The Impact of Feeder Type on the Honeybee Colonies (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) and Hive Operation During Colony Feeding