Mass production of honey bee Apis mellifera queens under different food regime conditions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 32 Magles El-Defah El-Watany Haek Quba, CairoPlant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University.

2 Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University.

Abstract

     The role of food regimes offered to honey bee colonies on the mass production of queen honey bee using grafting method was study during spring 2015 using honey bee colonies headed with open mated local carnica queens, Apis mellifera carnica at the apiary belonging to Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. The results showed that feeding the colonies on a balanced food containing the main necessary elements such as honey and pollen cake plus sugar syrup give higher quantity of emerged queens produced (83.3 % per colony), compared with a colony fed either on wet date plus sugar syrup which produced 73.3 % per colony or on one single source of carbohydrate food (sugar syrup only) which recorded 66.6 % per colony. After a period of two rearing brood cycle from the time of reintroduction of the same mated queens to the tested colonies, the number of combs and brood cells was monitored, where the colonies fed on pollen cake were obviously rebuilt, being more strength which recorded an increase of  + 8.3 % for combs and  + 19.5 % for brood cells. The other two diets failed to rebuild themselves, where colonies fed on wet date decreased by - 4.2 for combs covered with adult bees and – 4.8 % for brood cells. Also, colonies fed on sugar syrup only decreased by - 20 for combs covered with adult bees and – 15.2 % for brood cells.

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