scholarly journals Bees get a head start on honey production

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan W Nicolson ◽  
Hannelie Human
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Head Start ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Sugar Concentration ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Nectar Concentration ◽  
Bee Plant ◽  
Volume Decrease

Nectar concentration is assumed to remain constant during transport by honeybees between flowers and hive. We sampled crop contents of nectar foragers on Aloe greatheadii var. davyana , a major winter bee plant in South Africa. The nectar is dilute (approx. 20% w/w), but the crop contents of bees captured on flowers are significantly more concentrated. In returning foragers, the concentration increases further to 38–40%, accompanied by a volume decrease. The doubling of sugar concentration suggests that nectar is regurgitated onto the tongue and evaporated during foraging and on the return flight. Processing of the dilute nectar into honey thus begins early, aided by low ambient humidities. This has implications for honeybee thermoregulation, water balance and energetics during foraging, and for the communication of nectar quality to recruits.

scholarly journals Identification and Evaluation of Factors Affecting Nectar Volume and Concentrations of Croton Macrostachyus Hochst.ex Delile

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasim Roba Jilo ◽  
Getachew Sime
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Sucrose Concentration ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Nectar Volume ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Factors ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Nectar Concentration ◽  
Croton Macrostachyus

Abstract Background: Secretion of nectar is highly influenced by many factors and the objective of the study was also to evaluate factors affecting concentrations of nectar of Croton macrostachyus Hochst.ex Delile. Age of plants highly affect nectar concentration and volume. Honey quality and its medicinal values depends on plants species variety and their sucrose concentration quality and quantity which is governed by many biotic and abiotic factors as well micro climate of the area. Wholesale of nectar and concentration of tend to show more differences in time of day for species study undertaken.Results: As results publicized that nectar concentration and volume of youngest age was not more affected by temperature and relative humidity like that of medium and oldest ages. Temperature and age have significant effect on volume (p = 0.0001) and their interactions is also significant (p = 0.01145). Temperature has significant effects on nectar concentration (p = 0.000). Interaction of relative humidity, time, and layers has significant effects on nectar concentration (p = 0.0024012). The oldest plants had the highest concentration of 10.1 w/w mornings and afternoon 36.5 w/w at 4:00 PM for whereas medium plants had nectar concentration of 5.7 w/w morning and afternoon 16.7 w/w and the smaller or younger plants had nectar concentration of 2.7 w/w mornings and afternoon 9.1 w/w and this shows age significantly affect nectar concentration and volume.Conclusions:Concentration and volume were affected by many biotic and abiotic factors. I conclude imminent fever intensification could harm nectar production since for croton also no nectar could be collected at 30 C⁰ and no nectar recreation was observed after this peak temperature this indicates environmental change can increase the temperature which will have negative influences on honey production in the future unless we combat against climate change which will affect honey production and productivity for the country and we will lose honey and its medicinal values also.

Ecological studies of larval ticks in South Africa (Acarina: Ixodidae)

Parasitology ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. H. Londt ◽  
G. B. Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Amblyomma Hebraeum ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Saturation Deficit ◽  
Vegetation Height ◽  
Boophilus Decoloratus ◽  
Glass Rods

The distribution of larval ticks in relation to vegetation cover was studied on two coastal farms in the Port Alfred district of the Cape Province. The following five species were found: Boophilus decoloratus (Koch), Amblyomma hebraeum Koch, Ixodes pilosus Koch, Haemaphysalis silacea Robinson and Rhipicephalus evertsi Neumann. B. decoloratus predominated in short protected vegetation, I. pilosus and H. silacea in short covered vegetation and A. hebraeum in medium-to-tall protected vegetation. R. evertsi was collected in too small numbers to allow any correlation to be established. Both I. pilosus and H. silacea demonstrated activity peaks during the winter months. Microclimatic measurements indicated that larval ticks were not usually collected in microhabitats which experienced midday saturation deficits in excess of approximately 10 mm Hg. Behavioural studies on larval ticks climbing glass rods demonstrated the possible association of larvae with a definite vegetation height. The optimal vegetation heights were correlated with field data. The water balance of some tick species was studied and it was found that at 26 °C a relative humidity of 70% or more (i.e. above 7·53 mm Hg saturation deficit) was required by these larvae. Larvae lost water to the atmosphere at humidities lower than this value and took up water vapour from the atmosphere at values higher than 70% R.H. They were shown to be able to imbibe water through the mouthparts, and this possibly has survival value.

scholarly journals The Influence of Various Physical and Biological Factors of the Environment on Honeybee Activity. An Examination of the Relationship between Activity and Nectar Concentration and Abundance

1945 ◽  
Vol 21 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. G. BUTLER
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Trees ◽  
Considerable Effect ◽  
Sugar Concentration ◽  
Natural Death ◽  
Biological Factors ◽  
Atmospheric Humidity ◽  
Total Carbohydrate ◽  
Nectar Concentration ◽  
The Relationship

1. As the quantity of nectar of a given species of plant becomes smaller, irrespective of its sugar concentration, so the number of bees working that species of plant becomes reduced. This is not due to old bees that have been working this crop for some time deserting it in favour of a more profitable crop, but to the natural death of these old bees and the fact that their places are not taken by new bees. Young foragers are not attracted to the crop concerned because its presence is not communicated to them by the old bees still working upon it. 2. The range of nectar concentration (% total carbohydrate) in the flowers of many species of plants growing in a given district varies from day to day and even from hour to hour. Such changes are almost certainly directly due to changes in the atmospheric humidity. The changes are greatest in flowers, such as hawthorn, with relatively unprotected nectaries. 3. Honeybees respond to the concentration of nectar secreted by the flowers of plants, working in the greatest numbers on those plants with the highest nectar concentration. 4. When two or more species of ‘bee-plants’ are in flower simultaneously the species which will attract most honeybees will be that in the flowers of which the nectar is most highly concentrated. This accounts for the occasional failure of honeybees to work the flowers of fruit trees when other flowers are available to them. 5. Both nectar abundance and nectar concentration appear to have considerable effect upon honeybee activity. From the data at present available it appears correct to conclude tentatively that nectar concentration decides in the first instance which species of plant will be visited in preference to others in flower at the same time, and that nectar abundance then determines the proportion of the foraging population of a colony which will work the flowers in question.

scholarly journals The water balance of a seasonal stream in the semi-arid Western Cape (South Africa)

Water SA ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
RDH Bugan ◽  
NZ Jovanovic ◽  
WP De Clercq
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Semi Arid

Evidence for global teleconnections in a late Pleistocene speleothem record of water balance and vegetation change at Sudwala Cave, South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 114-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Green ◽  
Robyn Pickering ◽  
Russell Drysdale ◽  
Brett C. Johnson ◽  
John Hellstrom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Vegetation Change

scholarly journals Bee flora resources and honey production calendar of Gera Forest in Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tura Bareke ◽  
Admassu Addi
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Botanical Origin ◽  
Vernonia Amygdalina ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Croton Macrostachyus ◽  
Bee Plant ◽  
Plant Families ◽  
Market Promotion ◽  
Rural Appraisal

Abstract. Bareke T, Addi A. 2019. Bee flora resources and honey production calendar of Gera Forest in Ethiopia. Asian J For 3: 69-74. Gera forest contains substantial coverage of natural forest and known as a Key Biodiversity Hotspot area for Coffea arabica conservation and one of the potential areas for beekeeping. The study was carried out to assess the bee flora and flowering calendar to harvest more honey following the flowering plant cycle. Semi-structured questionnaires, participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques, and field observation were used for data collection. Honey samples collection was also made to identify the botanical origin of honey through honey pollen analysis. Seventy-four bee plant species were identified, which belongs to 41 families. Among the identified plant families, Asteraceae (29.3%), Lamiaceae (14.6%), Acanthaceae (12.2%), and Fabaceae (9.8%) are the most frequent families, represented by the highest species composition in the area. Four major honey harvesting durations were identified (January, March, April, and early June for Vernonia, Coffee, Schefflera, and Croton honey respectively) using the flowering calendar in Gera Forest. The pollen analysis of honey revealed that four types of monofloral honeys were identified comprising Schefflera abyssinica, Vernonia amygdalina, C. arabica and Croton macrostachyus in Gera forest. This is due to their abundance and potentiality for honey production. Therefore, the beekeepers should follow the flowering calendar of the plant to exploit the potential of the forest for honey production. Furthermore, market promotion for monofloral honeys of the Gera forest should be made as an incentive for the beekeepers to sell honey with premium prices and branding and labeling of honey of the area

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