Pollen Substitute Diet for Apis Mellifera: Consumption and Effects on Colony Parameters in Sub-Tropical Himalaya

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indu Kumari ◽  
Rajesh Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Feed Consumption ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Supplementary Feed ◽  
Protein Rich ◽  
And Control

Apiculture plays an important role in improving crop productivity all over the world. The enrichment and enhancement of apiculture lies in the good health and hygiene of honey bees. Honeybees require pollen and nectar rich flowers to satisfy their nutritional requirements. But such flowers of bee’s interest are not available round the year. Therefore, honey bees require special care and management during dearth periods. The palatability, consumption and effects of protein-rich diet(s) were assessed on honey bee colonies of Apis mellifera. The colonies were also supplied with patties of diet formulated in laboratory (bee sup), diet proposed by Haydak (1967) and NBB, New Delhi (India), sugar syrup and no supplementary feed as control. Feeding trials were carried out during May to July 2017 and 2018, using 24 equalized experimental colonies receiving diet formulations for 8 weeks. The feed consumption for bee-sup was higher than Haydak’s diet during both the years. Significant differences were recorded for various colony attributes viz. sealed brood, unsealed brood, bee population, bee covered frames and honey production in the colonies provided bee-sup in comparison to Haydak’s diet, sugar syrup and control colonies. The results indicate the potential of bee-sup for improving strength, health and build up of colonies during dearth periods.

scholarly journals Impact of Supplement Diets on Flights of Cross Breed Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.)

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
RB Thapa ◽  
S Pokhrel
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Low Dose ◽  
High Rate ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Sugar Feeding ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Diet Supplement ◽  
Modified Diet ◽  
And Control

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of supplement diets on flight activities of cross breed honeybee (Apis mellifera Lin.) in Chitwan, Nepal. The experiment consisted of five replications and four feeding treatments: feeding low dose sugar (syrup of 166 g sugar); feeding high dose sugar (syrup of 333 g sugar); feeding modified diet (syrup of 166 g sugar + 30 g pollen substitute); and control (no diet supplement except 250 g sugar honey candy to prevent from starvation). Each hive (replication) consisted of five-framed A. mellifera colony, which were fed for six days with four days breaks in each feeding and altogether eleven feedings were provided. Sugar syrup feeding stimulated bee foragers flights by 908-987% out-going and 578-704% in-coming, respectively. Modified diet (low dose sugar syrup combined with pollen substitute) was suitable for off-season management of honeybee colonies, which supported high rate of flight activities i.e. 3.3 times out-going and 2.8 times in-coming as compared to the control colonies. Other treatments were intermediate types. The combined diet also showed higher flights than feeding low dose sugar syrup alone indicating necessity of feeding appropriate diet during off-season under Chitwan condition for good flight and foraging activities of honeybees. Key words: Pollen substitutes, sugar syrup/sugar-honey candy, out-going, in-coming, cross breed J. Inst. Agric. Anim. Sci. 26:71-76 (2005)

scholarly journals Tetracycline Exposure Alters Key Gut Microbiota in Africanized Honey Bees (Apis mellifera scutellata x spp.)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kilmer Oliveira Soares ◽  
Celso José Bruno de Oliveira ◽  
Adriana Evangelista Rodrigues ◽  
Priscylla Carvalho Vasconcelos ◽  
Núbia Michelle Vieira da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
South Central ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Bee Health

Honey bees play a critical role in ecosystem health, biodiversity maintenance, and crop yield. Antimicrobials, such as tetracyclines, are used widely in agriculture, medicine, and in bee keeping, and bees can be directly or indirectly exposed to tetracycline residues in the environment. In European honey bees, tetracycline exposure has been linked with shifts in the gut microbiota that negatively impact bee health. However, the effects of antimicrobials on Africanized honey bee gut microbiota have not been examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tetracycline exposure on the gut microbial community of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata x spp.), which are important pollinators in South, Central, and North America. Bees (n = 1,000) were collected from hives in Areia-PB, Northeastern Brazil, placed into plastic chambers and kept under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The control group (CON) was fed daily with syrup (10 g) consisting of a 1:1 solution of demerara sugar and water, plus a solid protein diet (10 g) composed of 60% soy extract and 40% sugar syrup. The tetracycline group (TET) was fed identically but with the addition of tetracycline hydrochloride (450 μg/g) to the sugar syrup. Bees were sampled from each group before (day 0), and after tetracycline exposure (days 3, 6, and 9). Abdominal contents dissected out of each bee underwent DNA extraction and 16S rRNA sequencing (V3-V4) on an Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were filtered and processed through QIIME2 and DADA2. Microbial community composition and diversity and differentially abundant taxa were evaluated by treatment and time. Bee gut microbial composition (Jaccard) and diversity (Shannon) differed significantly and increasingly over time and between CON and TET groups. Tetracycline exposure was associated with decreased relative abundances of Bombella and Fructobacillus, along with decreases in key core microbiota such as Snodgrassella, Gilliamella, Rhizobiaceae, and Apibacter. These microbes are critical for nutrient metabolism and pathogen defense, and it is possible that decreased abundances of these microbes could negatively affect bee health. Considering the global ecological and economic importance of honey bees as pollinators, it is critical to understand the effects of agrochemicals including antimicrobials on honey bees.

scholarly journals Tetracycline exposure alters key gut microbiota in Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata x spp.)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kilmer Oliveira Soares ◽  
Celso JB Oliveira ◽  
Adriana Evangelista Rodrigues ◽  
Priscylla Carvalho Vasconcelos ◽  
Nubia MV Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
South Central ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Bee Health

Honey bees play a critical role in ecosystem health, biodiversity maintenance, and crop yield. Antimicrobials, such as tetracyclines, are used widely used across agriculture, medicine, and in bee keeping, and bees can be directly or indirectly exposed to tetracycline residues in the environment. In European honey bees, tetracycline exposure has been linked with shifts in the gut microbiota that negatively impact bee health. However, the effects of antimicrobials on Africanized honey bee gut microbiota have not been examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tetracycline exposure on the gut microbial community of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata x spp), which are important pollinators in South, Central, and North America. Bees (n=1,000) were collected from hives in Areia-PB, Northeastern Brazil, placed into plastic chambers and kept under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The control group (CON) was fed daily with syrup (10g) consisting of a 1:1 solution of demerara sugar and water, plus a solid protein diet (10g) composed of 60% soy extract and 40% sugar syrup. The tetracycline group (TET) was fed identically but with the addition of tetracycline hydrochloride (450 ug/g) to the sugar syrup. Bees were sampled from each group before (day 0), and after tetracycline exposure (days 3, 6 and 9). Abdominal contents dissected out of each bee underwent DNA extraction and 16S rRNA sequencing (V3-V4) on an Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were filtered and processed through QIIME2 and DADA2. Microbial community composition and diversity and differentially abundant taxa were evaluated by treatment and time. Bee gut microbial composition (Jaccard) and diversity (Shannon) differed significantly and increasingly over time and between CON and TET groups. Tetracycline exposure was associated with decreased relative abundances of Bombella and Fructobacillus, along with decreases in key core microbiota such as Snodgrassella, Gilliamella, Rhizobiaceae, and Apibacter. These microbes are critical for nutrient metabolism and pathogen defense, and decreased abundances of these microbes could negatively affect bee health. Considering the global ecological and economic importance of honey bees as pollinators, it is critical to understand the effects of agrochemicals including antimicrobials on honey bees.

Effect of dietary supplementation of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains in Apis mellifera L. against Nosema ceranae

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Baffoni ◽  
F. Gaggìa ◽  
D. Alberoni ◽  
R. Cabbri ◽  
A. Nanetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Natural Infection ◽  
Dietary Supplementation ◽  
Nosema Ceranae ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Microbial Symbionts ◽  
Antimicrobial Metabolites ◽  
And Control

Nosema ceranae is a widespread microsporidium of European honeybee Apis mellifera L. affecting bee health. The ban of Fumagillin-B (dicyclohexylammonium salt) in the European Union has driven the search for sustainable strategies to prevent and control the infection. The gut microbial symbionts, associated to the intestinal system of vertebrates and invertebrates and its impact on host health, are receiving increasing attention. In particular, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, which are normal inhabitants of the digestive system of bees, are known to protect their hosts via antimicrobial metabolites, immunomodulation and competition. In this work, the dietary supplementation of gut bacteria was evaluated under laboratory conditions in bees artificially infected with the parasite and bees not artificially infected but evidencing a low natural infection. Supplemented bacteria were selected among bifidobacteria, previously isolated, and lactobacilli, isolated in this work from healthy honeybee gut. Four treatments were compared: bees fed with sugar syrup (CTR); bees fed with sugar syrup containing bifidobacteria and lactobacilli (PRO); bees infected with N. ceranae spores and fed with sugar syrup (NOS); bees infected with N. ceranae and fed with sugar syrup containing bifidobacteria and lactobacilli (NP). The sugar syrup, with or without microorganisms, was administered to bees from the first day of life for 13 days. N. ceranae infection was carried out individually on anesthetised 5-day-old bees. Eight days after infection, a significant (P<0.05) lower level of N. ceranae was detected by real-time PCR in both NP and PRO group, showing a positive effect of supplemented microorganisms in controlling the infection. These results represent a first attempt of application of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli against N. ceranae in honeybees.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Oxalis bee and Ecostop for prophylaxis and control of varroosis in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-348
Author(s):  
I. Zhelyazkova ◽  
S. Lazarov
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Feed Additive ◽  
Peppermint Oil ◽  
Bee Plant ◽  
Experimental Training ◽  
And Control ◽  
Bee Colonies

Abstract. The objective of the present study is to determine the effectiveness of Ecostop (plates) and Oxalis Bee - plant-based products for the prevention and control of varroosis in bees (Apis mellifera L.).The study was conducted at the end of the 2017 Beekeeping Season of the Beekeeping Experimental Training Center at the Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, Stara Zagora. Two products were used: Ecostop containing peppermint oil (2 ml/plate) and timol (5 g/plate), and Oxalis Bee - zootechnical feed additive for bees, including plant extracts, organic acids and invert solution from bio-sugar. The dosing of the products is in accordance with the instructions of the producers Primavet-Sofia Ltd., Bulgaria and the company Vechni pcheli Ltd., Bulgaria. The development and extensinvasion of bee colonies at the beginning and the end of the study and the effectiveness of the applied products were determined. It has been established that the development of bee colonies is normal for the end of the beekeeping season. The comparative analysis of the acaricidal effect of the test products against Varroa destructor shows 98.55±0.30% for Ecostop and 78.15±8.76% for Oxalis Bee. The reported difference in efficacy of both preparations is reliable at p≤0.05.

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