Apiculture and Sericulture Research in Upper Egypt and Oman

“Artificial feeding of honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera L.)” By Prof. Dr. Moustafa H. Hussein Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. Abstract Artificial feeding of honeybee colonies was studied and published in 20 articles, from 1977 to 2000, or during 24 years. Single articles and also with my colleages and students were pooled in this work, which published and/or presented in local and international scale in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Cheap; available and easy to use materials such as soyabean milk, potato and potatoes powders, different legumes and date palm fruits and pollen and other materials, were used in artificial feeding of honeybee colonies. Effects of feeding on brood rearing, foraging and pollen gathering, storing of pollen and honey, food reserves and honeybee physiology and on queen rearing were studied throughout this work, and their effects were discussed. Introduction Artificial feeding of honeybee colonies with carbohydrate, proteins, vitamins and minerals is of great importance for the life of honeybee colonies, and honey productivity. The following materials were studied as food for honeybee colonies: potato and potatoes powder with or without pollen (Hussein, 1981a); pollen (Hussein, 1981b; 1985); minerals or microelements (Atallah et al., 1979; Hussein, 1978; Hussein, 1978; 1979b; Hussein et al., 1979; 1980a,b,c); vitamins (Hussein, 1979a; 1980; Hussein et al., 1979, 1980a,b,c); soyabean milk (Hussein, 1983); orange or lemon juice (Hussein and Omar, 1989); carbohydrates and or proteins (Hussein et al., 2000; Shoreit and Hussein, 1993) and plant extracts (Synytski and Hussein, 1977). Pheromones and their relation with feeding were reviewed (Hussein, 1997; 1998). Food reserves of Egyptian honeybees during post- embryonic development was investigated in details (Hussein and Abdel-Aal, 1979). Results 1 - Honeybee physiology and biochemistry: Fresh weight and its relative constituted of protein, dry weight and its relative constituent of fats and carbohydrates were gradually increased in worker larvae of the Egyptian bees as the larva aged. Except for fats, the above criteria were decreased as the larva undergo to pupa and the pupa transformed to adult (12). 2

The effect of vitamin C and/or cobalt chloride which added with sugar syrup on the haemolymph of worker larvae was studied. Haematological examinations indicate that the used concentrations have no determintal effect on honeybee larvae (14). The effect of some compounds which extracted from higher plants in Russia (Novaimanin, Arinarin and Betserin) on the male’s reproductive system of honeybee were studied. Arinarin (1:1000) increased significantly weight of seminal vesicles from 12-day old drones as compared with control drones (20). Copper and magnesium chlorides caused a significant increase in percent total solids of larval haemolymph and a non significant decrease in total haemocyte counts. Relative abundance of various types of haemocytes did not differ significantly in haemolymph of treated and untreated larvae (1). The fresh and dry weights were decreased with age from full-grown honeybee larvae to newly emerged adults. Mean fresh and dry weight in addition to water content in larvae, pupae and adult workers from treated colonies with vitamin C and/or cobalt were more than those from control colonies which fed on sugar syrup only (17) Some diets were tested with respect to their effects on the longevity of adult workers in laboratory. The maximum survival time of 50% of the population of caged bees and the maximum period which needed for the death of all cages bees were observed when bees fed with 5% palm pollen loads plus sugar syrup (15). The effect of manganese as a growth factor incorporated in artificial nutrition for honeybees had been explored (2). Pheromones are compounds produced by glands, secreted to the outside of an insect’s body, that convey a precise message when received by another of the same species. Pheromones are produced from immature and mature queens, drones and workers of honeybees. Honeybees produce more known pheromones than any other insect. Pheromones were first discovered in honeybees. The chemistry of the honeybee pheromones is relatively simple, they contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen only, and have low molecular weights, between 80-300 (10,11). 2 - Feeding of honeybee colonies: Six times of feeding with Vitamin C 0.5% plus sugar syrup (1:1) at 6 days interval from March 12 to April 17 cause an increase in brood rearing activity and a significant increment in honey production. A positive and significant correlation was observed between brood rearing and honey production in the colonies of honeybee, under investigation (3). 3

Brood rearing activity increased by 6.2% in colonies which fed with sugar syrup containing 0.4% copper, while decreased as compared with control, in other treatments. Colonies fed with syrup contains (0.2%) magnesium produced more honey than control by 2.8%, in other treatments, honey yield decreased insignificantly (1). Non-significant effect on pollen collection was found after feeding with sugar syrup during active season (March-April), while a significant effect on pollen-gathering activity was recorded after feeding of colonies during the dearth season (December). Feeding colonies during death season might be of special merit (9). Incorporation of manganese at 0.2% level in the syrup which added to honeybee colonies six times at Spring reflects on increment of brood rearing by 31%, and surplus sealed honey areas by 28.8% (4). Early spring feeding with 0.6% vitamin C and its combination with 0.0015% cobalt or 0.00075% cobalt alone, six time at 6 days interval considerably affects the amount of brood reared and the quantity of honey and wax produced by 1st hybrid of Carniolan honeybee colonies (4,5). Sixty colonies of honeybee were involved in a winter and spring feeding program using some foods from the local market. The supplementary fed colonies showed an average increase of brood ranging from 18.5 to 40.5 sq. inch. More than control colonies. Honeybee colonies which fed on sweet potato powder (5%) plus sugar syrup produced significantly more honey than the control colonies. Food consumption during winter feeding was taken in consideration (6). Honeybee colonies which fed on 10% fresh palm pollen grains plus syrup produced significantly more brood and honey in comparison with control colonies (7). Feeding colonies with soybean milk produced significantly more brood than feeding with sugar syrup alone. Also, brood production from colonies which fed with 200 ml soybean milk/colony was significantly more than those colonies which fed with 100 ml soybean milk/colony. Using of soybean milk in feeding of honeybee colonies as a cheap and available source of protein is of special merit (8). Increment of orange juice concentration, in sugar syrup, from 1% to 3% leads to more food consumption of the mixture, whilst the reverse was true when concentration of lemon juice was increased from 0.5% to 2%, in laboratory. In field tests, brood rearing and food consumption of syrup was increased as a result of incorporation of tested levels of orange and lemon juice (13). 4

Two levels of soybean, chick-pea, agwa date and dried pollen grains (100 gms & 200 gms/colony) were mixed were sugar syrup (1:1) as cakes and used as protein supplements for honeybee colonies during spring in Assiut. Feeding with 100 gms of tested diets leads to more brood rearing and honey production. The best protein supplement was soybean, followed by agwa date, pollen and chick-pea (19). During 1997 and 1998, maximum mean number of unsealed queen cells and queen cups, and maximum mean of areas of stored honey or pollen, was found in carbohydrate-fed colonies. Maximum rearing of drones and maximum number of constructed queen cells were observed in protein-fed colonies. Maximum rearing of workers, adult population and consequently honey yield was found in colonies fed with carbohydrate plus protein. Workers sealed and unsealed brood and drones sealed brood, in carbohydrate and carbohydrate plus protein-fed colonies, were significantly larger than this of control. Adult population of colonies was significantly more than control, in carbohydrate plus protein-fed colonies (18). References 1. Atallah, M.A.; M.H. Hussein and A.A.A. Abd El-Naby (1979): J. Agric. Res., Tanta Univ., 5 (1), 309-315. 2. Hussein, M.H. (1978): Proc. 4th Confr. Pest Control, NRC, Cairo, Part I, 374-380 (Apic. Abstracts 857/80). 3. Hussein, M.H. (1979a): Bee Symposium (Affiliated to 3rd Arab Pesticide Conf., Tanta Univ.), 9-15 (Apic. Abstracts 924/80). 4. Hussein, M.H. (1979b): Bee Symposium (Affiliated to 3rd Arab Pesticide Conf. Tanta Univ.), 16-23. 5. Hussein, M.H. (1980): Proc. 1st Conf. Pl. Prot. Res. Ins., Cairo, Vol. II, 39-48. 6. Hussein, M.H. (1981a): Proc. 4th Arab Pesticide Conf. Tanta Univ., Special Vol. 367- 375 (Apic. Abstracts 544/85). 7. Hussein, M.H. (1981b): Proc. 4th Arab Pesticide Conf. Tanta Univ., Special Vol., 361- 365 (Apic. Abstracts 545/85). 8. Hussein, M.H. (1983): Assiut J. of Agric. Sci., 14 (2), 113-124. 9. Hussein, M.H. (1985): Proc. Egypt's National Conf. Ent., Dec. 1982, Vol. 1: 231-238. 10. Hussein, M.H. (1997): 7th Nat. Conf. of Pests & Dis. of Veg. & Fruits in EGYPT, November, 1997, 300-312. 11. Hussein, M.H. (1998): Honey Bees, Second Issue, Oct.-Dec., 1998, 50-58 (In Arabic). 5

12. Hussein, M.H. and Y.A.I. Abdel-Aal (1979): Bee Symposium (Affiliated to 3rd Arab Pesticide Conf., Tanta Univ.), 1-8 (Apic. Abstracts 887/80). 13. Hussein, M.H. and M.O.M. Omar (1989): The 7th Arab Pesticide Conference, Tanta Univ., 78-85. 14. Hussein, M.H.; M.F. Abou-Ghadir, A.M. Ali and M.O.M., Omar (1979): Bee Symposium (Affiliated to 3rd Arab Pesticide Conf., Tanta Univ.), 159-166 (Apic. Abstracts 853/80). 15. Hussein, M.H.; M. Omar; M.F. Abou-Ghadir and A.M. Ali (1980a): Assiut J. of Agric. Sci., 11 (2), 23-32. 16. Hussein, M.H.; M.F. Abou-Ghadir; A.M. Ali and M. Omar (1980b): Assiut J. of Agric. Sci. 11 (2), 3-12. 17. Hussein, M.H.; A.M. Ali; M.F. Abou-Ghadir and M. Omar (1980c): Assiut J. of Agric. Sci., 11 (2), 13-22. 18. Hussein, M.H.; M.O.M. Omar; M.N. Shoreit and M.F. Abdel-Rahman (2000): JKAU: Met., Env., Arid Land Agric. Sci., Vol. 11 (1): 3-21. 19. Shoreit, M.N. and M.H. Hussein (1993): Egypt. J. Appl. Sci., 8 (6), 1993, 366-375. 20. Synytski, N.N. and M.H. Hussein (1977): Naotshny Trudy OCKA, Teo. Prak. Pov. Prodokt. Sel. Gev. Kiev, 197, 139-140 (In Russian). 6

( الملخص العربى ) " التغذية الصناعية لطوائف نحل العسل (آبيس ميلليفرا) "

أ.د. مصطفى حسن حسين قسم وقاية النبات – كلية الزراعة – جامعة أسيوط – مصر ---- تمت دراسة التغذية الصناعية لطوائف نحل العسل ونشرت النتائج فى 20 بحث فى الفترة من 1997م إلى 2000م ، أى على مدى 24 عاما . تم تجميع البحوث الفردية ومع الزملء وطلب الدراسات العليا فى هذا العمل والتى نشرت و/أو ألقيت محتوياته على المستوى المحلى والعالمى فى مصر والسعودية وروسيا . تم استخدام مواد رخيصة وسهلة الحصول عليها واستخدامها وهى : لبن فول الصويا ، مسحوق البطاطس أو البطاطا ، ثمار البلح وطلع النخيل وحبوب اللقاح ومختلف أنواع البقوليات ، وذلك لتغذية طوائف نحل العسل . تمت دراسة تأثير التغذية على تربية الحضنة ، السروح وجمع حبوب اللقاح ، تخزين العسل وحبوب اللقاح ، المخزون الغذائى وفسيولوجى نحل العسل وكذلك على تربية الملكات ، وتمت مناقشة هذه التأثيرات المختلفة .