Effect of Some Pollen Substitute Diets on the Development of Apis mellifera L. Colonies

Research Article
Effect of Some Pollen Substitute Diets on the Development of Apis mellifera L. Colonies

Arshed Makhdoom Sabir, Anjum Suhail, Waseem Akram, Ghulam Sarwar and Muhammad Saleem

Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 2000, 3(5), 890-891.

Abstract

Nine pollen substitute diets were tested for their performance in supporting the bee colonies of Apis mellifera L. during summer 1996. Maize flour + Vitamin B-complex + Glysine (T₆) proved the most suitable diet with 416.14 square inches brood area recorded in the hives provided with this diet. The next more preferred diet was Maize flour + Vitamin B-Complex + Egg yolk (T₄) with 354.81 sq. inches brood area. In case of pollen area, the diet T₁ (Soybean flour + Vitamin B-Complex) proved the most effective with 104,90 square inches and it was statistically better than all other treatments. Maximum honey area (195.79) square inches recorded in colonies fed with Maize flour-4-Vitamin B-Complex + Methionine (T₈) and it was better than all other treatments. Maximum colony strength of 6.24 bee frames per colony was observed in the colonies fed with T₇, (Soybean flour + Vitamin B-Complex + Methionine) and it was statistically similar to T₈ (5.931, T₉ (5.78), T₁ and T₄ (5.74).

ASCI-ID: 1-1449

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