Development of bee colonies based on early spring feeding according to the developed scheme

Abstract

The strength and development of bee colonies in May, especially those that have weakened afer wintering, is not sufficient for the effectve use during the first honey harvest in Ukraine.One way to effectvely stmulate bee colonies to develop is through the use of carbohydrate protein feedings.The purpose of the study was to investigate the development of bee colonies in the early spring with the use of different types of feeding.The studies were conducted using zootechnical (alignment and assessment of the status of bee colonies, control feeding) and statistical methods of research in the early spring of 2019 in the conditions of Holosiivskaapiary (Kyiv, Ukraine).The control group – classic maintenance, similar to all apiary colonies. The research group – was applied the developed scheme of early spring feeding and training of bees. For feeding, honey – beebread dough, bee pollen in the form of flour, monofloral bee pollen candy were used. Afer the first feeding, the experimental colonies outweighed the control ones by 0.3 rows in strength, 0.5 comb by the number of open brood combs and 0.43 comb by the sealed ones as well as by 1.3 comb of fodder (5.3 kg). Afer the second feeding, the experimental colonies outweighed the control ones by 1.6 rows in strength, 1.5 comb by the number of open brood combs, were the same by the number of sealed sells and outweighed by 0.3honeycomb in the number of fodder. During the evaluation it was found that the experimental colonies outweighed the controlled ones instrength by 2 rows, by 0.5 in open and by 1 comb in sealed brood combs as well as by 0.5 honeycomb of fodder (2 kg). It was found that a complex three-stage carbohydrate-protein feeding of weak bee colonies (5–6 combs) after wintering makes it possible to increase their strength to 10 combs by early May.