Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVII, Issue 2
Written by Svilen LAZAROV, Petya VELEVA
This study aimed to examine the impact of feeding with frozen and dried pollen on the development of bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.). The study monitored changes in the strength of the bee colonies (SBC), the amount of sealed worker bee brood (SWBB), and food reserves (honey and pollen) before and after feeding during the Autumn and Spring periods. The experiment was conducted with one control group (CG) and two experimental groups - two bee colonies fed with frozen pollen (GFFP) and two bee colonies fed with dried pollen (GFDP). The results showed that during the Spring period, the SBC fed with frozen pollen was 36.52% higher than the SBC of the CG. For the same period, a higher value of the amount of pollen and the amount of SWBB was also observed in the GFFP compared to its value in the CG. In the Autumn period, the amount of brood in GFDP was 51.20% more than in the CG. In the GFFP, a greater amount of brood was also found compared to the CG, with the difference being 48.30%.
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