Use of different commercial formulations of pollen and honey substitutes to promote population growth of Apis mellifera jemenitica beehives in Fujairah, UAE

Authors: James Arruda Salome, , Shaher Bano Mirza, Fouad Lamghari Ridouane, Khawla Mohammed Alyammah

Population growth of Apis mellifera jemenitica beehives in Fujairah, UAE, fed different commercial pollen and honey substitutes versus an untreated control.

Abstract: This study evaluated the effect of different commercial pollen and honey substitute formulations on the population growth of Apis mellifera jemenitica colonies under arid conditions in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Twenty colonies were assigned to four treatments (five hives each): Apipasta Plus (T1), Activator (T2), Super Activator (T3), and an untreated control (T4). Protein patties (1 kg) were supplied twice to T1–T3, and adult bee population growth was quantified over 33 days (21 February–25 March 2023) by estimating the number of frames covered with worker bees. T1 (Apipasta Plus) achieved the greatest increase, from 5 to 10 fully covered frames (100% growth), while T2 and T3 showed moderate gains of approximately 70% and 21%, respectively; the control exhibited minimal growth of about 4.2%. These results indicate that Apipasta Plus is the most effective of the tested formulations for rapidly boosting A. m. jemenitica colony strength in the pre-harvest period and may be a valuable management tool to enhance honey production and other hive products in regions with limited natural pollen availability.

References: 

1. https://zukanapicola.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Use-of-different-commercial-formulations-of-pollen-and-honey-substitutes.pdf?x29931

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3. Huang, Z. (2018). Feeding honey bees. Extension Bulletin E-3369. Michigan State University. Tsuruda, J. M. (2023). Honey Bee Nutrition Basics. Institute of Agriculture. University of Tennessee. Ullah, A.,Shahzad, M. F.,Iqbal, J.,Baloch, M. S. Nutritional effects of supplementary diets on brood development, biological activities and honey production of Apis mellifera L. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences 8 (2021) 6861-6868.