Influence of vitamin C in sugar syrup on brood area, colony population, body weight and protein in honey bees

2014 International Journal of Biosciences  
In this investigation effects of different levels of vitamin C in sugar syrup on the rate of queen laying, colony population and body weight and protein in honey bee (Apismellifera L.) were studied. Experimental colonies had the same age queens and the same population and fed with sugar syrup (50 percent sugar) in three levels 2000, 4000, 6000 mg/L syrup-soluble vitamin C while the control group fed only with sugar syrup (treatment 1 control, treatment 2, 3 and 4, respectively 2000, 4000 and
more » ... 0 mg/L vitamin C) were compared. In this experiment feeding colonies for 60 days in May and June (the first 45 days of feeding every second day and the other without feeding-period of 15 days) were done. The highest average brood area was in treatment 2 with 2000 mg/L vitamin C (9049 cm 2 ) while the lowest one was in treatment 1 (control) (4848 cm 2 ), respectively (p<0.05). Mean colony population in treatment 4 was higher than control (10.41 vs. 8.38 comb, respectively) (p<0.05). The highest mean percent of protein was in treatment 2 (17.5 percent) while the lowest was in treatment 3 (14.18 percent) (p<0.05). Worker bees in treatment 4 had the greater mean body weight than other groups (p<0.05). The results indicated that supplementing the level of vitamin C to spring nutrition (1:1sugar syrup) to the colonies, increase the brood area, colony population and the workers body weight and protein.
doi:10.12692/ijb/4.6.32-36 fatcat:2754f4xxdjandl6vaxqhr3b3tq