Comparative Study of the Effect of Pollen Substitute Diets on Honey Bees during Early Spring

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 15; no. 2; p. 101
• Main Authors: Kim, Hyunjee, Frunze, Olga, Maigoro, Abdulkadir Yusif, Lee, Myeong-Lyeol, Lee, Jeong-Hyeon, Kwon, Hyung-Wook
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.02.2024
• Subjects: Amino acids; Apis mellifera; Bees; brood area; Climate change; Colonies; colony weight; Comparative studies; consumption; Critical period; Diet; Experiments; Food and nutrition; Fruit juices; Habitat loss; Health aspects; Honey; honey bee; Honeybee; Maintenance; Malnutrition; Nutrition research; Nutritive value; Pollen; population; Population growth; Preferences; Proteins; Spring; Spring (season); substitute diet; Substitutes; Thorax; Vitellogenin; Weight; South Korea; United States > US; honey bees weight; vitellogenin; honey bee; substitute diet; colony weight; consumption; deformed wing virus; brood area; population
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects15020101

The nutritional quality of a colony significantly affects its health and strength, particularly because it is required for population growth in the early spring. We investigated the impact of various artificial pollen substitute diets on colony performance in the Republic of Korea during early spring, a critical period for colony health and growth. The colonies were provided with different diets, including the commercial product Megabee (positive control), our developed diet Test A, and four upgraded versions (Diet 1, Diet 2, Diet 3, and Diet 4) of Test A. The negative control group received no supplementary feed. Over 63 days, we observed 24 experimental colonies and assessed various parameters at the colony and individual levels. The results revealed that Diet 2 had the highest consumption and had the most positive impact on population growth, the capped brood area, colony weight, honey bees' weight, and levels. These findings suggested that Diet 2 is most attractive to honey bees and thus holds great promise for improving colony maintenance and development during the crucial early spring period.