COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON NUMBERS OF ACCEPETED QUEEN CELLS, INCUBATION PERIODS AND MATING OF PRODUCED VIRGIN QUEENS IN HONEY BEE COLONIES OF THREE RACES

摘要

Artificial queen rearing from three honey bee races, i.e., Apis mellifera jementica (indigenous bees), Apis mellifera carnica and Apis mellifera intermissa was completed in AL-Gomoum and AL-Awali ecosystems, Mekka Al-Mokrrama district during a periodextended from January till March, 2005. The highest number of accepted queen cells was obtained from A. m. intermissa (43.73 and 41.60 queen cells/colony, representing 72.89 and 69.33% after 2 and 10 days, respectively). The lowest number of accepted queen cells was obtained in case of A. m. jementica (36.67 and 34.60 queen cells/colony, representing 61.11 and 57.67%), and A. m. carnica produced an average of (42.87 and 39.07 queen cells/colony, representing 71.44 and 65.11%) after 2 and 10 days, respectively. Incubating 8 days old queen cells after acceptance gave the lowest number and accordingly percentage of emerged queens. The highest values, however were obtained when queen cells of tested honeybee races were incubated 10 days after acceptance. Seven days after introduction, the virgin queens were successfully mated and started to lay eggs. The number of laying queens increased gradually to reach the maximum on March 5 (for A. m. jementica) or February 27 (for both A. m. carnica and A. m. intermissa). The number then gradually decreased and mating took place among all queens on March 08; i.e: when mated queens started to lay their eggs.