Effect of Colony Strength on the Performance of Honeybees (Apis mellifera) in Nepal (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

摘要

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of initial colony strength of Apis mellifera L. on honey production in Chitwan, Nepal. The mean number of brood cells constructed, number of combs developed, syrup honey collection and storage andpollen/ beebread collection were significantly affected by the honeybee population and the age of the honeybee colonies. In addition, the mean numbers of in-coming and out-going foragers were positively correlated with the population size of the colonies. The study revealed an increase in honey production of 182%, 59% and 18% for the 10, 8 and 6 frame honeybee colonies, respectively, compared to the honey production of 2.82 kg/colony from 4-frame honeybee colonies. Therefore, the development of healthy colonies with a sufficient bee population will help to produce more honey.