EFFECT OF HIVE TYPE ON STRENGTH AND ACTIVITY RATE OF HONEYBEE COLONIES (Apis mellifera L.) IN EGYPT.

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the effect of hive type (wood and foam) on brood rearing, pollen grains and honey production activity during 2011 year with recording averages temperature and relative humidity. Total of eight honeybee colonies, approximately equal in strength with young mated queen was used in this study. Results indicated that honeybee colonies kept in foam hives presented the highest average worker sealed brood areas (407.4 square inch/colony) followed by honeybee colonies kept in wooden hives (286.8 square inch/colony). No significant difference between wooden and foam hives in drone sealed brood with an averages 13.42 and 9.17 (square inch/colony), respectively. It can be concluded that honey bees stored 678.55 and 630.44 g of pollen grains during May for foam and wooden hives with percentages 40.1 and 41.1%, respectively. In relation to foam hives, June was the second of pollen storage followed by July represented by 547.36 and 465.31g with percentages 32.4 and 27.5%, respectively. In contrast, for wooden hives July was the second month of pollen storage followed by June giving 489.994 and 414.141g (31.9 and 27.0%), respectively. The mean areas of clover honey recorded 207.9 and 307.5 (square inch/colony) for the colonies housed in wooden and foam hives, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that there were insignificant differences between wooden and foam hives for drone brood areas, queen cells number, stored pollen areas, honey production areas. On the other hand, there were significant differences between wooden and foam hives for worker brood areas and colony weight. In addition, wooden hives were more suitable for rearing of honeybee than other hive types.