ORIGINAL RESEARCH
A Comparative Assessment of Three Pollen
Substitutes for Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera L.)
During Winter and Spring
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1
Department of Arid Land Agriculture (Plant Protection Science Program); College of Agri. & Food Sciences. King
Faisal University; P.O Box 55073, Hofuf 31982, Saudi Arabia
2
Honey bee Research Section, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
3
Department of Economic Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt
Submission date: 2024-03-12
Final revision date: 2024-04-18
Acceptance date: 2024-05-02
Online publication date: 2024-11-18
Corresponding author
El-Kazafy A. Taha
Department of Economic Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt, Egypt
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ABSTRACT
Pollen satisfies the nutritional requirements for developing honey bees, and without pollen, there
is no brood development. Beekeepers feed colonies pollen substitutes or pollen supplements to
stimulate brood rearing in the winter and early spring, or when pollen from blooming plants is scarce.
The performance of honey bee colonies has been enhanced by supplementation with pollen substitutes.
The current study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of three pollen substitutes in maintaining the colony
strength during winter and improvement of colony performance during the winter and spring seasons.
The three diets consisted of 30 g peeled white lupine flour + 20 g brewer’s yeast + 20 g casein milk
powder + 20 g honey + 10 g sugar powder (diet 1), 30 g fenugreek flour + 20 g brewer’s yeast + 20 g
casein milk powder + 20 g honey + 10 g sugar powder (diet 2), and 30 g defatted soybean flour + 20 g
brewer’s yeast + 20 g casein milk powder + 20 g honey + 10 g sugar powder (diet 3), and were provided
to the experimental colonies in a paste form and compared with the unfed colonies. Diet 1 was the most
accepted and consumed diet by honey bee workers during the winter and spring seasons. Colonies fed
on diet 1 stored pollen, reared worker brood, and had adult population sizes larger than colonies fed on
diet 2, diet 3, and unfed colonies. Colonies fed on diet 1, diet 2, and diet 3 produced more honey than
the unfed colonies by 125.00%, 95.00%, and 70.00%, respectively. Diet 1 could be recommended to
feed honey bee colonies during winter and spring to sustain the strength of the colonies and improve
their productivity.