The effects of different pollen trapping periods and intervals on amount of pollen and number of pollen collecting worker honeybees (Apıs mellifera L.)

Abstract

This research was carried out to determine the effects of pollen trapping schemes on pollen gathering activity of worker honeybees in the Apiary of Omer Halisdemir University. In total 20 honeybee (Apis mellifera anatoliaca) colonies were used and divided randomly into four groups after they were equalized with respect to strength, brood area, food stocks and weight. Throughout the experiment, pollen traps were used every day in the first group of colonies, equipped with every second day in the second group of colonies in intervals of three days in the third group of colonies while the fourth group of colonies had no traps as used the control group. Throughout the experiment, pollen collecting bees from all colonies were monitored daily at five different times at the entrance of the hives for a period of ten minutes per time point. The first group gathered in average the maximum amount of pollen as to be 75.20±4.08 g/day/colony, the second and the third groups gathered in average 40.35±1.41 and 37.23±1.54 g/day/colony respectively. Significant differences were detected between the groups in respect of both the number of pollen collectors and amount of pollen. It was shown that colonies in all groups gathered the maximum amount of pollen at 7:00 a.m. (165.81±15.8 number/ten minutes/colony) and at 9:00 a.m. (177.39±20.06 number/ten minutes/colony) and the least pollen at 15:00 p.m. (19.52±1.68 number/ten minutes/colony).

Bu çalışma balarısı(Apis mellifera anatoliaca) kolonilerine değişik aralıklarla polen tuzağı takmanın işçi arıların polen toplama aktiviteleri ve koloninin polen verimine etkisini belirlemek amacıyla yürütülmüştür. Günlük ortalama en fazla polen’i (75.20±9.12 gr/gün/koloni) her gün tuzak takılı olan I. Grup koloniler toplarken, bir gün ara ile tuzak takılan II. Grup (40.35±3.15 gr/gün/koloni) ve üç gün ara ile tuzak takılan III. Grup (37.23±3.45 gr/gün/koloni) koloniler ise daha az polen toplamışlar ve aynı istatistiki grupta yer almışlardır. Günün değişik saatlerinde polen yükü ile gelen arı sayıları bakımından hem gruplar hem de saatler arasındaki farklılık istatistiki olarak önemli bulunmuştur(P<0.01). Tüm gruplardaki koloniler en fazla poleni saat 7:00 (165.81±15.8 adet/10 dakika/koloni) ve 9:00(177.39±20.06 adet/10 dakika/koloni) saatlerinde toplamışlar, en az poleni ise 15:00(19.52±1.68 adet/10 dakika/koloni) saatlerinde topladıkları belirlenmiştir.