These experiments were conducted at the apiary of Faculty of Agriculture, Moshtohor, Benha Univ., during early spring of two successive years 2013 and 2014 to estimate the effect of wintering and feeding treatments on honey bee queen rearing. Eighteen colonies (9 colonies F1 Italian bees and 9 colonies F1 Carniolan bees). Each group were divided into three groups one of them (3 colonies) were received the pollen substitute and sugar solution in normal Langstroth hives, the second group (3 colonies) was received the pollen substitute and sugar solution coated with thermal insulator while the third group (3 colonies) were received sugar solution only in normal Langstroth hives as control. Results indicated that F1 Italian bees are better more than F1 Carniolan bees in all tested queen rearing parameters (number of queen cells; length of queen cells; number of emerging new queens and queens fresh weight) during the two years of study. Data also indicated that feeding honey bee colonies with pollen substitute and sugar syrup affected positively on all queen rearing parameters and gave a good morphological virgin queens. |
