SOME FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF ARTIFICIALLY REARED Apis mellifera L. QUEENS  WITHIN HONEYBEE NURSING COLONIES

Abd Al-Fattah,, M. A.; Haggag, E. I.; Mohamed, Nora A.

doi:10.21608/jppp.2007.219512

SOME FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF ARTIFICIALLY REARED Apis mellifera L. QUEENS WITHIN HONEYBEE NURSING COLONIES

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Dept. Econ. Ent. & pesticides, Fac. Agric., Cairo Univ., Giza , Egypt

² Beekeeping Division, Plant Prot. Res. Inst., Ministry of Agriculture.

10.21608/jppp.2007.219512

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the quantity (as % of accepted larvae, sealed queen cells and emerged queens) and quality (as weight of queen at emergence) of queen honeybees as affected by some environmental factors related to rearing process during two successive years, (2004 – 2005) at Giza region, Egypt. Significant increase in the percentages of acceptance, sealed queen cells and emerged queens as well as weight of queens at emergence were obtained when the empty artificial queen cups exposed 24 h. for rearing colonies before used in grafting than unexposed ones. Cups of grafted larvae which affixed to the 3^rd and 2^nd bar ′ s locations within grafting frame produced more frequently queens with heavy weight than those resulted on the 1^st or 4^th bar ′ s locations. Better numerous virgin queens could be successfully reared during summer and spring seasons than those occurred during autumn. The lowest percentage of queen emergence with lightest weight was recorded during winter season.