BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMETRICAL CHARACTERS OF QUEEN ( AP/S MELLIFERA L.) ARTIFICIALLY REARED BY DIFFERENT GRAFTING TECHNIQUES IN NORTH SINAI, EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Dept. Economic Entomology and Pesticides, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Gi%.a, Egypt.

2 Plant Production and Protection Dept., Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences at AI-Arlsh, Suez Canal Unlversity,lsmailia, Egypt.

Abstract

Study was carried out to investigate the effect of worker larval age which
used in grafting process and the technique of grafting on some biological and
biometricsl characters of queen cells and virgin queens that reared in Al-Arish, North
Sinai. The results appeared that percentage acceptance, sealing cells and emerging
queens were significantly higher when the grafted larvae were 24 h. old. followed by
36 h. old then 12 h. old. On the other hand, heaviest queens, diameter of queen
abdomen, depth, width and volume of queen cells were significantly larger with 12 h.
old larvae, followed by 24h.old, then 36 h. old larvae. Double grafting technique
attained the highest percentages of acceptance, sealing queen cells and emergence
of queens. Wet grafting method ccrne next for the previous parameters. then dry
grafting technique. No significant differences were found between double and wet
grafting methods for body weight of virgin queens and measurements of both
diameter of queen abdomen, depth, width and volume of queen cells. All parameters
were in lowest measure when dry grafting technique '/85 followed.