Open AccessEffect of probiotic supplement feed on the foraging activity of Indian honeybee (Apis cerana indica F.)
Author(s) -
I. Padma-Shree,
S Sheeba Joyce Roseleen,
C. Gailce Leo Justin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of environmental biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.247
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 2394-0379
pISSN - 0254-8704
DOI - 10.22438/jeb/42/4(si)/mrn-1519b
Subject(s) - foraging , probiotic , sugar , brood , biology , jaggery , food science , honey bees , apis cerana , zoology , toxicology , botany , ecology , bacteria , genetics
Aim: To investigate the effect of probiotic supplement feed on the foraging behaviour Indian honeybee colonies to resolve the excessive usage of antibiotics. Methodology: The effect of sugar syrup feed (Untreated hives) and sugar syrup + probiotic supplement feed @ 10 ml 100 ml-1 syrup (Treated hives) on Indian honeybees was tested. The foraging activity and foraging rate were recorded and subjected to paired t- test analysis. Results: The present observation showed a significant difference in the foraging rate between the colonies fed with sugar syrup + probiotic supplement (2.33 ± 0.11 min-1) than the colonies that received sugar syrup alone (1.35 ± 0.06 min-1). The highest foraging rate (2.80 ± 0.39 min-1) was recorded in treated hives.Interpretation: The experiment revealed that the brood development was directly proportional to brood pheromone levels, which positively affects the foragers, consequently foraging rate and honey production. Thus, the probiotic supplement feeding may influence the foraging behaviour of honeybee colonies.