Volume : IV, Issue : V, May - 2014

Pollen and Nectar Load Quantification in Apis mellifera.L in Different Eco Habitat

A. Nagarathna, M. S. Reddy

Abstract :

Honeybees are social insects distributed throughout the world. They are known for the behaviour of collecting pollen and nectar and this act is called foraging. The foraging behaviour is an important aspect of their biology that enables them to adapt themselves to the available vegetational and climatic conditions. Honeybee like any other animal performs wide varieties of functions in order to avail the basic necessities of life and also to procure food and shelter.The foraging efficiency of honeybee largely depends on the availability of bee forage, conditions of the colony and the foraging range of worker bees. Studies on the foraging activity of bees in different seasons of the year gives an indication of the adaptability of the bees in exploiting the bee forage in a locality. Similarly, the extensive knowledge of the pollen sources helps the beekeepers to exploit the sources to the maximum extent so as to develop stronger colonies that are highly desirable from the point of their productivity. The success of beekeeping industry largely depends on the exploitation of the nectar and pollen resource of the flowering plants by the bees. The aim of this paper is to quantify the pollen and nectar load carrying behaviour in A.mellifera This study primarily helped to investigate the size of the foraging population with reference to the bees foraging for pollen or nectar at different hours of the day and then throughout the year in different agroclimatic ecozones of Karnataka. The pollen and nectar collected by the honeybees showed variations not only in the same area but also in different geographic ecotypes. A wide seasonal variation was observed in the foraging activity. The efficient management of these bees in an area solely depends on the detailed knowledge of their behavioural pattern.  

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Article: Download PDF   DOI : 10.36106/ijar  

Cite This Article:

A. Nagarathna, M. S. Reddy Pollen and Nectar Load Quantification in Apis Mellifera.l in Different Eco Habitat Indian Journal of Applied Research, Volume.4, Issue.5, May-2014

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