The Effect of Supplementary Feeding with Different Pollens in Autumn on Colony Development under Natural Environment and In Vitro Lifespan of Honey Bees

Simple Summary In the present study, the effect of feeding with pollen sources with different protein content on colony performance, wintering ability and in-vitro longevity of colonies that weakened after feeding with pine honey in autumn or that needed to enter the winter period were investigated. The experiment was carried out in 48 colonies divided into six groups as follows: control, syrup, mixed pollen, Cistus creticus pollen (Pink rock-rose), Papaver somniferum pollen (Opium poppy), and commercial bee cake group. The effect of nutritional differences on survival was found to be statistically significant in vitro and this supports the colony results in the natural environment. As a result, P. somniferum pollen is a good preference to be used in feeding colonies in beekeeping, due to its rich nutritional content. Honey bees need pollen and nectar sources to survive in nature. Particularly, having young bees in colonies is vital before wintering, and proper feeding is necessary to achieve this. In the present study, the effect of feeding with pollen sources of different protein content on colony performance, wintering ability and in-vitro longevity of colonies that weakened after feeding with pine honey in autumn, or that needed to enter the winter period, was investigated. The experiment was carried out in 48 colonies divided into six groups as follows: control, syrup, mixed pollen, Cistus creticus pollen (Pink rock-rose), Papaver somniferum pollen (Opium poppy), and commercial bee cake groups. In particular, the P. somniferum pollen group was different (p < 0.01) from the other experiment groups with the number of bee frames (3.44), the area with brood (1184.14 cm(2)) and the wintering ability of 92.19%. The effect of nutritional differences on survival was found to be statistically significant in vitro and this supports the colony results in the natural environment (p < 0.001). The P. somniferum group has the longest longevity with 23 days. Pollen preferences of honey bees were P. somniferum, C. creticus, and mixed pollen, respectively.Pollen Preferences of Honey bees [TAGEM/HAYSUD/B/20/A4/P5/1890]; Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM)This article was produced from the project The Pollen Preferences of Honey bees and the Effects of Pollen Use inWinter on Colony Dynamic (TAGEM/HAYSUD/B/20/A4/P5/1890) supported by The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM)

ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL OF HONEYDEW HONEY IN COMBINATION WITH NATURAL OILS

Currently, the antibacterial properties of honeydew honey are increasingly valued, being regarded as superior to blossom honeys. Over the years, the antibacterial activity of propolis has been highly appreciated, due to the flavonoids and phenolic acids present in its composition. Moreover, essential thyme oil and sea buckthorn oil have been recognized as valuable resources of natural antimicrobial compounds. The present research aimed to evaluate the antibacterial potential of two natural mixtures, consisting of honeydew honey and sea buckthorn oil and honeydew honey, propolis soft extract and essential thyme oil respectively. The tested bacterial strains were represented by Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538P, Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella enteritidis ATCC 13076, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. Our results showed that the investigated products recorded good antibacterial activity and the Gram-positive bacterial strains were more sensitive than the Gram-negative ones

Medicinal properties of Thymus vulgaris essential oil: a review

Globally, the interest in essential oils has been steadily increasing over the last decades due to their beneficial health effects and the wide range of applications that are directly linked to a variety of pharmacological and biological activities. Thymus vulgaris L., also called common or garden thyme is a small perennial herb, which has been used over the years as food additive, but also as a valuable cure in several pathologies. It is believed that the medicinal properties of Thymus vulgaris are attributed to its essential oil, which is a mixture of monoterpenes. Moreover, the therapeutic properties of this essential oil are due to its main compounds, namely the terpenoid thymol and its phenol isomer carvacrol. Several investigations have indicated that thyme oil possesses strong antiseptic, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant effects and therefore, all the aforementioned features make this essential oil a promising remedy in human and veterinary medicine fields. The aim of the present study was to review and highlight the medicinal attributes of Thymus vulgaris essential oil, apart from its nutritional value, in order to identify novel alternative cures in the treatment of both humans and animals diseases

Antimicrobial Activity of Bee Bread Extracts Against Different Bacterial Strains

Bee bread is a product of the hive obtained from pollen collected by bees, to which they add honey, digestive enzymes and subsequently is stored in the combs. Increasing evidence suggests bee bread’s potential therapeutic benefits, including antimicrobial properties. Bee bread is characterized by a bactericidal and bacteriostatic activity. The current study was carried out to test the antimicrobial activity of bee bread extracts, in various concentrations, against the bacterial strains: Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results of this study indicate that the first two dilutions of bee bread extract, respectively 33% and 16.66%, showed higher antimicrobial activity and the other dilutions had a lower, but visible activity depending on the pathogen on which they are tested. The best antimicrobial activity was manifested on the Staphylococcus aureus strain, where all dilutions had an inhibitory effect both at 8 hours and 12 hours