Organization, nutritional needs and artificial supplementation for Apis Mellifera bees

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i9.31453

Keywords:

Appis Mellifera; Artificial feeding; Hive; Pollen; Honey.

Abstract

The honeybee Apis Mellifera collect a set of substances from nature to ensure their survival, namely the nectar, that is the main source of carbohydrates and used for energy production, pollen from where they take: proteins, minerals, vitamins and lipids and water that acts as temperature control and humidity of the hive. The consumption of carbohydrates occurs at all stages of bee development, but in adulthood the diet is almost exclusively based on these substances, requiring a bee of approximately 4 mg of sugar per day to survive. Artificial supplementation provided to bees by beekeepers emerged as a practice of survival and maintenance of hive activities. Pastes and syrups of honey, sucrose, invert sugars, high fructose corn syrups (HFCS) and other fruit syrups are offered as an energy supplement in times of nectar shortage, such as adverse weather conditions, while protein-based diets of soy flour, albumin, rice flour, corn flour, among others, serve as a strategy for the beekeeper to increase breeding, produce queens, multiply comets, among other factors of interest. In this way, the work aimed to review the lifestyle and nutritional needs of bees of this species, as well as exemplify the types of existing food supplements and under what circumstances they are best applied, helping beekeepers in choosing the most appropriate food.

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Published

07/07/2022

How to Cite

ZANGIROLAMI, M. de S.; SANTOS JUNIOR, O. de O. Organization, nutritional needs and artificial supplementation for Apis Mellifera bees. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 9, p. e22211931453, 2022. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v11i9.31453. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/31453. Acesso em: 19 apr. 2024.

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Review Article