The impact of pack bees on honey production

Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice

Package bee family - It is a form of beekeeping that is implemented by selling a certain number of worker bees together with the queen bee in special packages or transporting them to other places. The practice of package beekeeping creates the opportunity to earn income from beekeeping twice. The first opportunity is created when the package families are grown and sent, and the second is when the products produced from them are bought and sold [4]. Pack bees are a widely used method in beekeeping to form new families and strengthen existing families [12]. However, the production of these families has different dynamics compared to the families acquired through natural means. In order to make fruitful use of the vegetation of the regions rich in honey plants, pack families have 7-8 weeks left (until the end of April) to provide the main nectar income to these regions. should be sent [3]. During this period, the bees of the family families develop rapidly and become stronger, and in the main season their honey production becomes high. The purpose of this study is to systematically analyze the effect of pack bees on honey production.

Material and Methods

In the experiments, bee families of the Naxchivan population of the Yellow Qafqaz bee genus ( Apis mellifera caucasuca flova populatio Nachitshevanica) spread in Naxchivan MR were used and the families were 12 frames. It was hidden in the honeycombs. It has developed normally over time and has been learned from bee families that comply with the standards set for the Azerbaijani environment [1, 2]. For the purpose of investigation, 2.5 and 2.0 kq of bee families will be kept for wintering in the summer of 2023, and in the summer of 2024, there will be 1.2 kq of worker bees and young queen bees each. The package consisting of bees has been formalized. Pack families were fed with sugar and sugar in a ratio of 1:1 and were kept under the environmental conditions of the local conditions. The amount of honey in the family is determined at the same time as the amount of bee increase. For this reason, by shaking the bees, it was freed from the bees and its

Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice Т. 11. №8 2025 shape was determined. To determine the amount of bee increase, a large frame divided into quadrats (5x5 cm) was used. On average, nests of 100 bees are placed in each quadrant (5x5 cm) of the heavy-duty frame placed on the temple. The amount of bee increments was taken at one point every 12 days. During this period, bees develop in sealed honeycombs. In the bee families of the experimental groups, every 12 days during the active life of the bees, their current situation (the strength of the family, the amount of bee surplus and honey grown in the nest) and the changes that have occurred. has been specified. During the research, abstract-logical, monographic, analytical research methods, scientific publications and the results of our personal research were used. The collected materials were processed with the biometric method proposed by N. A. Ploxinski [4, 7].

Results and Discussion

In the experimental group, all essential processes were carried out in a timely manner to ensure the successful overwintering of bee colonies, their timely relocation, provision of forage sources, feeding with sugar syrup during nectarless periods and rainy days, and stimulation of the queen's intensive egg-laying in the hive. To ensure the intensive development of the colonies, auxiliary queens were used in the bee families [6].

A few days after placing the package bees into hives, sugar syrup prepared in a 1:1 ratio was added to the feeders, and feeding continued based on the bees’ consumption of the syrup. During periods without nectar and pollen in spring and on rainy days, in addition to feeding with sugar syrup, pollen supplementation was also monitored. Depending on the changes in climate and seasonal conditions, flight entrances were widened and ventilation channels were kept open [10].

The results of the conducted research show that the package bee colonies received on May 1st, 10th, and 23rd, 2024, developed into primary bee colonies during the main nectar flow period, producing a total of 24.5±2.3 kg of honey and yielding 8 kg of marketable honey per colony during the season, while also collecting sufficient winter feed. The package colonies received on June 15th, 2024, only collected enough feed for their own winter survival as they turned into primary colonies during the middle of the main nectar flow.

In their first year, package bees primarily focus on establishing colony structure, which limits honey production. From the second year onwards, since the colonies are fully developed, honey productivity significantly increases [11]. Effective management and early-stage supplementary feeding enhance productivity [9]. The genetic quality, age, and reproductive capacity of the queen directly influence productivity [8].

The bee breeds used in package beekeeping must demonstrate rapid spring development and high productivity. Studies have shown that the yellow Caucasian honeybee ( Apis mellifera remipes Gerst.), widespread across the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR), belongs to the Nakhchivan population and that the queens begin egg-laying from the second ten-day period of February until the end of October—approximately 8–9 months per year. This extended period of activity makes the region favorable for developing breeding-focused beekeeping and implementing package beekeeping [3].

In the USA, hybrid families derived from the Bozdagh Caucasian and Italian bees are used to produce package colonies [11, 12]. In the Russian Federation, Bozdagh Caucasian × Central Russian hybrids and Central Russian bees are mainly used in the northern regions rich in untouched nectar-producing plants, while Carpathian bees are widely used in Ukraine [5].

Research shows that package bees derived from the Carpathian breed adapt easily to the desert climate of the Southern Ural region of Russia, showing a colony strength of 4.29 kg before the main flow. In comparison, Central Russian bees showed 2.99 kg, and Yellow Caucasian bees

Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice Т. 11. №8 2025 showed 3.23 kg. During the season, Carpathian package bees produced 134.5 kg of honey, compared to 97.64 kg in Central Russian bees and 115.08 kg in Yellow Caucasian bees [6].

For successful artificial swarming, colonies must have sufficient strength, and only those with 2-2.5 kg of bees in autumn should be used [1].

To ensure the development of package beekeeping, it is essential to consider the role of both the average and absolute maximum and minimum air temperatures during different phenological stages of nectar-producing plants and various months of the vegetation period.

Conclusion

Pack bee families focus on the production of more wax and the development of the family in the first year, and the production of honey is limited. After the second year, productivity increases. Formation of pack families in early summer, efficient genetic control, utilization of young queen bees, proper management and nutrition measures, and frequent renewal of the queen bee accelerate this process. and can optimize productivity.

Acknowledgments: I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Dashgin Ganbarov for identifying the species studied.

Financing: The research it is financed and supported on the basis of the "Herbari Fund of Biology Department of Nakhchivan State University" project.