Evaluación de diferentes niveles de alimento artificial con probiótico, para fortalecer la población de las colmenas de abejas (Apis Mellifera) en el cantón Santiago de Méndez.

Abstract

The feeding of bees during periods of food shortage in the environment is frequent in commercial farms, so the use of supplementation to overcome these difficult periods and not decrease production is a common practice. To evaluate the benefits of a probiotic product to supplement bee nutrition during periods of food shortage, a trial was installed in the apiary of "Don Urbano Parra" located in the Province of Morona Santiago, Santiago de Mendez city, in the Parish of Chupianza. Four treatments were established consisting of different concentrations of the probiotic product (0, 25, 50 and 100%) mixed with 900 ml of water and 600 g of sugar, supplied by means of a Doolitle type feeder. Twelve different parameters of the hive were measured, and the results were studied by analysis of variance and tests of separation of means. The results indicate that there were statistically significant differences for the weight of eggs at 3 days and the weight of larvae at 5, 7 and 21 days; and fundamentally in the final weight of the hive, this for the highest dose used (0.15 g) of the product compared to the control (without the probiotic), finding no differences for the variables: initial weight of the hive, initial weight of frames with wax, initial weight of frames with brood, honey production per frame, honey production per hive, final weight of frames with brood per frame and final brood weight per hive. These results show that the probiotic product generates positive effects on the hive, improving some of its parameters, such as hive weight, without generating adverse effects, so it could be evaluated against a control without supplementation or in higher doses than those evaluated in this research.