<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Winter is the season that poses the greatest challenges for honey bee colonies. Therefore, the main approach in beekeeping practice is aimed mainly at providing sufficient quality food supplies for bee colonies in early autumn. We conducted the present study to test the influence of the natural plant extract IMМUNOSTART HERB on population strength, stored pollen area, capped worker brood area, and honey yield. The experimental groups were supplied with IMМUNOSTART HERB 4 times at 7-day intervals, whereas sugar syrup was given to the control groups. The obtained results showed that the applied supplemental diet affected all investigated biological parameters, with the most noticeable effect after the second application. In all measurements, the honey bee colony parameters in the treated groups showed higher values in comparison to the control groups. These results highlight the potential of herbal supplements to effectively improve bee colonies’ development during the period of scarce bee forage, as well as to provide suitable conditions for successful overwintering.</p>
</abstract>

Winter is the season that poses the greatest challenges for honey bee colonies. Therefore, the main approach in beekeeping practice is aimed mainly at providing sufficient quality food supplies for bee colonies in early autumn. We conducted the present study to test the influence of the natural plant extract IMМUNOSTART HERB on population strength, stored pollen area, capped worker brood area, and honey yield. The experimental groups were supplied with IMМUNOSTART HERB 4 times at 7-day intervals, whereas sugar syrup was given to the control groups. The obtained results showed that the applied supplemental diet affected all investigated biological parameters, with the most noticeable effect after the second application. In all measurements, the honey bee colony parameters in the treated groups showed higher values in comparison to the control groups. These results highlight the potential of herbal supplements to effectively improve bee colonies’ development during the period of scarce bee forage, as well as to provide suitable conditions for successful overwintering.

Impact of the Plant-Based Natural Supplement Imмunostart Herb on Honey Bee Colony Performance

Department of Animal Diversity and Resources

Acta Veterinaria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Winter is the season that poses the greatest challenges for honey bee colonies. Therefore, the main approach in beekeeping practice is aimed mainly at...

Impact of the Plant-Based Natural Supplement Imмunostart Herb on Honey Bee Colony Performance

Published Online: Oct 02, 2022

Page range: 348 - 361

Received: Mar 22, 2022

Accepted: Jul 15, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/acve-2022-0028

Keywords
mellifera, herbal extract, colony strength, overwintering

© 2022 Rositsa Shumkova et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Impact of the Plant-Based Natural Supplement Imмunostart Herb on Honey Bee Colony Performance

Published Online: Oct 02, 2022

Page range: 348 - 361

Received: Mar 22, 2022

Accepted: Jul 15, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/acve-2022-0028

Keywordsmellifera, herbal extract, colony strength, overwintering

© 2022 Rositsa Shumkova et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
mellifera, herbal extract, colony strength, overwintering