FEEDING PREFERENCE AND SURVIVAL OF YOUNG WORKER HONEY-BEES (HYMENOPTERA, APIDAE) FED RAPE, SESAME, AND SUNFLOWER POLLEN

Young Young worker honey bees, Apis mellifera L., exhibited difference s in feeding preferences and survival when fed pollen of rape, Brassic a napus L., sesame, Sesamum indicum L., and sunflower, Helianthus annu us. Rape pollen was readily consumed and increased longevity 2.5 times relative to the controls fed only sucrose water. Sunflower pollen was readily consumed with bees on average surviving 1.6 times longer than the controls. Sesame pollen was not readily consumed and bees survive d 1.7 times longer than the controls. The results suggest that honey b ees used to pollinate monoculture crops of either sunflowers or sesame , but not rape, will need to be provided alternate floral or nutrition al supplements source to enrich their diets and maintain colony health .