Hive-entrance pollen transfer devices to increase the cross-pollination potential of honey bees. II. Examination of three materials and pollen viability
F. Hatjina et al., Hive-entrance pollen transfer devices to increase the cross-pollination potential of honey bees. II. Examination of three materials and pollen viability, J APICULT R, 38(1-2), 1999, pp. 3-9
The cross-pollination potential of honey bees (Apis mellifera) may be impro
ved by increasing the foreign pollen on bees' bodies through an enhancement
of bee-to-bee pollen transfer in the hive. To do so, we fitted a simple de
vice, which we call a hive-entrance pollen transfer device, at the hive ent
rance. The device was lined with three materials which were tested for thei
r efficiency in increasing pollen grain numbers and pollen richness on the
bodies of honey bees departing their colony in the summer of 1993. Of the t
hree materials, woollen fabric and felt fabric increased significantly the
total number of pollen grains on bees by an average of 84% and 131%, respec
tively. The effect of fine nylon bristles on pollen grain numbers, though p
ositive (14% increase), was only marginally significant relative to control
colonies. Felt fabric performed better than woollen fabric and fine nylon
bristles in increasing significantly pollen richness on departing bees (by
64%, 25% and 28%, respectively). Germination of pollen sampled from the bod
ies of bees departing a colony with a hive-entrance pollen transfer device
lined with fine bristles and a control colony was found to be similar, and
not significantly different from pollen sampled from the bodies of pollen c
ollectors entering the same colonies. Among bees' body areas, proboscidial
fossae carried pollen with the highest germination rate. Corbicular pollen
had almost twice as high a germination as that from proboscidial fossae. Po
llen from woollen fabric, felt fabric and fine bristle materials lining a h
ive-entrance pollen transfer device had an equally high germinability.