Investigation on the effects of a new cardboard nucleus on survival, fertility and onset of oviposition of honey bee queens

The aim of the present study was to compare the functionality of an invented cardboard nucleus with the other usable nuclei in beekeeping industry. In order to investigate the relation ship between the minimum number of nurse bees and its effect on the rate of fertility of mated honey bees queens in nuclei, the index value of survival rate during mating, the onset of oviposition and the number of reserved spermatozoa into the spermatica sac of queens were compared. For this purpose, during two respective years, in spring 2012 and 2013, based on complete random arrangement forms, the nest test, including cardboard nucleus, Hungarian pattern nucleus and Langstroth hive (each in two stages which these stages Contain ten times replication) were performed. The given data were analyzed with software SAS 9.1 static software. Following treatments no significant differences on the survival rate and successful mating of virgin honey bee queens was observed (P<0.05). It is recommended that the innovated nucleus should be used more in the tropical and temperate regions, because in such regions the colony of nurse bees which controls the temperature of the nucleus inside, can be economized.