The Effect of using Organic Acid, Prebiotics and Probiotics as a Supplement in Stimulant Syrup on the Performance of Iranian Bee Colonies

This study aims to investigate the nutritional effects of organic acids, prebiotics, probiotics and (prebiotic + probiotic( combination on increasing adult bee population, neonatal rearing, beeswax production, pollen storage and hives weight gain before the honey harvesting season in Iranian honey bees.

This experiment was conducted using 25 Iranian honey bee colonies with the same sister queen and with the same conditions in a completely randomized design with 5 experimental treatments including control group (sugar syrup 1: 1), organic acid (8 cc per 1 liter of syrup 1:1), prebiotics (10 g per 1 liter of syrup 1: 1), probiotics (5 g per 1 liter of syrup 1: 1) and (prebiotic + probiotic) combination (10 g + 5 g per 1 liter of syrup 1: 1) and 5 repetitions for 30 days before the honey harvesting season.

The adult bee population in the colonies that received organic acid and prebiotic + probiotic( combination was significantly higher than the control treatment (p<0.05). Neonatal rearing and beeswax production increased in colonies that received organic acid, prebiotic, probiotic and )prebiotic + probiotic( combination compared to the control treatment (p<0.05). The effect of experimental treatments on pollen storage was not significant (p<0.05). Hives weight gain increased in all experimental treatments, except for the colonies that received probiotics, compared to the control treatment (p<0.05).

The results showed that the use of organic acid, prebiotic, probiotic and (prebiotic + probiotic) combination in bee stimulation feeding before the honey harvesting season can improve the performance of Iranian bee colonies.