Reproductive capacity of bee queens and bee productivity under germanium citrate supplementation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31210/spi2026.29.01.39Keywords:
bees, germanium citrate, reproductive capacity, egg laying, productivity, honey, nanotechnologyAbstract
This research paper provides a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of using innovative trace-element supplements in beekeeping to stimulate the biological potential of bees and improve the quality of the products obtained. The study was conducted on Carpathian honeybees at a private apiary in the Zakarpattia Oblast during the fall and spring seasons. The experiment was conducted on two groups of comparable bee colonies, with five colonies in each group. Bees in the first control group were fed 60 % sugar syrup at a rate of 2 L per colony per week. The bees in the second experimental group additionally received 0.1 μg/mL of Ge in the form of citrate, produced using nanotechnology by Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies LLC in Kyiv. The egg-laying intensity of queen bees was determined by counting the number of sealed brood using a mesh frame, while the following quality parameters were analyzed in honey samples: proline content, diastase activity, water content, and pH. During the study period, queen bees in the control and experimental groups laid 47,993 and 50,685 eggs, respectively. Clear intergroup differences in egg-laying were observed: the number of eggs laid per day in the experimental group was 2.3 % higher than in the control group over the experimental period, and at the peak of the second stage, the total number of eggs was 10.7 % higher than in the control group (p<0.05). The results of the spring inspection indicated an increase in colony survival to 100% compared to 90% in the control group, a 1.6-fold increase in colony strength to 6.67 frames compared to 4.25 in the control group (p<0.01), and a nearly twofold decrease in the weight of dead bees to 100.0 g compared to 195.2 g (p<0.01). Nanotechnology-based supplementation resulted in a statistically significant increase in the physicochemical parameters of honey: the proline content rose to 346.46 mg/kg compared to 312.85 mg/kg (p<0.001), and the diastase number increased to 11.20 Gothe units compared to 10.50 Gothe units Gotte units (p<0.05), and the mass fraction of water decreased to 17.04 % compared to 18.13 % in the control group. The organoleptic characteristics of the honey complied with the standards of DSTU 4497:2005. The results obtained confirm the feasibility of using germanium citrate to stimulate the vital activity of bee colonies, enhance the reproductive capacity of queens, and increase the yield of marketable honey by 6.0 kg per colony.
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