Indicators of the effect of certain Rosaceae family representatives on the increase in honey bee numbers

Abstract

The article presents a comparative assessment of the effects of spring-flowering melliferous plants belonging to the family Rosaceae on the development of honey bee colonies. The study was conducted from 2020 to 2024 in the Sijjak section of the Burchmulla State Forestry Enterprise during the flowering periods of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), and cotoneaster (Cotoneaster spp.). Colony development was evaluated based on the queen's daily egg-laying rate, larval survival, and the number of newly emerged worker bees. The highest values were recorded in the apple treatment: 1,650 eggs/day, 95.8% larval survival, and 24.3 thousand newly emerged bees, respectively. In the apricot treatment, these values were 1,450 eggs/day, 93.5%, and 20.1 thousand bees. Comparatively lower values were observed in the hawthorn and cotoneaster treatments. The findings demonstrate the potential of apple and apricot trees as valuable forage resources for establishing a continuous spring nectar and pollen supply for honey bee colonies.