Effect of European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) on honeybee colonies in Toshka region, Egypt
2018
Nageh Sayed Omran; Abdel Rahman Gamaleldin Abde Rahman; Abd El-Aleem* S.S. Desoky and Mahmoud Mohamed Kelany
The experiment was carried out in the apiary at Toshka region (Southwest of Egypt) during the period from the end of March to the first of October, 2015. To study the effect of European bee-eater on the areas of brood and stored pollen (inch2/colony) for two-hybrid of Carniolan honeybee and a hybrid of Italian honeybee races in Toshka region. Bee-eater was appeared in two periods the first time at the first of April to June and the second at the first of September to Mid-September. Positive correlations were found between the increase of bee-eaters number and the decrease of brood area and pollen stored in the two honeybee races. The highest average numbers of bee-eater was recorded in May (37.2) bird that caused less brood area for both worker brood in Italian honeybee race was (146.2 sq. inch,/colony), and Carniolan honeybee race was (147.2 (sq. inch,/colony), and the lowest average area of stored pollen was recorded in the period of bee-eater increasing that was (22.0 sq. inch,/colony) for Italian race and (17.3 sq. inch,/colony) for Carniolan race. In September, the second period of bee-eater appearance was effected to both of brood and stored pollen areas for the two races, due to the high temperatures after July and August. Thus, the effect of bee-eater in Toshka region on two periods at the beginning of April and the end of June and the second period at the beginning of September until the middle of September. Therefore, Toshka region which is in the far south of Egypt is the first warning line to enter the immigrant European bee-eater.
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