Dependence of the morphological characteristics of the bee venom gland of the honey bee on the parameters of the third sternit

This investigation is one of a set of studies carried out on the morphological characteristics of the bee venom gland of the honey bees in Bulgaria. The aim of the investigation is the establishment of the correlative dependence of the morphological characteristics of the bee venom gland on the parameters of the third sternit of Apis mellifera Sp.L. honey bee in Bulgaria. The investigation has been carried out at the experimental base of Apiculture at the Agricultural Faculty at the Trakia University in Stara Zagora. 92 marked honey bees from a honey bee colony at the age of 30-40 days have been used. The sting, together with the reservoir and the bee venom gland of each mortified bee has been measured. The length of the trunk of the bee venom gland, the length and the width of the reservoir have been measured by a microscope. The volume is calculated by the following formula: V= (0,5.a)².π.b / 3, where π =3,14; b and a are the length and the width of the reservoir. The third sternit has been separated and measured following the method of Alpatov. In this investigation the length (LREZ) and the volume (VOL) of the reservoir have been studied together with the length of the third sternit (L3ster), the surface of the right wax mirror (S3rwm) of the third sternit, the surface of the left wax mirror (S3lwm) and the distance between the wax mirrors (Dist 3wm), The statistical calculation of the data includes: the receiving of the basic statistical numbers of all mentioned measurements, the calculation of the coefficients of the correlation between them, the receiving of the regressive equations for all measurements depending on the parameters of the third sternit. The model for calculation of the regressive equations have been used in the investigation Yј=μ+Σaіxi, i=1,2,3 where Yј is one of the measurements of the bee venom gland, μ is the average number for the studied population, the variable quantities xi are the length of the third sternit, the surface of the right and left wax mirror of the third sternit and the distance between the the wax mirrors as parameters of the third sternit, together with coefficients in the equation ai. Statistica for Windows has been used for the calculations. The statistically reliable equations are calculated. LREZ= 0,594*L3Ster+0,766*S3rwm+0,882*Dist 3wm–2,081 (1) VOL = 0,308*L3Ster+0,304*S3lwm+0,309*Dist3wm-1,543 (2) VOL = 0,287*L3ster+0,339*S3rwm+0,398*Dist3wm-1,603 (3) The established coefficients of the correlation between the used measurements and the linear regressive equations are statistically reliable. The established correlations and equations could be used for the selection of honey bee colonies by the signs of the honey bee venom gland. They could also be used for making a forecast of the measurements of a honey bee colony and for a forecast of the yield of honey bee venom.