Comparison of Usage Possibilities of Feeder Types Used in Feeding Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies in Erzincan Province Conditions

The aim of this study was to compare the possibilities of using feeder types during in-hive feeding of honey bee colonies and to determine the most suitable feeding time and ease of feeding a colony. The study was conducted in Yalnızbağ neighborhood (39°47'36.7"N 39°24'01.2"E), 15 km west of the center of Erzincan province, at an altitude of 1.185 m. As bee colonies, 36 Caucasian honey bee (Apis mellifera caucasia) colonies, which are suitable for the region, were used. The feeding experiment was carried out during the period of scarcity of pollen and nectar of the flora due to environmental and climatic conditions. Feeding was carried out in 3 different time periods (08:00-10:00 am, 10:00 am-12:00 pm and 12:00-14:00 pm). Sugar syrup was prepared at a ratio of 1:1 (sugar to water). According to the results of the present study, the differences between the groups in terms of the amount of syrup consumed, feeder type and feeding time were significant (p<0.05). In addition, it was determined that the differences between the feeder type groups were significant (p<0.05) when evaluated in terms of the ease of colony feeding and post-feeding bee mortality. In conclusion, this study shows that the most suitable time period for feeding honey bees is between 10:00 am-12:00 pm and in line with the opinions of the people who feed honey bee colonies, it is more useful to use turbo feeder type which offers ease of use instead of bag/compartment, boat and jar type feeders for feeding defensive honey bees.