Artificial Diet Supplementation and Its Role in Enhancing Winter Survival and Productivity of Honey Bee Colonies

Artificial diets are crucial for the survival of honey bee colonies in winter. A pollen-rich diet provides protein to the colonies and enhances their performance. To investigate the effect of artificial diets on the performance of honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera) during winter, a study was conducted at the Agriculture Research Institute, Tarnab, Peshawar, from November 2023 to January 2024. The experiment had a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications, involving ten artificial diets. The diets (D1–D10) were formulated using powdered sugar, powdered pollen, and soybean flour. Diets 1, 2, and 3 consisted of only one ingredient each at 100%, while Diets 4, 5, and 6 combined powdered sugar and soybean flour in three different ratios: 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75. Diets 7, 8, and 9 mixed powdered pollen and soybean flour in the same respective ratios. Diet 10 was a mixture of all three ingredients in roughly equal proportions. Significant differences in diet consumption were observed, with Diet 10 showing the highest intake, followed by Diets 2, 4, and 5. The foraging behaviour, measured by pollen collection, was significantly higher in Diet 1 (67 pollen balls/5 minutes). However, Diet 10 demonstrated superior results in queen fecundity (98 eggs/24 hours), brood area (285.8 cm²), and colony weight gain (8.7 kg) compared to the other diets. Additionally, Diet 10 resulted in the highest honey production (9 kg/colony/season) and frame coverage (8 frames/colony). In contrast, Diet 1 showed the poorest performance across all parameters. These findings highlight the importance of diet composition in promoting honeybee colony health and productivity during periods of dearth. It is recommended to use Diet-10 with a balanced formulation to enhance colony performance, as it significantly improves queen fecundity, brood rearing, honeybee population growth, weight gains, and honey yield. It is also suitable for winter feeding.