EFFECT OF VITAMIN AND MINERAL FEED SUPPLEMENT ON QUEEN-BEE PRODUCTIVITY
The disadvantage of mixed feed supplements is the possibility of undesirable chemical reactions that lead to the formation of potentially toxic products with less biological activity and digestibility. The research goal was to evaluate the growth of bee colonies when using two feed supplements for bees in different dosages. One feed supplement was a mixture of common substances. The second feed supplement was also a mixture of vital substances; in its preparation new approaches were used aimed to increase the digestibility of these substances and preventing undesirable chemical reactions. The studies were conducted in a permanent apiary in the Udmurt Republic, in four groups of honey-bees consisting of 10 bee colonies each. The first group of bees received a dry feed supplement in the amount of 1 g. The second group received Type 2 feed supplement (part 1 - 0.5 mL and part 2 - 1 g). The third group received Type 2 feed supplement (part 1 - 0.25 mL and part 2 - 0.5 g). The control group did not receive any feed supplement. The dynamics of bee colony growth was evaluated at 12-day intervals. The highest indices of bee brood and queen-bee egg production were obtained in the second trial group. The indices of bee brood and daily egg production were higher by 12.81% and 12.56%, respectively, with equal content of vitamins, trace elements and major nutrient elements as compared to the bee colonies that received a dry feed supplement. In the group that received one half as much of a new feed supplement, the amount of bee brood was less by 40.9%.