Department of Entomology and Apiculture, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, 173230, Himachal Pradesh, India
*Email for correspondence: nirupamasharma999@gmail.com
Online published on 15 December, 2018.
The experiment was conducted to work out the optimum schedule for supplementary feedings at Katrain, district Kullu, Himachal Pradesh situated at an altitude of 1473 m amsl. Irrespective of different dates of observations the average colony population was 12970 bees in colonies fed with sugar and pollen. These colonies also had maximum brood area of 1635 cm2. Irrespective of the dates of observation the colonies given different types of supplementary feedings were statistically at par with each other with respect to honey stores and the amount of pollen collected by colonies fed on sugar and pollen was 298.3 cm2. The study revealed that there was no need of giving supplementary feedings in the form of pollen and sugar during July to August in Katrain area as sufficient bee flora is available to the colonies during this period in the region.
Low temperatures, insufficient bee flora, reduced bee activities, supplementary feeding
