Study of the productivity of pollen and honey from the bee (Apis mellifera), using pollen hunting traps with different periods of stay in the Colmenas, in San Cristobal de Caranqui, Imbabura province

Abstract

This study evaluated the yield of pollen and honey from the bee apis mellifera in 20 hives, located in San Cristobal de Caranqui. This investigation was done using a randomized complete block design (DBCA), with an experimental unit of 20 hives with 4 treatments and 5 repetitions. The variables in the study were: yield or pollen in grams, yield of honey in liters, and number of offspring (eggs, larva, and pupa) in the hive. Base type pollen traps were used for distinct periods of the study in 15 hives, and the 5 others were the control units. The treatments were distributed in the following manner: the pollen trap was placed in the hive for seven days then withdrawn for 7 days (T1), the pollen trap was placed in the hive for 2 weeks and then withdrawn for one week (T2), the pollen trap stayed in the hive for an indeinite time(T3), and the control hive without any type of trap (T4). The ieldwork started at the end of August 2009 and inished mid-December 2009. The following conclusion is made: treatment 3 (T3) was the most stable with higher yields in pollen (7 kg) and honey (3.41 L).