The effect of Agaricus brasiliensis extract supplementation on honey bee colonies.
An Acad Bras Cienc
; 90(1): 219-229, 2018.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29424386
This study was done to discover any beneficial effect of a medicinal mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis extract on the honey bee. Firstly, a laboratory experiment was conducted on 640 bees reared in 32 single-use plastic rearing cups. A. brasiliensis extract proved safe in all doses tested (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg/day) irrespective of feeding mode (sugar syrup or candy). Secondly, a three-year field experiment was conducted on 26 colonies treated with a single dose of A. brasiliensis extract (100 mg/kg/day) added to syrup. Each year the colonies were treated once in autumn and twice in spring. The treatments significantly increased colony strength parameters: brood rearing improvement and adult population growth were noticed more often than the increase in honey production and pollen reserves. These positive effects were mainly observed in April. In conclusion, A. brasiliensis extract is safe for the bees and helps maintaining strong colonies, especially in spring.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Bees
/
Agaricus
/
Honey
Type of study:
Evaluation_studies
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Language:
En
Journal:
An Acad Bras Cienc
Year:
2018
Document type:
Article
Country of publication:
Brazil