EFFECTS OF HIVE MATERIAL CHOICE ON COLONY HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE OF Apis cerana F. IN TROPICAL CLIMATES

Mohd. Iftar Johwan Johny@Hasbulah, Bellericter Binjamin, Kimberly Ador, Robin Lim Ah Hee, Nyuk Choon Jamilah Ariffin, Jonal Majampan, Suzan Benedick

Abstract


The honey bee (Apis cerana F.) is widely distributed across Asia and is the main domesticated honey bee species in rural Sabah, Malaysia. Although it is of significant importance, colonies of A. cerana F. are extremely sensitive to changes in the tropical environment. This means that the hive material is important to maintaining healthy, productive colonies. This study was carried out at the Insectarium, Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture (FSA), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to examine the performance of A. cerana F. colonies housed in three different kinds of hive, namely Shorea sp. (4 replicates), Dipterocarpus sp. (4 replicates), and plywood (4 replicates). The colony's performance was evaluated over more than 24 weeks by analysing worker bee development and brood comb development. Abiotic factors, including hive temperature, relative humidity, and wood moisture content, were also recorded. This revealed that the colonies in the hives of Shorea sp. reared more worker bees and had more brood combs than the other hive types. Shorea sp. also provided the best internal microclimatic conditions, suggesting that the choice of hive wood type greatly affects colony performance. This discovery highlights that the appropriate hive material is critical for good tropical honey bee management.


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