Vol. 11, Special Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Jayapradha J, Srinivasan MR, Umapathy G, Saravanan PA, Ravi R and Sivakumar SD

Abstract:
A study was carried out to compare seven different wood types for hive making in respect of colony growth characteristics such as sealed brood area, pollen storage and sealed honey area in Indian honey bee Apis cerana indica in the Apiary of department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during 2022. A six-frame hive type was used in this study which had the bottom board, brood chamber with six frames, shallow super chamber with six frames, inner lid and outer lid. In order to test the wood type suitable for making hives, a total of twenty-one hives made from seven different wood types namely Malai Vembu (Melia dubia), Teak (Tectona grandis), Vengai (Pterocarpus marsupium), Acacia (Acacia nilotica), Vagai (Albizia lebbeck), Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), and Punnai (Calophyllum inophyllum) were prepared with three hives in each wood type serving as replication. The temperature maintained inside the hives were recorded which were on par in various wood types. Studies on colony growth parameters in these seven different wood types revealed that Malai Vembu (Melia dubia) recorded the maximum values of sealed brood area of785.5 cm², pollen storage area of 169.7 cm², honey storage area of 405.1 cm² at 90 days from the start of the experiment which were significantly higher than other wood types. In addition, hives made of Malai Vembu (Melia dubia), were light in weight compared to other wood types which can be helpful during migration of hives by beekeepers.