Evaluating Brood Area Dynamics in Apis cerana F. Colonies: The Role of Colony Vitality and Seasonal Climate Variability

Abstract

Brood rearing is a dynamic and essential process that reflects the internal physiological state of the colony and its external environmental conditions. The rate and extent of brood production are heavily influenced by factors such as ambient temperature, humidity, food availability, and colony strength. Maintaining consistent colony health across diverse initial strengths and navigating the unpredictable spring weather of Kashmir posed challenges to data collection. Brood capped area varied with the strength of the bee colonies and showed significant increase throughout the spring season; and started decreasing with the onset of summer season in mid may during both the study years. Significantly maximum capped brood area across all the treatments was computed in the month of May as 811.62 cm2 followed by 644.95 cm2 during the month of April and a significant minimum brood area of  263.66 cm2 in the month of March during both the spring season. Brood area of Apis cerana workers exhibited a significant and positive correlation with minimum and maximum temperature and a non-significant and negative correlation with minimum and maximum relative humidity during both the years and the rainfall showed a non-significant and negative correlation with brood area during the spring season 2021 and a non-significant and positive correlation in 2022. These findings contribute valuable baseline data on the brood rearing patterns of native Apis cerana in Kashmir, offering insights for optimized beekeeping practices and a foundation for future studies on the impact of climate variability on these crucial pollinators.