Pollen Foraging by Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera L.) in Greece: Botanical and Geographical Origin

Pollen is very important for honey bee colony development and nutrition. It is also a valuable product for human consumption, considered to have high nutritional value. In this study, we performed melissopalynological analysis of 285 pollen load samples collected from 44 apiaries throughout Greece....

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Bibliografische gegevens
Hoofdauteurs: Dimou Maria, Tananaki Chrysoula, Liolios Vasilios, Thrasyvoulou Andreas
Formaat: Artikel
Taal:English
Gepubliceerd in: Sciendo 2014-12-01
Reeks:Journal of Apicultural Science
Onderwerpen:
Online toegang:https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2014-0018
Omschrijving
Samenvatting:Pollen is very important for honey bee colony development and nutrition. It is also a valuable product for human consumption, considered to have high nutritional value. In this study, we performed melissopalynological analysis of 285 pollen load samples collected from 44 apiaries throughout Greece. The analysis revealed 229 plant taxa represented in total. The abundance of each pollen type varied among the geographical areas from which the samples were collected. We also observed variation among samples collected from the same geographical region. The most frequently found families were Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Rosaceae. The most frequently observed taxa were Brassicaceae, Carduus type, Cistus and Papaver rhoeas. Statistical analysis showed that the geographical classification of pollen samples among northern, central and southern Greece is possible.
ISSN:2299-4831