The effect of adding kombucha to sugar syrup on wax glands, hypopharyngeal glands, venom production, and overwintering performance of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies

Document Type : Paper, Persian

Authors

Animal Science Research Department, Kurdistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Sanandaj, Iran

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of adding different concentrations of kombucha to sugar syrup on wax glands, hypopharyngeal glands, venom production, overwintering performance, and its economic analysis on the performance of honey bee colonies in the climatic conditions of Kurdistan province during 2023 to 2025. This research was conducted in a completely randomized design with four treatments and seven replications. The treatments included a control treatment, treatments containing concentrations of 5, 10, and 15 percent per liter of kombucha dissolved in sugar syrup (in a ratio of 1:1). Wax gland size, hypopharyngeal gland size, venom production, and overwintering performance traits of honey bee colonies in experimental treatments were investigated in the present study. The results of variance analysis showed that the effect of different concentrations of kombucha on the studied traits was significant (p<0.01). Based on the results of the mean comparison, the highest mean of wax glands size (1142.86 micron), hypopharyngeal glands size (length (153.08) and width (93.92) micron), venom production (0.14 g), and overwintering performance (0.62) were related to honey bees of 10 % kombucha treatment, and the lowest was related to bees of control treatment. Economic analysis of the kombucha effect on honey bee colony performance was conducted based on honey production and pollen collection traits in the present study. The results showed that adding kombucha to bee nutrition led to an increase in profits from the sale of each colony products (honey and pollen) compared to the control treatment. The highest profit from adding kombucha in the experimental treatments was related to the 10% kombucha treatment per liter, which this treatment was recognized as the best treatment with the highest profit of 103,157,500 Rials per hive and a profit of 52,747,010 Rials compared to the control treatment. With regard to the results of this study, adding a 10% concentration per liter of kombucha to the feeding of bees can be recommended for improving the functional traits of honey bee colonies and increasing the economic efficiency of apiaries especially periods of nectar and pollen scarcity in nature.

Graphical Abstract

The effect of adding kombucha to sugar syrup on wax glands, hypopharyngeal glands, venom production, and overwintering performance of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies

Keywords

Main Subjects

Article Title [Persian]

تأثیر افزودن کومبوچا در شربت شکر روی غدد موم ساز، غدد هیپوفارنژل، تولید زهر و توان زمستانگذرانی کلنی‌های زنبورعسل (Apis mellifera L.)

Authors [Persian]

  • عطااله رحیمی
  • صالح صالحی
بخش تحقیقات علوم دامی، مرکز تحقیقات و آموزش کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی کردستان، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، سنندج، ایران
Abstract [Persian]

مطالعه حاضر با هدف بررسی تأثیر افزودن غلظت­های مختلف کومبوچا در شربت شکر روی غدد موم ­ساز، غدد هیپوفارنژل، تولید زهر و توان زمستانگذرانی زنبورها و تحلیل اقتصادی آن بر عملکرد کلنی ­های زنبورعسل در شرایط اقلیمی استان کردستان طی بازه­ ی زمانی 1402 الی 1404 انجام شد. این پژوهش در قالب طرح کاملاً تصادفی با چهار تیمار و هفت تکرار به مرحله اجرا درآمد. تیمارها شامل تیمار شاهد، تیمارهای حاوی غلظت­های 5، 10 و 15 درصد در لیتر کومبوچا به صورت محلول در شربت شکر (یک ­به ­یک) بودند. در مطالعه­ ی حاضر، صفات اندازه غدد موم­ساز، اندازه غدد هیپوفارنژل، تولید زهر و توان زمستانگذرانی کلنی­ های زنبورعسل تیمارهای آزمایشی مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. نتایج تجزیه واریانس نشان داد اثر تیمار روی صفات مورد مطالعه معنی ­دار بود (01/0< p). براساس نتایج مقایسه میانگین­ها، بیشترین میانگین اندازه غدد موم­ساز (86/1142 میکرون)، اندازه غدد هیپوفارنژل (طول (08/153) و عرض (92/93) میکرون)، تولید زهر (14/0 گرم) و توان زمستانگذرانی(62/0) مربوط به زنبورهای تیمار کومبوچای 10 درصد در لیتر و کمترین آنها مربوط به زنبورهای تیمار شاهد بود. تحلیل اقتصادی اثر کومبوچا بر عملکرد کلنی­های زنبورعسل براساس صفات تولیدعسل و جمع­ آوری گرده نشان داد افزودن کومبوچا در تغذیه زنبورها منجر به افزایش سود حاصل از فروش فرآورده­های هر کلنی (عسل و گرده) در مقایسه با تیمار شاهد شد. براساس نتایج به ­دست آمده، تیمار کومبوچا 10 درصد در لیتر با بالاترین مقدار سود (103157500 ریال) به ازای هر کندو و 52747010 ریال سود در مقایسه با تیمار شاهد به عنوان بهترین تیمار شناخته شد. بنابراین، با توجه به نتایج مطالعه حاضر می­توان تغذیه کلنی­ ها را با کومبوچا 10 درصد در لیتر برای بهبود صفات عملکردی کلنی ­های زنبورعسل و افزایش بازده اقتصادی زنبورستان­ها به ­خصوص در دوره ­های کمبود شهد و گرده در طبیعت توصیه کرد.

Keywords [Persian]

  • Honey bee
  • Nutrition
  • Functional traits
  • Kombucha
  • Kurdistan province

© 2026 by Author(s), Published by the Entomological Society of Iran

This Work is Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International Public License.

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Journal of Entomological Society of Iran
Volume 46, Issue 2
April 2026
Pages 231-242

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