Dietary chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) supplementation improves colony development, nutritional status, antioxidant defences, and honey production in honey bee colonies

Basit Öğe Kaydı
dc.contributor.authorErdogan, Yasar
dc.contributor.authorErdogan, Ummugulsum
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-01T15:52:36Z
dc.date.available2026-09-01T15:52:36Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.departmentBayburt Üniversitesi
dc.description.abstractThis study evaluated the effects of chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) fruit powder as a functional dietary supplement for honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies, focusing on colony development, antioxidant defences, nutritional status, behaviour, and honey yield under field conditions. A total of 48 colonies were randomly assigned to four feeding treatments (control, 2, 5, and 10 g L-1 chokeberry supplementation), with six colonies per treatment in each apiary (n = 6 per apiary; n = 12 per treatment). The experiment was conducted as a balanced field trial across two apiaries. Colonies were fed sucrose syrup supplemented with chokeberry powder for 21 days. Following the feeding period, colonies were transferred to two high-altitude summer apiaries where colony development, flight activity, defensive behaviour, antioxidant biomarkers, and end-of-season honey yield were evaluated. Results demonstrated that chokeberry supplementation significantly improved colony development, with significant dose effects on brood area and bee-covered frames (both p < 0.001). Flight activity also increased with supplementation dose (p < 0.001), whereas defensive behaviour was not affected. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activity, and haemolymph total protein concentration all increased significantly with supplementation (all p < 0.001). End-of-season honey yield was significantly higher in supplemented colonies than in the control group (p < 0.001). Overall, these findings demonstrate that chokeberry fruit powder represents a promising functional dietary supplement capable of improving colony performance through the combined contribution of its nutritional composition and bioactive phytochemicals under practical field conditions.
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/1828051X.2026.2706334
dc.identifier.endpage1005
dc.identifier.issn1594-4077
dc.identifier.issn1828-051X
dc.identifier.issue1
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-105045621671
dc.identifier.scopusqualityQ1
dc.identifier.startpage991
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2026.2706334
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12403/8499
dc.identifier.volume25
dc.identifier.wosWOS:001830902600001
dc.identifier.wosqualityQ1
dc.indekslendigikaynakWeb of Science
dc.indekslendigikaynakScopus
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherTaylor & Francis Ltd
dc.relation.ispartofItalian Journal of Animal Science
dc.relation.publicationcategoryMakale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanı
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.snmzKA_WOS_20260820
dc.subjectChokeberry
dc.subjectAntioxidant Defense
dc.subjectColony Development
dc.subjectHoney Yield
dc.subjectApis Mellifera
dc.titleDietary chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) supplementation improves colony development, nutritional status, antioxidant defences, and honey production in honey bee colonies
dc.typeArticle

Dosyalar

Koleksiyon

WoS İndeksli Yayınlar Koleksiyonu
Scopus İndeksli Yayınlar Koleksiyonu