Field Exploration for Colony Selection: Evaluating Hygienic Behavior in Apis cerana indica Colonies

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2024-08, Vol.15 (8), p.598
• Main Authors: Haran, Ramkumar, Sumathi, Ettiappan, Iqbal, Javaid, Krupesh, Sivakumar, Parthasarathi, Ganesan, Vijay, Settu, Saminathan, Vangili Ramasami, Srinivasan, Madapuji Rajagopalan, Kokiladevi, Eswaran, Jayakanthan, Mannu, Zeshan, Ali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: A. cerana indica; Apiculture; Apis cerana indica; ART-ANOVA; Beekeeping; Bees; Behavior; Colonies; colony metrics; Comparative analysis; Correlation analysis; Disease; Disease resistance; Domestication; Environmental aspects; Environmental management; Exploratory behavior; Grooming behavior in animals; Health aspects; Honey; Hygiene; hygienic behavior; Parameter identification; Parameter robustness; Pathogens; Performance evaluation; Pests; Physiological aspects; Plant reproduction; Pollen; Population studies; Principal components analysis; Seasonal distribution; Seasonal variations; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Statistics; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects15080598

Hygienic behavior (HB) emerges as a pivotal trait, impacting colony resistance to diseases. This study aimed to understand the behavioral traits of colonies, with a focus on HB and other key characteristics crucial for colony health, and to screen and identify colonies with superior hygienic behavior and better performance to combat prevailing diseases and pests. This research spans a comprehensive field analysis with different seasons and locations, encompassing the distinct environmental and management factors that influence honey bee behavior. The inclusion of colonies from various locations provides a novel perspective, offering valuable insights regarding the hygienic behavior of . Several statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), and Aligned Rank Transformation-Analysis of Variance (ART-ANOVA) for repeated measures, shed light on the distribution of hive metrics, emphasizing the significance of considering seasonality and location-specific factors. PCA highlights unique characteristics in Tirupur and Coimbatore colonies, while correlation analyses uncover relationships among HB, honey, pollen, brood area, and adult population. Moreover, the study's nuanced findings gave the status of hygienic behavior of colonies and identified colonies with better colony performance, which will be useful for future breeding programs with .