Physiochemical parameters of Apis cerana indica honey as an indicator of bee nutritional status in an anthropogenically managed urban habitat

• Published in: International journal of tropical insect science 2023-02, Vol.43 (1), p.225-235
• Main Authors: Bhatta, Vinutha R., A, Naresh Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Ascorbic acid; Bees; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cadmium; Colonies; Ecological balance; Ecology; Entomology; Flavonoids; Flora; Habitats; Heavy metals; Honey; Introduced plants; Introduced species; Life Sciences; Metabolites; Moisture content; Moisture effects; Nectar; Nutrient content; Nutrients; Nutrition assessment; Nutritional requirements; Nutritional status; Nutritive value; Original Research Article; Ornamental plants; Physiochemistry; Plant species; Plants (botany); Pollinators; Rural areas; Secondary metabolites; Urban areas; Water content
• ISSN: 1742-7592; 1742-7584; 1742-7592
• DOI: 10.1007/s42690-022-00910-7

Bees play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity besides pollinating a majority of wild and commercial crops. Floral diversity in cities (the result of gardens and parks created as urban amenities) has led to greater diversity and abundance of bees in urban green areas. Although most urban habitats host a wide variety of native and exotic ornamental plant species, little is known about the effect of such altered flora on the nutritional status of native bees. As the composition of honey offers a valuable understanding of the nutritional quality of the nectar obtained from the flora, the honey produced by colonies of Apis cerana , an introduced species, from urban flora with that produced by colonies in rural areas from the mix of horticultural and wild flora were compared to assess the nutritional status of bees. The two sources of honey were comparable in terms of pH, moisture content, reducing sugars, and protein content but differed significantly in their content of plant secondary metabolites. Samples from urban areas were significantly ( p  = 0.02) richer in ascorbic acid on the contrary the rural samples were significantly ( p  = 0.02) richer in total flavonoids. The mineral content between the two types of samples were also compared. Urban honey was significantly ( p  = 0.03) richer in potassium content and rural honey was significantly ( p  = 0.01) richer in calcium. Contents of the heavy metals Hg, Cd, and As were negligible and within the maximum permissible levels in both. However, the lead content in urban honey was significantly ( p  = 0.03) higher although it was within the permissible level, which suggests that bees are not affected by the airborne environmental pollutants in the urban habitat. The analysis confirms the optimum flow of major bee nutrients and essential minerals, thus confirming the importance of the urban mix of native and exotic flora in pollinator protection. The analysis thus provides an understanding of the usefulness of urban flora in supporting the nutritional requirements of generalist bees.