The Effects of Wintering in Different Climatic Regions of Turkey on Some Physiological Characteristic of Caucasian Honey Bee (Apis mellifera caucasica) Colonies

Abstract

This study was conducted in two locations have different altitudes in the cities which have different climates as Ankara, Ordu, Erzurum, Mersin. The purpose of this work was to define some physiological properties of the bees such as the survivability of colony, wintering ability, usage of stoked honey and to discuss all these data. This study lasted two years and the second year was the continuation of the first year. At the beginning of the year, colonies which has the same genotype were equalized as number of combs covered with bees, stocked honey and brood areas and so on. According to the data analysis, it was obtained that the quantity of the stocked honey was not statistically significant by the region×altitude×year interaction. However, year×region and region×altitude interactions were statistically significant. Similarly, it was obtained that the wintering ability was not statistically significant by the region×altitude×year interaction. The only year×region interaction was statistically significant. Also, descriptive statistics obtained for the survivability of the colonies (%) during the first and second year was added statistically to this application. As a result, this work showed that migratory beekeepers could reevaluate the regions which have the microclimate properties in Aegean, Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. And new research should be made by adding different species of honeybees for the performance of overwintering in different climates.