Colony maintenance during honey dearth period is a tricky and cumbersome task for bee keepers worldwide. The development of artificial diet has improved remarkably to confront the challenges of dearth period like reduced foraging activities, decreased brood development, susceptible to diseases due to lack of immunity and so on. The complexity of artificial diets grew over time as many studies demonstrated the vital significance of balanced nutritional profile of honey bees such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, lipids, phytochemicals and phytosterols. Recent advancements have incorporated microbes such as cyanobacteria, yeast and other natural plant extracts to artificial diet to support colony growth, to enhance disease resistance and to maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Commercial diets are pre-formulated blends enriched with all nutrients including probiotics which can improve digestion, nutrient absorption and bolsters the bee’s immune systems and to overcome the difficulties faced by honey bees during dearth period. By combining a well-balanced diet with all essential nutrients, beekeepers can better support their colonies with enhanced resilience through which year-round productivity and overall well-being of honey bees can be maintained. This article gives an insight into artificial sources, microbe-based nutrition and their combination and commercial diet formulations that are required during off-season through which over all sustenance of honey bees can be achieved.
Srikala et al. (Mon,) studied this question.