Special feed for breeding bumblebee pollination colony and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a special feed for breeding bumblebee pollination swarms and a preparation method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of insect feed preparation, and the special feed for breeding the bumblebee pollination swarms comprises the following raw materials: white granulated sugar, glucose, potassium sorbate, epsilon-polylysine, vitamins, trace elements and water; the preparation method comprises the following steps: adding the white granulated sugar and the glucose into boiling water, uniformly stirring, cooling, adding the vitamins, the trace elements, the potassium sorbate and the epsilon-polylysine, uniformly stirring, and cooling to room temperature. The components such as the sugar source, the vitamins and the preservative are introduced to achieve a synergistic effect, so that the freshness of the sugar water is guaranteed, the intake of nutrient substances by the bee colony is improved, the survival rate of the bee colony is effectively increased, the development time of the early-stage bear bee colony is shortened, the growth speed of the early-stage pollination bee colony is accelerated, and the colony potential of the bee colony before pollination is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of insect feed preparation, and in particular relates to a special feed for breeding bumblebee pollination colonies and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Bumblebees are a key pollinating insect, providing pollination for a wide variety of plants, particularly those in the legume and nightshade families. Compared to honeybees, bumblebees are more likely to be active in cold environments. With the continued development of protected agriculture, bumblebee pollination is playing an increasingly important role in promoting fruit set, increasing yields, improving quality, saving labor, and reducing hormone use and pesticide residues. Bumblebees are known for their year-round breeding, allowing them to be artificially bred in any season to meet crop pollination needs, providing protected crops with more effective and stable bumblebee populations.

[0003] Breeding and cultivating high-quality bumblebee colonies for pollination is crucial for the application and promotion of bumblebee pollination in protected agriculture. The requirements for pollinating protected crops include: first, a colony must reach a certain size (80-100 or more bees per colony), with robust individual bees and a very vigorous colony. Second, the colony must be used for a long period of time, delaying the natural formation of queen cells as much as possible. This places higher nutritional demands on the breeding and cultivation of pollination bee colonies. The quality of the cultivated colonies directly determines the pollination effectiveness of the colonies used for pollination. However, there is currently no high-quality feed specifically designed for bumblebee farming on the market.

[0004] Bumblebees require a variety of nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water, for growth and reproduction. In captivity, liquid sugar water and honey are currently the primary means of providing these water and carbon sources. While these can serve as basic liquid feeds, they cannot meet the nutritional requirements for cultivating high-quality bee colonies.

[0005] Chinese patent publication number CN110771757A discloses a liquid feed for bumblebee rearing. While this formula can meet the growth needs of bumblebees, in practice, the preservative ingredient, natamycin, only inhibits fungi and has no antiseptic effect on bacteria, and its solubility is poor. Furthermore, while the pollen contains nutrients such as protein, these nutrients cannot be effectively released through microwave heating alone. Furthermore, the pollen in the liquid feed tends to aggregate and settle at the bottom of the liquid feed, preventing the bumblebees from fully consuming it. Therefore, sugar water feed for bumblebee feeding still needs improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the above technical issues, the present invention provides a feed specifically designed for bumblebee pollination colony cultivation and a preparation method thereof. By incorporating components such as a sugar source, vitamins, and a preservative, the feed not only ensures the freshness of the sugar solution but also increases the colony's nutrient intake. This effectively improves colony survival, shortens the development time of early bumblebee colonies, accelerates the growth rate of early pollination colonies, and increases the colony's strength before pollination. In other words, the present invention provides a safe, high-quality, and highly efficient feed specifically designed for bumblebee cultivation, ensuring the healthy growth of pre-pollination colonies and ensuring optimal bumblebee pollination.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] One of the technical solutions of the present invention:

[0009] A special feed for bumblebees (sugar water feed) for breeding pollination bee colonies, comprising the following raw materials:

[0010] White sugar, glucose, potassium sorbate, ε-polylysine, vitamins, trace elements and water.

[0011] Beneficial effects: The present invention provides a special feed for bumblebees for breeding pollination bee colonies. By scientifically proportioning multiple raw material components, the synergistic effect of each component is fully utilized, effectively solving the key problems of the existing technology such as short shelf life of sugar water feed, nutritional imbalance, easy precipitation of pollen, insufficient release of nutritional value, and single antiseptic effect. It significantly improves the stability and nutritional value of the feed, as well as the feeding enthusiasm and growth and development efficiency of bumblebees.

[0012] First, the rational combination of white sugar and glucose forms the primary carbon source for the feed. As the primary energy source, white sugar offers moderate sweetness and low cost, making it suitable for large-scale production. Glucose, on the other hand, has high bioavailability and is rapidly absorbed and metabolized by bumblebees, enhancing their strength and vitality. The combination of these two in a specific ratio not only provides ample energy support but also avoids the digestive burden and decreased feeding preference associated with a single sugar.

[0013] Secondly, the combined use of potassium sorbate and ε-polylysine is an important innovation in the preservation performance of the present invention. Potassium sorbate is a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent with a good inhibitory effect on molds and yeasts; ε-polylysine is a naturally occurring antibacterial polypeptide that not only has a broad antibacterial spectrum, but can also effectively inhibit the reproduction of a variety of yeasts (such as Candida acuminata, Rhodotorula fragilis, Pichia pastoris, Sporoblosarcoma rosea, etc.) as well as Gram-positive bacteria (such as Bacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus subtilis, etc.) and Gram-negative bacteria (such as Arthrobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, etc.), and even has a killing effect; moreover, it can be used as a nutritional enhancer because its own decomposition product in the body is lysine, which is an essential amino acid for most organisms (including bumblebees), and therefore has a nutritional effect on organisms. The synergistic effect of potassium sorbate and ε-polylysine overcomes the limitation of traditional preservatives such as natamycin, which only inhibit fungi, achieving dual control of bacteria and fungi, significantly extending the shelf life of feed in high-temperature and high-humidity environments while also enhancing nutrition. Experiments have shown that this feed can be stably kept fresh for over 56 days under feeding room conditions (28°C, 50% humidity), significantly alleviating the problem of liquid feed spoilage and improving the convenience and safety of practical applications.

[0014] Furthermore, the addition of vitamins and trace elements further enriches the feed's nutritional profile, meeting the micronutrient needs of bumblebees at different stages of growth. Vitamins such as A, B complex, C, and E participate in numerous physiological processes in the body, including antioxidant defense, immune regulation, and energy metabolism, helping to enhance bumblebee disease resistance and survival. Trace elements such as ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous glycinate, manganese hydroxymethionine, and yeast selenium play important roles in regulating enzyme activity, hemoglobin synthesis, and maintaining immune function. The addition of these nutrients not only compensates for the micronutrient deficiencies in traditional sugar water but also enhances the overall health and reproductive capacity of bumblebees.

[0015] Optionally, the bumblebee feed for breeding pollination bee colonies includes the following raw materials in parts by weight:

[0016] 400-550 parts of white sugar, 50-100 parts of glucose, 2-10 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.1-0.3 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0001-0.0005 parts of vitamins, 0.0001-0.0005 parts of trace elements and 300-500 parts of water.

[0017] Furthermore, the bumblebee feed comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight:

[0018] 400 parts of white granulated sugar, 100 parts of glucose, 2 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.3 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0005 parts of vitamins, 0.0005 parts of trace elements, and 500 parts of water.

[0019] Furthermore, the bumblebee feed comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight:

[0020] 550 parts of white granulated sugar, 50 parts of glucose, 2 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.1 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0001 parts of vitamins, 0.0001 parts of trace elements, and 400 parts of water.

[0021] Furthermore, the bumblebee feed comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight:

[0022] 450 parts of white granulated sugar, 75 parts of glucose, 5 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.2 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0003 parts of vitamins, 0.0002 parts of trace elements, and 300 parts of water.

[0023] Optionally, the vitamins include at least two of vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid, vitamin E and vitamin C.

[0024] Optionally, the trace elements include at least two of ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous glycine, manganese hydroxymethionine and yeast selenium.

[0025] The second technical solution of the present invention:

[0026] A method for preparing a special feed for bumblebees used for breeding pollination bee colonies comprises the following steps:

[0027] Add white sugar and glucose into boiling water, stir evenly, cool, then add vitamins, trace elements, potassium sorbate and ε-polylysine, stir evenly, and cool to room temperature.

[0028] Optionally, the method for preparing the special feed for bumblebees used for breeding pollination bee colonies specifically comprises the following steps:

[0029] Add white sugar to boiling water, and after it is completely dissolved, add glucose, stir to dissolve, and continue boiling for 15 minutes; when it cools to 60°C, add vitamins, trace elements, potassium sorbate and ε-polylysine, stir to dissolve, and cool to room temperature.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects:

[0031] (1) Extended shelf life of sugar water feed

[0032] The sugar water feed of the present invention can be kept fresh for 56 days under the conditions of a feeding room (temperature 28 DEG C, humidity 50%), thus solving the problem of easy mildew and corruption of sugar water in production to a great extent.

[0033] (2) The added ingredients are naturally beneficial to the bee colony

[0034] The preservative ε-polylysine used in the present invention is a new natural preservative, which can be hydrolyzed and digested into amino acids in the body, and becomes a safe amino acid nutrient with no side effects.

[0035] (3) It increases the bee colony's intake of sugar water feed and significantly promotes the growth of the bee colony

[0036] Compared with traditional sugar water feed, the sugar water feed of the present invention is consumed by the bee colony in larger amounts, and the bee colony strength is larger. The development time required for a bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) colony to reach a colony strength of 50 worker bees can be shortened to 59.2 days, which is 5.9 days faster than the bee colony fed with traditional sugar water feed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail. This detailed description should not be considered as limiting the present invention, but rather as a more detailed description of certain aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention.

[0038] It should be understood that the terms described herein are intended only to describe particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, for numerical ranges herein, it should be understood that each intermediate value between the upper and lower limits of the range is also specifically disclosed. Each smaller range between any intermediate value within a stated value or stated range and any other stated value or intermediate value within the stated range is also encompassed by the present invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may be independently included or excluded within the scope.

[0039] Unless otherwise indicated, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. Although only preferred methods and materials are described herein, any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention. All documents mentioned in this specification are incorporated by reference to disclose and describe the methods and / or materials associated with the documents. In the event of any conflict with any incorporated document, the contents of this specification shall prevail.

[0040] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the specific embodiments described herein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of the invention. The description and examples are intended to be exemplary only.

[0041] The words “include,” “including,” “have,” “contain,” etc. used in this document are open-ended terms, meaning including but not limited to.

[0042] In order to cultivate high-quality pollinating bumblebee colonies, better allow bumblebees to absorb sufficient easily digestible nutrients from special feed, extend the shelf life of the feed, and accelerate the breeding process, the embodiment of the present invention provides a special bumblebee feed for breeding pollinating bee colonies, which includes the following raw materials in parts by weight:

[0043] 400-550 parts of white sugar, 50-100 parts of glucose, 2-10 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.1-0.3 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0001-0.0005 parts of vitamins, 0.0001-0.0005 parts of trace elements and 300-500 parts of water.

[0044] In some optional embodiments, the vitamins include at least two of vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin C.

[0045] In some optional embodiments, the trace elements include at least two of ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous glycinate, manganese hydroxymethionine, and yeast selenium.

[0046] Unless otherwise specified, the "room temperature" in the present invention refers to 20-30°C.

[0047] The "parts" described in the present invention, unless otherwise specified, refer to parts by mass.

[0048] The raw materials used in the present invention are all purchased from the market.

[0049] The technical solution of the present invention is further illustrated by the following examples.

[0050] Example 1

[0051] A special feed for bumblebees (sugar water feed) for breeding pollination bee colonies, comprising the following raw materials in parts by weight:

[0052] 400 parts of white sugar, 100 parts of glucose, 2 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.3 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0005 parts of vitamins, 0.0005 parts of trace elements, 500 parts of water;

[0053] Among them, vitamins include vitamin B1 and vitamin C, with a mass ratio of 1:10;

[0054] Trace elements include ferrous sulfate and zinc sulfate, with a mass ratio of 3:2.

[0055] The method for preparing the above-mentioned special feed for bumblebees used for breeding pollination bee colonies comprises the following steps:

[0056] Weigh white sugar and add it to the boiling water, stirring while adding. After it is completely dissolved, add glucose powder, continue stirring to dissolve, and continue boiling for 15 minutes; when it cools to 60°C, add vitamins, trace elements, potassium sorbate and ε-polylysine, stir to dissolve, and cool to room temperature for use.

[0057] Example 2

[0058] A special feed for bumblebees (sugar water feed) for breeding pollination bee colonies, comprising the following raw materials in parts by weight:

[0059] 550 parts of white sugar, 50 parts of glucose, 2 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.1 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0001 parts of vitamins, 0.0001 parts of trace elements, 400 parts of water;

[0060] Among them, the vitamins are vitamin B1 and vitamin C, with a mass ratio of 1:10;

[0061] Trace elements include ferrous sulfate and zinc sulfate, with a mass ratio of 3:2.

[0062] The method for preparing the above-mentioned special feed for bumblebees used for breeding pollination bee colonies comprises the following steps:

[0063] Weigh white sugar and add it to the boiling water, stirring. Once completely dissolved, add glucose powder and continue stirring to dissolve. Boil for another 15 minutes. When the mixture cools to 60°C, add vitamins, trace elements, potassium sorbate, and ε-polylysine, stirring to dissolve. Cool to room temperature and set aside.

[0064] Example 3

[0065] A special feed for bumblebees (sugar water feed) for breeding pollination bee colonies, comprising the following raw materials in parts by weight:

[0066] 450 parts of white sugar, 75 parts of glucose, 5 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.2 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0003 parts of vitamins, 0.0002 parts of trace elements, 300 parts of water;

[0067] Among them, the vitamins are vitamin B1 and vitamin C, with a mass ratio of 1:10;

[0068] Trace elements include ferrous sulfate and zinc sulfate, with a mass ratio of 3:2.

[0069] The method for preparing the above-mentioned special feed for bumblebees used for breeding pollination bee colonies comprises the following steps:

[0070] Weigh white sugar and add it to the boiling water, stirring. Once completely dissolved, add glucose powder and continue stirring to dissolve. Boil for another 15 minutes. When the mixture cools to 60°C, add vitamins, trace elements, potassium sorbate, and ε-polylysine, stirring to dissolve. Cool to room temperature and set aside.

[0071] control group

[0072] Preparation of sugar water feed: Weigh 500 parts of white sugar and add it to 500 parts of boiling water, stirring while adding. After it is completely dissolved, continue to boil for 15 minutes. When it cools to 60℃, add 3 parts of potassium sorbate solid, stir to dissolve, and cool to room temperature for later use.

[0073] Comparative Example 1

[0074] The difference from Example 1 is that potassium sorbate is not added to the raw materials. Other raw material types, amounts and preparation processes are the same as in Example 1.

[0075] Comparative Example 2

[0076] The difference from Example 1 is that no ε-polylysine is added to the raw materials. Other raw material types, amounts and preparation processes are the same as in Example 1.

[0077] The feeds prepared in Examples 1-3, the control group and Comparative Examples 1-2 were placed in feeding bottles and placed in a feeding room (temperature 28° C., humidity 50%) for a period of time. The deterioration of the sugar water (feed) was measured by sensory evaluation.

[0078] Commercial bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) were fed 60 colonies of bumblebees with each of the six feeds, starting with the queen's recovery. The sugar-water feed was replaced every five days in the control group and every 20 days in the groups of Examples 1-3 and Comparative Examples 1-2. The queen's sugar-water intake was measured at the time the first larva emerged from the hive. The queen's egg-laying rate and the time and rate of emergence of the first larvae were also measured. Once the first two worker bees emerged, the colonies were moved to a large incubator for rearing. Colony growth was observed and recorded. The development time, sugar-water intake, and swarming rate were calculated when the colony reached 50 worker bees.

[0079] Result analysis:

[0080] 1. Analysis of the preservation effect of sugar water feed

[0081] After being placed for 7 days, the control group sugar water had visible bacterial suspension. The Example 1 group still did not find visible bacterium colonies when it was placed for 56 days, and visible filamentous colonies appeared at 60 days. The Example 2 group still did not find visible bacterium colonies when it was placed for 56 days, and visible filamentous colonies appeared at 59 days. The Example 3 group still did not find visible bacterium colonies when it was placed for 56 days, and visible filamentous colonies appeared at 60 days. The Comparative Example 1 group still did not find visible bacterium colonies when it was placed for 44 days, and visible filamentous colonies appeared at 48 days. The Comparative Example 2 group still did not find visible bacterium colonies when it was placed for 14 days, and visible filamentous colonies appeared at 19 days.

[0082] 2. Analysis of sugar water feed intake:

[0083] When the first larvae emerged from the hive, the sugar water intake of the bee colony in Group 1 was about 38-45 mL / swarm, the sugar water intake of the bee colony in Group 2 was about 35-45 mL / swarm, and the sugar water intake of the bee colony in Group 3 was about 37-46 mL / swarm. The sugar water intake of the bee colonies in Groups 1 and 2 was 35-45 mL / swarm and 32-38 mL / swarm, respectively. The sugar water intake of the bee colonies in the control group was about 30-35 mL / swarm. When the bee colony reached 50 worker bees, the sugar water intake of the bee colony in Group 1 was about 280-300 mL / swarm, the sugar water intake of the bee colony in Group 2 was about 250-300 mL / swarm, and the sugar water intake of the bee colony in Group 3 was about 280-310 mL / swarm. The sugar water intake of the bee colonies in Groups 1 and 2 was 250-290 mL / swarm and 235-255 mL / swarm, respectively, and the control group was 220-240 mL / swarm. This shows that the bee colonies in groups 1 to 3 of Examples of the present invention took in more sugar water feed, that is, they took in more nutrients.

[0084] 3. The growth status of bee colonies is shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0085] Table 1 Statistics of bee colony growth

[0086]

[0087] Table 2 Changes in the number of bee colonies with time when the first worker bee leaves the hive

[0088]

[0089] As can be seen from Tables 1 and 2, compared with the control group, the bee colonies fed with sugar water feed in Examples 1-3 of the present invention were significantly higher in terms of queen egg-laying rate, first-batch worker bee emergence rate, and swarming rate than the control group. In the early stages of colony development, the cumulative number of colonies in which the first worker bees emerged from the cell in Examples 1-3 was far greater than that in the control group at the same time point. Among them, the average development time required for the bee colonies in Example 1 to reach 50 worker bees was 59.6 days, which was 5.5 days shorter than the 65.1 days in the control group; the average development time required for the bee colonies in Example 2 to reach 50 worker bees was 60.1 days, which was 5 days shorter than the 65.1 days in the control group; the average development time required for the bee colonies in Example 3 to reach 50 worker bees was 59.2 days, which was 5.9 days shorter than the 65.1 days in the control group. This shows that the growth rate of the bee colonies in Examples 1-3 of the present invention is significantly faster.

[0090] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A special feed for bumblebees used for breeding pollination bee colonies, characterized in that: Including the following ingredients: White sugar, glucose, potassium sorbate, ε-polylysine, vitamins, trace elements and water.

2. The bumblebee feed for breeding pollination bee colonies according to claim 1, characterized in that: According to parts by weight, the following raw materials are included: 400-550 parts of white sugar, 50-100 parts of glucose, 2-10 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.1-0.3 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0001-0.0005 parts of vitamins, 0.0001-0.0005 parts of trace elements and 300-500 parts of water.

3. The bumblebee-specific feed for breeding pollination bee colonies according to claim 2, characterized in that: According to parts by weight, the following raw materials are included: 400 parts of white granulated sugar, 100 parts of glucose, 2 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.3 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0005 parts of vitamins, 0.0005 parts of trace elements, and 500 parts of water.

4. The bumblebee feed for breeding pollination bee colonies according to claim 2, characterized in that: According to parts by weight, the following raw materials are included: 550 parts of white granulated sugar, 50 parts of glucose, 2 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.1 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0001 parts of vitamins, 0.0001 parts of trace elements, and 400 parts of water.

5. The bumblebee feed for breeding pollination bee colonies according to claim 2, characterized in that: According to parts by weight, the following raw materials are included: 450 parts of white granulated sugar, 75 parts of glucose, 5 parts of potassium sorbate, 0.2 parts of ε-polylysine, 0.0003 parts of vitamins, 0.0002 parts of trace elements, and 300 parts of water.

6. The bumblebee feed for breeding pollination bee colonies according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vitamins include at least two of vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid, vitamin E and vitamin C.

7. The bumblebee-specific feed for breeding pollination bee colonies according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trace elements include at least two of ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous glycine, manganese hydroxymethionine and yeast selenium.

8. A method for preparing a special feed for bumblebees for breeding pollination bee colonies according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Add white sugar and glucose into boiling water, boil, cool, then add vitamins, trace elements, potassium sorbate and ε-polylysine, and stir evenly.

9. The method for preparing a special feed for bumblebees for breeding pollination bee colonies according to claim 8, characterized in that: The boiling time is 15 minutes.

10. The method for preparing a special feed for bumblebees for breeding pollination bee colonies according to claim 8, characterized in that: The cooling process is cooling to 60°C.

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