Consumo de tortas protéicas para abejas con la adición de aceites esenciales de cedrón, manzanilla y toronjil

Abstract

The study evaluated the consumption of base protein cakes with the addition of essential oils in Apis Mellifera bees, using four hives distributed in a 4 x 4 design, with four treatments: T0 (Control Base cake), T1 (Cedron cake), T2 (Lemon balm cake), and T3 (Chamomile cake) for 30 days, with a rotation frequency of 7 days, an adaptation period of seven days, using video surveillance system to determine food preference outside the hives. The variables analyzed were feed consumption, consumption time, and palatability of the protein cakes. The analysis of results showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in feed consumption, with the highest feed consumption for treatment T3 (chamomile cake) at 31.30 g/day and the lowest consumption for T1 (Cedron cake) at 5.10 g/day. Regarding the preference or palatability of the cakes outside the hive, there was a significant difference between treatments (p<0.05) being more palatable the cake enriched with chamomile oil at 31.28 g/day. It is concluded that using medicinal plant oils, particularly chamomile essential oil, significantly improves the palatability of protein cakes intended for bee (Apis mellifera) consumption. Keywords: Apis mellifera, Protein Cake, Essential oil, Lemon balm, Chamomile, Cedron.