• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.19
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• pp.17-22
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• 2001

The study was conducted to establish the method of performance test of honeybee queens under Korean environment. Colony performances of Apis mellifera were tested based on wintering ability, colony population and honey yield in Sangju, Korea from November, 1999 to October, 2001. The results of performance-testing on the honeybee colonies are summarized as follows: The colony weights measured before and after wintering in 1999~2000 season were averaged $22.6{\pm}2.6kg$ and $20.1{\pm}2.6kg$, respectively, showing the decrease of $2.5{\pm}0.7kg$. During 2000~2001 winter season, the colony weight before wintering was $22.6{\pm}2.3kg$ and was decreased by $2.3{\pm}0.6kg$. The number of combs well covered with bees was $13.1{\pm}4.6$ as measured on the 22nd of May. 2000 and $16.0{\pm}3.8$ on the 21st of May. 2001, respectively. The rate of supering colonies were 50% and 98.5% in 2000 and 2001, respectively. The amount of honey production was $12.7{\pm}8.6kg$ per colony in 2000, and $14.2{\pm}7.6kg$ per colony with unselected queens and $23.5{\pm}4.9kg$ per colony with selected-tested queens in 2001, which were harvested two times during main nectar flow season of black locust, Robinia peseudoacasia.