EFFECT OF HIGH PLACES ON THE ACTIVITY OF HONEY BEE COLONIES IN MINIA GOVERNORATE

This study was carried out in Al-Rawdah village, Mallawy district of Minia Governorate in the period from March to September in the two successive years of 2015, 2016. Fifteen colonies of equal strength, recent mated sister queens and equal stored food (honey and pollen )were used to study the effect of high places on the foraging activity of five colonies of honeybees through the counting of the workers going out of the hive and returning to it in the minute, throughout the day at 7:00 am, 9:00 am,11:00 am,3:00 pm and 5:00 pm in each of the three altitude levels 0, 8 and 11 m.
The results showed the following points: In the first season of 2015, the number of outgoing workers per minute for bee colonies at 11 m. was greater than the number of outgoing workers in the level of 0 m. and 8 m. at 7:00 am, 9:00 am and 11:00 am, while the number of outgoing workers per minute was great at 8 m. at 3:00 pm and at 5:00 pm the number of outgoing worker bees per minute was great at 0 m.
The number of returning workers to the hive was greater at the level of 11 m. at 7 am, 9 am and 3 pm and the number of returning workers was greater at the level of 0 m. at 11 am and 5 pm.
In the second season 2016 the number of outgoing and coming back foragers was higher at 0 m. than the other two levels in all the above-mentioned dates.