Practices and Effectiveness of Artificial Feeding in Beekeeping in Lamjung District, Nepal

Practices and Effectiveness of Artificial Feeding in Beekeeping in Lamjung District, Nepal | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Practices and Effectiveness of Artificial Feeding in Beekeeping in Lamjung District, Nepal Anil KC, Arjun Subedi, Hari Bahadur Mijar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9247230/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The honey bee ( Apis cerena) is an important insect for pollen collection and honey production and plays a crucial role in agricultural production, pollination, and honey yield in Lamjung district. The study was conducted from February to July 2025 in Sundarbazar, Rainas, and Besisahar Municipalities of Lamjung district under the Project Implementation Unit, Bee Zone, Lamjung of the PMAMP program. The research aimed to assess the current artificial feeding practices in beekeeping and their impacts on colony performance and honey production. A total of 94 beekeepers were selected through purposive sampling and Bee forage availability fluctuated seasonally, with autumn (Ashoj–Kartik) being the best honey flow period, while Poush–Falgun and the rainy season were identified as dearth periods requiring artificial feeding. Almost all respondents (98%) practiced artificial feeding, primarily every 15 days (37.23%). Sugar syrup (78.72%) was the most commonly used feed, followed by candy (12.77%) and pollen substitutes (5.32%), with a preferred water-to-sugar ratio of 1:2 (67%). Feeding was generally done at night using normal water. Artificial feeding significantly enhanced colony performance 95.74% of beekeepers reported improved colony survival during winter, 92.55% observed an increase in brood area, 82.98% noted higher honey yields, and 77.66% experienced better pollen collection. Major problems faced during feeding included robbing (index 0.82), aggressiveness (0.69), and disease risk (0.53). In honey production, pests and diseases (0.77), unfavorable climate (0.68), and high input costs (0.553) were key challenges. Major predators such as Yellow-throated Marten, Asian hornet, and Bee-eater birds were controlled through traditional methods. Overall, the study concluded that artificial feeding is a vital management practice enhancing colony health, productivity, and sustainability in Lamjung. It recommends strengthening training programs, promoting cost-effective feeding techniques, and improving market access to ensure the long-term success of apiculture enterprises in the region. Honeybee Artificial feeding Sugar syrup Beekeeping Honey production Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9247230","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":630424817,"identity":"d87b66ca-ce7d-4d41-9e8a-ff547dd4ae26","order_by":0,"name":"Anil KC","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACNh4GxgcfKiTkQJwDD4jRws/DwGw444yNMVhLAjFaJHsY2KR5W9ISG0A8orQYnDn82Ji34XD6/LDDD4G22MnpNhDScrbN8OHcHYdzN95OMwBqSTY2O0BIy3keZoO3Z4BaZieAtBxI3EZIi/15HjYJ3rbD6Yaz0z8Qp8XgbA+bJG9bWoK8dA6RthicOWYMCmTDDdI5BQcSDIjxy5nkh6ColJefnb75w4cKOzmCWhB6wSoNiFUOAvINpKgeBaNgFIyCEQUA9A5MNTBo478AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Agriculture and Forestry University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Anil","middleName":"","lastName":"KC","suffix":""},{"id":630424818,"identity":"bbd5d9da-f25f-4c3f-8a95-070f3c495fc1","order_by":1,"name":"Arjun Subedi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Agriculture and Forestry University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arjun","middleName":"","lastName":"Subedi","suffix":""},{"id":630424821,"identity":"b4e8b821-4b44-4c5e-8d4a-0a7e5c2e4501","order_by":2,"name":"Hari Bahadur Mijar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Agriculture Modernization Program, PIU, Lamjung (Manang)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hari","middleName":"Bahadur","lastName":"Mijar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-27 17:23:44","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9247230/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9247230/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":109444425,"identity":"725c8d93-b21f-4239-ba1d-407423006867","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-18 07:57:02","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":954109,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Artificialfeedingforhoneybeeanil.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9247230/v1_covered_468db31e-c899-480a-a4f5-37eddd282739.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003ePractices and Effectiveness of Artificial Feeding in Beekeeping in Lamjung District, Nepal\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Honeybee, Artificial feeding, Sugar syrup, Beekeeping, Honey production","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9247230/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9247230/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe honey bee (\u003cem\u003eApis cerena)\u003c/em\u003e is an important insect for pollen collection and honey production and plays a crucial role in agricultural production, pollination, and honey yield in Lamjung district. The study was conducted from February to July 2025 in Sundarbazar, Rainas, and Besisahar Municipalities of Lamjung district under the Project Implementation Unit, Bee Zone, Lamjung of the PMAMP program. The research aimed to assess the current artificial feeding practices in beekeeping and their impacts on colony performance and honey production. A total of 94 beekeepers were selected through purposive sampling and Bee forage availability fluctuated seasonally, with autumn (Ashoj\u0026ndash;Kartik) being the best honey flow period, while Poush\u0026ndash;Falgun and the rainy season were identified as dearth periods requiring artificial feeding. Almost all respondents (98%) practiced artificial feeding, primarily every 15 days (37.23%). Sugar syrup (78.72%) was the most commonly used feed, followed by candy (12.77%) and pollen substitutes (5.32%), with a preferred water-to-sugar ratio of 1:2 (67%). Feeding was generally done at night using normal water. Artificial feeding significantly enhanced colony performance 95.74% of beekeepers reported improved colony survival during winter, 92.55% observed an increase in brood area, 82.98% noted higher honey yields, and 77.66% experienced better pollen collection. Major problems faced during feeding included robbing (index 0.82), aggressiveness (0.69), and disease risk (0.53). In honey production, pests and diseases (0.77), unfavorable climate (0.68), and high input costs (0.553) were key challenges. Major predators such as Yellow-throated Marten, Asian hornet, and Bee-eater birds were controlled through traditional methods. Overall, the study concluded that artificial feeding is a vital management practice enhancing colony health, productivity, and sustainability in Lamjung. It recommends strengthening training programs, promoting cost-effective feeding techniques, and improving market access to ensure the long-term success of apiculture enterprises in the region.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Practices and Effectiveness of Artificial Feeding in Beekeeping in Lamjung District, Nepal","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-28 11:56:34","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9247230/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bdf29b05-dcdb-48ba-a0e8-5d209157c51c","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 28th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Rejected","date":"2026-05-18T07:42:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-03T06:24:16+00:00","index":57,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-01T15:31:50+00:00","index":56,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-18T07:56:13+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-28 11:56:34","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9247230","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9247230","identity":"rs-9247230","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}