USING ALGAE SUSPENSIONS CHLORELLA VULGARIS IN BEEKEEPING INTRODUCTION Honey bees eat nectar, honey, pollen, bee bread

and water. Bees food contains all the vital nutrients: protein, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. [4] During the year, a bee family uses approximately 30-40 kg of protean food (pollen, bee bread) and about 80100 kg of honey. They prepare the pollen for safekeeping through fermentation, process resulting in considerable energy consumption. Eremia N., Neicovcena I. [6] claims that under the influence of the anthropogenic factors, bees living conditions have suddenly changed the components of plant species, the ways of gathering nectar and pollen. If the quantity of food saving is not sufficient for the family, the bees have to be fed. In order to stimulate the juveniles growth, sugar syrup is used in a 50% concentration (1 kg of sugar to 1 liter of water) [8]. Crivov N. mentions that the apiarists from Russia have serious objectives regarding the making of apiarian products. Raising the productivity and the rate of survival of the bee families to diseases is a problem of tremendous importance in beekeeping. Using the chlorella suspension as a food supplement for bees, raises significantly the possible rations of the bee family during the process of gathering, raises the prolificacy of the queens and the bees activity, improves their immune system, reduces the risk of getting sapling calcification, pebrine, bacterial and viral diseases. The chlorella suspension contributes to raising the bees resistance when in contact with toxic chemicals used for orchard maintenance and pest removal. Increase in the biological bee activity improves honey gathering with about 30-40%. [3] The Chlorella Vulgaris species belongs to the Chlorella type, which links the autotrophic algae group, represented by unique cells. V. M. Andreeva [1] describes the modern classification of the Chlorella type. Bogdanov N. I. [2] mentions that in order to prepare the chlorella suspension, Chlorella Vulgaris IFR nr. C-111 and vulgaris BIN roots are used. They differ by their planktonic properties, especially the possibility of free flotation and uniform distribution of the cells in the cultivating environment. They do not have any pretentions regarding carbon dioxide and nutrients, which allowed the elaboration of a new fundamental biotechnology of cultivating microalgae and creating a set of modular type, successfully used in the zootechnical farms and in the workshop used for cultivating chlorella. These being said, the research aims to determine the efficiency of the algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris in beekeeping. MATERIALS AND METHODS In order to reach the set up goals, bee families of the Carpatic breed, from the apiary Albinrie, Streni region, served as the object of investigation.

Out of the productive characteristics of the bee family the following have been studied: the power, the quantity of the capped juvenile and honey yield. In order to study the influence of the algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris on growth, development and bee families productivity, 3 groups of families have been formed at the Albinrie apiary, of 3 families each. The families in the first group received 1 liter of sugar syrup (1:1). The second group did not get any additional feeding and have functioned using their own honey saving. The third group received one liter each of algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris with sugar 1:1. The bee families from group I and III have been fed on the 22.04.11; 7.05.11; 19.05.11 with 1 liter of solution each (fig.1). During the active period, the bee families have been checked every 12 days until the main gathering from the white acacia. In order to study the influence of the algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris on acceptance of the transferred larvae for queen growth, to increase the length, breadth and the mass of the capped queen cell, as well as the mass of the mated and unmated queens, 3 groups of growing bee families have been formed. The first group of growing families received 1 liter of sugar syrup each (1:1). The second group did not get any additional feeding and have functioned using their own honey saving. The third group received one liter each of algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris with sugar 1:1. The bee families from groups I and III have been fed with 1 liter of solution each (fig 2.) from the larvae transfer and then daily, until the queen capping (during 5 days). The obtained data has been processed using the method of the statistic variations, after Mercureva E. [9], Plohinschij N. [10] and by using the Microsoft Excel computer application. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS The results of the research have shown that at the moment when the experimental groups were formed (1.04.2011) the power of the bee families was an average of 6,0 spaces in between the gofers populated with bees. The coefficient of variation has its extremities from 11,78 till 16,67% (table 1). During the first check of the bee families on 22.04.2011 it was found out that the power of the bee families has varied between 6,3 (I group) and 6, 67 spaces in between the gofers populated with bees (group II). In the bee families nest have been found 63,33 -77, 33 hundreds of capped juveniles from the I and II control groups and 76,6 for the experimental groups, the food saving has varied on an average of 1,8 kg (III group) and 4,0 kg of honey (I group). During the next check, after 12 days, on the 7.05.2011 it was found out that the bee families that have developed the best of all are the ones fed with algae suspension 162 cells of capped juvenile, or 29,67 hundreds of cells more than the other groups.

For the next check, done on 19.05.2011 it was found out that the bee families fed with algae suspension have had approximately the same power as those from the other groups: 9,67-10,5 spaces in between the gofers populated with bees. No essential differences have been noticed regarding the number of capped juveniles. The prolificacy of the queens during this period for the III group was of 1246 eggs in 24 hours, those in the Ist control group 1103 and group II 1171 eggs. Honey saving in the experimental and control bee families varied between 1,33 kg and 3,33 kg, which proves that in this period the apiary lacks productive gathering and the bees use honey savings from the family. Before the blossoming of the white acacia (8.06.2011) the bee families from the control group had a power of 13,67-14,7 spaces in between the gofers populated with bees. The bee families that have developed the best of all, were from group III, fed with algae suspension, and represented an average of 15,3 spaces in between the gofers populated with bees or 0,6-1,63 (4,1-11,9%), more than in the control groups. The bee families that have been fed with the algae solution have grown during this time 129,2 hundreds of cells or 9,8 hundred cells less than group I and 15,9 more than group II. From the white acacia, the bee families from the control groups have stored 24,9-25 kg of honey. The maximum honey quantity had been stored by the bee families from group III, fed with algae suspension - 26,5 kg or 6,0-6,4% more than the control groups. The honey crop from the control groups represented 8,7 kg per family, but in the experimental group III 10,2 kg per family. Therefore, the algal suspension has contributed towards obtaining 17, 2 % more honey compared to the control group. During the four checks, from the 22,04,2011 to 8,06,2011 the bee families in the control groups have grown a total of 467,33-479,8 hundreds of capped juveniles each. The biggest number of capped juvenile has been grown by the bee families from group III 517,3 hundred cells or 10,7 %% more than control group I and 7,8% than control group II. In the first series of experiments, on the 16th of June, the bee families used for queen growth had 9-11 gofers in the nest and the power was of 8-10 spaces in between the gofers populated with bees. The growing bee families from group I have received 1,0 liters of syrup, group III 1 liter of algal suspension with sugar (1:1) and 30 larvae have been transferred. Out of the total number of transferred larvae the bees have adopted for the queen growth 20-25 larvae or 66,7-83,3%. The capped queen cells grown in the families that were fed with algal suspension with sugar had a 0,44 cm bigger length (B0,999) and a 0,13 bigger diameter (B0,999) compared to the group II. The extremities of the capped queen cells length for group III was in between 2,3 and 3,0 cm and a diameter of 1,2-1,5 cm (table 3). The length of the capped queen cells raised in the families that were fed with sugar syrup was of 2,23 cm or 0,11 cm bigger (B0,999) than of the control group. A significant difference has been noticed when determining the mass of the capped queen cells, which was 0,42-0,52 g bigger than of the groups I and II.

When determining the mass of the unmated queens no essential differences have been recorded, the average being between 182,56 and 200,67 mg. The variations coefficient of this parameter has its extremities between 5,88 and 10,56 %. The mass of the mated queens was an average of 229,0-49,5 mg, having its extremities of 209 and 253 mg. In the second series of the experiments, starting with the 16th of July, the growing families had 11-12 gofers in the nest and a power of 10 spaces in between the gofers populated with bees. The growing families were fed with 1,0 liter of syrup (group I) and algal suspension (group III), 30-35 larvae have been transferred to them. It has been stated that each of the nurse families have adopted for queen growth during this time 18-22 transferred larvae. The nurse families that received honey syrup and water have adopted for growth 54 % of the transferred larvae (group I), honey 64,7 % (group II) and algal suspension 60 % (group III). During the quality assessment of the capped queen cells on the 26th of July, it was found out that their mass had varied between 1,0 and 1, 14 g (table 4). The capped queen cells grown best of all were those from group II, whose families were fed during the larvae stage with algal suspension, their mass being 0,09 bigger then of the control group II (B0,95). Moreover, the capped queen cells were 0,17 cm longer (B0,999) and their diameter 0,09 cm bigger (B0,999). The coefficient of variation of the examined parameters has its extremities from 2,64 to 10,82 %. The body mass of the unmated queens on July, 29th was an average of 175,69-180,37 mg, the limits varying in between 157 and 204 mg. The coefficient of variation for the body mass of the unmated queens has its extremities from 4,64 to 7,70 %. The body mass of the mated queens on August, 5th was an average of 223,67 mg (group I) and 22,4 mg (group III), the difference being insignificant. The biological potential of the body mass of the mated queens was stated to be 270 mg. The coefficient of variation being 5,25-17,15%. Thus, it can be mentioned that using the algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris in bee feeding during springtime has a positive influence over developing and bee family productivity. CONCLUSIONS 1. The use of algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris has contributed towards a better development of the bee families. 2. The biggest number of capped juvenile was traced on May, 7th, in the bee families fed with algae suspension (162 cells of capped juvenile or 22,4% more than in the control group). 3. Honey crop in the bee families from the experimental groups has grown with 17,0% compared to the control groups, fed with sugar solution.

4. Using the algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris with sugar in feeding the nurse families during queen growth has contributed towards a better development of the capped queen cells, influencing their mass, length and diameter. 5. In order to stimulate the growth of bee families during springtime, when there is no natural gathering (nectar, pollen) it is more reasonable to use the algal suspension Chlorella Vulgaris with sugar 1:1, one liter for every 12 days, and for the growth of the queens from the moment of the larvae transfer and then daily, until the queens capping (during 5 days).