Effect Of Plant and Seasonal Diversity on the Chemical Composition of Pollen Grains in Honeybee Colonies

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were conducted at the College of Agriculture / University of Basrah to study the effect of vegetation and seasonal diversity on honeybee activity and the chemical composition of pollen grains during the period of November 2023 to the May 2024.
When analyzing the chemical composition of pollen grains, the average protein content was 20.9%, fat 5.5%, total carbohydrates 54.4%, ash 1.8%, and moisture 17.4%, with significant differences observed between the components of the different readings. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) technique was used to detect the active groups in pollen grains mixed with honey. Many active compounds appeared during the months of the study: November, December, January, February, March, April, and May, belonging to various chemical groups including (O-H), (C-H), (CH2), (C=O), (CH3), and (OH) and other groups in varying proportions for the months mentioned.