title: On the Effects of Artificial Feeding on Bee Colony Dynamics: A Mathematical Model.
abstract: This paper proposes a new mathematical model to evaluate the effects of artificial feeding on bee colony population dynamics. The proposed model is based on a classical framework and contains differential equations that describe the changes in the number of hive bees, forager bees, and brood cells, as a function of amounts of natural and artificial food. The model includes the following elements to characterize the artificial feeding scenario: a function to model the preference of the bees for natural food over artificial food; parameters to quantify the quality and palatability of artificial diets; a function to account for the efficiency of the foragers in gathering food under different environmental conditions; and a function to represent different approaches used by the beekeeper to feed the hive with artificial food. Simulated results are presented to illustrate the main characteristics of the model and its behavior under different scenarios. The model results are validated with experimental data from the literature involving four different artificial diets. A good match between simulated and experimental results was achieved.
authors.affiliation: UNIFESP - Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (Federal University of Sao Paulo), Rua Talim, 330, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, 12231-280.
authors.forename: Juliana Pereira Lisboa Mohallem
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: ITA - Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (Aeronautical Institute of Technology), Praca Marechal Eduardo Gomes, 50, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, 12228-900.
authors.forename: Henrique Mohallem
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: UNIFESP - Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (Federal University of Sao Paulo), Rua Talim, 330, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, 12231-280.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: UNIFESP - Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Rua Conceicao, 329, Diadema, Brazil, 09920-000.
authors.forename: Michelle Manfrini
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Morais
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D008954:Models, Biological