Abstract: The purpose of this work is to study the current state of the fauna of jewel beetles of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. Due to the special geographical position of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as well as due to the lack of common borders with Azerbaijan, over the past 30 years there have been no special studies on jewel beetles here. Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is famous for its orchards far beyond the borders of Azerbaijan, and many representatives of the Buprestidae family are serious pests of fruit trees, therefore the study of the species composition is of particular topicality. The peculiarities of the floristic complex of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic contributed to the formation of a specific fauna of insects, including jewel beetles. The studies were carried out in the period from 2012 to 2018, beetles collection was carried out from various biotopes during the spring-summer expedition trips that covered all areas of Nakhchivan AR. The paper provides information on the 5 subfamilies and 11 genera. The number of species in subfamilies is distributed as follows: Julodinae - 3, Polycestinae - 4, Chrysochroinae - 8, Buprestinae - 9, Agrilinae - 5. The species Agrilus pratensis RATZEBURG, 1837 is first recorded for the fauna of Azerbaijan.. Our comparative studies show that today the qualitative composition of the Buprestidae family of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is represented by a large number of species than the other two natural regions of Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan’s territory of the Greater Caucasus and the Lenkoran natural region. The article presents the taxonomic distribution of species, the places of their gathering, the coordinates of the locality, as well as the worldwide distribution.Abstract: The purpose of this work is to study the current state of the fauna of jewel beetles of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. Due to the special geographical position of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as well as due to the lack of common borders with Azerbaijan, over the past 30 years there have been no special studies on jewel bee...Show More
Abstract: Apis mellifera (A. mellifera) colonies build nests of varying characteristics which differ between races and different ecologies. To gain insight into details of natural nest characteristics of local honeybees and its implications in movable frame hive designing, natural bee space, comb spacing and worker brood cell dimensions of Apis mellifera bandasii (A. m. bandasii) were assessed across different altitudinal ranges through measuring their dimensions from naturally constructed combs in traditional hives. Moreover, comb spacing and bee space in movable frame hives from different local workshops were also measured. In addition, optimum comb thickness and bee space requirement were assessed by keeping local honeybee colonies in Kenya Top Bar (KTB) hives with different top bar widths. Accordingly, the average natural bee space, comb spacing, inside width of worker brood cells and worker brood cell/dm2 were 10.04 ± 2.23 mm, 33.70 ± 1.84 mm, 4.64 ± 0.13 mm and 1060.92 ± 14.24, respectively. The worker brood comb thickness, cell depth and bee space were significantly (p < 0.05) different across altitudinal ranges. Moreover, local honeybee colonies under natural conditions were found to build significantly narrower comb spacing in their brood nests than the frame spacing in movable frame box hives. The result from experimental colonies kept in KTB hives of varying top bar widths revealed that increasing comb spacing had no effect on comb thicknesses, while it significantly increased the bee space. This also confirmed that A. m. bandasii needs less comb spacing than the space in movable frame box hives currently used. The study implies the vital importance of considering natural nest comb spacing and cells dimensions in designing and constructing movable frame box hives and accessories that match with local honeybees’ biological requirement which may contribute to enhance the productivity of the race.Abstract: Apis mellifera (A. mellifera) colonies build nests of varying characteristics which differ between races and different ecologies. To gain insight into details of natural nest characteristics of local honeybees and its implications in movable frame hive designing, natural bee space, comb spacing and worker brood cell dimensions of Apis mellifera ban...Show More
