Mathematical programming models for determining the optimal location of beehives.

Farmers frequently decide where to locate the colonies of their domesticated eusocial bees, especially given the following mutually exclusive scenarios: (i) there are limited nectar and pollen sources within the vicinity of the apiary that cause competition among foragers; and (ii) there are fewer pollinators compared to the number of inflorescence that may lead to suboptimal pollination of crops. We hypothesize that optimally distributing the beehives in the apiary can help address the two scenarios stated above. In this paper, we develop quantitative models (specifically using linear programming) for addressing the two given scenarios.

Radiation inactivation of Paenibacillus larvae and sterilization of American Foul Brood (AFB) infected hives using Co-60 gamma rays.

The effectiveness of gamma radiation in inactivating the Philippine isolate of Paenibacillus larvae was investigated. Spores of P. larvae were irradiated at incremental doses (0.