Publications by authors named "Saad N Al-Kahtani"

The pink stem borer (PSB), (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) purple-lined borer (PLB), (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and European corn borer , (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) are considered the most devastating insect pests of maize production in the Mediterranean region. The frequent use of chemical insecticides has resulted in the evolution of resistance to various insect pests as well as the pernicious impact on natural enemies and environmental hazardousness. Therefore, developing resistant and high-yielding hybrids is the best economic and environmental approach to cope with these destructive insects.

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(1) Background: Propolis and bee pollen have natural bioactive compounds that may support the performance and immunological response of broilers. (2) Methods: The study included 300 1 d old Cobb-500 broiler chicks. Starting from 22−42 d of age, chicks were divided according to a 2 × 2 factorial design into one of the four treatment groups (5 replicates × 15 chicks per replicate); a basal diet without supplementation (CONT) or supplemented with 1 g/kg of propolis (PR) or bee pollen (BP) separately or in an even combination (PR + BP).

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The honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) mainly use beeswax (comb) for brood rearing and food storage. Changes in the color and cell dimensions occur due to repeated food storage and brood rearing in the comb.

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Nepotism was initially theoretically predicted and sometimes found to trigger the selection of specific larvae to be reared as queens in the honeybee Apis mellifera. Although the importance of selecting the next queen for a colony indicates that it should not occur at random, nepotism is increasingly considered unlikely in eusocial insect societies. Different prenatal maternal supplies of embryos have been found to impact fitness in many other species and therefore could be a possible trigger underlying the likelihood of being raised as a queen.

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Seasonal variations in the fatty acid (FA) compositions of pollen loads collected from the Al-Ahsa Oasis in eastern Saudi Arabia throughout one year were determined to identify the optimal season for harvesting bee pollen rich in essential fatty acids (EFAs) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs). The highest values (%) of lipids, linolenic acid (C), stearic acid (C), linoleic acid (C), arachidic acid (C), the sum of the C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3 concentrations, and EFAs were obtained from bee pollen harvested during autumn. The maximum values (%) of oleic acid (C), palmitic acid (C), UFAs, and the UFA/saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio were found in bee pollen harvested during summer.

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Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous and persistent pollutants, and have been detected in a wide variety of media, from soils to aquatic systems. MPs, consisting primarily of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyacrylamide polymers, have recently been found in 12% of samples of honey collected in Ecuador. Recently, MPs have also been identified in honey bees collected from apiaries in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as nearby semiurban and rural areas.

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This study was achieved in a private apiary located in a banana farm in Sa El Hagar, Basioun, Gharbia, Egypt from August 15, 2019 to May 25, 2020, including the banana ( sp., Musaceae) flow season (August and September) and extend to Egyptian clover ( L., Fabaceae) flow season (May).

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Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the genetic relationships between honey bee subspecies using reference specimens and recently collected specimens from different parts of the world. The purity of these specimens was discussed in light of the obtained results.

Methods: The genetic networks were constructed between 21 subspecies of honey bees, L.

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American foulbrood (AFB) and European foulbrood (EFB) are the two major bacterial diseases affecting honeybees, leading to a decrease in viability of the hive, decreasing honey production, and resulting in significant economic losses to beekeepers. Due to the inefficiency and/or low efficacy of some antibiotics, researches with nanotechnology represent, possibly, new therapeutic strategies. Nanostructure drugs have presented some advantagesover the conventional medicines, such as slow, gradual and controlled release, increased bioavailability, and reduced side-effects.

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The Yemeni honeybee (Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner) is the native race in Saudi Arabia. The Carniolan honeybee (A. m.

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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has infected people in 210 nations and has been declared a pandemic on March 12, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the absence of effective treatment and/or vaccines for COVID-19, natural products of known therapeutic and antiviral activity could offer an inexpensive, effective option for managing the disease. Benefits of products of honey bees such as honey, propolis, and bee venom, against various types of diseases have been observed.

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The sequence of the DNA contains coding and non-coding regions. The role of the non-coding regions is not known and is hypothesized to maintain the structure of the DNA. This study aimed to investigate the structure of the non-coding sequences in honey bees utilizing bioinformatics.

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Bee pollen is a natural product that has valuable nutritional and medicinal characteristics and has recently garnered increasing attention in the food industry due to its nutritive value. Here, we harvested pollen loads from the Al-Ahsa oasis in eastern Saudi Arabia during spring, summer, autumn, and winter in 2018/2019 to compare the nutritional value of bee pollen protein with the amino acid requirements of honeybees and adult humans. Based on the nutritional value of bee pollen protein, the optimal season for harvesting bee pollen was determined.

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Natural pathogen pressure is an important factor that shapes the host immune defense mechanism. The current study primarily aimed to explore the molecular basis of the natural immune defense mechanism of a sporadic pest, , during swarming by constructing cDNA libraries of the female mid-gut, male mid-gut, testes, and ovaries. The Illumina HiSeq platform generated an average of 7.

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Royal jelly (RJ) is commercially harvested after the 4th day of queen larval age. In the current study, it was harvested after 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after grafting of 1-day larval age queens to investigate changes in macro and trace elements associated with harvesting time. The RJ yields were significantly affected by harvest time, and the highest yield was obtained 72 hours after grafting.

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A study on the relationship between the age of comb and the activity of the hybrid Carniolan honey bee colonies in collecting pollen activity, worker brood production, colony strength, and honey yield was conducted. In comparison to colonies with combs aged 4-years, colonies with combs aged 1, 2 and 3-years significantly exceeded in the number returning workers, number returning workers with pollen loads, rate of storing pollen, rate of worker brood production, and size of colony population. Colonies with combs aged 1, 2 and 3-years produced significantly more honey than colonies with combs aged 4-years (5.

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Microbial consortia accompanied to all eukaryotes can be inherited from ancestors, environment, and/or from various food source. Gut microbiota study is an emerging discipline of biological sciences that expands our understanding of the ecological and functional dynamics of gut environments. Microorganisms associated with honey bees play an important role in food digestion, colony performance, immunity, pollination, antagonistic effect against different pathogens, amelioration of food and many more.

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This study was conducted at the apiary of the Beekeeping Research Section at the Sakha Agricultural Research Station, ARC, Kafrelsheikh, and other apiaries in Kafrelsheikh province, during two successive years 2015 and 2016. The study aimed to survey nectar and pollen floral resources in Kafrelsheikh province. Ninty seven plant species belonging to 33 families were recorded as nectar sources, and 82 plant species belonging to 36 families were recorded as pollen sources during the whole year.

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This study was conducted at the apiary of the Agricultural and Veterinary Training and Research Station of King Faisal University in the Al-Ahsa oasis of eastern Saudi Arabia. We performed a comparison between Carniolan ( Pollmann) and Yemeni ( Ruttner) honeybee races to determine the monthly fluctuations in foraging activity, pollen collection, colony growth and honey yield production under the environmental conditions of the Al-Ahsa oasis of eastern Saudi Arabia. We found three peaks in the flight activity of the two races, and the largest peaks occurred during September and October.

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This investigation was conducted at the Agricultural and Veterinary Training and Research Station, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, during the alfalfa growing season in 2014. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of phosphorus fertilization and honeybee pollination on alfalfa seed production. The experiment was divided into 9 treatments of open pollination, honeybee pollination, and non-pollination with three different levels (0, 300 or 600 kg PO/ha/year) of triple super phosphate.

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