Effect of feeding honey bees Apis mellifera with nanocerium dioxide on the mineral composition of honey, wax and the bees’ bodies

Restrictions or complete prohibition of antibiotic use in livestock production, and particularly in beekeeping, r e quire the search for alternative means to control infectious diseases in honey bee colonies. Therefore, nanotechnology products are gaining importance as they are capable of enhancing bees’ resistance to diseases by disrupting bacterial cell walls or membranes at low concentrations, while potentially remaining safe for humans and the environment. Nanocerium dioxide (nano-CeO 2 ) is one such nanoproduct with these properties, including acting as antioxidant and antibacterial agent. Although nano-CeO 2 has been identified as a potential product against infectious diseases in honey bees, there is no information on its effects on honey composition and hive products, nor its broader impact on honey bee health. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of honey and the mineral composition of bee bodies, honey, and wax following the feeding of bee colonies with nano-CeO2 via sugar syrup. For the experiment, control and experimental groups of medium-strength bee colonies were formed at the NSC Institute of B eekeeping named after P. I. Prokopovich (Kyiv, Ukraine). Colonies in the experimental group were fed sugar syrup supplemented with nano-CeO 2 at a concentration of 1 mM, while the control group received syrup without the nano-additive. The exp e riment assessed honey quality indicators, such as diastase activity, as well as the content of Ce, Mg, Zn, and Se in bees’ bodies, honey, and wax using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Feeding bee colonies with sugar syrup containing nano-CeO 2 did not affect the levels of water, proline, Mg, or Zn in honey but increased its diastase activity by 32.8%. Feeding bees nano-CeO 2 increased Ce content by 2.84-fold and decreased Se content by 24.1% in bee bodies, forming the following order of mineral component distribution: Mg > Zn > Ce > Se. The use of nano-CeO 2 in bee colonies did not affect the accumulation of Mg, Zn, or Se in honey, but increased the Ce content by 19.14-fold. Under the influence of nano-CeO2, Ce content increased 1.51-fold and Se content 1.91-fold in wax. Ce concentration in honey showed a strong positive correlation with its content in bee bodies, whereas Se content in bee bodies showed a strong inverse correlation with its level in wax. Spring feeding of bee colonies with sugar syrup supplemented with nano-CeO 2 showed no effect on the main honey quality indicators, while demonstrating a high capacity for Ce accumulation in bees’ bodies, honey, and wax. Overall, these findings provide a foundation for the development of functional and safe treatment products against bee diseases, as well as beekeeping products enriched with nano-CeO 2 as an antimicrobial agent.