Abstract
Although supplemental feeding during dearth periods is widely practiced in developed apicultural systems, its adoption in Ethiopia remains limited due to the lack of affordable, nutritionally balanced, and locally adaptable feed formulations, as well as insufficient evidence on their comparative effectiveness under local conditions. This study evaluated the effects of nutritional supplementation on brood development, colony population growth, and honey yield of
A. mellifera
in Central Ethiopia. Four feeding treatments were tested: (1) Expeller pressed soybean cake flour (EPSCF) diet, (2) Niger seed cake flour (NSCF) diet, (3) Mung bean flour (MBF) diet, and (4) a control consisting of sucrose syrup. Colonies received 250 g of formulated diets or 1 L of syrup weekly. Feed consumption ranged from 80 g (NSCF) to 125 g (EPSCF), while control colonies consumed all syrup provided. Honey yield differed significantly among colonies receiving different diets (p < 0.05). Colonies supplied with the EPSCF diet produced the highest mean honey yield (14.75 ± 0.565 Kg/colony), indicating superior colony productivity, whereas MBF resulted in the lowest yield (8.12 ± 0.864 Kg/colony). Overall, EPSCF consistently outperformed other treatments across all measured parameters and generated the highest economic return (ROI = 240.39%). These findings demonstrate that EPSCF is a cost-effective and nutritionally efficient pollen substitute for improving colony productivity and profitability under Central Ethiopian conditions. Therefore, the use of EPSCF is recommended for smallholder beekeepers as a practical and affordable feeding strategy to enhance colony performance during dearth periods.