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1
Bigio, Gianluigi. "Hygienic behaviour in honey bees." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2014. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/51384/.
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This thesis focuses on hygienic behaviour in honey bees. In beekeeping, brood diseases incur heavy economical and biological costs and are no longer effectively treated with chemicals. Previous research has shown how hygienic behaviour, a trait expressed by c. 10% of unselected colonies, can be effective in reducing the impact and presence of such diseases. Hygienic behaviour is experimentally measured using the freeze-killed brood (FKB) bioassay and can be increased by selective breeding, generating lines of hygienic colonies. Chapter 4 demonstrates that the relative rarity of hygienic behaviour in unselected colonies is not because it incurs a cost via the removal of healthy brood. Chapter 5 - 6 focus on the impact of external factors on hygienic behaviour. Specifically, we demonstrate that the presence of brood, amount of food, and strength of the colony affect hygienic levels (Chapter 5). Chapter 6 shows that hygienic behaviour does not correlate with agressiviness or agitated behaviour. When breeding honey bees, it is possible to exploit instrumental insemination to have complete control over the genetic composition of the resulting progeny. This technique is however laborious and requires particular equipment and training. In Chapter 7 we show that it is possible to obtain acceptable levels of hygienic behaviour without artificial insemination. Chapter 8 illustrates how we obtained the first breeing line of hygienic honey bees through a selective breeding program that saw its first milestone in autumn 2013 when we detected high levels of hygienic behaviour. The results obtained represent the foundation for future research projects. Chapter 9 presents a valid, minimal methodology to keep virgin queens. We tested a variety of methods and factors to determine the best, mos cost-effective way to maintain queens for the week prior their introduction into a queenless hive. The results obtained provide some insights on both basic and applied aspects of honey bee breeding for hygienic behaviour and represent the foundation of what will be an ongoing selection programme towards a disease-resistant honey bee.
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Medina-Medina, L. A. "Diseases and hygienic behaviour in honey bees and stingless bees." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.289695.
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Carroll, Mark J., Nicholas Brown, Craig Goodall, Alexandra M. Downs, Timothy H. Sheenan, and Kirk E. Anderson. "Honey bees preferentially consume freshly-stored pollen." PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/624047.
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Honey bees (Apis mellifera) collect and store both honey and pollen in preserved forms. Pollen storage involves the addition of honey or nectar and oral secretions to pollen granules. It is controversial whether the duration of pollen storage alters the palatability or nutritive value of the pollen storage medium. We examined how bees utilize different-aged stored pollen during an extended pollen flow. The deposition of pollen into wax cells and subsequent consumption were monitored daily on 18 brood frames from 6 colonies over an 8d observation period. Despite a greater abundance of older stored pollen cells on brood frames, bees showed a marked preference for the consumption of freshly-stored pollen. Two to four day-old pollen cell contents were significantly more likely to be consumed, while pollen cell contents more than seven days old were eaten at much lower rates. Similar experiments that controlled for cell abundance and spatial effects using cage assays yielded the same result. One day-old stored pollen was consumed approximately three times more often than 10d-old stored pollen, and two times more often than 5d-old stored pollen. These consumption preferences for freshly-stored pollen occurred despite a lack of clear developmental advantages. Young adult workers reared for 7 days on 1d-, 5d-, or 10d-old stored pollen showed no difference in body mass, stored pollen consumption, hindgut fecal material accumulation, or hypopharyngeal gland (HPG) protein titers, suggesting that different-aged pollen stores did not vary in their nutritional value to adult bees. These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis promoting a period of microbially-mediated, "beebread maturation" that results in greater palatability or nutritive value for aged pollen stores. Rather, stored pollen that is not eaten in the first few days accumulates as excess stores preserved in a less preferred, but nutritionally-similar state.
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Couvillon, Margaret Jane. "Mechanisms of guarding and conspecific recognition by honey bees and stingless bees." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.444253.
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Kaercher, Martin Hans. "Inter‐ and intracolonial conflicts in societies of honey bees and stingless bees." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2011. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/7455/.
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Introduction – Insect societies are well known for cooperation. However, there is a high potential for conflict both over resources (intercolonial) and over reproduction (intracolonial). Here I present the key results of my thesis in these two areas. 1. – In our first study we show that T. angustula possesses two types of entrance guards, hovering and standing guards, and that they have different tasks. Standing guards, however, can switch to hovering if needed. 2. – Honey bee, A. m. mellifera, guards recognise allospecific intruders via “different odours” not “harmful intruder odours”. 3. – Following up on project 1 we demonstrated a relatively clear division of labour in guarding of T. angustula where guards either act as standing or hovering guards. This study also adds descriptive data on the natural history at the nest entrances of T. angustula. 4. – In our fourth project we found that worker policing in the honey bee (A. m. mellifera and A. m. carnica) has a low cost because few recognition errors are made, 9.6% and 4.1% of eggs in male and female cells were removed in error, and because these errors are easily rectified. 5. – Virgin queens of M. quadrifasciata were only elected in queenless colonies and generally only shortly after the removal of the resident queen. The virgin queens' behaviour did affect their survival or their life time, respectively. Finally, we described the election process of virgin queens by their colony. Conclusion – Mainly the finding of two different entrance guards in T. angustula generated a series of new questions. In addition, this thesis helped clarifying how social insects recognise each other, it provided the first study that did not measure the benefit but the cost of worker policing, and it shed some light on the bizarre behaviour of queen replacement and execution in Melipona.
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Downs, S. G. "Conspecific recognition and acceptance by guard honey bees." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.327726.
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Lindström, Anders. "Distribution and transmission of American foulbrood in honey bees /." Uppsala : Dept. of Entomology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2006. http://epsilon.slu.se/200622.pdf.
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Buchmann, Steven L., and Charles W. Shipman. "Pollen Harvest by Sonoran Desert Honey Bees: Conservation Implications for Native Bees and Flowering Plants." University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/554244.
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Managed and feral honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) harvest immense quantities of nectar and pollen within kilometers of their nests whether they live in relatively undisturbed or agricultural habitats. Within the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, pollen collection by European honey bee colonies was monitored by the use of apicultural pollen traps. Managed colonies near Tucson, Arizona routinely collected from 20 to 50 kg of pollen each year. Flowering pulses (phenology) in the local flora was closely tracked by the colonies, and pollen influx into their nests usually occurred as three to four distinct seasonal peaks, although some pollen was actively harvested during 48 or more weeks every year. The range of flowers visited for pollen by the honey bee is likely the most diverse for any social or solitary bee yet studied, largely due to their massive food requirements, efficient scouting and recruitment to ephemeral flower patches, and persistence of their colonies as perennial units for many years. At most Sonoran Desert sites, honey bee colonies took pollen from at least 12 and as many as 40-50 dominant angiosperm taxa. Additionally, pollen diet breadth of feral honey bee colonies was determined microscopically from blackened below-nest refuse deposits known as bee middens. One such deposit from the Arizona-Mexico borderlands is thought to represent more than a half century of accumulated materials. Honey bees are dominant invertebrate herbivores in desert regions taking pollen and nectar in massive amounts from at least 25 percent of the local flora. Had this pollen remained on its host plants, it would have been available for transport by co-adapted insect, bird and bat pollinators which are often better at depositing viable pollen, effecting subsequent fertilization, fruit and seed set on native flowering plants. Sonoran Desert bees are predominantly specialist feeders and depend upon certain plants more than honey bees which can switch hosts at will and have a highly mixed diet. Thus, in direct competition with these alien social bees living in large colonies, native desert bees are often at a disadvantage in acquiring pollen and producing replacement offspring. Desert flowering plants, especially rare, threatened and endangered species are also adversely affected since honey bees remove most of the pollen and often are responsible for setting fewer seeds or dispersing pollen at different distances than their original pollinators once did.
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Blenau, Wolfgang, Ricarda Scheiner, Stephanie Plückhahn, Bahar Oney, and Joachim Erber. "Behavioural pharmacology of octopamine, tyramine and dopamine in honey bees." Universität Potsdam, 2002. http://opus.kobv.de/ubp/texte_eingeschraenkt_verlag/2010/4430/.
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In the honey bee, responsiveness to sucrose correlates with many behavioural parameters such as age of first foraging, foraging role and learning. Sucrose responsiveness can be measured using the proboscis extension response (PER) by applying sucrose solutions of increasing concentrations to the antenna of a bee. We tested whether the biogenic amines octopamine, tyramine and dopamine, and the dopamine receptor agonist 2-amino-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (6,7-ADTN) can modulate sucrose responsiveness. The compounds were either injected into the thorax or fed in sucrose solution to compare different methods of application. Injection and feeding of tyramine or octopamine significantly increased sucrose responsiveness. Dopamine decreased sucrose responsiveness when injected into the thorax. Feeding of dopamine had no effect. Injection of 6,7-ADTN into the thorax and feeding of 6,7-ADTN reduced sucrose responsiveness significantly. These data demonstrate that sucrose responsiveness in honey bees can be modulated by biogenic amines, which has far reaching consequences for other types of behaviour in this insect. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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Bask, Tanmay. "A Model For Heat Transfer In A Honey Bee Swarm." Thesis, Indian Institute of Science, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/2005/131.
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During spring, it has been observed that several thousand bees leave their hive, and settle on some object such as a tree branch. Some of the scout bees search for a suitable place where a new hive can be set up, while the rest collect together to form a swarm.
Heinrich (J. of Exp. Biology 91 (1981) 25; Science 212 (1981) 565; Scientific American 244:6 (1981) 147) has done some experiments with free and captive swarms. His observations are as follows.
(1)The core (centre) temperature is around 35°C irrespective of the ambient
temperature.
(2)The mantle (outer surface) temperature exceeds the ambient temperature by 2- 3°C, provided the ambient temperature is greater than 20°C. Otherwise the mantle temperature is maintained around 17°C.
(3) The temperature gradient vanishes just before take-off of the swarm.
The present work attempts to predict temperature profiles in swarms and compare them with the data of Heinrich. A continuum model involving unsteady heat conduction and heat generation within the swarm is used. Heat loss from the outer surface of the swarm by free convection and radiation is accounted for approximately. To simplify the analysis, internal convection within the swarm is neglected. The energy balance equation is solved using the finite element method.
The effective thermal conductivity (k) is determined by comparing model predictions with data for a swarm of dead bees. The estimated value of k is 0.20 W/m-K. Both spherical and a non-spherical axisymmetric shapes are considered.
Considering axisymmetric swarms of live bees, temperature profiles are obtained using various heat generation functions which are available in literature. The effective thermal conductivity is assumed to be the same as that for the swarm of dead bees. Results based on a modified version of Southwick's heat generation function (The Behavior and Physiology of Bees, pp. 28-47, 1991) are qualitatively in accord with the data. The predicted maximum temperature within the swarm and the temperature at the lower surface of the swarm at the ambient temperature of 5°C are 34°C and 17-20°C, respectively. These are comparable to the measured values of 36°C and 19°C. The predicted maximum temperature within the swarm and the temperature at the lower surface of the swarm at the ambient temperature of 9°C are 36.5°C and 17-22°C, respectively. These are comparable to the measured values of 35°C and 19°C. The predicted oxygen consumption rates are 2.55 ml/g/hr for a swarm of 5284 bees at an ambient temperature Ta = 5°C and 1.15 ml/g/hr for 16,600 bees at Ta = 9°C. These are of the same order as the measured values (2 ml/g/hr for 5284 bees at Ta = 4.4DC and 0.45-0.55 ml/g/hr for 5284 bees at Ta = 10°C).
Omholt and Lanvik (J. of Theoretical Biology, 120 (1986) 447) assumed a non-uniform steady state profile and used it to estimate the heat generation function. Using this function in the transient energy balance, it is found that their steady state profile is unstable.
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Lloyd, Gerry Trevor. "Ultrastructural development in the corpus allatum of the adult worker honey bee." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005480.
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The ultrastructure of the corpus allatum of the Cape worker honey bee has been examined in a systematic way during the first thirty days of adult life. Corpus allatum size in the Cape worker honey bee shows the age-dependent increase typical of the European worker honey bee, and in the Cape worker bee, the duration of increase is protracted. Analysis of ultrastructural development provides three indicators of metabolic status: mean mitochondrial size, "light and dark" cells, and extracted vacuoles. Significant fluctuations in mean mitochondrial size indicate a cyclical nature of cellular activity. New thought on the nature of "light and dark" cells proves that "dark" cells are almost certainly active in the process of JH biosynthesis, whilst "light" cells are definitely not active in JH biosynthesis. Extracted vacuoles found in corpus allatum cells during this study are thought to be remnants of lipid vacuoles, and the build up in number of these vacuoles is regarded as an indicator of reduced biosynthetic activity. Since the two indicators of decreased JH production ("light" cells and extracted vacuoles) co-exist with smaller mean mitochondrial size, larger mean mitochondrial size is taken as indicating increased levels of JH biosynthesis. Hence, fluctuations in mean mitochondrial size suggest cycles in the levels of JH production in individual corpora allata of the adult worker honey bee.
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au, R. manning@agric wa gov, and Robert Manning. "Fatty acid composition of pollen and the effect of two dominant fatty acids (linoleic and oleic) in pollen and flour diets on longevity and nutritional composition of honey bees (apis mellifera)." Murdoch University, 2006. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20070820.125342.
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The size of the apiculture industry in Western Australia (W.A.) is one of the smallest in the nation but the production of pollen and honey per colony is the highest in Australia. The overwhelming value of the bee industry to the community is through pollination. The pollination service benefit provided by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in Australia has an estimated value of $AUS1.7 billion (1999 - 2000). The economic yields from crops, such as almonds and cucurbits, depend entirely on the activity of honey bees.
Access to flora is essential to maintain productive colonies for pollination services. Pollen and nectar from flowers provide the nutritional components for colonies of honey bees to breed, but pollen is more important as it provides the colony with its source of protein. Protein content is changed by pollen lipid content which can vary from 0.8 to 18.9 %. Lipids are composed of fatty acids and a number are highly antimicrobial and play an important role in colony hygiene, whilst others are nutritionally crucial for honey bee development.
Australian honey bee colonies utilise areas of native flora where a diversity of pollen species exist or hives are placed with agricultural crops that are based on European plants grown in monocultures, e.g. canola. Anecdotal evidence suggests that, in terms of breeding bees, some pollen species are much better than others and that bee health and longevity can be compromised if pollen is derived from single plant species. Protein analysis of pollen has been conducted on a wide range of species over the last two decades. However, lipid content and its analysis for fatty acids, which was reviewed for this thesis, have only been conducted on a few species. An initial investigation into the fatty acid composition of the pollen of W.A. eucalypts revealed the genus was characteristically high in linoleic acid concentration and ranged from 35.7 48 % (2.77 5.81 mg/g). Of the six species that are important to W.A. beekeepers, Eucalyptus wandoo (whitegum) and E. accedens (Powderbark Wandoo), a taxonomically similar species, showed similar levels of arachidic acid, whilst all three E. wandoo flowering varieties (summer, winter and spring) were the lowest in linolenic acid. Corymbia calophylla (redgum) was significantly higher in myristic and linolenic acids and E. patens (blackbutt), E. marginata (jarrah) and E. diversicolor (karri) had similar fatty acid profiles. European honey bees have evolved with plant species that have pollen that contain much higher levels of lipids, which are dominated by linolenic acid, than eucalypts. By contrast, the pollen of eucalypts, the most targeted plants by W.A. beekeepers, and other Australian plants are typically higher in linoleic than linolenic acid.
Given the influence of lipids on protein content and that fatty acid concentration varied amongst some of the important eucalypt species, a much wider study of pollen from plant species that are important to beekeepers was conducted. The first aim of the project, a national pollen survey, was undertaken in which 577 samples of pollen were collected. A total of 73 different fatty acids were identified. Of these, only five: palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic were common to all 577 samples of pollen.
The second aim of the thesis was to investigate the effect of two commonly found fatty acids in pollen and their concentration at which longevity and life-span of honey bees, and development of the hypopharyngeal gland were deleteriously affected. An associated objective was to determine whether a range of soya bean flours, the main ingredient of an artificial bee diet that can replace pollen but differs in lipid concentration, had a similar effect. The aim encompassed two projects. In the first, two fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acid) were added at concentrations from 0 to 16 % to the low-fat, bee-collected pollen from C. calophylla. Eight different lipid-enhanced diets were created and each fed to bees confined in cages (mini-colonies containing 1400 bees). Oleic and linoleic acids were chosen because they are two of the five commonly found fatty acids in pollen. Oleic acid is the dominant fatty acid in honey bees and is a monounsaturated fatty acid. Linoleic acid is a dominant fatty acid in eucalypt pollen and is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is one of two essential fatty acids that has antimicrobial activity.
The second project revolved around the problem of maintaining bee populations when apiaries are in environments that lack floral abundance due to drought or other environmental catastrophes. In these situations, beekeepers maintain their colonies by supplying artificial feedstuffs to colonies of bees. The high-protein diet ingredient of choice is imported soya bean flour and three flours containing 0.6 % (protein concentrate), 1.8 % (defatted) and 18.9 % (full-fat) lipid, were used. Locally milled lupin flour, containing 6.9 % lipid, was tested as a possible replacement for imported soya bean flour. As for soya bean flour, lupin flour was used in pure form or mixed with pollen in diets fed to bees. Flour and pollen combinations created another ten different diets fed to bees the same way as the fatty acid-enhanced pollen diets.
Along with the 8 lipid-enhanced and 10 flour and flour-pollen diets, there were two sugar-only diets, one mixed from dry cane sugar and the other, a liquid invert sugar. Two redgum pollen-only diets concluded the suite of 22 diets tested. One of these pollen diets was crushed and irradiated and was several years old whilst the other was collected fresh at the beginning of experimentation and kept frozen. Crushed and irradiated pollen is in common use by Australian commercial beekeepers as feedback when conditions for floral abundance are adverse.
An early experimental result was an observation of distinctive bee behaviour after bees were confined in cages for six weeks where small but persistent numbers of bees were found hairless in samples. The behaviour was apparently the same as when single cohorts of emerged bees rearrange their caste repertoire, which has been reported elsewhere, but where no connection to head weight and caste type had been documented. Low head weight and hairlessness were strongly associated with each other. Low head weights are usually associated with foraging honey bees because the hypopharyngeal gland is no longer developed functionally.
Experimentally, bees were assessed for longevity to 22 different diets in 7 experiments. Laboratory analysis was conducted on the weekly samples of bees removed from cages where bees were measured for head weight (hypopharyngeal gland development) and nutritional status by analysing de-gutted bees for protein, lipid, mineral and fatty acid content. Of the 22 diets tested, pure redgum pollen diets gave the greatest life-span and those bees fed diets of pure sugar had the shortest life. Honey bees fed a low-fat protein concentrate from soya bean flour had the longest life of the flours tested. Adding pollen to soya bean flour diets improved longevity whereas the addition of pollen to lupin flour caused increased mortality. Defatted and full-fat soya bean flours gave similar longevities and, despite large differences in fat content, the response to diet of head weight was negligible to the diets and no response was elicited by the queen bee to lay eggs which also indicated failed gland development of the worker bees.
The addition of fatty acid (oleic and linoleic) to pollen at different concentrations caused significant differences in longevity. Overall, the addition of both fatty acids to pollen did not improve longevity. The addition of oleic acid to pollen greater than 2 % caused the longevity of bees to decrease, a poor head weight response and a failure of the queen to lay eggs. The addition of linoleic acid greater than 6 % to pollen diets had a similar response. As the percentage of oil was increased for both fatty acid additions, total consumption of the diet decreased.
Honey bees fed soya bean, lupin flour and sugar-only diets failed to accumulate linoleic acid in their body which was in contrast to honey bees fed pollen diets. For the sugar diet, the failure of linoleic acid accumulation in bees occurred despite bees being able to accumulate total lipid. Manganese was poorly accumulated by honey bees fed both soya bean and lupin flour diets and a sugar-only diet. The implication is that linoleic acid and manganese need to be added separately to dietary formulations in a form as yet to be determined that will enable honey bees to accumulate these elements in the same way as bees do from consuming pollen.
Soya bean flour-based diets, which have been used by beekeepers for decades, or lupin flour require additional amounts of linoleic acid and manganese. Similarly, this might apply to sugar. Sugar can be fed to bees in great quantities to enable bees to successfully over-winter in cold climates or it can allow breeding to commence which subsequently stimulates the collection of pollen. Sugar-feeding is widely promoted for orchard pollination, especially for kiwifruit. These changes could make these dietary ingredients more effective in enabling bees to breed between nectar flows and be more productive or nutritionally healthier, but any changes would require further cage experimentation. Bee-collected pollen naturally high in concentrations of oleic acid should also be tested in longevity trials, in conjunction with pollen that is low in oleic acid. The three untested common fatty acids (stearic, palmitic and linolenic acid) should also be evaluated for honey bee longevity and nutritional status.
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Ärfström, Linda. "Determining genetic relatedness in honey bees, Apis mellifera, using microsatellite analysis." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för medicinsk biokemi och mikrobiologi, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-200262.
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The world population is growing and becoming more connected whereby disease transmission is becoming an increasingly important issue. To learn more about disease spread, honey bees (Apis mellifera) could provide an animal-model system for network transmission. The honey bees have both an individual and a social defense against pathogens, their diseases are well studied and they enable studies on hundreds of individuals. The genetic relatedness is believed to be one of many important factors for disease transmission. A hypothesis is that the more closely related the honey bees are the more interactions will occur. In this study, the genetic relatedness in honey bees was analyzed by the use of microsatellite-DNA primers, in a multiplex PCR. Of the 18 microsatellite-DNA primers that were evaluated, the loci HB-C16-05, A007, AC006, HB-C16-02, AP043 and UN351 showed the highest variation. However, when applied on a larger material, the PCR-products did not yield any chromatograms that were possible to score. Many factors possibly affecting the result are discussed and further efforts will be made to improve the method and thereby determine genetic relatedness.
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Haynes, Edward George. "Epidemiology and genomics of European foulbrood (Melissococcus plutonius) of honey bees." Thesis, University of York, 2013. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/5629/.
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European Foulbrood (EFB) is an important disease of honey bee larvae that has increased in prevalence in recent years, in both the UK and other countries. EFB is caused by the gram-positive bacterium Melissococcus plutonius. To date, most molecular epidemiology studies on M. plutonius have concentrated on developing detection methods, and using these to identify the bacteria in honey bees and honey bee hive products, though recently two genomes of M. plutonius have been published. In this thesis a genome sequence for the Type Strain is generated, and used to draw inferences about the accuracy of the published sequences. Genome sequence for other, field-collected isolates were generated and used to identify mobile genetic elements and to elucidate the evolutionary history of M. plutonius. The genome sequences were also used to design the first strain typing scheme for this pathogen, despite this pathogen being previously described as genetically homogenous. Previously undetectable diversity of M. plutonius is explored at a landscape level, showing geographical structuring of populations of the bacterium both within and among countries. The drivers of the observed structure are investigated, with both anthropogenic movements by beekeepers and natural transmission by bees implicated in the maintenance of M. plutonius population structure. This thesis demonstrates the role of the beekeeper in spreading the bacterium through the sale of live bees and through contaminated equipment. Asymptomatic larvae are shown to be carriers of the bacterium (and to go on to develop disease) and a potential role for social wasps as a vector of the pathogen was discovered.
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Van, Nest Byron N. "Time-Memory Behavior Yields Energetically Optimal Foraging Strategy in Honey Bees." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2010. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1709.
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Classical experiments on honey bee time-memory showed that foragers trained to collect food at a fixed time of day return the following day with a remarkable degree of time-accuracy. A series of field experiments revealed that not all foragers return to a food source on unrewarded test days. Rather, there exist two subgroups: "persistent" foragers reconnoiter the source; "reticent" foragers wait in the hive for confirmation of source availability. A forager's probability of being persistent is dependent both on the amount of experience it has had at the source and the environmental conditions present, but the probability is surprisingly high (0.4-0.9). Agent-based simulation of foraging behavior indicated these high levels of persistence represent an energetically optimal strategy, which is likely a compromise solution to an ever-changing environment. Time-memory, with its accompanying anticipation, enables foragers to improve time-accuracy, quickly reactivating the foraging group to more efficiently exploit a food source.
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Bänsch, Svenja [Verfasser]. "Managing strawberry pollination with wild bees and honey bees: Facilitation or competition by mass-flowering resources? / Svenja Bänsch." Göttingen : Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen, 2020. http://d-nb.info/1222738252/34.
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Scheppele, Ryan Hall. "Wingbeat modulation detection of honey bees using a continuous wave laser system." Thesis, Montana State University, 2006. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2006/scheppele/ScheppeleR0806.pdf.
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Thom, Corinna. "Dynamics and communication structures of nectar foraging in honey bees (Apis mellifera)." Doctoral thesis, [S.l. : s.n.], 2002. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=966182715.
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Wei, Shi. "Genetic variation and colony development of honey bees Apis mellifera in Kenya /." Uppsala : Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniv.), 2001. http://epsilon.slu.se/avh/2001/91-576-5842-0.pdf.
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Plath, Jenny Aino [Verfasser]. "Neuroethological analysis of visually oriented behavior in honey bees / Jenny Aino Plath." Konstanz : Bibliothek der Universität Konstanz, 2017. http://d-nb.info/1160876584/34.
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Gurkan, Selcan. "Insights into the defence of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., against insecticides." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2015. http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/2035519/.
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There are some contradictory theories on how tolerant honey bees are of pesticides. Since the honey bee genome has been published (Honey bee Genome Sequencing Consortium, 2006), more is known about their metabolic systems, especially the detoxification pathways for potential xenobiotics. Bioassay and biochemical data from various studies have shown that both P450s and carboxylesterases are responsible for pesticide metabolism in honey bees. Here, those metabolic enzymes that confer primary defence to different classes of insecticides in honey bee were validated. Metabolic enzymes are characterised regarding their ability to interact with the insecticide. Synergist bioassay results with PBO and EN 16/5-1 suggest that detoxification mechanism(s) play an important role in protecting honey bees from selected insecticide toxicity. No binding was found between honey bee esterases and tested insecticides, whilst inhibition of P450 activity sensitised the honey bees to these chemicals. Metabolism of tau-fluvalinate and thiacloprid in honey bees is reportedly due to P450 activity, but this metabolism may not be the only reason for the relatively benign action of this insecticide on bees. Honey bees are less sensitive to neonicotinoids containing a cyanoimino pharmacophore than to those with a nitroimino group, however the specific enzymes involved in detoxification remain to be characterised. In this work, pre-treatment of honey bees with a sub-lethal dose of an insecticide induced protection to the same compound. Transcriptome profiling, using microarrays, identified a number of genes encoding detoxification enzymes that were overexpressed significantly in insecticide-treated bees compared to untreated controls.
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Foley, Kirsten. "The ecology and evolution of Aspergillus spp. fungal parasites in honey bees." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2013. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/5291/.
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Evolution of virulence in parasites has profound effects on both host-parasite co-evolution and ecology and is influenced by environmental factors and the genotypes involved. Many parasite infections consist of multiple strains or species that are predicted to result in the evolution of more virulent strains that exploit the host less prudently. In opportunistic parasites, the dynamics and evolution of virulence are poorly understood as traditional epidemiological models do not adequately describe parasites capable of persisting outside of the host. In addition, as microbial pathogenicity may shift from opportunistic to obligatory strategies with time, knowledge of the evolutionary dynamics of opportunistic pathogens is crucial for predicting and understanding disease emergence. Aspergillus species of fungi have a ubiquitous distribution and are the etiological agents of stonebrood disease in honey bees. It is generally considered that stonebrood occurs rarely in honey bees, but the epidemiology and predisposing conditions for the disease are almost entirely unknown. In this study, I examine the occurrence, pathogenicity and competitive ability of Aspergillus spp. when infecting honey bees, as well as the effect of nutrition on host susceptibility and the adaptation of the fungi over the course of experimental evolution. A high prevalence and diversity of Aspergillus spp. isolates were identified following the screening of an apiary, and the pathogenicity of three species (A. flavus, A. nomius and A. phoenicis) was established. Further, in laboratory-reared larvae a nutritionally limited diet increased susceptibility to A. fumigatus. In a series of single-generation interspecific competition experiments between Aspergillus spp. and the obligate pathogen chalkbrood (Ascophaera apis), the virulence and fitness of dual infections were influenced by complex within-host interactions depending on the species involved, which ranged from synergistic to inhibitory effects. Finally, following serial passage of A. flavus and A. phoenicis in the honey bee larval hosts to determine the evolution of virulence and fitness, no evidence of host adaptation was observed, revealing the unpredictability of these asexually reproducing opportunistic pathogens. These findings illustrate a complex relationship between Aspergillus spp. and honey bees and emphasises the significant influence these ubiquitous organisms can have on the ecology and evolution of honey bees.
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Paini, Dean. "The impact of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) on Australian native bees." University of Western Australia. School of Animal Biology, 2004. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2004.0022.
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The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) has been present in Australia for approximately 150 years. For the majority of that time it was assumed this species could only be of benefit to Australia‘s natural ecosystems. More recently however, researchers and conservationists have questioned this assumption. Honey bees are an introduced species and may be affecting native fauna and flora. In particular, native bees have been highlighted as an animal that may be experiencing competition from honey bees as they are of similar sizes and both species require nectar and pollen for their progeny. Most research to date has focused on indirect measures of competition between honey bees and native bees (resource overlap, visitation rates and resource harvesting). The first chapter of this thesis reviews previous research explaining that many experiments lack significant replication and indirect measures of competition cannot evaluate the impact of honey bees on native bee fecundity or survival. Chapters two and four present descriptions of nesting biology of the two native bee species studied (Hylaeus alcyoneus and an undescribed Megachile sp.). Data collected focused on native bee fecundity and included nesting season, progeny mass, number of progeny per nest, sex ratio and parasitoids. This information provided a picture of the nesting biology of these two species and assisted in determining the design of an appropriate experiment. Chapters three and five present the results of two experiments investigating the impact of honey bees on these two species of native bees in the Northern Beekeepers Nature Reserve in Western Australia. Both experiments focused on the fecundity of these native bee species in response to honey bees and also had more replication than any other previous experiment in Australia of similar design. The first experiment (Chapter three), over two seasons, investigated the impact of commercial honey bees on Hylaeus alcyoneus, a native solitary bee. The experiment was monitored every 3-4 weeks (measurement interval). However, beekeepers did not agist hives on sites simultaneously so measurement intervals were initially treated separately using ANOVA. Results showed no impact of honey bees at any measurement interval and in some cases, poor power. Data from both seasons was combined in a Wilcoxon‘s sign test and showed that honey bees had a negative impact on the number of nests completed by H. alcyoneus. The second experiment (Chapter 5) investigated the impact of feral honey bees on an undescribed Megachile species. Hive honey bees were used to simulate feral levels of honey bees in a BACI (Before/After, Control/Impact) design experiment. There was no impact detected on any fecundity variables. The sensitivity of the experiment was calculated and in three fecundity variables (male and female progeny mass and the number of progeny per nest) the experiment was sensitive enough to detect 15-30% difference between control and impact sites. The final chapter (Chapter six) makes a number of research and management recommendations in light of the research findings.
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Hadisoesilo, Soesilawati. "A comparative study of two species of cavity-nesting honey bees of Sulawesi, Indonesia." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/nq24404.pdf.
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Kralj, Jasna. "Selection of honey bees with rapid development as a component of Varroa mite resistance." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ33242.pdf.
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Langberg, Kurt. "Toxicological Analysis of the Neonicotinoid Insecticide Imidacloprid to Honey Bees, Apis mellifera, of Different Colonies." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/73220.
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The honey bee, Apis mellifera, provides about $15 billion USD in crop value each year in the U.S. alone in the form of pollination services. Since 2006, commercial beekeepers have reported an average annual overwintering loss of about 28.6% of all managed colonies. There are many factors that are thought to contribute to colony loss including bee-specific pests (e.g. the Varroa destructor mite), bee-specific pathogens (e.g. Nosema fungus), modern beekeeping practices, diminished genetic variability, poor queens, climate change, and exposure to agricultural pesticides. While not the single cause of colony loss, the neonicotinoid insecticides elicit sublethal effects to honey bees that could increase their sensitivities to other stressors that affect colony health. Previous studies found that honey bees have differential sensitivities to the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, which suggest a mechanism of tolerance to the insecticide in certain colonies. In this study, I examined the imidacloprid sensitivity of honey bees collected from different colonies. After determining a range of LC50 values in the tested colonies, I examined the metabolic detoxification activities of honey bees collected from two colonies that represented the highest and lowest LC50 values, between which there was a 36-fold difference in their LC50 values. I discovered that of the three main families of metabolic detoxification enzymes, general esterases, cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), a reduction of GST activity with diethyl maleate (DEM) significantly increased imidacloprid-mediated mortality to the honey bees. A comparative analysis of GST kinetic activity from imidacloprid-susceptible and -insensitive honey bees revealed a lower bimolecular inhibition rate constant (ki) for imidacloprid-insensitive individuals (5.07 ± 0.098 nmol/min/mg protein) compared to the imidacloprid-sensitive honey bees (17.23 ± 1.235 nmol/min/mg protein). The IC50 of DEM estimated for bees from each colony showed that the imidacloprid-susceptible honey bees possess a higher IC50 (10 μM) than that of the tolerant honey bees (3 μM). These data suggest that the GSTs in the imidacloprid-tolerant honey bees might be a more efficient detoxification mechanism for the conjugation and elimination of imidacloprid, or imidacloprid metabolites, compared to that of imidacloprid-susceptible honey bees. Therefore, I hypothesize that the differences in metabolic detoxification enzyme activities of honey bees collected from different colonies can result in the differential toxicities of honey bees exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides, such as imidacloprid. However, a thorough examination of imidacloprid detoxification in honey bees is warranted to confirm this hypothesis.Master of Science in Life Sciences
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Williams, Jennifer Rae. "Biomarkers of oxidative stress in atrazine-treated honey bees: A laboratory and in-hive study." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/72949.
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The decline of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony numbers in recent years presents an economic and ecological threat to agriculture. One outstanding threat to honey bees is the unintended exposure to agricultural pesticides. Previous studies report that acute exposures to the common-use herbicide atrazine elicit oxidative stress in non-target insects; however, little information is currently available on the exposure risk of atrazine to honey bees. This project examined biochemical and molecular oxidative stress response markers of honey bees following laboratory and field treatments of atrazine. Laboratory experiments were conducted with honey bees exposed to increasing concentrations of atrazine for 24 h whereas hive experiments were conducted with bees exposed to one sub-lethal concentration of atrazine for 28 d. The overall antioxidant enzyme activities of atrazine-treated honey bees were decreased compared to the untreated honey bees in both the laboratory and hive experiments. After exposure to atrazine in the laboratory and field, semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of antioxidant-encoding genes reveals the differential expression of genes in atrazine-treated bees that are important for oxidative stress tolerance in the laboratory and field experiments. Here, we provide evidence that the laboratory and hive exposure of honey bees to the common-use herbicide atrazine results in oxidative stress responses that can compromise the health of bee colonies. The data will be discussed with regard to the protection of these pollinators against the untended exposure of agricultural pesticides.Master of Science in Life Sciences
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Peng, Yan. "Effect of feeds in developing the hypopharyngeal gland of nosema-free nurse bees for escorting queen honey bees (Apis mellifera) during export." Thesis, Peng, Yan (2009) Effect of feeds in developing the hypopharyngeal gland of nosema-free nurse bees for escorting queen honey bees (Apis mellifera) during export. Honours thesis, Murdoch University, 2009. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/1769/.
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In 2006, Japan was one of the markets that contributed to the 4 million dollars live bee sales in Australia. In 2007, the export of queen honey bee from Australia was suspended when Nosema apis was detected in the nurse bees that were escorting the queens during a quarantine inspection off the Japanese ports. Nosemosis or nosema is a worldwide endemic disease caused by N. apis. Infected bees have reduced life span, energy, productivity, and develop deformed glands. As a result of this suspension, many Japanese fruit farmers had to hand pollinate many of their crops while Australian beekeepers suffered financial losses from the loss of trade. Thus, it will be extremely beneficial for both Japanese and Australian farmers if nosema-free nurse bees could be produced and used as escort nurse bees.
Two novel approaches of producing nosema-free bees are proposed: (1) treating infected nurse bees with heat therapy and (2) raising newly hatched nurse bees (HNB) in isolation of infected hives. These approaches may produce nosema-free escort nurse bees. Escort nurse bees feed royal jelly to queen bees in cages during the export journey, thus it is essential that HNB can synthesize and secrete royal jelly. This means that HNB need to develop functional hypopharyngeal glands (HG) in order to secrete royal jelly. Proteins found in pollen are said to be 100 % effective in stimulating full development of the HG. When bees have fully developed and functional HG, they should be able to feed and keep queens alive for the duration of the exporting journey (more than 8 days).
This project investigated whether nosema-free escort nurse bees could be produced by raising them in cages; whether feeding pollen and artificial feed could stimulate full development of the HG; whether there is a relationship between how much bees ate and the extent the HG development; whether the cage-raised escort bees are able to feed and keep 100 % of the queen bees alive during export for at least 8 days; and whether applying heat therapy could cure infection caused by N. apis without killing the bees.
Bees fed nutritionally balanced artificial feeds designated as Sub2, FB, Sub1 had significantly higher head weights (>10 mg) than those fed pollen feeds used in this experiment. Only Sub2 maintained a consistently higher head weight compared to hive-raised mature nurse bees that were fed icing sugar. Bees that consumed PrSub and Sub1 showed a significant (P <0.05) positive correlation between feed consumption and the head weight of individual bees.
Despite carefully isolating combs from hives, newly emerged bees became contaminated with N. apis so nosema-free nurse bees could not be produced. The cage-raised nurse bees fed 16 different pollen and artificial feeds were not able to keep 100 % of the queen bees alive during export for 8 days. Bees that were fed pollen and artificial feed had median survival time of 4 days or less. Queens caged with nurse bees that fed on icing sugar survived much longer than queens caged with nurse bees that fed on pollen and artificial feed. In general, mated queens had significantly longer median survival time than virgin queens.
These findings suggest that protein consumption is not the key factor which regulates the development of the HG. Cage-raised nurse bees suffer abnormal behavioural and physiological developments because of possible lack of appropriate stimulations, hence their inability to properly nurture and feed queen bees. It is clear that cage-raised bees are fundamentally different from hive-raised bees, and so far, the only way to ensure bees develop properly is by raising them in hives. However N. apis spores are in virtually all hives, that means to truly produce nosema-free bees, research should focus on breeding naturally resistant nurse bees or genetically modify bees to become resistant to N. apis.
For decades, beekeepers and researchers have tried to formulate artificial feeds which can substitute pollen. Bees need pollen for protein to build and strengthen hives but pollen is expensive to buy and its availability is unpredictable. To prove that a nutritionally balanced artificial feed such as Sub2 can replace pollen, further research should be conducted in larger cage experiments measuring nutrition composition, longevity and brood rearing.
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Riveros, Rivera Andre J. "Body Size and the Neural, Cognitive and Sensory Basis of Sociality in Bees." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/145712.
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Body size is a universal property affecting biological structure and function, from cell metabolism to animal behavior. The nervous system, the physical generator of behavior, is also affected by variations in body size; hence potentially affecting the way animals perceive, interpret and react to the environment. When animals join to form groups, such individual differences become part of the structure of the society, even determining social roles. Here, I explore the association between body size, behavior and social organization in honeybees and bumblebees. Focusing on bumblebees, I explore the link between body size, brain allometry and learning and memory performance, within the context of task specialization. I show that body size goes along with brain size and with learning and memory performance, and that foraging experience affects such cognitive and neural features. Next, I explore the association between body size and foraging task specialization in honeybees. Previous evidence showed a link between specialization on pollen or nectar foraging and sensory sensitivity, further associating sensitivity to the quality and/or quantity of resource exploited. I hypothesize that, as in solitary bees, larger body size is associated with higher sensory sensitivity. I test this hypothesis by comparing body size and the quality and quantity of the resource exploited by wild Africanized and European honeybees. I show that nectar foragers are smaller and have fewer olfactory sensilla, which might underlie their lower sensitivity to odors. Also, larger bees collect more pollen (within pollen foragers) and more dilute nectar (within nectar foragers). To further test this `size hypothesis', I compare strains of bees selected to store large ("high strain") or small ("low strain") amounts of pollen surplus. As these strains differ in sensory sensitivity, I predict that the more sensitive high strain bees are larger and have more sensory sensilla. I show that high strain bees are generally bigger, but have fewer sensory sensilla than low strain bees. These results show that in bees, body size is associated with an individual's sensory, neural and cognitive features, further suggesting that body size plays a more important role in the organization of bee societies than generally assumed.
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Forsgren, Eva. "Molecular diagnosis and characterization of honey bee pathogens /." Uppsala : Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2009. http://epsilon.slu.se/200979.pdf.
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Rossi, Natacha. "Pheromonal modulation as a drive for behavioral plasticity in two insects : honey bees and ants." Thesis, Toulouse 3, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018TOU30355.
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Les phéromones sont des substances chimiques relâchées dans l'environnement par un individu qui déclenchent des comportements stéréotypés et/ou des processus physiologiques chez des individus de la même espèce. Cependant, une nouvelle hypothèse suggère que les phéromones non seulement suscitent des réponses innées mais contribuent également à la plasticité comportementale en agissant en "modulateurs" de phénomènes cognitifs. Nous avons étudié l'effet modulateur des phéromones sur les réponses réflexes, la prise de décision, et l'apprentissage chez trois espèces d'insectes qui sont des modèles emblématiques en recherche fondamentale et appliquée : l'abeille Apis mellifera, et les fourmis Camponotus aethiops and Linepithema humile. Dans une première étude, nous avons trouvé qu'une phéromone appétitive diminuait la sensibilité aversive, tandis qu'une phéromone d'alarme augmentait la sensibilité aversive chez l'abeille. Chez L. humile, une phéromone de piste synthétique augmentait la sensibilité au sucre et le temps de nourrissage. Globalement, nos résultats démontrent que certaines phéromones modulent la prépondérance des stimuli aversif et appétitif selon leur valence. De cette manière, elles affecteraient la motivation à s'engager dans des réponses aversives ou appétitives, agissant ainsi comme modulateurs de la plasticité comportementale. Nous avons ensuite déterminé l'effet d'une phéromone d'alarme (l'acide formique) sur la prise de décision et les systèmes de reconnaissance dans le cadre de la discrimination de congénères chez des fourmis charpentières. Nous avons trouvé que la phéromone d'alarme améliorait la discrimination en augmentant l'agressivité envers les non congénères et en la diminuant envers les congénères en même temps. Ces résultats remettent en question le modèle établi de reconnaissance de congénères. Nous proposons donc une version révisée de ce modèle. Enfin, nous avons teste l'effet de l'acide formique sur l'apprentissage et la généralisation. L'acide formique augmentait la discrimination en conditionnement différentiel olfactif aversif. En conditionnement différentiel olfactif appétitif, l'acide formique modulait les dynamiques d'acquisition et la perception de la similarité des odeurs. Nous suggérons que les phéromones affectent la perception des odeurs conditionnées et des renforcements selon la nature des odeurs et leurs valeurs intrinsèques pour l'individu, ainsi que la valence des renforcements. Cette thèse présente les premières analyses intégrées de la modulation phéromonale chez deux taxa : les abeilles et les fourmis. Les résultats présentés nous permettent de comprendre une partie des modes d'action des phéromones et ouvrent la voie à de futures études afin de comprendre les mécanismes qui sous-tendent l'effet modulateur des phéromonesPheromones are chemical substances released into the environment by an individual, which trigger stereotyped behaviors and/or physiological processes in individuals of the same species. Yet, a novel hypothesis has suggested that pheromones not only elicit innate responses but also contribute to behavioral plasticity by acting as "modulators" of cognitive phenomena. We studied the modulator effect of pheromones on reflex responses, decision making and learning in three insect species that are emblematic models for fundamental and applied research: the honeybee Apis mellifera, and the ants Camponotus aethiops and Linepithema humile. In the first study, we found that an appetitive pheromone decreased aversive responsiveness, while an alarm pheromone increased aversive responsiveness in honey bees. In L. humile, a synthetic trail pheromone increased sucrose responsiveness and feeding time. Overall, our results demonstrate that certain pheromones modulate the salience of aversive and appetitive stimuli according to their valence. In this way, they would affect the motivation to engage in aversive or appetitive responses, thus acting as modulators of behavioral plasticity. We then determined the effect of an alarm pheromone (formic acid) on decision making and recognition systems in the frame of nestmate discrimination in carpenter ants. We found that the alarm pheromone improved discrimination by increasing aggressiveness towards non-nestmates and decreasing aggressiveness towards nestmates at the same time. These results challenge the established model of nestmate recognition. We therefore propose a revised version of this model. Eventually, we tested the effect of formic acid on learning and generalization. Formic acid increased discrimination in aversive olfactory differential conditioning. In appetitive olfactory differential conditioning, formic acid modulated the acquisition dynamics and perceived odor similarity. We suggest that pheromones affect the perception of conditioned odors and reinforcements depending on the nature of the odorants and their intrinsic values for the individual, as well as the valence of the reinforcements. This thesis presents the first integrated analyses of pheromone modulation in two insect taxa: honey bees and ants. The presented results allow us to understand some modes of action of pheromones and pave the way for future studies to understand the underlying mechanisms of this modulator effect of pheromones
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Urfer, Hannah. "The Care for the Colonies Campaign: Raising Awareness about Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bees." Kent State University Honors College / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1430746848.
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RIETH, JOSEPH PAUL. "THE REPELLENT EFFECT OF PYRETHROID INSECTICIDES ON HONEY BEES (APIS MELLIFERA L, PERMETHRIN, CYPERMETHRIN, FENVALERATE)." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/183969.
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A model for the repellent effect of pyrethroid insecticides on insects was developed. Experiments were conducted using a small colony of honey bees in a flight cage. Conditioning to scented feeders allowed the separation of foraging bees from a single colony into treatment and control groups. Permethrin, cypermethrin, fenvalerate and flucythrinate were shown to be contact repellents to honey bees; exposure was primarily to the tarsi and ventral abdomen. The threshold dose of permethrin required to induce repellency was ca. 3.8 ng/bee. Repellency was fully reversible within 24 hours. No permanent effects on either memory or foraging efficiency were observed following acute exposure.
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Cabirol, Amélie. "Experience-dependent plasticity in brain structure and olfactory learning capacities in honey bees (Apis mellifera)." Thesis, Toulouse 3, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017TOU30200.
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Les expériences vécues par un individu, vont moduler ses capacités d'apprentissage et induire des modifications structurales dans les régions cérébrales impliquées. Chez l'abeille, de la plasticité dépendante de l'expérience a été observée dans des centres cérébraux impliqués dans l'apprentissage et la mémoire : les corps pédonculés (CPs). Pourtant, les conséquences d'une telle plasticité sur les performances d'apprentissage sont inconnues. L'objectif de ma thèse était d'examiner les relations existantes entre expérience, capacités d'apprentissage et structure des CPs. La division du travail étant basée sur l'âge chez l'abeille, j'ai étudié la plasticité dépendante de l'expérience chez des abeilles jeunes, travaillant dans la ruche, mais aussi chez des abeilles plus âgées qui butinent à l'extérieur. J'ai d'abord observé que des abeilles exposées à un environnement appauvri en stimulations sensorielles et sociales pendant les premiers jours de vie adulte présentent un nombre élevé de boutons synaptiques dans les CPs, et une performance altérée dans un apprentissage dépendant des CPs, l'inversion de consigne. Cela suggère l'existence d'un élagage synaptique dépendant de l'expérience acquise dans la ruche, qui serait bénéfique pour les capacités d'apprentissage. J'ai observé un effet similaire de l'enrichissement environnemental lorsque les abeilles commencent à butiner. Le début du butinage s'est en effet accompagné d'une diminution du nombre de boutons synaptiques dans les CPs et d'une amélioration des performances en inversion de consigne. Une activité prolongée de butinage a eu les effets inverses, en particulier chez des abeilles qui, suite à un stress appliqué à la colonie, butinent avant l'âge normal. J'ai ainsi mis en évidence une relation négative entre le nombre de boutons synaptiques dans les CPs et les performances en inversion de consigne. Par la suite, j'ai utilisé un autre apprentissage dépendant des CPs, le patterning positif, afin de pouvoir conclure sur un déclin généralisé des capacités cognitives dépendantes des CPs chez les butineuses. J'ai montré l'implication du système cholinergique dans le déclin cognitif lié à l'expérience de butinage. Cette thèse réunit les premiers travaux analysant la plasticité dépendante de l'expérience à la fois dans la structure cérébrale, mais aussi dans les capacités cognitives. Elle devrait permettre de comprendre les mécanismes reliant connectivité synaptique et apprentissage, et encourager des études sur l'impact des agents stressants environnementaux sur le déclin cognitif lié au butinageLearning capacities, and the structure of the brain centres supporting them, vary greatly between individuals, partly due to different life experiences. In honey bees, experience-dependent plasticity has been reported in brain centres involved in learning and memory: the mushroom bodies (MBs). The consequences of such plasticity on learning performances are still unknown. The aim of my thesis was to examine the relationships between experience, learning capacities and MB organization in honey bees. The age-related division of labour in honey bees gave me the opportunity to study experience-dependent plasticity both in young bees working inside the hive, and in older bees foraging outdoors. I first observed that bees exposed to a sensory-impoverished environment for the first days of adulthood had a higher number of synaptic boutons in the MBs, and a reduced performance in a MB-dependent learning task; reversal learning. This suggests the occurrence of experience-dependent synaptic pruning in the natural environment, which improves learning capacities. I observed similar effects of environmental enrichment when the bees started foraging. Foraging onset was accompanied by a decrease in the number of synaptic boutons in the MBs, as well as by an improvement in reversal learning performance. Prolonged foraging activity, however, had the opposite effects, especially when a stress applied to the colony induced bees to forage earlier. Therefore, I highlighted a negative relationship between the number of synaptic boutons in the MBs and performance in reversal learning. I then confirmed the negative impact of foraging activity on learning capacities using a different MB-dependent task; positive patterning. I revealed the involvement of the cholinergic signalling pathway in this experience-dependent cognitive decline. This thesis presents the first integrated analyses of experience-dependent plasticity in both brain structure and cognitive capacities in honey bees. It helps to understand the mechanisms linking synaptic connectivity to learning performances, and will encourage further studies on the role of environmental stressors in the reported cognitive decline in foragers
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Wagner, Ashley E. "Adaptive Strategies for Foraging and Their Implications for Flower Constancy, or: Do Honey Bees Multitask?" Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2014. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2322.
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Classical experiments on honey bee time-memory showed that foragers trained to collect food at a fixed time of day return the following day with remarkable time-accuracy. Previous field experiments revealed that not all foragers return to a food source on unrewarded test days. Rather, there exist 2 subgroups: “persistent” foragers reconnoiter the source; “reticent” foragers wait in the hive for confirmation of source availability. To examine how these foragers contribute to a colony’s ability to reallocate foragers across sources with rapidly changing availabilities, foragers were trained to collect sucrose during a restricted window for several days and observed over 3 days throughout which the feeder was empty. In 2 separate trials, activity monitoring revealed a high level of activity apparently directed at other food sources. This “extracurricular” activity showed extensive temporal overlap with visits to the feeder, indicating that honey bees can manage at least 2 different overlapping time memories.
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Wu, Judy Yu. "Sub-lethal effects of pesticide residues in brood comb on worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)." Pullman, Wash. : Washington State University, 2010. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Thesis/Spring2010/j_wu_042110.pdf.
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Howpage, Daya, of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, Faculty of Environmental Management and Agriculture, and Centre for Horticulture and Plant Sciences. "Pollination biology of kiwifruit : influence of honey bees, Apis mellifera L, pollen parents and pistil structure." THESIS_FEMA_HPS_Howpage_D.xml, 1999. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/338.
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The importance of European honey bees in improving fruit set, yield and fruit weight of kiwifruit on the central east coast of Australia was investigated. Field investigations were carried out using different bee saturations and different types of male pollen parents. These investigations confirmed the importance of honey bees in kiwifruit fruit set, yield and fruit weight. However, the results suggested that increasing bee activity alone may not increase pollination of kiwifruit by honey bees. Many factors need to be understood before introducing bees into the orchard. Bees were more effective during the early part of the flowering period, and bee activity varied according to the sex of the vine, planting design and the time of day. The type of male pollen parents also influenced fruit size and quality. Flowers pollinated by different pollen parents were assessed for pollen tube growth and histochemical changes. The resulting fruit were also examined for weight and seed numbers. Honey bees play the major role in the size and yield of kiwifruit, but the design of male vines, their age and type of male pollen may also contribute. The kiwifruit pistil also possesses important features that can be considered as adaptations to insect pollination.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Vergoz, Vanina, and n/a. "Effects of queen mandibular pheromone on locomotor behaviour and learning in worker honey bees Apis mellifera." University of Otago. Department of Zoology, 2008. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20081121.161845.
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In a honey bee colony, the queen uses queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) to induce young worker bees to feed and groom her. Among its many behavioural and physiological effects, QMP reduces dopamine levels in the brains of young worker bees. Dopamine is a biogenic monoamine involved in numerous functions including motor control and aversive learning. This study investigates the effects of QMP on motor activities and aversive learning behaviour and the potential link between QMP and dopamine levels in the brain of young bees.
In young bees under the age of 15-days, QMP dramatically reduced locomotor activity and inhibited aversive learning behaviour. Interestingly in older bees these behaviours were not affected by pheromone. Treating young bees with the dopamine precursor, L-dopa (3.25 [mu]g/mI), partially rescued the levels of locomotor activity in QMP-treated bees, and reduced QMP�s effects on aversive learning. This suggests that blocking effects of QMP on both locomotor activity and aversive learning result at least in part from QMP-induced changes in brain dopamine levels.
Two components of the QMP blend, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylethanol (HVA) and methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (HOB) were examined more closely. Both HVA and HOB are structurally similar to dopamine. HVA was found to mimic the effects of the full QMP blend on aversive learning. Treating bees with HVA reduced aversive learning in young bees. In contrast, treatment with HOB did not affect learning ability. This strongly suggests that HVA is one of the key components that mediates the actions of QMP on aversive learning.
The final section of this thesis investigates why it might be advantageous to honey bee queens to block aversive learning and reduce locomotor activity in young worker bees. The study reveals age-related differences in behaviours that individual worker bees display towards QMP. Young bees reared with QMP or collected from a queenright hive showed attraction to QMP. Conversely, older bees displayed avoidance behaviour towards QMP. By blocking the establishment of aversive memories, young bees may be prevented from forming an association between QMP and any unpleasant side effects induced by this pheromone. This may confer significant benefit to the queen by increasing the likelihood of young workers remaining in her attendance.
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Hamid, Abdulkareem M. "Membrane-barrier delivery of formic acid vapours to control Varroa jacobsoni infestation in honey bees colonies." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ37800.pdf.
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Howpage, Daya. "Pollination biology of kiwifruit : influence of honey bees, Apis melllifera L, pollen parents and pistil structure /." Richmond, N.S.W. : Centre for Horticulture and Plant Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 1999. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030509.153106/index.html.
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Tison, Léa [Verfasser]. "Neonicotinoid insecticides impair foraging behavior, navigation, learning, and memory in honey bees (Apis mellifera) / Léa Tison." Berlin : Freie Universität Berlin, 2017. http://d-nb.info/1143595963/34.
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Hatjina, F. "The use of 'temporary confinement' and 'pollen transfer devices' to increase pollination potential of honey bees." Thesis, Cardiff University, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.250390.
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Fulton, Corie. "AN EXAMINATION OF ROUTES OF EXPOSURE OF FLUVALINATE TO LARVAL AND ADULT HONEY BEES (APIS MELLIFERA)." OpenSIUC, 2018. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/2478.
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Honey bee population decline has been attributed to a variety of causes including infestation of hives with Varroa destructor mites. Fluvalinate has been extensively used in the United States to combat these mites for nearly 30 years, despite its high toxicity to honey bees. The objectives of the current research project were to investigate the extent of fluvalinate contamination in commercially available wax and to define exposure pathways from the contaminated wax and fluvalinate-impregnated strips to larval and adult honey bees. All of the commercial wax tested in the current study contained elevated fluvalinate concentrations, ranging from 170 to 1040 ng/g wet weight, indicating a need for regulation of the sources of wax being rendered for resale. Based on the negative logarithm of the partition coefficient between wax and pollen (-0.54) and the fact that all of the tested wax samples contained elevated concentrations of fluvalinate, it is evident that fluvalinate has the potential to actively transfer from the contaminated wax into bee hive matrices. This point was confirmed by adding fluvalinate-dosed wax, fluvalinate-impregnated strips, or a combination of the two to 10-frame hives. Larvae and adult bees from those hives were checked for fluvalinate exposure using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Larvae had detectable concentrations of fluvalinate in all three treatments. Bioaccumulation in adult bees was significantly affected by the interaction between treatment type and application time. In other words, residues were comparable from hives that only had fluvalinate-dosed wax to those that were actively being treated with impregnated strips, strongly suggesting that transfer of fluvalinate from wax into adult bees was an important exposure route. In conclusion, exposure of fluvalinate from contaminated wax and treatment strips to larvae and adult honey bees is an important factor that needs to be considered when applying miticides and evaluating risk in honey bee hives.
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Tosi, Simone <1986>. "Sublethal effects of a common neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam, on honey bees: impact on locomotion and thermoregulation." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2015. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/6837/.
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Neonicotinoids have been pointed to as a factor responsible for the increased honey bee colony losses in the last decades. Many studies have investigated the effects of the first marketed neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, while fewer have focused on thiamethoxam. One recent study showed that sublethal doses of thiamethoxam lead to colony failure by decreasing forager homing flight success. We thus decided to investigate the mechanism which caused this phenomenon. Our hypothesis was that this effect was caused by impairment of forager locomotion abilities. Therefore we tested the effects of sublethal acute and chronic exposures to thiamethoxam on forager walking (Chapter 2) and flight (Chapter 3) performances. The acute treatment (1.34 ng/bee) affected walking locomotion firstly triggering hyperactivity (30 min post-treatment) and then impairing motor functioning (60 min post-treatment). 2-day continuous exposures to thiamethoxam (32.5, 45 ppb) elicited fewer effects on walking locomotion, however both exposure modes elicited an increased positive phototaxis. Similarly, in flight experiments, the single dose (1.34 ng/bee) elicited hyperactivity shortly after intoxication (increased flight duration and distance), while longer and continuous exposures (32.5, 45 ppb) impaired forager motor functions (decreased flight duration, distance, velocity). It is known that flight muscles temperature needs to be precisely regulated by bees during flight. Therefore, we further hypothesized that the impaired flight performances of neonicotinoid intoxicated bees were caused also by thermoregulation anomalies. We tested the effects that acute thiamethoxam exposures (0.2, 1, 2 ng/bee) elicit on forager thorax temperature (Chapter 4). Foragers treated with high doses exhibited hyperthermia or hypothermia when respectively exposed to high or low environmental temperatures.
In summary, we show that sublethal doses of thiamethoxam affected forager walking and flight locomotion, phototaxis and thermoregulation. We also display the intricate mode of action of thiamethoxam which triggered, at different extents, inverse sublethal effects in relation to time and dose.
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Thompson, Kimberly Marie Norris. "Complex Time-Keeping in Honey Bees: a Study of the Subset of Foragers Maintaining Multiple Time-Memories." [Johnson City, Tenn. : East Tennessee State University], 2001. http://etd-submit.etsu.edu/etd/theses/available/etd-0809101-082814/restricted/thompsonk0809.pdf.
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Silliman, Mary Rachel. "Row crop environments provide an all-you-can-eat buffet and pesticide exposure to foraging honey bees." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/103602.
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The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, provide invaluable economic and ecological services while simultaneously facing stressors that may compromise their health. For example, agricultural landscapes, such as a row crop system, are necessary for our food production, but they may cause poor nutrition in bees from a lack of available nectar and pollen. Row crops are largely wind or self-pollinated, and while previous studies have focused on the impact of bees to row crops, fewer studies have examined the reciprocal relationship of the row crops on honey bees. Here we investigated the foraging dynamics of honey bees in a row crop environment. We decoded, mapped, and analyzed 3460 waggle dances, which communicate the location of where bees collected food, for two full foraging seasons (April – October, 2018-2019), and concurrently collected pollen from returning foragers. We found that bees foraged mostly locally (< 2 km) throughout the season. The shortest communicated median distances (0.48 and 0.32 km), indicating abundant food availability, occurred in July in both years, which was when our row crops were in full bloom. We determined, by plotting and analyzing the communicated locations, that most mid-summer foraging was in row crops, with at least 40% of honey bee recruitment dances indicating either cotton or soybean fields. Bees also largely foraged for nectar when visiting row crop fields, only returning to the hive with Glycine spp. pollen, and foraging on nearby trees and weeds for pollen. Foragers were exposed to thirty-five different pesticides throughout the foraging season, based on pesticide residues in collected pollen. Overall, row crop fields are contributing a surprising majority of mid-summer forage to honey bee hives and suggests that similar agricultural landscapes may also provide abundant, mid-summer forage opportunities for honey bees, however, at the risk of pesticide exposure.Master of Science in Life Sciences
Declines in the number of honey bee hives have been observed in the United States and western Europe throughout the last century, driven by environmental stressors such as poor nutrition caused by anthropogenic landscape change and pesticide exposure. Agricultural landscapes, for example, contain monocultures and often necessitate pesticide use, which may be detrimental to bee health. Because of these effects, it is necessary to understand how honey bees forage in these systems and what potential health risks they face. We investigated honey bees foraging dynamics in a row crop environment, observing honey bee waggle dance recruitment behavior and gathering forager-collected pollen to better understand when, where, and what honey bees forage on throughout the season (April – October). We found that bees largely foraged near the hive throughout the season, indicating that sufficient resources were available, particularly in July when crops were in full bloom. During full bloom bees considerably foraged in cotton and soybean fields. We found that bees collected minimal row crop pollen, apart from soybean pollen, largely foraging on trees and flowering weeds for pollen. Through pollen foraging bees were exposed to thirty-five pesticides, ranging in toxicity and mode of action. Overall, honey bees foraging in a row crop system foraged substantially in row crop fields during the mid-summer. Row crops systems may be able to provide abundant forage during the mid-summer, but could come at the risk of exposure to pesticides.
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Bouro, Wallgren Sofia. "Tolerance to virus infections could explain increased winter colony survival observed in Varroa destructor-resistant honey bees." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för kvinnors och barns hälsa, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-355914.
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Honey bee colonies all over Europe and North America have been declining dramatically for over three decades and is continuing to do so which is causing significant threats to economy, agriculture and ecosystems. The main reason behind the declining colonies is an ectoparasitic mite known as Varroa destructor and viruses vectored by the mite. In previous studies, it has been suggested that a unique mite-resistant subpopulation of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in Gotland, Sweden have developed adaptive tolerance to these viruses as they have managed to survive high mite infestation through natural selection without any mite control treatment. This indicates that there might be a correlation between resistance to Varroa destructor and virus tolerance. This project examined if a correlation between virus resistance and/or virus tolerance can be observed in Varroa-resistant honey bees from unique subpopulations in Europe covering Sweden, Norway, France and Netherlands. Results showed that no correlation could be established based on the findings in this project. However, significant differences in winter colony survival numbers between mite-resistant and mite-susceptible honey bees suggest that tolerance mechanisms could be present in these subpopulations. Further studies are required to verify this hypothesis.
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Pinto, Maria Alice. "Temporal genetic structure of feral honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a coastal prairie habitat of southern Texas: impact of Africanization." Texas A&M University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/203.
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The goal of this study was to examine the impact of Africanization on the genetic structure of the Welder Wildlife Refuge feral honey bee population by scoring mtDNA and microsatellite polymorphisms. Adult honey bee workers, collected between 1991 and 2001, were screened for mtDNA using the cytochrome b/BglII, ls rRNA/EcoRI, and COI/HinfI PCR-based assays. The procedure allowed identification of four mitotypes: eastern European, western European, A. m. lamarckii, and A. m. scutellata. The relative frequencies of the four mitotypes changed radically during the 11-year period. Prior to immigration of Africanized honey bees, the resident population was essentially of eastern European maternal ancestry. The first colony of A. m. scutellata mitotype was detected in 1993. Between 1995 and 1996 there was a mitotype turnover in the population from predominantly eastern European to predominantly A. m. scutellata. From 1997 onward, most colonies (69 %) were of A. m. scutellata mitotype.
The temporal change in mtDNA was paralleled by nuclear DNA. The 12 microsatellite loci analyzed indicated (1) the mechanism of Africanization of the Welder population involved both maternal and paternal bi-directional gene flow (hybridization) between European and Africanized honey bees; and (2) the resident panmitic European population was replaced by panmitic asymmetrical admixtures of A. m. scutellata and European genes. The steepest increase in the proportion of introgressed A. m. scutellata nuclear alleles occurred between 1994 and 1997. The post-Africanization gene pool was composed of a diverse array of recombinant classes with a substantial European genetic contribution (mean proportion of European-derived alleles was 37 % as given by mR estimator or 25 % as given by mY estimator, for 1998-2001). If European genes continue to be retained at moderate frequencies, then the Africanized population is best viewed as a "hybrid swarm" instead of "pure African".
The most radical change in the genetic structure of the Welder Wildlife Refuge feral honey bee population (observed between 1995 and 1997) coincided with arrival of the parasitic Varroa mite. We suggest that Varroa likely hastened the demise of European honey bees and had a major role in restructuring the Welder Wildlife Refuge feral honey bee population.
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Alger, Samantha Ann. "Rna Virus Ecology In Bumble Bees (bombus Spp.) And Evidence For Disease Spillover." ScholarWorks @ UVM, 2018. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/955.
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The inadvertent spread of exotic pests and pathogens has resulted in devastating losses for bees. The vast majority of bee disease research has focused on a single species of managed bee, the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). More recently, pathogen spillover from managed bees is implicated in the decline of several bumble bee species (Bombus spp.) demonstrating a need to better understand the mechanisms driving disease prevalence in bees, transmission routes, and spillover events.
RNA viruses, once considered specific to honey bees, are suspected of spilling over from managed honey bees into wild bumble bee populations. To test this, I collected bees and flowers in the field from areas with and without honey bee apiaries nearby. Prevalence of deformed wing virus (DWV) and black queen cell virus (BQCV) as well as replicating DWV infections in Bombus vagans and B. bimaculatus were highest in bumble bees collected near honey bee apiaries (χ 12 < 6.531, P < 0.05). My results suggest that honey bees are significant contributors of viruses to bumble bees. Flowers have been suspected as bridges in virus transmission among bees. I detected bee viruses on 18% of the flowers collected within honey bee apiaries and detected no virus on flowers in areas without apiaries, thus providing evidence that viruses are transmitted at flowers from infected honey bees. In controlled experiments using captive colonies in flight cages, I found that honey bees leave viruses on flowers but not equally across plant species. My results suggest that there are differences in virus ecology mediated by floral morphology and/or pollinator behavior. No bumble bees became infected in controlled experiments, indicating that virus transmission through plants is a rare event that is likely to require repeated exposure.
The few studies examining viruses in bumble bees are generally limited to virus detection, resulting in little understanding of the conditions affecting virus titers. In honeybees, infections may remain latent, capable of replicating under certain conditions, such as immunosuppression induced by pesticide exposure. I tested whether exposure to imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide, affects virus titers in bumble bees. In previous honey bee studies, imidacloprid exposure increased virus titers. In contrast, I found that bumble bee exposure to imidacloprid decreased BQCV and DWV titers (χ42 < 20.873, p < 0.02). My findings suggest that virus-pesticide interactions are species-specific and results from honey bee studies should not be generalized across other bee species.
Having found that honey bees are significant contributors of viruses to wild bees and flowers, I investigated how honey bee management practices affect disease spread and developed recommendations and tools to lesson the risk of spillover events. Honey bee disease may be exacerbated by migratory beekeeping which increases stress and opportunities for disease transmission. I experimentally tested whether migratory conditions contribute to disease spread in honey bees and found negative yet varying effects on bees suggesting that the effects of migratory practices may be ameliorated with rest time between pollination events. State apiary inspection programs are critical to controlling disease spread and reducing the risk of spillover. However, these programs are often resource constrained. I developed and deployed a toolkit that enables state programs to prioritize inspections and provide a platform for beekeeper education. Using novel data collected in Vermont, I discovered several promising avenues for future research and provided realistic recommendations to improve bee health.
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Hasnat, Md Abul. "Reproductive Potential Difference of Artificially Inseminated and Naturally Mated Honey Bee Queens (Apis mellifera L.)." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för biologisk grundutbildning (BIG), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-161337.
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Apis mellifera L. is the only commercially cultivated bee species in Bangladesh nowadays and has been practicing for migratory beekeeping since 1990. Notably, without taking initiatives to improve the bee stocks, intensified beekeeping has been making the species vulnerable to different threats of diseases, pests and inbreeding depression. Reproductive potentiality of the queens has been declining severely. The investigation was carried out to diagnose present problems regarding reproductive potentiality of the queen bees and finding out the possible solutions. Firstly, 56 numbers of naturally mated queens (Apis mellifera L.) were collected from problematic and non-problematic hives from three districts of Bangladesh. Samples were weighed, body length and thorax width were measured, and dissected to study spermathecae appearance. Average queen body weight (160.75±3.65 mg) was found much lower than the earlier studies in different countries. Moreover, 32.33% spermathecae of the queens were found poor in appearance. Again, 3 different queen rearing and mating procedures were applied in 12 replications each: naturally mated queen (NM), grafted and naturally mated queen (GNM) and grafted and artificially inseminated queen (AIQ). NM and GNM queens were allowed to mate naturally where AIQ queens were inseminated artificially in the laboratory. Interestingly, GNM (196.65±3.13 mg) and AIQ(196.55±2.41 mg) queens were significantly heavier than the NM (159.07±6.94 mg) queens. Likewise, their spermathecae radius, respective workers, drones, brood occupation area showed much better strength than the NM queens, though, latency period of AIQ queens were higher. Since grafted queens were reared with good larvae and implemented in artificial queen cups with increased brood support, hence that could make the queens heavier and reproductively more potential, whereas NM queens were left to grow naturally and found less potential. The findings will encourage beekeepers for practicing grafting procedure as the better queen rearing procedure in field condition. However, the procedure of AIQ queens also could be used for stock improvement and bee research because of its control mating system.My degree project was external, carried out in Sher e Bangla Agricultural University, Bangladesh, therefore, my presentation was done through skype from Bangladesh.