Journal articles: 'Honeybee – Australia'

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Cunningham, Saul A., Frances FitzGibbon, and Tim A. Heard. "The future of pollinators for Australian agriculture." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 53, no. 8 (2002): 893. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar01186.

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Agriculture in Australia is highly dependent on insect pollination, in particular from the introduced western honeybee, Apis mellifera. Most agricultural pollination is provided as an unpaid service by feral A. mellifera and native insects. A smaller proportion of agricultural pollination is provided as a paid service by beekeepers. Insect pollination is threatened by misuse of insecticides and the loss of remnant vegetation, but most potently by the likelihood that the honeybee mite, Varroa destructor, will enter the country. Now is the time to prepare for the effect of these changes, and international experience with pollinator decline should serve as a guide. We need to protect and manage our remnant vegetation to protect wild pollinators. Insurance against declining A. mellifera will come through the development of management practices for alternative pollinator species. By developing native insects as pollinators we can avoid the risks associated with the importation of additional introduced species.

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Edwards, Ferne, and Jane Dixon. "Hum of the Hive." Society & Animals 24, no. 6 (December 1, 2016): 535–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341430.

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A contestation is underway in Australian cities between humans and the European honeybee, which has heightened in recent years as amateur beekeeping has emerged in response to environmental concerns. This paper reports on a brief ethnographic encounter among old and new amateur beekeepers located across Sydney, Australia. Older beekeepers were motivated mainly by a desire for a social hobby, whereas younger apiarists were attracted by the role bees play in addressing environmental concerns, including biodiversity, food self-sufficiency, and greening the city. However, the amateur beekeeper appears to be at risk from a series of conflicts: among themselves (registered and unregistered keepers), and with commercial keepers and suburban residents. These conflicts undermine the novel role that amateur beekeepers, with their distinct methods and perspectives, play in fostering biodiversity, health, and sustainability towards the ecological city.

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Clifford, David, Simon Barry, David Cook, Rob Duthie, and Denis Anderson. "Using Simulation to Evaluate Time to Detect Incursions in Honeybee Biosecurity in Australia." Risk Analysis 31, no. 12 (March 30, 2011): 1961–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2011.01607.x.

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Fijn, Natasha. "Sugarbag Dreaming." Humanimalia 6, no. 1 (October 5, 2014): 41–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.52537/humanimalia.9927.

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Bees, with their ability to make sweet tasting honey, have been highly valued across many human cultures spanning thousands of years. In relation to western husbandry techniques, honeybees (Apidae) have been domesticated by humans to produce honey in large quantities for human consumption. The focus of this paper is not on the well-known, widespread honeybee but a close family relative of the Apidae, the smaller, stingless bee (Meliponidae). For Yolngu living on country, in the homeland communities of northeast Arnhem Land, Australia the relationship with these local, endemic bees is quite different from the large-scale beekeeping industry used to pollinate major agricultural crops. A highly anticipated activity is sugarbag season where Yolngu men, women and children undertake excursions into the bush in search of these tiny bees to extract honey. The bee is celebrated through “Sugarbag Dreaming”: in song, dance, painting and ceremony. This paper examines some of the ways that people and bees converge in Arnhem Land. Through the many layers of meaning, the paper aims to demonstrate how Yolngu philosophy recognises bees as being an integral part of an interconnected and complex ecology.

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McKillup, SC, and DG Brown. "Evaluation of a formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis against waxmoths in stored honeycombs." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 31, no. 5 (1991): 709. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9910709.

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Waxmoths cause significant damage to stored honeycombs of the Western honeybee Apis mellifera in Australia. A field experiment was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercial formulation (Certan) of the biological control agent Bacillus thuringiensis in preventing this damage.Treatment applied at the manufacturer's recommended rate of 855 units per cm2 of honeycomb almost completely prevented damage, while untreated combs showed an average of 76% damage. The cost and practicality of applying the formulation of B. thuringiensis are discussed, together with the recommendation that new control methods for waxmoths should be researched.

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Goulson, D., and L. C. Derwent. "Synergistic interactions between an exotic honeybee and an exotic weed: pollination of Lantana camara in Australia." Weed Research 44, no. 3 (June 2004): 195–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.2004.00391.x.

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Giovanetti, Manuela, Margarida Ramos, and Cristina Máguas. "Why so many flowers? A preliminary assessment of mixed pollination strategy enhancing sexual reproduction of the invasive <i>Acacia longifolia</i> in Portugal." Web Ecology 18, no. 1 (March 28, 2018): 47–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/we-18-47-2018.

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Abstract. Acacia longifolia, a native legume from Australia, has been introduced in many European countries and elsewhere, thus becoming one of the most important global invasive species. In Europe, its flowering occurs in a period unsuitable for insect activity: nonetheless it is considered entomophilous. Floral traits of this species are puzzling: brightly coloured and scented as liked by insects, but with abundant staminate small-sized flowers and relatively small pollen grains, as it is common in anemophilous species. Invasion processes are especially favoured when reshaping local ecological networks, thus the interest in understanding pollination syndromes associated with invasive plant species that may facilitate invasiveness. Moreover, a striking difference exists between its massive flowering and relatively poor seed set. We introduced a novel approach: first, we consider the possibility that a part of the pollination success is carried on by wind and, second, we weighted the ethological perspective of the main pollinator. During the flowering season of A. longifolia (February–April 2016), we carried on exclusion experiments to detect the relative contribution of insects and wind. While the exclusion experiments corroborated the need for pollen vectors, we actually recorded a low abundance of insects. The honeybee, known pollinator of acacias, was relatively rare and not always productive in terms of successful visits. While wind contributed to seed set, focal observations confirmed that honeybees transfer pollen when visiting both the inflorescences to collect pollen and the extrafloral nectaries to collect nectar. The mixed pollination strategy of A. longifolia may then be the basis of its success in invading Portugal's windy coasts.

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Sébastien, Alexandra, Philip J. Lester, Richard J. Hall, Jing Wang, Nicole E. Moore, and Monica A. M. Gruber. "Invasive ants carry novel viruses in their new range and form reservoirs for a honeybee pathogen." Biology Letters 11, no. 9 (September 2015): 20150610. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0610.

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When exotic animal species invade new environments they also bring an often unknown microbial diversity, including pathogens. We describe a novel and widely distributed virus in one of the most globally widespread, abundant and damaging invasive ants (Argentine ants, Linepithema humile ). The Linepithema humile virus 1 is a dicistrovirus, a viral family including species known to cause widespread arthropod disease. It was detected in samples from Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Argentine ants in New Zealand were also infected with a strain of Deformed wing virus common to local hymenopteran species, which is a major pathogen widely associated with honeybee mortality. Evidence for active replication of viral RNA was apparent for both viruses. Our results suggest co-introduction and exchange of pathogens within local hymenopteran communities. These viral species may contribute to the collapse of Argentine ant populations and offer new options for the control of a globally widespread invader.

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Mohammad, Salma Malihah, Nor-Khaizura Mahmud-Ab-Rashid, and Norhasnida Zawawi. "Stingless Bee-Collected Pollen (Bee Bread): Chemical and Microbiology Properties and Health Benefits." Molecules 26, no. 4 (February 11, 2021): 957. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules26040957.

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Stingless bee-collected pollen (bee bread) is a mixture of bee pollen, bee salivary enzymes, and regurgitated honey, fermented by indigenous microbes during storage in the cerumen pot. Current literature data for bee bread is overshadowed by bee pollen, particularly of honeybee Apis. In regions such as South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia, information on stingless bee bee bread is mainly sought to promote the meliponiculture industry for socioeconomic development. This review aims to highlight the physicochemical properties and health benefits of bee bread from the stingless bee. In addition, it describes the current progress on identification of beneficial microbes associated with bee bread and its relation to the bee gut. This review provides the basis for promoting research on stingless bee bee bread, its nutrients, and microbes for application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

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Djordjevic, Steven P., Wendy A. Forbes, Lisa A. Smith, and Michael A. Hornitzky. "Genetic and Biochemical Diversity among Isolates ofPaenibacillus alvei Cultured from Australian Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Colonies." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 66, no. 3 (March 1, 2000): 1098–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.66.3.1098-1106.2000.

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ABSTRACT Twenty-five unique CfoI-generated whole-cell DNA profiles were identified in a study of 30 Paenibacillus alvei isolates cultured from honey and diseased larvae collected from honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies in geographically diverse areas in Australia. The fingerprint patterns were highly variable and readily discernible from one another, which highlighted the potential of this method for tracing the movement of isolates in epidemiological studies. 16S rRNA gene fragments (length, 1,416 bp) for all 30 isolates were enzymatically amplified by PCR and subjected to restriction analysis with DraI, HinfI,CfoI, AluI, FokI, andRsaI. With each enzyme the restriction profiles of the 16S rRNA genes from all 30 isolates were identical (one restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP] was observed in theHinfI profile of the 16S rRNA gene from isolate 17), which confirmed that the isolates belonged to the same species. The restriction profiles generated by using DraI,FokI, and HinfI differentiated P. alvei from the phylogenetically closely related speciesPaenibacillus macerans and Paenibacillus macquariensis. Alveolysin gene fragments (length, 1,555 bp) were enzymatically amplified from some of the P. alvei isolates (19 of 30 isolates), and RFLP were detected by using the enzymesCfoI, Sau3AI, and RsaI. Extrachromosomal DNA ranging in size from 1 to 10 kb was detected in 17 of 30 (57%) P. alvei whole-cell DNA profiles. Extensive biochemical heterogeneity was observed among the 28 P. alvei isolates examined with the API 50CHB system. All of these isolates were catalase, oxidase, and Voges-Proskauer positive and nitrate negative, and all produced acid when glycerol, esculin, and maltose were added. The isolates produced variable results for 16 of the 49 biochemical tests; negative reactions were recorded in the remaining 30 assays. The genetic and biochemical heterogeneity inP. alvei isolates may be a reflection of adaptation to the special habitats in which they originated.

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Oldroyd, BP, RD Goodman, MAZ Hornitzky, and D. Chandler. "The effect on American foulbrood of standard oxytetracycline hydrochloride treatments for the control of European foulbrood of honeybees (Apis mellifera)." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 40, no. 3 (1989): 691. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar9890691.

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Twenty honeybee colonies were treated with various oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) preparations at the time of inoculation with Bacillus larvae spores or after American foulbrood (AFB) disease signs had developed.Treatment with 1 g OTC, at the time of inoculation delayed the development of AFB disease signs in four hives for periods between 2 months and 1 year. One colony so treated did not contract the disease.Colonies with a light AFB infection treated with 1 g of OTC recovered from the disease in 3-4 weeks, but AFB disease signs reappeared in three of five colonies the following season. Colonies with a well-established infection showed complete recovery from AFB disease signs after various OTC treatments. However, nearly all of these colonies developed AFB disease signs in the following season.B. larvae was cultured from adult bee samples from colonies that were AFB disease-free at the time of sampling but subsequently developed disease signs, and from colonies that were AFB disease-free at the time of sampling but did not subsequently develop disease signs.The results show that recommended treatments for European foulbrood (EFB) effectively mask AFB disease, making it likely that beekeepers treating EFB also suppress signs of AFB disease if it is present. As it is common practice in Australia to treat EFB prophylactically with OTC, an escalation of AFB in Australian hives is anticipated.

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Kaskinova, M. D., L. R. Gaifullina, E. S. Saltykova, A. V. Poskryakov, and A. G. Nikolenko. "Genetic markers for the resistance of honey bee to Varroa destructor." Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding 24, no. 8 (December 31, 2020): 853–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.18699/vj20.683.

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In the mid-20th century, the first case of infection of European bees Apis mellifera L. with the ectoparasite mite Varroa destructor was recorded. The original host of this mite is the Asian bee Apis cerana. The mite V. destructor was widespread throughout Europe, North and South America, and Australia remained the only continent free from this parasite. Without acaricide treatment any honeybee colony dies within 1–4 years. The use of synthetic acaricides has not justified itself – they make beekeeping products unsuitable and mites develop resistance to them, which forces the use of even greater concentrations that can be toxic to the bees. Therefore, the only safe measure to combat the mite is the use of biological control methods. One of these methods is the selection of bee colonies with natural mite resistance. In this article we summarize publications devoted to the search for genetic markers associated with resistance to V. destructor. The first part discusses the basic mechanisms of bee resistance (Varroa sensitive hygienic behavior and grooming) and methods for their assessment. The second part focuses on research aimed at searching for loci and candidate genes associated with resistance to varroosis by mapping quantitative traits loci and genome-wide association studies. The third part summarizes studies of the transcriptome profile of Varroa resistant bees. The last part discusses the most likely candidate genes – potential markers for breeding Varroa resistant bees. Resistance to the mite is manifested in a variety of phenotypes and is under polygenic control. The establishing of gene pathways involved in resistance to Varroa will help create a methodological basis for the selection of Varroa resistant honeybee colonies.

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Lowe, E. C., L. W. Simmons, and B. Baer. "Worker heterozygosity and immune response in feral and managed honeybees (Apis mellifera)." Australian Journal of Zoology 59, no. 2 (2011): 73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo11041.

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Genetic diversity in workers influences colony immunity in several species of eusocial insects. Much less work has been conducted to test for comparable effects of worker heterozygosity, a measure of genetic diversity within an individual. Here we present a field study using the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and sampled foraging workers throughout Western Australia. Samples were taken from feral and managed colonies, aiming to maximise the variation in worker and colony heterozygosity. We quantified worker heterozygosity using microsatellites, and tested the idea that individual worker heterozygosity predicts immune response, measured as the enzymatic activity of an antimicrobial peptide phenoloxidase (PO) and encapsulation response. We found substantial variation in worker heterozygosity, but no significant effects of heterozygosity on PO activity or encapsulation response, either on the individual or colony level. Heterozygosity was found to be higher in workers of feral colonies compared with managed colonies. Colonies kept in husbandry, as compared with colonies from the field, had significantly higher levels of PO activity and encapsulation response, providing evidence for substantial environmental effects on individual and colony immunity.

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Maina, Solomon, Brenda A. Coutts, Owain R. Edwards, Luis de Almeida, Abel Ximenes, and Roger A. C. Jones. "Papaya ringspot virus Populations From East Timorese and Northern Australian Cucurbit Crops: Biological and Molecular Properties, and Absence of Genetic Connectivity." Plant Disease 101, no. 6 (June 2017): 985–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis-10-16-1499-re.

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To examine possible genetic connectivity between crop viruses found in Southeast Asia and Australia, Papaya ringspot virus biotype W (PRSV-W) isolates from cucurbits growing in East Timor and northern Australia were studied. East Timorese samples from cucumber (Cucumis sativus) or pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata and C. maxima) were sent to Australia on FTA cards. These samples and others of pumpkin, rockmelon, honeydew melon (Cucumis melo), or watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) growing in one location each in northwest, north, or northeast Australia were subjected to high throughput sequencing (HTS). When the 17 complete PRSV genomic sequences obtained by HTS were compared with 32 others from GenBank, the five from East Timor were in a different major phylogroup from the 12 Australian sequences. Moreover, the East Timorese and Australian sequences each formed their own minor phylogroups named VI and I, respectively. A Taiwanese sequence was closest to the East Timorese (89.6% nt dentity), and Mexican and Brazilian sequences were the closest to the Australian (92.3% nt identity). When coat protein gene (CP) sequences from the 17 new genomic sequences were compared with 126 others from GenBank, three Australian isolates sequenced more than 20 years ago grouped with the new Australian sequences, while the closest sequence to the East Timorese was from Thailand (93.1% nt identity). Recombination analysis revealed 13 recombination events among the 49 complete genomes. Two isolates from East Timor (TM50, TM32) and eight from GenBank were recombinants, but all 12 Australian isolates were non-recombinants. No evidence of genome connectivity between Australian and Southeast Asian PRSV populations was obtained. The strand-specific RNA library approach used optimized data collection for virus genome assembly. When an Australian PRSV isolate was inoculated to plants of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), watermelon, rockmelon, and honeydew melon, they all developed systemic foliage symptoms characteristic of PRSV-W, but symptom severity varied among melon cultivars.

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Ayre, Bronwyn M., David G. Roberts, Ryan D. Phillips, Stephen D. Hopper, and Siegfried L. Krauss. "Effectiveness of native nectar-feeding birds and the introduced Apis mellifera as pollinators of the kangaroo paw, Anigozanthos manglesii (Haemodoraceae)." Australian Journal of Botany 68, no. 1 (2020): 14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt19097.

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Plants pollinated by vertebrates are often visited by native and exotic insects foraging for pollen and nectar. We compared flower visitation rates, foraging behaviour, and the contribution to reproduction of nectar-feeding birds and the introduced honeybee Apis mellifera in four populations of the bird-pollinated Anigozanthos manglesii (Haemodoraceae). The behaviour of floral visitors was quantified with direct observations and motion-triggered and hand-held cameras. Pollinator access to flowers was manipulated by enclosure in netting to either exclude all visitors or to exclude vertebrate visitors only. Apis mellifera was the only insect observed visiting flowers, and the most frequent flower visitor, but primarily acted as a pollen thief. Although birds visited A. manglesii plants only once per week on average, they were 3.5 times more likely to contact the anther or stigma as foraging honeybees. Exclusion of birds resulted in 67% fewer fruits and 81% fewer seeds than flowers left open and unmanipulated. Unnetted flowers that were open to bird and insect pollinators showed pollen-limitation and a large variation in reproductive output within and between sites. Although honeybees have been shown to pollinate other Australian plants, compared to birds, they are highly inefficient pollinators of A. manglesii.

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Dyer, Adrian G., Jair E. Garcia, Mani Shrestha, and Klaus Lunau. "Seeing in colour: a hundred years of studies on bee vision since the work of the Nobel laureate Karl von Frisch." Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 127, no. 1 (2015): 66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rs15006.

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One hundred years ago it was often assumed that the capacity to perceive colour required a human brain. Then in 1914 a young Austrian researcher working at Munich University in Germany published evidence that honeybees could be trained to collect sugar water from a ‘blue’ coloured card, and find the colour among a number of different shades of achromatic grey. Von Frisch thus established honeybees as an important model of sensory processing in animals, and for work including his demonstration that bees used a symbolic dance language, won a Nobel Prize in 1973. This work led to the establishment of several research groups in Germany that developed a rich understanding of how bee vision has shaped flower colour evolution in the Northern Hemisphere. Applying these insights to Australian native bees offers great insights due to the long-term geological isolation of the continent. Australian bees have a phylogenetically ancient colour visual system and similar colour perception to honeybees. In Australia similar patterns of flower colour evolution have resulted and provide important evidence of parallel evolution, thanks to the pioneering work of Karl von Frisch 100 years ago.

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S. Law, Bradley, and Mark Chidel. "Canopy nectar production and the impact of logging and climate in Grey Ironbark Eucalyptus paniculata (Smith) forests." Pacific Conservation Biology 15, no. 4 (2009): 287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc090287.

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Nectar in tall forest canopies is a significant, but poorly quantified, resource for Australian fauna, as well as the European Honeybee Apis mellifera. We investigated the impact of logging on nectar production in the canopy of Grey Ironbark Eucalyptus paniculata (Smith) forests in southern Australia. Using cherry-pickers and cranes we measured nectar production in large and small trees in replicate sites in each of recently logged, young regrowth and old regrowth forest over three consecutive years (2004?2006). We focused on over-night nectar production, although nectar was produced during both the day and night. Logging history and tree size, when considered individually, had no significant effect on nectar production per flower, although the two factors showed a significant interaction. However, these differences were relatively minor in comparison to the negative relationship with drought. Little nectar was produced per flower under any logging history in drought. During good conditions nectar production varied depending on logging history. When scaled up to the forest stand, logging history had a marked effect on nectar production with old regrowth forest producing seven times as much sugar per ha as recently logged forest. Young regrowth forest 15?20 years old produced nectar quantities intermediate between that of recently logged forest and regrowth forest. At the compartment scale, current practices require the retention of old forest and the typical extent of this retention reduced the difference between old regrowth forest and recently logged forest to a factor of two times. Nectar production per flower was low and a limited resource in autumn 2004 and late-winter 2005, but was copious and in surplus in early summer 2006. Nectar standing crops at the flower scale appeared to be determined by an interaction between environmental conditions (drought) that negatively influenced nectar production and the feeding activity of flower visitors at the time, which itself is affected by prevailing temperatures and nectar attributes, such as sugar concentration and regional nectar availability. We suggest that management actions should focus on minimising nectar depletion in poor flowering years when the nectar resource is limiting.

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Si, Aung, and Myfany Turpin. "The Importance of Insects in Australian Aboriginal Society: A Dictionary Survey." Ethnobiology Letters 6, no. 1 (September 17, 2015): 175–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.14237/ebl.6.1.2015.399.

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Insects and their products have long been used in Indigenous Australian societies as food, medicine and construction material, and given prominent roles in myths, traditional songs and ceremonies. However, much of the available information on the uses of insects in Australia remains anecdotal. In this essay, we review published dictionaries of Aboriginal languages spoken in many parts of Australia, to provide an overview of the Indigenous names and knowledge of insects and their products. We find that that native honeybees and insect larvae (particularly of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera) are the most highly prized insects, and should be recognized as cultural keystone species. Many insects mentioned in dictionaries lack scientific identifications, however, and we urge documentary linguists to address this important issue.

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Howard, Scarlett R., Mani Shrestha, Juergen Schramme, Jair E. Garcia, Aurore Avarguès-Weber, Andrew D. Greentree, and Adrian G. Dyer. "Honeybees prefer novel insect-pollinated flower shapes over bird-pollinated flower shapes." Current Zoology 65, no. 4 (December 13, 2018): 457–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoy095.

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AbstractPlant–pollinator interactions have a fundamental influence on flower evolution. Flower color signals are frequently tuned to the visual capabilities of important pollinators such as either bees or birds, but far less is known about whether flower shape influences the choices of pollinators. We tested European honeybee Apis mellifera preferences using novel achromatic (gray-scale) images of 12 insect-pollinated and 12 bird-pollinated native Australian flowers in Germany; thus, avoiding influences of color, odor, or prior experience. Independent bees were tested with a number of parameterized images specifically designed to assess preferences for size, shape, brightness, or the number of flower-like shapes present in an image. We show that honeybees have a preference for visiting images of insect-pollinated flowers and such a preference is most-likely mediated by holistic information rather than by individual image parameters. Our results indicate angiosperms have evolved flower shapes which influence the choice behavior of important pollinators, and thus suggest spatial achromatic flower properties are an important part of visual signaling for plant–pollinator interactions.

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V Milborrow, B., JM Kennedy, and A. Dollin. "Composition of Wax Made by the Australian Stingless Bee Trigona australis." Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 40, no. 1 (1987): 15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bi9870015.

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Analysis of the nest material of T. australis by gas chromatography/chemical ionization-mass spectrometry showed the wax to comprise a hydrocarbon fraction (90%), esters (6%) and free acids . (4%). The major saturated hydrocarbons were C27, C31 and C33 with C2S and C29 being less abundant and C23 and C 3S being present in small amounts. Traces of the intermediate, even-numbered homologues were also found. Hydrocarbons (C31o C 33 and C 3S) which contained one double bond were also present and traces of the diene C3S were detected. The ester fraction did not contain compounds identical with those in beeswax made by the honeybee Apis melli/era and the acid fractions were also quite different. T. australis wax contained the following, saturated free acids: CIO (trace), C12, C14, C16, CIS and C20, monoenoic and dienoic CIS and C 20 and traces of the trienoic CIS. The wax of T. australis is colourless but the brown colour of the nest material derives from the inclusion of masses of pollen (Eucalyptus sp.) and solid material from the inside of the nest tree. The solid residue comprised between 12 and 30% by weight.

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Paton, David C. "Honeybees in the Australian Environment." BioScience 43, no. 2 (February 1993): 95–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1311970.

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Stoddard, FL. "Pollen vectors and pollination of faba beans in southern Australia." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 42, no. 7 (1991): 1173. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar9911173.

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Commercial crops of faba beans (Vicia faba L.) in South Australia and western Victoria were surveyed for flower visitors and incidence of pollination. Honeybees were the only pollen vectors. The incidence of pollination was never less than 50% and averaged 80%. The effectiveness of honeybees as pollen vectors contrasts with their ineffectiveness in colder climates, partly because in the Mediterranean climate beans flower in late winter and early spring when bees are in search of pollen. It is unlikely that growers of faba beans in Australia will need to provide supplementary hives to ensure adequate pollination.

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Simpson, S. R., C. L. Gross, and L. X. Silberbauer. "Broom and Honeybees in Australia: An Alien Liaison." Plant Biology 7, no. 5 (September 2005): 541–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-2005-865855.

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Koulianos, S., and R. H. Crozier. "Two ancient mitochondrial alleles in Australian honeybees." Apidologie 22, no. 6 (1991): 621–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/apido:19910605.

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Chapman, Nadine C., Brock A. Harpur, Julianne Lim, Thomas E. Rinderer, Michael H. Allsopp, Amro Zayed, and Benjamin P. Oldroyd. "Hybrid origins of Australian honeybees (Apis mellifera)." Apidologie 47, no. 1 (June 16, 2015): 26–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13592-015-0371-0.

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Hornitzky, Michael A. Z. "Prevalence of Virus Infections of Honeybees in Eastern Australia." Journal of Apicultural Research 26, no. 3 (January 1987): 181–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00218839.1987.11100756.

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Lach, Lori, Benjamin D. Hoffmann, and Melinda L. Moir. "Native and non-native sources of carbohydrate correlate with abundance of an invasive ant." NeoBiota 63 (December 17, 2020): 155–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.63.57925.

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Invasive species threaten many ecological communities and predicting which communities and sites are invasible remains a key goal of invasion ecology. Although invasive ants often reach high abundances in association with plant-based carbohydrate resources, the source and provenance of these resources are rarely investigated. We characterized carbohydrate resources across ten sites with a range of yellow crazy ant abundance in Arnhem Land, Australia and New Caledonia to determine whether yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) abundance and trophic position correlate with carbohydrate availability, as well as the relative importance of native and non-native sources of carbohydrates to ant diet. In both locations, measures of yellow crazy ant abundance strongly positively correlated with carbohydrate availability, particularly honeydew production, the number of tended hemipterans, and the number of plants with tended hemipterans. In Arnhem Land, 99.6% of honeydew came from native species, whereas in New Caledonia, only 0.2% of honeydew was produced by a native hemipteran. More honeydew was available in Australia due to three common large-bodied species of Auchenorrhyncha honeydew producers (treehoppers and leafhoppers). Yellow crazy ant trophic position declined with increasing yellow crazy ant abundance indicating that in greater densities the ants are obtaining more of their diet from plant-derived resources, including honeydew and extrafloral nectar. The relationships between yellow crazy ant abundance and carbohydrate availability could not be explained by any of the key environmental variables we measured at our study sites. Our results demonstrate that the positive correlation between yellow crazy ant abundance and honeydew production is not contingent upon the provenance of the hemipterans. Native sources of carbohydrate may play an underappreciated role in greatly increasing community invasibility by ants.

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Somerville, D. C. "Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) increase yields of faba beans (Vicia faba L.) in New South Wales while maintaining adequate protein requirements from faba bean pollen." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 39, no. 8 (1999): 1001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea99023.

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Summary. A trial was conducted to measure the impact of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) yields and to determine the value of the crop to honeybees. The seed yield in cages with bees was 25% higher than in those without bees. The pollen harvested by honey bees from the faba beans met their nutritional requirements for protein and amino acids but there was no detectable nectar crop gathered from the faba beans. Thus, there seems to be a strong case for using managed honey bees to improve pollination and hence yields of Australian faba beans where feral bee populations maybe insufficient.

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Melksham, K. J., J. Rhodes, and N. Jacobsen. "The Problem of Pesticide Toxicity to Honeybees in Queensland, Australia." Bee World 66, no. 4 (January 1985): 140–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0005772x.1985.11098845.

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Manning, R., and M. Harvey. "Fatty acids in honeybee-collected pollens from six endemic Western Australian eucalypts and the possible significance to the Western Australian beekeeping industry." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 42, no. 2 (2002): 217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea00160.

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Western Australian eucalypt pollens in this research have low levels of lipid (0.59–1.9%) when compared with many other plant species that have evolved alongside the European honeybee. Eucalypt-pollen lipid was dominant in linoleic acid (35.7–48%). The six other major fatty acids that were present in the lipid were myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linolenic and arachidic acids. Linoleic acid was dominant in eucalypt pollen at average concentrations of 2.77–5.81 mg/g pollen. These results could be of significance to the Australian beekeeping industry in refining disease-management strategies in the light that other researchers have found that 2 economically damaging bee diseases (EFB and AFB) are inhibited by certain concentrations of the acid. Redgum- or marri (Corymbia calophylla)-pollen lipid was also dominated by 2 other known antibacterial fatty acids: myristic (0.25 mg/g pollen) and linolenic (1.06 mg/g pollen), when compared with the other eucalypts studied.

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Wood, M. S., and R. L. Wallis. "Potential Competition for Nest Sites Between Feral European Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and Common Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)." Australian Mammalogy 20, no. 3 (1998): 377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am98377.

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The potential for feral Honeybees (Apis mellifera) to competitively exclude Common Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) from tree hollows was examined in the You Yangs Regional Park, Victoria. The characteristics and occupancy of 77 hollow-bearing trees and 250 hollows were recorded in six 2 ha sites and used to compare the extent of overlap in nest site selection between bees and posssums. Colonies of feral A. mellifera occupied 25 % of all hollow-bearing trees and 8 % of useable hollows, yielding a density of 1.66 colonies per ha, the highest recorded so far in Australia. Trichosurus vulpecula utilised 74 % of hollow-bearing trees and 48 % of useable hollows. Nest site characteristics of bees and possums overlapped in several dimensions, especially in the size of tree and height of nest. Relatively few vacant hollows were suitable for T. vulpecula, whereas many were available to Honeybees. Only 35% of bee nests were in hollows unsuitable for possums, indicating a relatively high potential for competition.

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Rayner, CJ, and DF Langridge. "Amino acids in bee-collected pollens from Australian indigenous and exotic plants." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 25, no. 3 (1985): 722. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9850722.

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The protein and amino acid contents of bee-collected pollens from 10 indigenous and 16 exotic Australian plants were determined. Crude protein content showed a large variation with a range from 9.5% for Pinus radiata pollen, to 36.9% for Banksia ornata pollen. Pollens which were found to have high protein contents are those which are also highly favoured by apiarists whereas those with low protein content are considered to be nutritionally inferior pollens. The amino acid pattern for pollens from both indigenous and exotic plants indicated that, generally, the levels of amino acids in the pollens were above the bees' requirements. Tryptophan appeared to be the first limiting amino acid in Australian pollens for honeybees.

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Thomas, M. D., F. W. Maddigan, and L. A. Sessions. "Attractiveness of possum apple baits to native birds and honey bees." New Zealand Plant Protection 56 (August 1, 2003): 86–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.30843/nzpp.2003.56.6090.

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This study investigated the potential risks of using 1080 apple bait for possum control on nontarget species Trials were conducted using captive native birds at Orana Park and honeybees (Apis mellifera) at Halswell to determine whether these species would feed on nonpoisonous apple baits Bird species were kaka (Nestor meridionalis) kea (Nestor notabilis) kakariki (Cyanoramphus sp) silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) weka (Gallirallus australis) and kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) Kaka kea kakariki and silvereye preferred to feed on apple bait over carrot bait spending 74100 of their feeding time on the apple bait Honeybees were not attracted to the apple bait It is concluded that there could be a greater risk to native birds when apple baits are used for possum control compared to the risk associated with using carrot bait Consequently it is recommended that aerial application of apple should not be undertaken and that apple baits should be used in bait stations only

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van der Moezel, Paul G., Jeanette C. Delfs, John S. Pate, William A. Loneragan, and David T. Bell. "Pollen Selection by Honeybees in Shrublands of the Northern Sandplains of Western Australia." Journal of Apicultural Research 26, no. 4 (January 1987): 224–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00218839.1987.11100764.

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35

Vršanský, Peter, Paulina Cifuentes-Ruiz, Ľubomír Vidlička, Fedor Čiampor, and Francisco Vega. "Afro-Asian cockroach from Chiapas amber and the lost Tertiary American entomofauna." Geologica Carpathica 62, no. 5 (October 1, 2011): 463–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/v10096-011-0033-8.

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Afro-Asian cockroach from Chiapas amber and the lost Tertiary American entomofaunaCockroach genera with synanthropic species (Blattella, Ectobius, Supella, Periplaneta, Diplopteraand ?Blatta), as well as other insects such as honeybees, although natively limited to certain continents nowadays, had circumtropic distribution in the past. The ease of their reintroduction into their former range suggests a post-Early Miocene environmental stress which led to the extinction of cosmopolitan Tertiary entomofauna in the Americas, whilst in Eurasia, Africa and Australia this fauna survived. This phenomenon is demonstrated here on a low diversity (10 spp.) living cockroach genusSupella, which is peculiar for the circumtropical synanthropic brownbanded cockroachS. longipalpaand also for its exclusively free-living cavicolous species restricted to Africa.S. (Nemosupella) miocenicasp. nov. from the Miocene amber of Chiapas in Mexico is a sister species to the livingS. mirabilisfrom the Lower Guinea forests and adjacent savannas. The difference is restricted to the shape of the central macula on the pronotum, and size, which may indicate the around-Miocene origin of the living, extremely polymorphicSupellaspecies and possibly also the isochronic invasion into the Americas. The species also has a number of characteristics of the Asian (and possibly also Australian) uniform genusAllacta(falling within the generic variability ofSupella) suggestingSupellais a direct ancestor of the former. The present species is the first significant evidence for incomplete hiati between well defined cockroach genera — a result of the extensive fossil record of the group. The reported specimen is covered by a mycelium of a parasitic fungusCordycepsorEntomophthora.

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Hungerford, Natasha L., Ujang Tinggi, Benjamin L. L. Tan, Madeleine Farrell, and Mary T. Fletcher. "Mineral and Trace Element Analysis of Australian/Queensland Apis mellifera Honey." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 17 (August 29, 2020): 6304. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176304.

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Honey is an extensively utilized sweetener containing sugars and water, together with small quantities of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and proteins. Naturally produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from floral nectar, honey is increasingly sold as a health food product due to its nutritious features. Certain honeys are retailed as premium, trendy products. Honeybees are regarded as environmental monitors, but few reports examine the impact of environment on Australian honey trace elements and minerals. In higher density urban and industrial environments, heavy metals can be common, while minerals and trace elements can have ubiquitous presence in both agricultural and urban areas. Honey hives are traditionally placed in rural and forested areas, but increasingly the trend is to keep hives in more urban areas. This study aimed to determine the levels of 26 minerals and trace elements and assess elemental differences between honeys from various regional Queensland and Australian sources. Honey samples (n = 212) were acquired from markets, shops and supermarkets in Queensland while urban honeys were purchased online. The honey samples were classified into four groups according to their regional sources: urban, rural, peri-urban and blend honey. Elemental analyses of honey were performed using ICP-MS and ICP-OES after microwave and hot block digestion. Considerable variations of essential trace elements (Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn) and mineral levels (Ca, K, Mg, Na and P) were found in honeys surveyed. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between urban and rural honey samples for B, Na, P, Mn, K, Ca and Cu. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were also found between blend and urban honey samples for K, Cu, P, Mn, Sr, Ni, B and Na. Peri-urban versus urban honeys showed significant differences in P, K and Mn. For rural and peri-urban honeys, the only significant difference (p < 0.05) was for Na. Toxic heavy metals were detected at relatively low levels in honey products. The study revealed that the Queensland/Australian honey studied is a good source of K and Zn and would constitute a good nutritional source of these elements.

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Scaccabarozzi, Daniela, Kingsley W. Dixon, Sean Tomlinson, Lynne Milne, Björn Bohman, Ryan D. Phillips, and Salvatore Cozzolino. "Pronounced differences in visitation by potential pollinators to co-occurring species of Fabaceae in the Southwest Australian biodiversity hotspot." Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 194, no. 3 (July 23, 2020): 308–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boaa053.

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Abstract Despite their diversity and the potential for specialized pollination systems, Australian Fabaceae have received little attention in pollination studies. In the Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR), a recognized biodiversity hotspot, co-occurring and abundant species of Faboideae exhibit a range of floral colours and forms, suggestive of adaptation to different groups of pollinators. For four communities of Fabaceae in the SWAFR we investigated whether co-occurring species overlap in pollinator genera, whether these pollinators show differences in behaviour on the pea flower and whether variations in stamen length and nectar composition among species are associated with different pollinator types. Species of Fabaceae were visited by one to four genera of native bees, suggesting varying levels of ecological specialisation. In Fabaceae with more specialized interactions, co-occurring species showed marked differences in the bee genera attracted. Unexpectedly, some Fabaceae frequently attracted beetles, which may play an important role in their pollination. There was no evidence for an association between stamen length or nectar composition and the type of pollinator. The introduced honeybee, visited all studied species of Fabaceae, suggesting that they may act both as a pollinator and a potential competitor with native pollinators.

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Vaughton, Glenda. "Pollination disruption by European honeybees in the Australian bird-pollinated shrubGrevillea barklyana (Proteaceae)." Plant Systematics and Evolution 200, no. 1-2 (1996): 89–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00984750.

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39

Oldroyd, BP, C. Moran, and FW Nicholas. "Diallel crosses of honeybees. II A note presenting an estimate of the heritability of honey production under Australian conditions." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 38, no. 3 (1987): 651. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar9870651.

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A partial diallel cross of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) was formed. Combining ability analysis of variance was used to estimate additive and non-additive genetic variance in seasonal colony weight gain for the artificial 'population' studied. The values determined were: general combining ability variance, 12.14 kg2 (s.e., 11.42); specific combining ability variance, 11 -96 kg2 (s.e., 13.71); environmental variance, 21.65 kg2 (s.e., 8.84); heritability of honey production, 0.42 (s.e., 0.24). The phenotypic standard deviation was 7.6 kg.The results suggest that selection for colony weight gain would be successful.

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HORNITZKY, MAZ, BP OLDROYD, and D. SOMERVILLE. "Bacillus larvae carrier status of swarms and feral colonies of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in Australia." Australian Veterinary Journal 73, no. 3 (March 1996): 116–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.1996.tb09994.x.

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41

Granger, A. R. "Pollen gene flow in South Australian cherry (Prunus avium L.) orchards." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 37, no. 5 (1997): 583. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea96016.

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Summary. Isozyme analysis of sweet cherry embryos from 3 different South Australian orchards has proven to be an invaluable diagnostic tool. It has shown that in comparison with almond orchards, pollen gene flow occurs over much greater distances. Furthermore, pollen genes are being donated by more than one polleniser cultivar. For example, Sam planted at Lenswood Horticultural Centre was pollinated by both Vista and Merton Glory Protective netting was used to exclude birds from the cherry orchard at Lenswood and only 0.003% of the apparent net pollen gene flow came from cultivars planted outside of the net to those within. The presence of bird netting discouraged the movement of honeybees. Cross-compatible pollen rather than self pollen contributed most to embryo formation in the self-fertile cultivar Stella. Seventy-one percent of embryos produced by Stella at Lenswood were as a result of outcrossing. This work has culminated in some important recommendations for the cherry industry. Namely that where bird exclosures are used bee hives and polleniser cultivars should be placed inside the netted area, and when planting self-fertile cultivars, such as Stella, polleniser cultivars should be included in the orchard plan.

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42

Carthew, Susan M., Ross L. Goldingay, and Darryl L. Funnell. "Feeding behaviour of the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis) at the western edge of its range." Wildlife Research 26, no. 2 (1999): 199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr98021.

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This study provides the first assessment of the diet of the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis) in the south-west portion of its range near the Victorian–South Australian border. Examining its diet in this region is viewed as being fundamental to understanding the ecological requirements of the species. Observations were conducted over a five-year period on gliders from five distinct groups. Sap was the most important food item throughout the year and accounted for 83% of 407 feeding observations. Each group of gliders used up to 21 different trees for sap, but during any sample period only 1–8 trees were used. This represents a vastly different pattern of use of sap trees to that described in any earlier study. Some trees were visited more often than others, and these tended to be heavily scarred, indicating use over many years. Other food types were arthropods and honeydew and, to a lesser extent, nectar. This study also revealed that the yellow- bellied glider is not dependent on a diversity of tree species nor on a winter-flowering species. We provide a review of the diet of the yellow-bellied glider throughout its range. This shows that the yellow-bellied glider is reliant on sap as a food resource but particularly so at both ends of its geographic range. The reason for this is unclear, but there is definitely a need for further study of sap-flow patterns in eucalypts.

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Rinderer, Thomas E., Benjamin P. Oldroyd, Amanda M. Frake, Lilia I. de Guzman, and Lelania Bourgeois. "Responses toVarroa destructorandNosema ceranaeby several commercial strains of Australian and North American honeybees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)." Australian Journal of Entomology 52, no. 2 (November 14, 2012): 156–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aen.12003.

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Woyke, J. "Brood Survival in Productive Bee Apiaries in Australia as a Test for Breeding Honeybees in Closed Populations." Journal of Apicultural Research 27, no. 1 (January 1988): 30–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00218839.1988.11100778.

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Heersink, Daniel K., Peter Caley, Dean R. Paini, and Simon C. Barry. "Quantifying the Establishment Likelihood of Invasive Alien Species Introductions Through Ports with Application to Honeybees in Australia." Risk Analysis 36, no. 5 (October 20, 2015): 892–903. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/risa.12476.

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Koulianos, S., and R. H. Crozier. "Mitochondrial DNA sequence data provides further evidence that the honeybees of Kangaroo Island, Australia are of hybrid origin." Apidologie 27, no. 3 (1996): 165–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/apido:19960305.

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Prendergast, Kit S., Kingsley W. Dixon, and Philip W. Bateman. "Interactions between the introduced European honey bee and native bees in urban areas varies by year, habitat type and native bee guild." Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 133, no. 3 (April 5, 2021): 725–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blab024.

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Abstract European honey bees have been introduced across the globe and may compete with native bees for floral resources. Compounding effects of urbanization and introduced species on native bees are, however, unclear. Here, we investigated how honey bee abundance and foraging patterns related to those of native bee abundance and diversity in residential gardens and native vegetation remnants for 2 years in urbanized areas of the Southwest Australian biodiversity hotspot and assessed how niche overlap influenced these relationships. Honey bees did not overtly suppress native bee abundance; however, complex relationships emerged when analysing these relationships according to body size, time of day and floral resource levels. Native bee richness was positively correlated with overall honeybee abundance in the first year, but negatively correlated in the second year, and varied with body size. Native bees that had higher resource overlap with honey bees were negatively associated with honey bee abundance, and resource overlap between honey bees and native bees was higher in residential gardens. Relationships with honey bees varied between native bee taxa, reflecting adaptations to different flora, plus specialization. Thus, competition with introduced bees varies by species and location, mediated by dietary breadth and overlap and by other life-history traits of individual bee species.

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Campbell, Tristan, Kingsley W. Dixon, Kenneth Dods, Peter Fearns, and Rebecca Handcock. "Machine Learning Regression Model for Predicting Honey Harvests." Agriculture 10, no. 4 (April 9, 2020): 118. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10040118.

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Honey yield from apiary sites varies significantly between years. This affects the beekeeper’s ability to manage hive health, as well as honey production. This also has implications for ecosystem services, such as forage availability for nectarivores or seed sets. This study investigates whether machine learning methods can develop predictive harvest models of a key nectar source for honeybees, Corymbia calophylla (marri) trees from South West Australia, using data from weather stations and remotely sensed datasets. Honey harvest data, weather and vegetation-related datasets from satellite sensors were input features for machine learning algorithms. Regression trees were able to predict the marri honey harvested per hive to a Mean Average Error (MAE) of 10.3 kg. Reducing input features based on their relative model importance achieved a MAE of 11.7 kg using the November temperature as the sole input feature, two months before marri trees typically start to produce nectar. Combining weather and satellite data and machine learning has delivered a model that quantitatively predicts harvest potential per hive. This can be used by beekeepers to adaptively manage their apiary. This approach may be readily applied to other regions or forage species, or used for the assessment of some ecosystem services.

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KOULIANOS, S., and R. H. CROZIER. "Mitochondrial Sequence Characterisation of Australian Commercial and Feral Honeybee Strains, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), in the Context of the Species Worldwide." Australian Journal of Entomology 36, no. 4 (December 1997): 359–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-6055.1997.tb01486.x.

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Llandres, Ana L., and Miguel A. Rodríguez-Gironés. "Spider Movement, UV Reflectance and Size, but Not Spider Crypsis, Affect the Response of Honeybees to Australian Crab Spiders." PLoS ONE 6, no. 2 (February 16, 2011): e17136. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017136.

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Journal articles on the topic 'Honeybee – Australia'

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