大分舌蜂营巢生物学

于2009和2010年对广东河源大分舌蜂Colletes gigas的巢穴结构及生物学习性进行了初步研究。对分布在同一区域大分舌蜂的巢穴进行了挖掘, 详细记录了两个巢穴的结构; 挖出的卵、 幼虫及蛹的形态进行了解剖镜和电镜观察, 并做了简要描述。另外, 还通过分子及形态学方法对与大分舌蜂共用筑巢场所的另一种分舌蜂进行了鉴定。研究发现大分舌蜂喜欢在沙土中筑巢, 并且有集中筑巢的习性。大分舌蜂的巢穴由一条主道和几条虫室道组成, 虫室建在主道及各个虫室道的末端。大分舌蜂往年的巢穴可以被翌年羽化的大分舌蜂再次利用, 沿主道重新建造自己的虫室道或扩展原有的虫室道。大分舌蜂在中国南方专性取食山茶科植物尤其是油茶的花粉及花蜜, 蜂粮由于花蜜含量较多而呈液体状。通过进一步比较COI与28S D2区数据, 甄别出同一巢区中还存在另一种分舌蜂属物种, 表明大分舌蜂可以与另一种分舌蜂Colletes sp.共用筑巢场所。     

沙地毛足蜂筑巢生物学研究

【目的】调查毛乌素沙地的一种群居独栖性野生毛足蜂Dasypoda hirtipes Panzer的巢穴结构及其日活动规律。【方法】采用目测和拍照等方法对沙地毛足蜂的整个筑巢过程进行了连续观测;采用挖掘、测量方法对毛足蜂巢内结构进行了观测。【结果】2008和2009年共挖掘巢穴22个,巢口直径为6.32～10.35 mm,巢穴具有多分枝的支道,一般有4～16个分支道,主道的深度为84～112 cm,巢室分布在主道周围的支道里面,每个支道里面仅有1个巢室,巢室深度为22～54 cm。巢室内壁无蜡层,较光滑,巢室内的花粉球底部有3个均匀大小的用来支撑花粉球的突起。对雌性成蜂日活动行为的观察结果显示,雌性个体一天内采集粉蜜的次数在6～8次,最后一次一般不携带花粉归巢。【结论】在内蒙古毛乌素沙地,该蜂一年1代,日活动时间与菊科植物抱茎苦荬菜Ixeris sonchifolia花序中的单花期相对应,主要的蜜源植物为菊科植物和蒺藜属植物。     

果树授粉昆虫角额壁蜂的形态和生物学研究

角额壁蜂一年发生1代。人工驯化释放的壁蜂,喜欢以芦苇管或纸管为巢穴。早春果树开花季节,越冬成蜂相继破茧出巢,交配活动。雌蜂借腹部腹毛刷采集大量花粉花蜜。在巢穴中分小室产卵繁殖后代。幼虫孵出后即以花粉团为食,8月中下旬成蜂羽化后在茧内越冬。翌年破茧出巢。成蜂访花采粉效率高,以蜂巢周围60m内的座果率为最高。角额壁蜂访花频率较蜜蜂高,因此,大大提高了果树座果率。成蜂活动要求的温度较低,适合我国北方多种果树开花期的授粉。果园放蜂试验证明对苹果、梨、杏等有明显的增产作用。     

油茶地蜂生活史及相关生物学习性

油茶地蜂Andrena camellia Wu 是江西、湖南等地油茶花期主要传粉昆虫之一。2006–2007年在江西宜春对油茶地蜂除成虫外各虫态的形态特征、生活史及幼虫和成虫的行为等生物学特性进行了观察研究。结果表明： 该蜂在江西宜春1年发生1代。成虫10月中旬开始出巢活动, 雄蜂早于雌蜂3 d左右出现,完成交尾后数日死亡,雄蜂出巢后寿命18 d左右,雌蜂约38 d。卵期约8 d。幼虫期24 d左右,幼虫取食完花粉球后长成老熟幼虫进入滞育期,滞育期约241 d。翌年9月中旬开始化蛹,蛹期约30 d。出土后的雌蜂当天就可以交配,交配后的雌蜂在羽化地点附近选址筑巢,采集油茶的花粉和花蜜于虫室中制成球形蜂粮并在上面产卵,每粒花粉球上产卵一枚。     

盗寄生性蜜蜂——艳斑蜂的行为生物学观察

江西宜春、湖南郴州普遍存在一类"杜鹃蜂"——艳斑蜂Nomada sp.,该蜂对油茶地蜂Andrenaca mellia Wu有盗寄生行为。作者于2006年在江西宜春为期3个月的野外观察,对观察到的该种艳斑蜂的寄主、艳斑蜂侵入寄主巢穴的行为、艳斑蜂的繁殖行为、艳斑蜂的生存行为、艳斑蜂的生存策略、艳斑蜂的种群生态等6个方面作出分析。     

常用杀虫剂对小菜蛾天敌卷蛾分索赤眼蜂的影响

在实验室条件下测定田间常用的11种杀虫剂对小菜蛾Plutella xylostella(L.)卵寄生性天敌卷蛾分索赤眼蜂Trichogrammatoidea bactrae Nagaraja的影响。结果表明,高效氯氰菊酯、丁醚脲、阿维菌素、多杀霉素、溴虫腈、氟虫腈和杀螟丹对卷蛾分索赤眼蜂成蜂有极明显触杀毒性,成蜂接触药膜8h后的死亡率达到89.31%～100%,丁醚脲、阿维菌素和多杀霉素能极显著降低成蜂的寄生力,溴虫腈和氟虫腈处理卵和幼虫期均显著降低卷蛾分索赤眼的成蜂羽化率,杀螟丹对卷蛾分索赤眼蜂各虫态都有极强的毒性,其处理后成蜂的羽化率几乎都为0。试验结果说明,氟啶脲、茚虫威、苏云金杆菌和虫酰肼对卷蛾分索赤眼蜂成蜂及各发育虫态均较安全,可在田间任何时候使用,而高效氯氰菊酯、丁醚脲、多杀霉素和阿维菌素的使用则应尽量避开卷蛾分索赤眼蜂成蜂期。     

杀虫剂对烟蚜茧蜂不同发育阶段的毒性

【背景】烟蚜茧蜂是控制烟蚜田间种群的重要寄生蜂。施用化学杀虫剂防治烟蚜及其他害虫时,也会对烟蚜茧蜂产生毒性,影响对烟蚜种群的自然控制效果。了解杀虫剂对烟蚜茧蜂不同发育阶段的毒性,可为田间选择合理施药时间提供参考。【方法】在室内用试管药膜法和饲喂法测定了5%阿维菌素、5%啶虫脒、10%顺式氯氰菊酯和10%吡虫啉对烟蚜茧蜂成蜂的毒性,并在烟蚜茧蜂各虫期使用亚致死浓度药剂处理,研究这些杀虫剂对其羽化的影响。【结果】阿维菌素的触杀和胃毒作用最强,烟蚜茧蜂24 h死亡率分别为87.78%和94.44%;吡虫啉的触杀和胃毒作用最弱,烟蚜茧蜂24 h死亡率分别为41.11%和61.11%;啶虫脒(烟蚜茧蜂24 h死亡率分别为81.11%和86.66%)、顺式氯氰菊酯(烟蚜茧蜂24 h死亡率分别为64.44%和67.78%)的触杀和胃毒作用居中。在寄生蜂卵期用药,阿维菌素和啶虫脒可显著降低当代成蜂羽化率;在幼虫期用药,4种杀虫剂均显著降低了成蜂的羽化率;在蛹期用药,4种杀虫剂对成蜂的羽化率均没有显著影响。在寄生蜂幼虫期使用阿维菌素会使雌蜂比例显著高于对照,其余3种杀虫剂对雌蜂比例均无显著影响。【结论与意义】在烟蚜茧蜂成虫期使用这些杀虫剂,死亡率均较高,因此在成蜂较多时应禁止使用杀虫剂。     

油茶地蜂不同龄期幼虫肠道细菌多样性及其差异分析

蜜蜂肠道微生物在其宿主健康与调控宿主生长发育中起着重要作用。油茶地蜂Andrena camellia Wu是油茶的优势传粉昆虫。本研究从野外挖掘该蜂典型样地的巢穴得到油茶地蜂1~5龄及滞育阶段的幼虫,通过PCR扩增得到幼虫肠道微生物16S rRNA基因文库,利用Illumina Miseq二代高通量测序技术首次研究了油茶地蜂不同龄期幼虫肠道细菌的群落结构和多样性。结果显示,油茶地蜂幼虫肠道细菌菌群共检测到27个门,72个纲,155个目,278个科,570个属。其中,最主要的门为变形菌门Proteobacteria（占40.05%）,最主要的目为乳杆菌目Lactobacillales（占12.16%）,最主要的科为乳杆菌科Lactobacillaceae(占11.27%）,最主要的属是乳杆菌属Lactobacillus（占11.27%）。核心细菌群落组间差异、Alpha多样性以及Beta多样性分析显示：不同龄期油茶地蜂幼虫肠道细菌群落在组成、多样性以及结构上均存在显著差异。线性判别分析结果显示,不动杆菌属Acinetobacter和红球菌属Rhodococcus主要存在于5龄幼虫阶段,巴尔通氏体属Bartonella和肠杆菌属Enterobacter主要存在于1龄幼虫阶段。本研究明确了油茶地蜂不同龄期幼虫肠道微生物组成、优势菌群及其群落变化规律,为油茶地蜂等土壤筑巢独栖野生蜜蜂肠道微生物学及其保护生物学的相关研究提供理论依据及研究角度。     

白斑切叶蜂的生物学特性观察

白斑切叶蜂Megachile strupigera是我国南方野生植物及部分农林作物的有效传粉昆虫之一。本文利用人工巢管完成白斑切叶蜂的野外收集和观察,结合室内人工饲养和相关数据的采集,系统研究了该蜂除成虫外各虫态的形态特征、生活史、筑巢习性和访花行为以及寄生性天敌等相关生物学特性。结果表明:白斑切叶蜂在江西赣州地区1年2代,以滞育状态下的老熟幼虫在虫室中越冬,滞育期约270 d。成虫翌年5月下旬开始出巢活动,主要包括羽化、交配、产卵、筑巢、访花等行为。室内观察和测量发现该蜂的卵近似微弯的长圆柱形,长3.15±0.14 mm。卵期2-3 d;幼虫期6-8 d;蛹期10-12 d。该蜂雄性个体多于雌性个体且同年2代雌雄比有一定的差异。该蜂成虫主要到访黄荆Vites negundo和藤金合欢Acacia sinuate等多种植物。该蜂偏好选择内径在0.614-0.948 cm,长度在8.1-20.1 cm的巢管筑巢。该蜂幼虫期寄生性天敌主要有Melittobia australica和波赤腹蜂Euaspis polynesia。本研究通过对白斑切叶蜂基础生物学进行研究,旨在为该蜂人工管理、驯化、工厂化繁殖等技术提供基础,同时也为制定该蜂保护策略和适宜栖息地环境的构建提供重要理论依据。     

冈崎姬小蜂生物学特性的研究

对美洲斑潜蝇幼虫寄生蜂──冈崎姬小蜂Neochrysocharis okazakii Kamijo生物学特性的研究结果表明：（1）补充蜜汁能显著延长成蜂寿命;（2）在20～33℃范围内各虫态发育速率与温度呈线性相关,发育起点温度8.1℃,完成一个世代需要188.7日·度的积温;成蜂寿命与温度呈负线性相关,产卵量在30℃时达到最大;内禀增长率与温度呈线性相关。     

Consistent mixing of near and distant resources in foraging bouts by the solitary mason bee Osmia lignaria

Female bees are usually confronted with a choice among severalflower species that differ in their location and abundance withinthe community, and in the efficiency with which their pollenand nectar can be harvested. We investigated the effects ofdistance and flower density of two flower species on pollencollection by providing nest locations for the mason bee Osmialignaria in natural settings. Distance weakly affected pollenuse; on average, bees nesting near a flower species tended tocollect more of its pollen than did bees nesting at a greaterdistance. Flower density did not predictably impact pollen use,and use did not track changes in density during the season.Bees consistently mixed pollen from more distant species, despitesubstantial added foraging costs, and also mixed when one specieswas an order of magnitude less abundant than the other. Beesrequire nectar as well as pollen to feed their offspring, andour preliminary data suggest that the efficiencies of pollenand nectar collection are inversely related between the twoflower species, which would favor visitation to both species.Bees appear to collect some pollen from the low-pollen, high-nectarplant while visiting it for nectar. Thus, a nectar-collectingconstraint may favor collecting pollen from mixtures of species.     

长木蜂的筑巢和采粉贮粮行为

【目的】通过研究长木蜂Xylocopa tranquebarorum筑巢和贮粮行为, 为进一步查明独栖性蜂类行为特点、开发新的蜂类资源提供依据。【方法】采用目测和拍照等方法对长木蜂的整个筑巢过程进行了连续观察, 用游标卡尺对巢口大小进行测量, 采用室内解剖巢室对长木蜂贮蜂粮的大小和数量进行观测。【结果】长木蜂主要在竹子上筑巢, 偶尔也发现在芦苇上筑巢。最喜欢选择竹节直径1.2～2.5 cm的孝顺竹Bambusa multiplex和刚竹属 Phyllostachys的竹种上筑巢。其筑巢过程为：雌蜂寻找合适的筑巢地点, 咬巢口, 清理巢室, 采集花粉蜜制作蜂粮, 在蜂粮上产卵, 制作巢室隔板。筑巢地点主要位于离旧巢1 m以内的位置。雌蜂啃咬巢口平均用时（292±29）min, 制作一块蜂粮需采集粉蜜22～40次, 采集粉蜜平均用时（17.31±0.52）min/次, 携粉蜜回巢滞留时间平均为（16.45±1.08）min/次;巢中卸落粉蜜平均用时为（15.29±1.03）min/次, 一生贮蜂粮平均6块左右;蜂粮近长方形, 长12～18 mm, 宽6～10 mm, 平均重量（0.7140±0.0269）g。【结论】长木蜂雌蜂不同个体之间筑巢行为相似, 而采集粉蜜的次数和贮蜂粮所用时间均有显著差异。     

Adult pollen diet essential for egg maturation by a solitary Osmia bee

Reproduction is a nutritionally costly activity for many insects, as their eggs are rich in lipids and proteins. That cost seems especially acute for non-social bees, which for their size, lay enormous eggs. All adult female bees visit flowers, most of them to collect pollen and nectar, or sometimes oils, to feed their progeny. For adult bees, the need for pollen feeding has only been detailed for the honey bee, Apis mellifera. To experimentally test for the reproductive value of adult pollen feeding by a non-social bee, Osmia californica (Hymenoptera: Apiformes: Megachilidae), young female bees plus males were released into large glasshouse cages provided with either a male-fertile sunflower cultivar or a pollen-less one. Females regularly visited and drank nectar from flowers of both cultivars. Abundant orange pollen was seen regularly in guts of females confined with the male-fertile sunflowers, indicative of active pollen ingestion. All females’ terminal oocytes (next egg to be laid) were small at emergence. Oocytes of females confined with the pollen-less sunflowers remained small, despite frequent nectaring and exposure to other floral stimuli. In contrast, the basal oocytes of female O. californica with access to pollen had swelled to full size within ten days following emergence, enabling them to lay eggs in provided nest tubes. Adult females of this solitary bee required dietary pollen to reproduce; nitrogen stores acquired as larvae were inadequate. Early and regular pollen feeding in part paces the onset and maximum tempo of solitary bees’ lifetime reproductive output.     

Light intensity limits foraging activity in nocturnal and crepuscular bees

A crepuscular or nocturnal lifestyle has evolved in bees severaltimes independently, probably to explore rewarding pollen sourceswithout competition and to minimize predation and nest parasites.Despite these obvious advantages, only few bee species are nocturnal.Here we show that the sensitivity of the bee apposition eyeis a major factor limiting the ability to forage in dim light.We present data on eye size, foraging times, and light levelsfor Megalopta genalis (Augochlorini, Halictidae) in Panama,and Lasioglossum (Sphecodogastra) sp. (Halictini, Halictidae)in Utah, USA. M. genalis females forage exclusively during twilight,but as a result of dim light levels in the rain forest, theyare adapted to extremely low intensities. The likely factorlimiting their foraging activity is finding their nest entranceon return from a foraging trip. The lowest light intensity atwhich they can do this, both in the morning and the evening,is 0.0001 cd m^–2. Therefore, they leave the nest at dimmerlight levels in the morning than in the evening. Lasioglossum(Sphecodogastra) foraging is limited by light intensity in theevening, but probably by temperature in the morning in the temperateclimate of Utah. We propose that the evolution of nocturnalityin bees was favored by the large variance in the size of females.     

Relationships between Nest Architecture and Behavior in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xylocopa virginica</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

The large carpenter bees nest in reeds, stems and wood. Many other Hymenoptera, including many wasps and some bees, have strong associations between the physical elements of their nests and behavior. Nests of the North American carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica, were collected in southern Ontario. Nest architecture elements were examined with respect to their impact on life-history elements. In particular, it was determined that the brood cells are provisioned sequentially both within and among branches. There was also no detectable pattern of sex allocation in broods. Nests with branched architecture contained more foundresses, but these foundresses did not appear to contribute in the construction of larger nests. These findings are discussed with respect to other bees, and to the social structure of Xylocopa virginica.     

海切叶蜂的筑巢和访花行为

【目的】研究毛乌素沙地重要野生传粉昆虫海切叶蜂Megachile maritima的筑巢和访花行为对保护其栖息环境具有重要意义。【方法】采用目测及拍照等方法对海切叶蜂的整个筑巢过程进行了连续观测;以2 m×2 m 样方的方式观测海切叶蜂的访花频率、单花停留时间及日活动规律等访花行为,其中日活动规律每天连续观测,共观测7天。【结果】海切叶蜂在沙土中筑巢,每巢只有一个巢室,其筑巢过程为：寻找合适的筑巢地点,挖巢,构建巢室,采集蜂粮,产卵,封住巢室,筑完一个巢。它连续筑完一个巢大约需要9 h。海切叶蜂构建一个巢室需要切取26～29片叶子,为每巢室采集蜂粮11～12次,每巢室内产卵1粒;在塔落岩黄芪和细叶益母草上的平均访花频率分别为（13.23±6.49）朵/min和（16.72±4.84）朵/min,平均单花停留时间分别为（3.08±2.48）s和（2.49±1.31）s。晴天,海切叶蜂在12:00～14:00期间活动较活跃。【结论】海切叶蜂不同个体之间的筑巢行为相似。该蜂在塔落岩黄芪和细叶益母草上的访花过程、访花频率及单花停留时间具有显著的差异。     

Honey bee (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera capensis/A. m. scutellata</Emphasis> hybrid) nesting behavior in the Eastern Cape,South Africa

Little is known about the natural history of wild honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The goal of this research was to examine nest site characteristics of honey bee (A. m. capensis/A. m. scutellata hybrid) colonies sampled from a variety of habitats (nature reserves, livestock farms, and an urban setting) in the Eastern Cape. We also determined how nest site location related to various colony strength parameters. In general, colonies not nesting in ground cavities tended to nest in locations >6 m high when nesting in cliffs and buildings and >2 m high when nesting in trees. Colonies typically nested in cavities whose entrances faced a southeasterly direction and were ~40 L in volume. We sampled a subset of colonies to determine the relationship between nest type and the following colony strength parameters: total area of comb in the colony, the volume of stored honey, pollen, and brood, adult bee population, the weight per adult bee, and the bee/nest cavity volume ratio. In general, colonies nesting in cliffs tended to be stronger than those nesting in the ground or trees. Our findings provide new insights into the nesting biology of honey bees in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, perhaps leading to the formation of conservation recommendations for honey bees in this region.     

Experience-dependent plasticity in the mushroom bodies of the solitary bee Osmia lignaria (Megachilidae)

All members of the solitary bee species Osmia lignaria (the orchard bee) forage upon emergence from their natal nest cell. Conversely, in the honey bee, days-to-weeks of socially regulated behavioral development precede the onset of foraging. The social honey bee's behavioral transition to foraging is accompanied by neuroanatomical changes in the mushroom bodies, a region of the insect brain implicated in learning. If these changes were general adaptations to foraging, they should also occur in the solitary orchard bee. Using unbiased stereological methods, we estimated the volume of the major compartments of the mushroom bodies, the neuropil and Kenyon cell body region, in adult orchard bees. We compared the mushroom bodies of recently emerged bees with mature bees that had extensive foraging experience. To separate effects of general maturation from field foraging, some orchard bees were confined to a cage indoors. The mushroom body neuropil of experienced field foragers was significantly greater than that of both recently emerged and mature caged orchard bees, suggesting that, like the honey bee, this increase is driven by outdoor foraging experience. Unlike the honey bee, where increases in the ratio of neuropil to Kenyon cell region occur in the worker after emerging from the hive cell, the orchard bee emerged from the natal nest cell with a ratio that did not change with maturation and was comparable to honey-bee foragers. These results suggest that a common developmental endpoint may be reached via different development paths in social and solitary species of foraging bees.     

Can alloethism in workers of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, be explained in terms of foraging efficiency?

Bumblebee workers vary greatly in size, unlike workers of most other social bees. This variability has not been adequately explained. In many social insects, size variation is adaptive, with different-sized workers performing different tasks (alloethism). Here we established whether workers of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (L.) (Hymenoptera; Apidae), exhibit alloethism. We quantified the size of workers engaging in foraging compared to those that remain in the nest, and confirmed that it is the larger bees that tend to forage (X±SE thorax widths 4.34±0.01 mm for nest bees and 4.93±0.02 mm for foragers). We then investigated whether large bees are better suited to foraging because they are able to transport heavier loads of food back to the nest. Both pollen and nectar loads of returning foragers were measured, demonstrating that larger bees do return with a heavier mass of forage. Foraging trip times were inversely related to bee size when collecting nectar, but were unrelated to bee size for bees collecting pollen. Overall, large bees brought back more nectar per unit time than small bees, but the rate of pollen collection appeared to be unrelated to size. The smallest foragers had a nectar foraging rate close to zero, presumably explaining why foragers tend to be large. Why might larger bees be better at foraging? Various explanations are considered: larger bees are able to forage in cooler conditions, may be able to forage over larger distances, and are perhaps also less vulnerable to predation. Conversely, small workers are presumably cheaper to produce and may be more nimble at within-nest tasks. Further research is needed to assess these possibilities. Copyright 2002 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.