Influence of the beehive type on the quality of honey

Agricultural producers apply numerous technological procedures, and enlarging efforts to produce the high-quality products. This initiative is present in the beekeeping, too. The quality of the honey produced by the honey bee colonies depends of various factors, but prevailing are the ecological conditions and the floristic composition of the honeyfull plants. The aim of our research was to discover the influence of the beehive type on the quality of honey, which is produced at apiaries under the similar environmental conditions. The whole studied honey bee colonies belong to the European race, Apis mellifera carnica, and they used the same honeyfull plants pastures. The results indicate that different beehive type used at apiaries influenced on the quality of honey.     

Effect of honeybee broods (queen-bee different lineage) moving on disease development at various beehive types and allergy reaction cause in humans

The change of the location of the beehives on the diverse honeyfull pastures is the usual apiarists activity in the Republic of Croatia. The main reasons are the climatic and vegetation diversity, and richness of the floral composition, with numerous bee forage plants. Our study aimed to detect consequences of honeybee broods (Queen-bee of different lineage) moving, from one habitat to another at various type of beehives. The Alberti-Znidersic (AZ), Langstroth-Root (LR) and Dadant-Blatt (DB) beehive types, constructed of (lime-tree), have been used. After the bee forage on the Oilseed Rape in the beginning of April, the honeybee brood has been veterinary inspected (based on the Law of animal health protection in the Republic of Croatia) for varrosis, nosemosis and American foulbrood diseases. The same procedure was done after bee forage (False acacia) at the end of May. All of the honeybees belong to the European race Apis mellifera carnica. The results of the study pointed out that different beehive types and the Queen-bee lineage (natural and selected) affect development of disease inside the honeybee brood, during the relocation and change from one dominant bee forage plants to another. Certain allergy reactions occurring in people can be caused by the pollen of some honefull plants such as birch, grasses, ragweed, goldenrod and hazel. Such cases are also included in our investigations. Beekeepers and nature lovers sensitive to pollen allergens of some honeyfull plants should, in some calendar period, avoid ecological milieu with such plants.     

Honeybee Colony Disorder in Crop Areas: The Role of Pesticides and Viruses

As in many other locations in the world, honeybee colony losses and disorders have increased in Belgium. Some of the symptoms observed rest unspecific and their causes remain unknown. The present study aims to determine the role of both pesticide exposure and virus load on the appraisal of unexplained honeybee colony disorders in field conditions. From July 2011 to May 2012, 330 colonies were monitored. Honeybees, wax, beebread and honey samples were collected. Morbidity and mortality information provided by beekeepers, colony clinical visits and availability of analytical matrix were used to form 2 groups: healthy colonies and colonies with disorders (n = 29, n = 25, respectively). Disorders included: (1) dead colonies or colonies in which part of the colony appeared dead, or had disappeared; (2) weak colonies; (3) queen loss; (4) problems linked to brood and not related to any known disease. Five common viruses and 99 pesticides (41 fungicides, 39 insecticides and synergist, 14 herbicides, 5 acaricides and metabolites) were quantified in the samples.The main symptoms observed in the group with disorders are linked to brood and queens. The viruses most frequently found are Black Queen Cell Virus, Sac Brood Virus, Deformed Wing Virus. No significant difference in virus load was observed between the two groups. Three acaricides, 5 insecticides and 13 fungicides were detected in the analysed samples. A significant correlation was found between the presence of fungicide residues and honeybee colony disorders. A significant positive link could also be established between the observation of disorder and the abundance of crop surface around the beehive. According to our results, the role of fungicides as a potential stressor for honeybee colonies should be further studied, either by their direct and/or indirect impacts on bees and bee colonies.     

深度学习在蜜蜂研究中的应用

实现对蜜蜂蜂群的实时动态监测,有助于养蜂业的数字化与智能化发展,对大幅提升养蜂管理水平具有重要意义。深度学习作为人工智能的一种新的研究方向,目前已被广泛应用于昆虫分类学、行为学、害虫生物防治等领域。随着深度学习检测算法的迅速发展,基于深度学习的蜜蜂蜂群监测技术不断涌现,为智能化养蜂提供了可能。为促进深度学习在蜜蜂领域的进一步应用,本文梳理了深度学习在蜜蜂的物种识别、行为跟踪监测、蜂群健康监测和蜂巢监测等方面的研究进展,分析了深度学习技术在蜜蜂蜂群监测研究及应用中存在的一些问题和未来发展方向,为深度学习在蜜蜂领域的应用提出了建议。     

北京中华蜜蜂的保护与利用

阐述目前中华蜜蜂Apis cerana Fabricius的分布及其生态影响,并针对北京地区中蜂现状,提出从中蜂饲养技术培训、饲养繁育示范、多元开发利用、建立专业养殖乡及发挥中蜂优势、发展山区养蜂事业等5个方面入手,保护与利用中华蜜蜂,逐步恢复中蜂的数量。     

Current status and application of lactic acid bacteria in animal production systems with a focus on bacteria from honey bee colonies

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely distributed in nature and, due to their beneficial effects on the host, are used as probiotics. This review describes the applications of LAB in animal production systems such as beekeeping, poultry, swine and bovine production, particularly as probiotics used to improve health, enhance growth and reproductive performance. Given the importance of honeybees in nature and the beekeeping industry as a producer of healthy food worldwide, the focus of this review is on the coexistence of LAB with honeybees, their food and environment. The main LAB species isolated from the beehive and their potential technological use are described. Evidence is provided that 43 LAB bacteria species have been isolated from beehives, of which 20 showed inhibition against 28 species of human and animal pathogens, some of which are resistant to antibiotics. Additionally, the presence of LAB in the beehive and their relationship with antibacterial properties of honey and pollen is discussed. Finally, we describe the use of lactic bacteria from bee colonies and their antimicrobial effect against foodborne pathogens and human health . This review broadens knowledge by highlighting the importance of honeybee colonies as suppliers of LAB and functional food.     

蜜蜂——新兴的模式生物

蜜蜂作为具有重要经济价值和生态价值的社会性昆虫, 在诸如神经生物学和社会生物学等研究领域也具有很高的模型价值。蜜蜂基因组工程为深入认识蜜蜂的生物学特点,进一步发挥其在多个研究领域的模型价值奠定了分子基础。本文基于蜜蜂的生物学特点,介绍了蜜蜂作为模式生物所具备的优势,及其在学习和记忆、劳动分工、级型分化、免疫等热点领域的研究价值。通过总结和展望国内外蜜蜂生物学研究形势,呼吁国内相关各学科开展合作研究。     

Nutritional factors affecting the egg sex ratio adjustment by a honeybee queen

Summary. To determine whether and how honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) queens control the proportion of male reproductives, experiments were done with colonies under two nutritional conditions at two seasons. During the reproductive season the proportion of male eggs laid by queens under insufficiently-food-supplied conditions was lower than that under sufficiently-food-supplied conditions. The smaller proportion of male egg production could not be accounted for by cannibalization of male eggs by workers. The workers' allocation to male cell construction did not differ between sufficiently- and insufficiently-food-supplied conditions. During the non-reproductive season, however, queens showed much reduced or nearly no production of male eggs, even if the colonies were sufficiently supplied with food. These results suggest that the honeybee queen adjusts the egg sex ratio by referring to both the nutritional resources and their own intrinsic seasonal factors.     

蜜蜂肠道微生物研究进展

蜜蜂是全球范围内重要的授粉昆虫,具有很高的经济、生态效益。但是蜜蜂一生中可能会遇到许多挑战。肠道微生物与蜜蜂的健康息息相关,不仅在营养物质的消化吸收方面有重要作用,而且还能抵抗某些病原菌的侵袭以及增强机体免疫力。近年出现的蜜蜂大量死亡现象可能与肠道微生物失调有关。生物以及非生物的因素都可能密切影响着蜜蜂肠道微生物的存活,导致宿主生理功能紊乱甚至死亡。本文综述了蜜蜂的肠道核心微生物组成、分布、变化、影响因素以及主要作用和研究方法,为肠道微生物的研究和利用提供参考。     

Über die Beeinflussbarkeit der Drohnenbrütigkeit in Bienenvölkern

Zusammenfassung Drohnenbrütigen Völkern können bei gleichzeitiger Zugabe einer geringen Menge von reinem Alkohol (95 Vol.-%) Königinnen zugesetzt werden. Dabei ist entgegen österreichischen Erfahrungen ein Zusatz von Morphin zum Alkohol, also ein ausPapaver somniferum hergestellter Morphinextrakt, nicht notwendig. Die betr. Völker nehmen zu jeder Jahreszeit innerhalb der Vegetationsperiode und bei jeder Witterung Königinnen jeglichen physiologischen Zustandes, begattet oder unbegattet bzw. sogar selbst drohnenbrütig, an.Unter dem Einfluss des Pheromons der zugesetzten Königin setzen sehr bald Degenerationserscheinungen in den Ovarien der Arbeiterinnen ein. Nach sechs Tagen Kontaktzeit mit der neuen Königin sind kaum noch Drohnenmütterchen vorhanden. Das Volk ist also weitgehend in den Normalzustand hinsichtlich seiner Ovarialausbildung überführt.

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Summary It is possible to heal a honeybee colony containing laying workers giving a new queen-bee to such a colony simultaneously with pure alcohol (95 vol. %). These honeybee colonies accept at any season of the vegetation periode and at any meterological conditions queens in every physiological situation. Below the influence of the queens pheromon the honeybee workers are regressing to the normal situation of colony. The eggs in the laying workers ovaries are degenerating soon, after a few days.

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Résumé Il est possible de ramener à l'état normal une colonie d'abeilles comprenant des ouvrières pondeuses. On introduit une reine nouvelle dans une telle colonie en même temps que de l'alcool pur (95 vol. %). Ces colonies acceptent la reine nouvelle à chaque saison de la période de végétation et dans chaque situation météorologique. Les ouvrières acceptent aussi une reine dans n'importe quelle situation physiologique. Sous l'influence de la phérormone de la reine la colonie d'abeilles revient à la situation normale. Les ufs dans les ovaries dégénèrent très vite, en peu de jours.

     

A novel hematoxylin and eosin stain assay for detection of the parasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya

The parasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya infects broad range of marine organisms. Particularly, Amoebophrya infections in planktonic dinoflagellates can prevent or delay the formation of algal blooms, and recycle undergrazed planktonic dinoflagellates back to the microbial loop by disrupting host cells. Its ecological significance was gradually recognized along with the discovery of its enormous molecular diversity in oceanic and coastal ecosystems. Thus, we developed a reliable, easily accessible and less time-consuming assay, to detect and assess Amoebophrya infections in planktonic dinoflagellates. The modified hematoxylin and eosin staining assay provided reliable diagnosis of Amoebophrya infection by identifying the characteristic “beehive” of the multinucleate trophonts. After staining, the typical multinucleate “beehive” is evidently distinguishable from the compact nuclei of uninfected host cells. The modified hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining assay is easy to use, that can be routinely performed within 3 h (up to 20 samples/batch) using general laboratory equipment, supplies and chemical reagents. The produced slides with agar-embedded dinoflagellate cells can be stored for several months or even years in a dry place without noticeable loss in quality of staining. With suitable calculation, the modified H & E assay can be applied to assess the prevalence of Amoebophrya infection in planktonic dinoflagellates. This efficient and powerful assay will facilitate the investigation on the ecological roles of Amoebophryidae in coastal and oceanic ecosystem.     

蜜蜂转基因研究进展及研究途径探讨

转基因动物的科研价值和商业价值促进了转基因技术的不断发展和在各个领域的深入应用。蜜蜂是有着悠久饲养历史的经济昆虫和在基础理论研究领域有重大应用价值的模式动物,但其转基因研究却相对落后。雌性蜂的级型分化和工蜂清洁巢房行为增加了蜜蜂转基因的难度,精子介导转基因配套以人工授精技术及蜜蜂卵或幼虫的转基因操作与蜜蜂人工孵育技术结合是目前蜜蜂转基因的较好途径。文章综述蜜蜂转基因的研究进展,并讨论蜜蜂转基因所面临的特殊性及其研究途径。     

Environmental factors have a strong impact on the composition and diversity of the gut bacterial community of Chinese black honeybees

The Chinese black honeybees is an ecotype of the European honeybee that is formed by the natural hybridization of Apis mellifera mellifera and A. m. carnica. It is distributed in nature reserves in North China and has been an important breeding resource for disease resistance and other desirable traits. Compared to the areas outside of reserves, the nature reserves offer significant biodiversity benefits not only to the Chinese black honey bees but also to the other valuable plants and animals. In recent years there has been growing evidence that environmental factors including food choices play an important role in shaping the composition and activity of gut microbiota, which in turn can impact host health. In the previous studies on Chinse black honeybees, little attention has been paid to the diverse population of microbes in the gut that play a vital role in host health. In order to achieve a better understanding on the role of environmental factors in diversity and composition of gut microbiota of honey bees, in the present study, we analyzed the gut bacterial communities of Chinese black honeybees using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). The results showed that the samples from the national nature reserves that are protected and managed so as to preserve and enrich their natural condition and resources for Chinese black honeybees had higher variety and richness of gut bacteria than that collected from unreserved regions that also harbor populations of Chinese black honeybees. The four terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs), 201, 223, 247 and 320 bp, were identified to be the dominant bacteria of Chinese black honeybees. Of which 247 and 320 bp had greater differences between bee groups sampled in different regions and therefore could be used as genetic markers to separate samples collected from the national nature reserves to samples collected from unreserved regions. The results clearly indicate that national nature reserve protects biological diversity and ecological and evolutionary processes which have had a significant influence on the diversity of gut bacteria of Chinese black honeybees. The ubiquity of gut symbiotic bacteria identified in Chinese black honeybee suggests that environmental factors could play an important role in diversity and composition of gut bacteria and warrant further investigation into the functional significance of these gut bacteria for the honeybee health.     

Beehive fences as effective deterrents for crop‐raiding elephants: field trials in northern Kenya

Increasing elephant populations in Kenya since 1989 have been widely praised as a conservation success story. However, where elephants and agricultural land overlap, incidents of human–elephant conflict are on the increase. Wildlife managers and farmers are now trying different farm‐based deterrents to keep elephants out of crops. Here, we present data on the effectiveness of a novel beehive fence deployed in a Turkana community of 62 communally run farms in Kenya. Specifically, 1700 m of beehive fences semi‐surrounded the outer boundaries of seventeen farms, and we compared elephant farm invasion events with these and to seventeen neighbouring farms whose boundaries were ‘protected’ only by thorn bush barriers. We present data from 45 farm invasions, or attempted invasions, recorded over 2 years. Thirteen groups of elephants approached the beehive fences and turned away. Of the 32 successful farm invasions, only one bull elephant broke through the beehive fences. These results demonstrate that beehive fences are more effective than thorn bush barriers at deterring elephants and may have a role to play in alleviating farmer–elephant conflict. Additionally, the harvesting of 106 kg of honey during the trial period suggests that beehive fences may also improve crop production and enhance rural livelihoods through honey sales.     

Characterization of a metabotropic glutamate receptor in the honeybee (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis>): implications for memory formation

G-protein-coupled metabotropic glutamate receptors (GPC mGluRs) are important constituents of glutamatergic synapses where they contribute to synaptic plasticity and development. Here we characterised a member of this family in the honeybee. We show that the honeybee genome encodes a genuine mGluR (AmGluRA) that is expressed at low to medium levels in both pupal and adult brains. Analysis of honeybee protein sequence places it within the type 3 GPCR family, which includes mGlu receptors, GABA-B receptors, calcium-sensing receptors, and pheromone receptors. Phylogenetic comparisons combined with pharmacological evaluation in HEK 293 cells transiently expressing AmGluRA show that the honeybee protein belongs to the group II mGluRs. With respect to learning and memory AmGluRA appears to be required for memory formation. Both agonists and antagonists selective against the group II mGluRs impair long-term (24 h) associative olfactory memory formation when applied 1 h before training, but have no effect when injected post-training or pre-testing. Our results strengthen the notion that glutamate is a key neurotransmitter in memory processes in the honeybee.     

Comparative psychophysics of bumblebee and honeybee colour discrimination and object detection

Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) discrimination of targets with broadband reflectance spectra was tested using simultaneous viewing conditions, enabling an accurate determination of the perceptual limit of colour discrimination excluding confounds from memory coding (experiment 1). The level of colour discrimination in bumblebees, and honeybees (Apis mellifera) (based upon previous observations), exceeds predictions of models considering receptor noise in the honeybee. Bumblebee and honeybee photoreceptors are similar in spectral shape and spacing, but bumblebees exhibit significantly poorer colour discrimination in behavioural tests, suggesting possible differences in spatial or temporal signal processing. Detection of stimuli in a Y-maze was evaluated for bumblebees (experiment 2) and honeybees (experiment 3). Honeybees detected stimuli containing both green-receptor-contrast and colour contrast at a visual angle of approximately 5 degrees , whilst stimuli that contained only colour contrast were only detected at a visual angle of 15 degrees . Bumblebees were able to detect these stimuli at a visual angle of 2.3 degrees and 2.7 degrees , respectively. A comparison of the experiments suggests a tradeoff between colour discrimination and colour detection in these two species, limited by the need to pool colour signals to overcome receptor noise. We discuss the colour processing differences and possible adaptations to specific ecological habitats.     

蜜蜂遗传多态性的影响因素及主要研究方法

蜜蜂遗传多态性与蜜蜂种质资源保存、优良品种繁育和科学引种等问题密切相关,具有重要的研究价值。文章综述蜜蜂遗传多态性的影响因素和研究方法,影响因素包括自然因素和人为因素,自然因素主要有环境因子和种群竞争等,人为因素主要有品种引进和农药毒害作用等;研究方法包括形态学检测和DNA分析检测等。通过比较各研究方法的优缺点,认为宜采用多种方法相结合的手段进行全方位、多角度地综合评价蜜蜂的遗传多态性。     

The genetic architecture of the behavioral ontogeny of foraging in honeybee workers

The initiation of foraging during the life course of honeybee workers is of central interest to understanding the division of labor in social insects, a central theme in sociobiology and behavioral research. It also provides one of the most complex phenotypic traits in biological systems because of the interaction of various external, social, and individual factors. This study reports on a comprehensive investigation of the genetic architecture of the age of foraging initiation in honeybees. It comprises an estimation of genetic variation, the study of candidate loci, and two complementary quantitative trait loci (QTL) maps using two selected, continually bred lines of honeybees. We conclude that considerable genetic variation exists between the selected lines for this central life history component. The study reveals direct pleiotropic and epistatic effects of candidate loci (including previously identified QTL for foraging behavior). Furthermore, two maps of the honeybee genome were constructed from over 400 AFLP markers. Both maps confirm the extraordinary recombinational size of the honeybee genome. On the basis of these maps, we report four new significant QTL and two more suggestive QTL that influence the initiation of foraging.