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1.
    
Some parasites of social insects are able to exploit the exchange of food between nestmates via trophallaxis, because they are chemically disguised as nestmates. However, a few parasites succeed in trophallactic solicitation although they are attacked by workers. The underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The small hive beetle (=SHB), Aethina tumida, is such a parasite of honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies and is able to induce trophallaxis. Here, we investigate whether SHB trophallactic solicitation is innate and affected by sex and experience. We quantified characteristics of the trophallactic solicitation in SHBs from laboratory‐reared individuals that were either bee‐naïve or had 5 days experience. The data clearly show that SHB trophallactic solicitation is innate and further suggest that it can be influenced by both experience and sex. Inexperienced SHB males begged more often than any of the other groups had longer breaks than their experienced counterparts and a longer soliciting duration than both experienced SHB males and females, suggesting that they start rather slowly and gain more from experience. Successful experienced females and males were not significantly different from each other in relation to successful trophallactic interactions, but had a significantly shorter soliciting duration compared to all other groups, except successful inexperienced females. Trophallactic solicitation success, feeding duration and begging duration were not significantly affected by either SHB sex or experience, supporting the notion that these behaviors are important for survival in host colonies. Overall, success seems to be governed by quality rather than quantity of interactions, thereby probably limiting both SHB energy investment and chance of injury (<1%). Trophallactic solicitation by SHBs is a singular example for an alternative strategy to exploit insect societies without requiring chemical disguise. Hit‐and‐run trophallaxis is an attractive test system to get an insight into trophallaxis in the social insects.  相似文献   

2.
    
Invasive species may exploit a wide range of food sources, thereby fostering their success and hampering mitigation, but the actual degree of opportunism is often unknown. The small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida, is a parasite of honeybee colonies endemic to sub‐Saharan Africa. SHBs have now spread on all habitable continents and can also infest colonies of other social bees. To date, the possible role of solitary bee nests as alternative hosts is unknown. Similarly, flowers as possible alternative food sources are not well understood. Here, we show that SHBs can complete an entire life cycle in association with nests of solitary bees Megachile rotundata. The data also show that flowers can serve as alternative food sources. These results support the opportunistic nature of this invasive species, thereby generating further obstacles for mitigation efforts in the field. It also suggests that SHB invasions may result in more serious consequences for endemic bee fauna than previously thought. This provides further motivation to slow down the global spread of this pest, and to improve its management in areas, where it is established.  相似文献   

3.
    
Group living is favorable to pathogen spread due to the increased risk of disease transmission among individuals. Similar to individual immune defenses, social immunity, that is antiparasite defenses mounted for the benefit of individuals other than the actor, is predicted to be altered in social groups. The eusocial honey bee (Apis mellifera) secretes glucose oxidase (GOX), an antiseptic enzyme, throughout its colony, thereby providing immune protection to other individuals in the hive. We conducted a laboratory experiment to investigate the effects of group density on social immunity, specifically GOX activity, body mass and feeding behavior in caged honey bees. Individual honeybees caged in a low group density displayed increased GOX activity relative to those kept at a high group density. In addition, we provided evidence for a trade‐off between GOX activity and body mass: Individuals caged in the low group density had a lower body mass, despite consuming more food overall. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that group density affects a social immune response in a eusocial insect. Moreover, we showed that the previously reported trade‐off between immunity and body mass extends to social immunity. GOX production appears to be costly for individuals, and potentially the colony, given that low body mass is correlated with small foraging ranges in bees. At high group densities, individuals can invest less in social immunity than at low densities, while presumably gaining shared protection from infection. Thus, there is evidence that trade‐offs at the individual level (GOX vs. body mass) can affect colony‐level fitness.  相似文献   

4.
    
European honey bees Apis mellifera are important commercial pollinators that have suffered greater than normal overwintering losses since 2007 in North America and Europe. Contributing factors likely include a combination of parasites, pesticides, and poor nutrition. We examined diet diversity, diet nutritional quality, and pesticides in honey bee‐collected pollen from commercial colonies in the Canadian Maritime Provinces in spring and summer 2011. We sampled pollen collected by honey bees at colonies in four site types: apple orchards, blueberry fields, cranberry bogs, and fallow fields. Proportion of honey bee‐collected pollen from crop versus noncrop flowers was high in apple, very low in blueberry, and low in cranberry sites. Pollen nutritional value tended to be relatively good from apple and cranberry sites and poor from blueberry and fallow sites. Floral surveys ranked, from highest to lowest in diversity, fallow, cranberry, apple, and blueberry sites. Pesticide diversity in honey bee‐collected pollen was high from apple and blueberry sites and low from cranberry and fallow sites. Four different neonicotinoid pesticides were detected, but neither these nor any other pesticides were at or above LD50 levels. Pollen hazard quotients were highest in apple and blueberry sites and lowest in fallow sites. Pollen hazard quotients were also negatively correlated with the number of flower taxa detected in surveys. Results reveal differences among site types in diet diversity, diet quality, and pesticide exposure that are informative for improving honey bee and land agro‐ecosystem management.  相似文献   

5.
    
The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), is a significant pest of managed honeybees in the USA and eastern Australia. The beetle damages hives by feeding on hive products and leaving behind fermented wastes. The beetle is consistently associated with the yeast Kodamaea ohmeri (Etchells & Bell) Yamada et al. (Saccharomycetales: Metschnikowiaceae), and this yeast is the presumed agent of the fermentation. Previous work has noted that the small hive beetle is attracted to volatiles from hive products and those of the yeast K. ohmeri. In this study, we investigated how the volatile compounds from the fermenting hive products change depending upon the source of the hive material and also how these volatiles change through time. We used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and choice‐test behavioural assays to investigate these changes using products sampled from apiaries across the established range of the beetle in eastern Australia. The starting hive products significantly affected the volatile composition of fermenting hive products, and this composition varied throughout time. We found 61.7% dissimilarity between attractive and non‐attractive fermenting hive products, and identified individual compounds that characterise each of these groups. Eleven of these individual compounds were then assessed for attractiveness, as well as testing a synthetic blend in the laboratory. In the laboratory bioassay, 82.1 ± 0.02% of beetles were trapped in blend traps. These results have strong implications for the development of an out‐of‐hive attractant trap to assist in the management of this invasive pest.  相似文献   

6.
    
In the honey bee, hygienic behaviour, the removal of dead or diseased brood from capped cells by workers, is a heritable trait that confers colony‐level resistance against brood diseases. This behaviour is quite rare. Only c. 10% of unselected colonies show high levels of hygiene. Previous studies suggested that hygiene might be rare because it also results in the removal of healthy brood, thereby imposing an ongoing cost even when brood diseases are absent. We tested this hypothesis by quantifying hygienic behaviour in 10 colonies using a standard technique, the freeze‐killed brood (FKB) bioassay. At the same time, we also quantified the removal of untreated brood. The study colonies showed a wide range in hygienic behaviour, removing 19.7–100% of the FKB. The removal of untreated brood ranged from 2% to 44.4%. However, there was no correlation between the two removal rates for any of the four age groups of untreated brood studied (eggs, young larvae, older larvae from uncapped cells and larvae/pupae from capped cells). These results do not support the cost‐to‐healthy‐brood hypothesis for the rarity of hygienic behaviour.  相似文献   

7.
    
Small hive beetles (SHB), Aethina tumida, are free-flying parasites, which actively seek and invade honeybee host colonies. Previous research suggests that SHB prefer colonies in the shade. Further, it has been stated that SHB invade any colony with equal impunity. Though, the impact of colony aggressiveness on SHB infestation levels has never been quantified. Here, we confirm significantly higher SHB infestation levels in shaded colonies and further suggest that host colony aggression is of minor importance only. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, local Africanized honeybee colonies at a sunny (N = 10) and at a shaded apiary (N = 11) were tested for aggression and visually screened for SHB infestations using standard methods. Both colony aggression and infestation levels were variable, but not significantly correlated. The results confirm that infestation levels are significantly higher in the shaded apiary than in the sun-exposed one. However, host colony aggression is unlikely to interfere with SHB infestation levels of colonies. Instead, SHB seem to remain even in aggressive colonies. The underlying mechanisms for the significant differences in colony infestation levels due to sun exposure remain unknown. Beekeepers are advised to prefer sun-exposed apiary locations in regions, where SHB are a pest of concern.  相似文献   

8.
    
Bees are considered the most important plant pollinators in many ecosystems, yet little is known about pollination of native plants by bees in many Australian ecosystems including the alpine region. Here we consider bee pollination in this region by constructing a bee visitation network and investigating the degree of specialism and network ‘nestedness’, which are related to the robustness of the network to perturbations. Bees and flowers were collected and observed from 10 sites across the Bogong High Plains/Mt Hotham region in Victoria. Low nestedness and a low degree of specialism were detected, consistent with patterns in other alpine regions. Twenty‐one native and one non‐indigenous bee species were observed visiting 46 of the 67 flower species recorded. The introduced Apis mellifera had a large floral overlap with native bees, which may reduce fecundity of native bees through competition. The introduced plant, Hypochaeris radicata (Asteraceae), had the largest and most sustained coverage of any flower and had the most visitations and bee species of any flower. The network developed in this study is a first step in understanding pollination patterns in the alpine/subalpine region and serves as a baseline for future comparisons.  相似文献   

9.
    
  1. The Mojave Desert of the southwestern U.S. is home to two protected species of poppy in the genus Arctomecon Torr. & Frém. (Papaveraceae). A pollinator of these species is the specialist bee Perdita meconis Griswold (Andrenidae) a specialist on poppy pollen.
  2. Recently, the easternmost population of P. meconis, which was associated with A. humilis Coville in Utah, has become locally extinct, and other historically associated bee pollinators have become scarce. Implicated in the disruption of this pollination system is invasion by the Africanised honey bee.
  3. Here we report on the status of P. meconis in historic populations associated with congener A. californica Torr. & Frém., 100 km west in Clark Co., Nevada where the Africanised honey bee is also adventive.
  4. We surveyed flower visitors at eight A. californica populations in 2017, six of which had been surveyed in 1995. In general, we found no disruptions of the historic pollination system of A. californica despite the presence of abundant Africanised honey bees, which largely foraged at other flower species.
  5. The most likely cause of the disparate effects of the Africanised honey bee in Utah and Nevada is livestock grazing. Grazing in Utah has been continuous for over three decades and while cattle do not graze A. humilis, they graze its floral competitors, forcing honey bees to forage on poppy flowers. In Nevada, protections afforded to the desert tortoise halted grazing approximately when the Africanised honey bee invaded, making diverse floral forage available for honey bees.
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10.
    
Behavioural flexibility plays a key role in facilitating the ability of invasive species to exploit anthropogenically‐created resources. In Australia, invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) often gather around commercial beehives (apiaries), whereas native frogs do not. To document how toads use this resource, we spool‐tracked cane toads in areas containing beehives and in adjacent natural habitat without beehives, conducted standardized observations of toad feeding behaviour, and ran prey‐manipulation trials to compare the responses of cane toads versus native frogs to honeybees as potential prey. Toads feeding around beehives travelled shorter distances per night, and hence used different microhabitats, than did toads from nearby control sites without beehives. The toads consumed live bees from the hive entrance (rather than dead bees from the ground), often climbing on top of one another to gain access to the hive entrance. Prey manipulation trials confirm that bee movement is the critical stimulus that elicits the toads’ feeding response; and in standardized trials, native frogs consumed bees less frequently than did toads. In summary, cane toads flexibly modify their movements, foraging behaviour and dietary composition to exploit the nutritional opportunities created by commercial beehives, whereas native anurans do not.  相似文献   

11.
    
  1. Small hive beetles (SHBs) Aethina tumida are parasites of honeybee colonies native to sub‐Saharan Africa and have become an invasive species.
  2. SHB mass reproduction can destroy entire host colonies, although it is very rare in populations of African honeybee subspecies. However, there are no data available on SHB cryptic low‐level reproduction in African host colonies.
  3. In the present study, we dissected entire African honeybee (Apis mellifera adansonii) colonies in Benin.
  4. The data obtained show that nondestructive, low‐level SHB reproduction can be very common in Africa and is sufficient to explain local infestation levels of host colonies with adult SHBs.
  相似文献   

12.
Aethina tumida, a beetle parasite of honey bee colonies, has recently and dramatically expanded its range and now parasitizes honey bees on three continents. Polymorphic microsatellite loci for this beetle species will help map this continuing range expansion, and will also prove useful for exploring the mating system and local gene flow patterns for this important parasite. We describe 15 loci that are polymorphic in both the native and introduced ranges of this species, showing from two to 22 alleles.  相似文献   

13.
    
In eastern North America, the field milkweed, Asclepias syriaca L. (Asclepiadaceae), is used in planting schemes to promote biodiversity conservation for numerous insects including the endangered monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus) (Nymphalidae). Less is known about its pollinators, and especially in urban habitats where it is planted often despite being under increasing pressure from invasive plant species, such as the related milkweed, the dog‐strangling vine (DSV), Vincetoxicum rossicum (Kleopow) Barbar. (Asclepiadaceae). During the A. syriaca flowering period in July 2016, we surveyed bees in open habitats along a DSV invasion gradient and inspected 433 individuals of 25 bee species in 12 genera for pollinia: these were affixed to bees that visited A. syriaca for nectar and contain pollen packets that are vectored (e.g., transferred) between flowers. Of all bees sampled, pollinia were found only on the nonindigenous honeybee, Apis mellifera (43% of all bees identified), as well as one individual bumblebee, Bombus impatiens Cresson. Pollinia were recorded from 45.2% of all honeybees collected. We found no relationship between biomass of DSV and biomass of A. syriaca per site. There was a significant positive correlation between A. syriaca biomass and the number of pollinia, and the proportion vectored. No relationship with DSV biomass was detected for the number of pollinia collected by bees but the proportion of vectored pollinia declined with increasing DSV biomass. Although we find no evidence of DSV flowers attracting potential pollinators away from A. syriaca and other flowering plants, the impacts on native plant–pollinator mutualisms relate to its ability to outcompete native plants. As wild bees do not appear to visit DSV flowers, it could be altering the landscape to one which honeybees are more tolerant than native wild bees.  相似文献   

14.
    
Recent major losses of managed honeybee, Apis mellifera, colonies at a global scale have resulted in a multitude of research efforts to identify the underlying mechanisms. Numerous factors acting singly and/or in combination have been identified, ranging from pathogens, over nutrition to pesticides. However, the role of apiculture in limiting natural selection has largely been ignored. This is unfortunate, because honeybees are more exposed to environmental stressors compared to other livestock and management can severely compromise bee health. Here, we briefly review apicultural factors that influence bee health and focus on those most likely interfering with natural selection, which offers a broad range of evolutionary applications for field practice. Despite intense breeding over centuries, natural selection appears to be much more relevant for the health of managed A. mellifera colonies than previously thought. We conclude that sustainable solutions for the apicultural sector can only be achieved by taking advantage of natural selection and not by attempting to limit it.  相似文献   

15.
    
Time series of abundances are critical for understanding how abiotic factors and species interactions affect population dynamics, but are rarely linked with experiments and also scarce for bee pollinators. This gap is important given concerns about declines in some bee species. I monitored honey bee (Apis mellifera) and bumble bee (Bombus spp.) foragers in coastal California from 1999, when feral A. mellifera populations were low due to Varroa destructor, until 2014. Apis mellifera increased substantially, except between 2006 and 2011, coinciding with declines in managed populations. Increases in A. mellifera strongly correlated with declines in Bombus and reduced diet overlap between them, suggesting resource competition consistent with past experimental results. Lower Bombus numbers also correlated with diminished floral resources. Declines in floral abundances were associated with drought and reduced spring rainfall. These results illustrate how competition with an introduced species may interact with climate to drive local decline of native pollinators.  相似文献   

16.
    
The yellow‐legged Asian hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) is an invasive species that presents a threat to apiculture in Europe; first introduced into France in 2004, it has subsequently spread into neighbouring European countries. There is a risk of invasion and establishment in the UK, and in 2016, nests were found and destroyed in Alderney in the Channel Islands, and in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, illustrating a need for screening of suspect specimens so that invading hornets can be rapidly identified, and their nests destroyed. In this study, loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and real‐time PCR assays were developed to enable both in‐field and laboratory testing. Species‐specific identification assays and generic invertebrate control assays were developed. All the assays were validated according to the European Plant Protection Organisation standard PM 7/98. The assays were tested successfully against V. velutina nigrithorax obtained from France, Asia and the UK. Eight non‐target species, that were closely related or morphologically similar to the Asian hornet, gave negative results with the species‐specific assays, and positive results with the control assays. The assays could be used to detect target DNA at concentrations as low as 5 pg per reaction. LAMP was rapid, and cable of generating positive results within 10 min. Using simplified sample homogenization protocols that could be performed in the field, the LAMP assay was successful when tested against all developmental stages and nest samples, assisting with identification of samples that cannot be determined morphologically and allowing detection away from the laboratory. These assays provide a valuable tool for fast and reliable detection of this invasive species, offering the ability to identify damaged/incomplete specimens and immature life‐stages.  相似文献   

17.
    
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18.
    
Urban landscapes provide habitat for many species, including domesticated and feral honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). With recent losses of managed honey bee colonies, there is increasing interest in feral honey bee colonies and their potential contribution to pollination services in agricultural, natural, and urban settings. However, in some regions the feral honey bee population consists primarily of Africanized honey bees. Africanized honey bees (AHB) are hybrids between European honey bees and the African honey bee, Apis mellifera scutellataLepeletier, and have generated economic, ecological, and human health concerns because of their aggressive behavior. In this study, we used two long‐term datasets (7–10 years) detailing the spatial and temporal distribution of AHB colonies in Tucson, AZ, USA, where feral colonies occupy a variety of cavities including water meter boxes. A stage‐structured matrix model was used to elucidate the implications of nest site selection and the effects of colony terminations on the structure and dynamics of the AHB population. Our results suggest that Tucson's AHB population is driven by a relatively small number of ‘source’ colonies that escape termination (ca. 0.165 colonies per km2 or 125 colonies in total), although immigrating swarms and absconding colonies from the surrounding area may have also contributed to the stability of the Tucson AHB population. Furthermore, the structure of the population has likely been impacted by the number and spatial distribution of water meter boxes across the city. The study provides an example of how urban wildlife populations are driven by interactions among landscape structure, human management, and behavioral traits conferred by an invasive genotype.  相似文献   

19.
    
Host shifts are a key mechanism of parasite evolution and responsible for the emergence of many economically important pathogens. Varroa destructor has been a major factor in global honeybee (Apis mellifera) declines since shifting hosts from the Asian honeybee (Apis cerana) > 50 years ago. Until recently, only two haplotypes of V. destructor (Korea and Japan) had successfully host shifted to A. mellifera. In 2008, the sister species V. jacobsoni was found for the first time parasitizing A. mellifera in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This recent host shift presents a serious threat to world apiculture but also provides the opportunity to examine host shifting in this system. We used 12 microsatellites to compare genetic variation of V. jacobsoni on A. mellifera in PNG with mites on A. cerana in both PNG and surrounding regions. We identified two distinct lineages of V. jacobsoni reproducing on A. mellifera in PNG. Our analysis indicated independent host shift events have occurred through small numbers of mites shifting from local A. cerana populations. Additional lineages were found in the neighbouring Papua and Solomon Islands that had partially host shifted to A. mellifera, that is producing immature offspring on drone brood only. These mites were likely in transition to full colonization of A. mellifera. Significant population structure between mites on the different hosts suggested host shifted V. jacobsoni populations may not still reproduce on A. cerana, although limited gene flow may exist. Our studies provide further insight into parasite host shift evolution and help characterize this new Varroa mite threat to A. mellifera worldwide.  相似文献   

20.
    
Reproductive isolation between closely related species is often incomplete. The Western honeybee, Apis mellifera, and the Eastern hive bee, Apis cerana, have been allopatric for millions of years, but are nonetheless similar in morphology and behaviour. During the last century, the two species were brought into contact anthropogenically, providing potential opportunities for interspecific matings. Hybrids between A. mellifera and A. cerana are inviable, so natural interspecific matings are of concern because they may reduce the viability of A. cerana and A. mellifera populations – two of the world's most important pollinators. We examined the mating behaviour of A. mellifera and A. cerana queens and drones from Caoba Basin, China and Cairns, Australia. Drone mating flight times overlap in both areas. Analysis of the spermathecal contents of queens with species‐specific genetic markers indicated that in Caoba Basin, 14% of A. mellifera queens mated with at least one A. cerana male, but we detected no A. cerana queens that had mated with A. mellifera males. Similarly, in Cairns, no A. cerana queens carried A. mellifera sperm, but one‐third of A. mellifera queens had mated with at least one A. cerana male. No hybrid embryos were detected in eggs laid by interspecifically mated A. mellifera queens in either location. However, A. mellifera queens artificially inseminated with A. cerana sperm produced inviable hybrid eggs or unfertilized drones. This suggests that reproductive interference will impact the viability of honeybee populations wherever A. cerana and A. mellifera are in contact.  相似文献   

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