蜜蜂蜂群温湿度调节研究进展

环境温度的变化直接影响蜜蜂的个体发育、群体活动、蜂群繁殖、群势强弱等方面,蜂群温湿度是对蜜蜂生命活动影响最大的环境因素,蜜蜂会积极地响应环境温度变化。在巢群内温度高于或低于子脾要求温度,蜜蜂就会采取各种解决办法。研究蜂群温度的分布、变化规律以及调控机制是当前蜂学领域的热点问题,而掌握了蜂群温度变化规律,也能更好的进行科学养蜂,提高蜂产品的产量和质量,同时对人类认知、环境保护也具有非常重要的借鉴价值。近年来随着基因组学、生物学、高新科学技术等的应用,蜜蜂温湿度调节的研究不断深入。整合当前国内外蜜蜂蜂群温湿度调节的研究报道,对蜜蜂蜂群温湿度调节现象和行为进行综合阐述,并对蜂群温湿度内在调控机理方面的进一步研究提出新思路。     

不同水平亮氨酸对繁殖期意大利蜜蜂蜂群群势及工蜂发育的影响

【目的】评价日粮中不同水平亮氨酸对繁殖期意大利蜜蜂Apis mellifera ligustica蜂群群势及工蜂发育的影响。【方法】选取重庆荣昌本地繁殖期意大利蜜蜂21群,随机分为7组,分别饲喂添加0,15.30,17.50,26.25,35.00,43.75和52.5 g/kg亮氨酸的试验日粮,每12 d测定各组蜂群群势、封盖子量、蜂群取食量和营造王台情况,24 d后测定蜂群采集行为、工蜂初生重、工蜂虫体蛋白质含量及工蜂寿命。【结果】当亮氨酸添加水平为43.75和52.50 g/kg时能够显著提高繁殖期意大利蜜蜂的蜂群群势、封盖子量、蜂群取食量及采集行为(P0.05)。与空白对照组相比,基础日粮组及各亮氨酸添加组的新出房蜂和6日龄幼虫体蛋白质含量较高(P0.05);各亮氨酸添加组的工蜂初生重显著高于空白组(P0.05);不同亮氨酸添加水平对意大利蜜蜂工蜂寿命影响较小。此外,亮氨酸添加水平26.25,35.00和43.75 g/kg能够在饲喂0-24 d时促进蜂群营造自然王台,刺激蜂群分蜂。【结论】配方日粮中43.75和52.5 g/kg的亮氨酸能够显著促进繁殖期意大利蜜蜂蜂群发展,其中43.75 g/kg的亮氨酸饲喂量还能刺激蜂群营造自然王台,激发蜂群分蜂。     

蜜蜂群内生殖分工体系的形成及其维持

本文对蜜蜂群内生殖分工体系的形成及其维持机制进行综述。蜜蜂群体具有完善的劳动分工(包括生殖分工)体系,蜂王垄断生殖权力,而工蜂生殖器官发育不完全,在蜂王信息素和幼虫信息素的作用下产卵受到抑制。蜂王的多雄交配机制降低了群内个体间的亲缘关系,但也促进了工蜂间相互监督机制的形成。工蜂间的相互监督,结合蜂王和幼虫信息素对工蜂卵巢发育的影响,解决了蜂王与工蜂、工蜂与工蜂间的生殖利益冲突,保障了蜂群内的生殖分工体系,提高了群体效率,维护了蜂群的真社会性。     

狄斯瓦螨和蜜蜂病毒对意大利蜜蜂蜂群越冬的影响

越冬期是蜂群损失最主要的阶段.通过比较分析45个意大利蜜蜂Apis mellifera ligustica蜂群在繁殖越冬蜂前的狄斯瓦螨Varroa destructor寄生率和病毒感染情况、越冬表现及越冬期存活蜂群的病毒感染情况等,探究与越冬期蜜蜂健康紧密相关的影响因素.结果表明,繁殖越冬蜂前蜂群的狄斯瓦螨寄生率与蜜蜂...     

2009-2013年中国西方蜜蜂蜂群损失情况调查分析

近年,欧洲和北美地区相继出现蜜蜂蜂群崩溃(Colony Collapse Disorder, CCD)现象,蜂业科学家在世界范围内开展蜜蜂蜂群损失情况调查与分析。基于此,探讨近4年我国主要西方蜜蜂饲养省份蜂群损失情况,并对损失量、损失原因进行分析。研究采用欧盟政府间合作框架(COST)下项目- CoLoss (Prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes)项目组提供的国际统一的标准调查表格,利用R语言在RStudio环境下开展全部的统计分析工作,采用广义线性混合模型分析调查数据的相关性及因变量为非正态分布的非独立数据。调查我国12 个主要西方蜜蜂饲养省份的蜂群越冬死亡损失情况。2009-2013 年蜂群平均损失率为8.9%,损失比例同比低于欧洲和北美国家和地区的蜂群损失率,在可接受范围内。利用广义线性混合模型分析,显著影响蜜蜂蜂群损失的因素有:巢脾使用时间及蜂王因素。我国蜂群损失率较低,大部分损失症状不属于CCD。CCD现象在我国尚未确认发生。加强蜂螨及其他病害的防治工作,增加更新巢脾频率,监控蜂王在蜂群中的表现及增加换王次数等可以有效控制蜂群越冬损失率。结果对明确我国蜂群是否受蜜蜂蜂群崩溃症状现象影响提出了明确的解释,对蜂群损失的防控提供重要的指导建议。     

意大利蜜蜂工蜂监督研究进展

在许多膜翅目中营社会性生活的昆虫群体里,亲属辨认、监督与优惠对昆虫个体和群体繁衍都非常重要。作者在国内外相关研究的基础上,对意大利蜜蜂Apismellifera蜂群中工蜂监督产生的理论依据、监督现象、监督效率、监督机理等研究进展进行综合论述,并对今后的研究趋势作扼要介绍。     

蜂群的分蜂行为及其影响因素

分蜂行为是蜂群重要的生物学特性,是一种特殊方式的繁殖。概述了3型蜂的发育、蜂群分蜂前的准备、分蜂的过程及影响蜂群分蜂的因素等蜜蜂生物学知识。还简要分析了环境污染对分蜂群的影响。     

蜜蜂采集及其信息传递的行为机制研究进展

蜜蜂的采集行为是蜜蜂众多社会行为中一种较复杂的行为,涉及信息评估、信息传递、学习记忆及能量代谢等不同的行为过程。研究蜜蜂采集及信息交流系统的分子机制,不仅利于蜜蜂的理论研究和蜂产业的发展,还为人类语言及信息交流系统的研究提供借鉴。本文从行为、感觉基础及分子机制等不同研究层面,综述了近年来对蜜蜂采集及信息传递行为的研究进展,并提出了研究设想,以期为深入研究蜜蜂的采集行为及其信息传递行为的分子机制提供参考。     

影响中华蜜蜂工蜂王浆腺活性的因素

王浆腺是一对位于工蜂头部的泡状腺体,是分泌王浆的主要腺体。青年工蜂的王浆腺在春夏肥大,分泌王浆,饲喂幼虫及蜂王。采集蜂的王浆腺呈可逆的萎缩状态(Free,1961)。越冬工蜂的王浆腺虽肥大,但无泌浆活性(Brouwers,1983)。本试验为了寻找诱发工蜂王浆腺活性的主要因素,为王浆生产提供理论依据,故研究了工蜂王浆腺活性与幼虫、蜂王、花粉、温度之间的关系。     

蜜蜂卵巢激活研究进展

蜜蜂Apis作为典型的社会性昆虫,最重要的特征就是生殖劳动分工。卵巢激活是蜜蜂发挥生殖能力的重要影响因素。本文对蜜蜂卵巢激活的影响因素、蜜蜂卵巢激活相关的基因表达及microRNA在蜜蜂卵巢激活过程中的可能作用进行了介绍,为研究蜜蜂级型分化和生殖劳动分工的分子机制提供依据。     

Worker reproduction and policing in insect societies: an ESS analysis

Insect societies are vulnerable to exploitation by workers who reproduce selfishly rather than help to rear the queen's offspring. In most species, however, only a small proportion of the workers reproduce. Here, we develop an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) model to investigate factors that could explain these observed low levels of reproductive exploitation. Two key factors are identified: relatedness and policing. Relatedness affects the ESS proportion of reproductive workers because laying workers generally work less, leading to greater inclusive fitness costs when within-colony relatedness is higher. The second key factor is policing. In many species, worker-laid eggs are selectively removed or 'policed' by other workers or the queen. We show that policing not only prevents the rearing of worker-laid eggs but can also make it unprofitable for workers to lay eggs in the first place. This can explain why almost no workers reproduce in species with efficient policing, such as honeybees, Apis, and the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, despite relatively low relatedness caused by multiple mating of the mother queen. Although our analyses focus on social insects, the conclusion that both relatedness and policing can reduce the incentive for cheating applies to other biological systems as well.     

Worker reproduction in the ant Formica fusca

We studied the kin conflict over male parentage in the ant Formica fusca. The conflict arises because each worker and queen is most related to her own sons and is thus predicted to lay eggs. Microsatellite analysis of eggs revealed that workers laid eggs in more than half the queenright experimental nests. Nevertheless, almost exclusively diploid offspring were reared in the presence of a queen. This also occurred when worker-laid haploid male eggs were experimentally introduced in to the nests. Because our experimental setup allowed us to exclude the possibility of queen policing, we conclude that worker laid eggs are removed by other workers, either as a response to their parentage or gender. Our results suggest that worker reproduction in F. fusca is ultimately an interplay of conflicts over male parentage and sex allocation and that both worker and self policing have roles as proximate mechanisms of resolution.     

Towards greater realism in inclusive fitness models: the case of worker reproduction in insect societies

The conflicts over sex allocation and male production in insect societies have long served as an important test bed for Hamilton''s theory of inclusive fitness, but have for the most part been considered separately. Here, we develop new coevolutionary models to examine the interaction between these two conflicts and demonstrate that sex ratio and colony productivity costs of worker reproduction can lead to vastly different outcomes even in species that show no variation in their relatedness structure. Empirical data on worker-produced males in eight species of Melipona bees support the predictions from a model that takes into account the demographic details of colony growth and reproduction. Overall, these models contribute significantly to explaining behavioural variation that previous theories could not account for.     

Specialization in policing behaviour among workers in the ant Pachycondyla inversa

Most animal societies are non-clonal and thus subject to conflicts. In social insects, conflict over male production can be resolved by worker policing, i.e. eating of worker-laid eggs (WLE) or aggression towards reproductive workers. All workers in a colony have an interest in policing behaviour being expressed, but there can be asymmetries among workers in performing the actual behaviour. Here, we show that workers of the ant Pachycondyla inversa specialize in policing behaviour. In two types of behavioural assays, workers developed their ovaries and laid eggs. In the first experiment, reproductive workers were introduced into queenright colonies. In the second experiment, WLE were introduced. By observing which individuals policed, we found that aggressive policing was highly skewed among workers that had opportunity to police, and that a similar tendency occurred in egg policing. None of the policing workers had active ovaries, so that policing did not incur a direct selfish benefit to the policer. This suggests that policing is subject to polyethism, just like other tasks in the colony. We discuss several hypotheses on the possible causes of this skew in policing tasks. This is the first non-primate example of specialization in policing tasks without direct selfish interests.     

Worker policing in the German wasp Vespula germanica

In some ants, bees, and wasps, workers kill or "police" maleeggs laid by other workers in order to maintain the reproductiveprimacy of the queen. Kin selection theory predicts that multiplemating by the queen is one factor that can selectively favorworker policing. This is because when the queen is mated tomultiple males, workers are more closely related to the queen'ssons than to the sons of other workers. Earlier work has suggestedthat reproductive patterns in the German wasp Vespula germanicamay contradict this theory, because in some colonies a largefraction of the adult males were inferred to be the workers'sons, despite the effective queen mating frequency being greaterthan 2 (2.4). In the present study, we reexamine the V. germanicacase and show that it does support the theory. First, geneticanalysis confirms that the effective queen mating frequencyis high, 2.9, resulting in workers being more related to thequeen's sons than to other workers' sons. Second, behavioralassays show that worker-laid eggs are effectively killed byother workers, despite worker-laid eggs having the same intrinsicviability as queen-laid ones. Finally, we estimate that approximately58.4% of the male eggs but only 0.44% of the adult males areworker derived in queenright colonies, consistent with workerreproduction being effectively policed.     

Worker policing persists in a hopelessly queenless honey bee colony (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis>)

Summary In queenright colonies of Apis mellifera, worker policing normally eliminates worker-laid eggs thereby preventing worker reproduction. However, in queenless colonies that have failed to rear a replacement queen, worker reproduction is normal. Worker policing is switched off, many workers have active ovaries and lay eggs, and the colony rears a last batch of male brood before dying out. Here we report a colony which, when hopelessly queenless, did not stop policing although a high proportion of workers had active ovaries (12.6%) and many eggs were laid. However, all these eggs and also worker-laid eggs transferred from another colony were policed. This unusual pattern was repeated eight weeks later by a second queenless colony made using worker bees from the same mother colony, which strongly suggests genetic determination.Received 19 May 2003; revised 11 September 2003; accepted 23 September 2003.     

Cape honeybees, Apis mellifera capensis, police worker-laid eggs despite the absence of relatedness benefits

In the Cape honeybee, Apis mellifera capensis, workers lay diploid(female) eggs via thelytoky. In other A. mellifera subspecies,workers lay haploid (male) eggs via arrhenotoky. When thelytokousworker reproduction occurs, worker policing has no relatednessbenefit because workers are equally related to their sisterworkers' clonal offspring and their mother queen's female offspring.We studied worker policing in A. m. capensis and in the arrhenotokousAfrican honeybee A. m. scutellata by quantifying the removalrates of worker-laid and queen-laid eggs. Discriminator coloniesof both subspecies policed worker-laid eggs of both their ownand the other subspecies. The occurrence of worker policing,despite the lack of relatedness benefit, in A. m. capensis stronglysuggests that worker reproduction is costly to the colony andthat policing is maintained because it enhances colony efficiency.In addition, because both subspecies policed each others eggs,it is probable that the mechanism used in thelytokous A. m.capensis to discriminate between queen-laid and worker-laideggs is the same as in arrhenotokous A. m. scutellata.