Apidologie最新文献

We evaluated the genetic structure and ecological niche segregation of Apis florea Fabricius 1787 (Apidae: Apini) across its native range using genetic and ecological niche data. The bee samples were from 62 colonies representing 40 localities across Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Oman, and Egypt. Ecological niche divergence was estimated based on a principal component analysis of climatic/ecological variables. We confirmed the presence of two distinct lineages (eastern and western) for the species using mtDNA. There was no significant climatic heterogeneity between the lineages and their ecological niches are likely to be somewhat conserved. They were probably separated from each other during the Pleistocene and evolved in isolation. The two lineages of A. florea can be considered separate conservation units and used to develop strategies for effectively conserving this keystone pollinator species in Asia.

tau–Fluvalinate (fluvalinate) is a commonly used miticide (Varroa destructor), the major driver of colony collapse disorder (CCD), in the apicultural industry. Despite the relatively high tolerance of honey bees to this miticide, recent studies showed several adverse effects. The side effect on cognitive abilities, however, remains still elusive. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of fluvalinate on the cognitive abilities of honey bees, especially associative learning, and memory. We tested the proboscis extension response (PER) to sugar taste and Pavlovian conditioning in forager bees that received a sub-lethal dose of fluvalinate on the abdomen. The current study demonstrated that sub-lethal fluvalinate induced cognitive impairment in bees. Furthermore, the comparison of gene expression patterns showed that this disorder was caused by changes in the energy metabolism associated with the subsets of specific neuropeptides that are indirectly involved in detoxification processes. Taken together, our findings are strong evidence that xenobiotics affect sensory cognition through indirect effects as well as direct damage. It might be applicable as a novel approach to exploring the mechanisms underlying the side effects of xenobiotics in various organisms.

Geometric morphometrics is an approach widely used in biological research. For bees, wing landmarks are applied to investigate several questions, such as species identification and population dynamics, yet other morphological structures remain understudied. Megalopta Smith reunite species that forage at dim-light conditions having heads with modifications on shape and size associated with specialized compound eyes and ocelli. In this study, we selected both sexes of 14 species to test if head landmarks can successfully differentiate Megalopta sexes, species, and taxonomic groups. We found that head and eye centroid size and Mahalanobis and Procrustes distances were consistently different between males and females. Male and female differed on lower head landmarks. When contrasting both species and taxonomic groups, canonical variate analysis could differentiate species pairs for most comparisons, while principal component and cluster analysis did not recover such taxonomic groups. Species differences were linked to variation in upper eye landmarks. We conclude that head and wing geometric morphometrics have similar potential and constraints, and response subjects should be selected based on underlying biological questions rather than convenience alone.

The nests of social insects have favorable characteristics for the maintenance of inquilines, including beetle species of various families. Although some species of stingless bees are hosts to beetles, this interaction has been little studied. Certain Scotocryptini beetles are inquilines of stingless bee nests and possess morphological adaptations to live in these environments. Here, we review the interactions between bees and beetles, specifically those of Neotropical stingless bees and Scotocryptini. In addition, we provide new data and an interaction network between the species of these taxa, and analyze their interaction frequency. Finally, we discuss the importance of taxonomic studies on scotocryptines to better understand the evolution of this type of association.

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie the division of labor in stingless bees. We investigated the expression of a set of candidate genes associated with the nurse-to-forager transition in the honey bee in two stingless bee species, Melipona quadrifasciata and Frieseomelitta varia. These species differ with respect to worker reproduction. The workers of M. quadrifasciata lay trophic and reproductive eggs, but those of F. varia are completely sterile. For M. quadrifasciata nurses, we found elevated vitellogenin (Vg) and low juvenile hormone esterase (jhe) transcript levels in the abdomen, in agreement with their reproductive potential. In F. varia, Vg and methyl farnesoate epoxidase (mfe) transcript levels were high in the heads of foragers, indicating an association with foraging behavior. For malvolio (mvl) and foraging (for), both involved with food search behavior, mvl showed persistent low expression in the head, but increasing levels in the abdomen of both species, speaking against a role in behavioral development. The for transcript levels in F. varia were higher in foragers, both in the head and the abdomen, i.e., consistent with foraging. In M. quadrifasciata, however, for expression was higher in the heads of nurse bees, and, thus, is unlikely to play a role in foraging. The results for the two stingless bee species, in comparison with honey bees and bumble bees, indicate that the degree of worker sterility appears to be the primary factor that shapes the expression pattern of key genes in the life history of social bees.

The western honey bee is highly valued for its important role as natural pollinator. In Morocco, pollination services of Apis mellifera along with other insect pollinators were estimated at 1.2 billion US$. Regrettably, biological stressors including pathogens are leading factors contributing to colony losses and hampering pollination services. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and prevalence of four agents responsible for nosemosis and foulbrood diseases in the oases of southeastern Morocco. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we have analyzed 87 beehives sampled during two successive years from four provinces and representing two different beekeeping operation types, namely migratory (N = 51) versus stationary (N = 36). The results obtained revealed the absence of Nosema apis and Paenibacillus larvae. However, Nosema ceranae and Melissococcus plutonius were present at prevalence rates of 16.09% and 62.07% respectively. During the winter of 2020, there was higher prevalence rates of both pathogens compared to the winter of 2019. The province of Errachidia was free of N. ceranae, while the other three provinces were infected with different prevalence rates. On the other hand, M. plutonius was more prevalent in all four sampling areas. In addition, infection and co-infection patterns of N. ceranae and M. plutonius were found to be more prevalent in migratory beehives as opposed to stationary colonies. Results of this work constitute the first contribution to study infection patterns of nosemosis and foulbrood in Morocco, while more inquiries are needed in order to elaborate sustainable strategies for the beekeeping industry in Morocco.

Almond is a high-market value crop that benefits from honeybee pollination services, even for self-compatible varieties. Besides, it has been recently shown that the offering of food scented with floral mimic odors specific to different crops biased honeybee foraging preferences towards sunflowers, pear, or apple trees. Herein, we analyzed the floral volatiles of two almond self-compatible varieties to propose potential mimic odors. The mixture which bees discriminated the least from the natural floral scent in olfactory conditioning assays was chosen as almond mimic (AM). In the field, colonies fed AM-scented sucrose solution increased their foraging activity and amounts of stored pollen compared with colonies fed unscented food. Our results support the conditioning of honeybees to a floral mimic odor as a potential tool to bias their foraging preferences in almond, even applicable to self-compatible varieties. Future studies should address its effect on yield.

The effects of acute sublethal doses of coumaphos, an acaricide used against Varroa destructor infestation in beekeeping, on the locomotor activities of four native honeybee subspecies of Türkiye including two ecotypes (Carniolan honeybee -A. m. carnica, Syrian honeybee -A. m. syriaca, Caucasian honeybee- A. m. caucasica, and Muğla and Yığılca ecotypes of Anatolian honeybee A. m. anatoliaca) were investigated using an individual locomotor activity monitoring system. Analysis of locomotor activity data in the first 12-h, last 12-h, and 24-h time periods showed that bees from caucasica and carnica subspecies were not affected by coumaphos at all three acute doses (1, 2, and 5 μg coumaphos in 10 μl sucrose syrup for each bee). In contrast, bees from A. m. syriaca subspecies showed significantly elevated locomotor activity levels at 2 and 5 μg coumaphos doses within the first 12 h. Bees from both Muğla and Yığılca ecotypes of anatoliaca subspecies also showed elevated locomotor activity levels at 5 μg coumaphos dose but the magnitude of increase was lower in these ecotypes compared to that seen in syriaca subspecies in the first 12-h period. In general, increasing doses of coumaphos resulted in increased locomotor activity (locomotor activity), with differences in sensitivity across honeybee populations. Possible mechanisms underlying this variance and suggestions for further studies are discussed.