The article was published with a typographical error to the name Álvaro Vega-Hidalgo.

Mandibular gland (MG) secretions of honey bee are synthesized through a three-step bifurcation pathway, and the initiate hydroxylation step is carried out by cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450). We have previously revealed that CYP6AS8 and CYP6AS11 are possibly participating in this process. In this study, we evaluated the function of CYP6AS8 in honey bee worker’s MG using RNA interference technology, and

The influence of long-term storage on the evolution of social insect male ejaculates remains a puzzle. Here, we studied the influence of sperm storage on male ejaculates in the stingless bee Scaptotrigona aff. depilis, a species where queens mate with a single male and thus do not trigger sperm competition. We estimated quantitative genetic parameters by sampling males from six colonies and two consecutive

The hypoharyngeal glands (HGs) are the major organ for synthesizing and secreting royal jelly (RJ) in nurse honeybees. To eliminate the influence of age, we explored the molecular basis of RJ production by determining the morphology and protein content, and comprehensively comparing the transcriptome of HGs of age-matched nurses and foragers obtained from an established colony. Acinus area and total

In hot climates, foraging bees risk overheating during food collection. Here, we investigated influence of ambient temperature on the foraging activity in Melipona subnitida, a stingless bee species that naturally occurs in the hottest and driest regions of the Brazilian tropical dry forest. We observed a decrease in round-trip duration of pollen foragers with increasing ambient temperature. Foraging

Nutritional studies often require precise control of nutrients via dilution of artificial diets with indigestible material, but such studies in bees are limited. Common diluents like cellulose typically result in total mortality of bee larvae, making quantitative studies difficult. We investigated potential alternative dietary dilution agents, sporopollenin (pollen exines) and agar. We reared Osmia

The bacterium Paenibacillus larvae and the mite Varroa destructor are two of the most severe biotic stressors affecting honeybees and are responsible for American foulbrood and varroosis respectively. To control these pathogens, beekeepers regularly apply synthetic acaricides or antibiotics to parasitized hives. However, antibiotic and acaricide overuse over time leads to resistance in bacteria strains

The cells of the combs of Apis mellifera are tilted upwards by approximately 13°. The literature says that this tilt serves to prevent the outflow of honey. We checked this by hanging empty honeycombs upside down into beehives. Honey was stored in these inverted honeycombs in the same way as in the normally oriented combs, and inverted combs were also well accepted for rearing the brood. We thus show

Body temperature changes can modify an insect’s ability to fight infections by altering its immune activity. This work evaluated the impact of mild cold and heat thermal stress on the expression of different immune and heat shock genes in the species Bombus terrestris. Additionally, a thermal treatment was repeated under starvation to analyze a possible compromise of immune gene expression in favor

The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is a most important health risk for European honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera) globally. There is a scarcity in experimental approaches addressing this issue by using computed tomography. Our purpose was to determine the decrease in the volume, surface, density and weight alteration triggered by V. destructor in pre-imaginal stages of A. mellifera using

European foulbrood (EFB) is a serious and widespread disease of honey bee larvae. It is a notifiable disease in the United Kingdom under existing legislation, so colonies must be officially screened for signs of disease. The current study developed a rapid and sensitive test to diagnose EFB in the field. A monoclonal antibody, highly specific for its causative agent, Melissococcus plutonius, was produced

The changing pattern of developing cuticle and associated epidermis is described during the imaginal molt in the honey bee. Observations began immediately after the pupal molt, and included histological analyses of the integument during apolysis and the subsequent deposition and differentiation of the adult cuticle. Apolysis coincides with a marked increase in the thickness and reorganization of the

The honey bee waggle dance is a cascade of behaviors used to advertise the availability of a resource, and communicate its location. Little is known, however, about the behaviors of dance follower bees that allow them to extract information from the dance. We test competing hypotheses that suggest that either follower bees must be located behind a dancer bee or to the side of a dancer bee to be able

Mating flight records are presented for males (drones) of the Asian dwarf honeybee species Apis florea. These include observations on longevity, mortality and inclusive flight records for a cohort of known-aged males. Averages for flight performance show the flights/lifetime to be 15.3 (± 11.8 SD); the number of flight days, 9.1 (± 6.5 SD) and a drone mating flight lasting ca. 31 min (± 9 min, 27 s

Pantoea agglomerans is a possible biocontrol agent against fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) and a facultative pathogen of humans. Isolates were gathered from flowers, pollen loads, honey sacs, and freshly stored nectar (FSN). Under artificial inoculation conditions, strains completely lost their culturability at 24 °C after 120 h of incubation in honey and 156 h in honey solution, respectively. None

We describe how protease and protease inhibitor activity patterns vary during ontogenesis, with season, and in relation to caste and sex in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Extraction of body surfaces with water and detergent was followed by the in vitro analysis of proteolytic activity and protease inhibitor level, as well as the electrophoretic separation of extracts in polyacrylamide gels. In in

The emerging threat of pollinator decline has motivated research on bee conservation biology in order to both understand the causes of declines and to develop appropriate conservation strategies. The application of genetics to the conservation of diploid animals has proven to be important for both overcoming genetic threats to population viability and for providing tools to guide conservation programs

Bees are important both ecologically and economically for the ecosystem service role they play as pollinators. Documented global decline in bees has sparked the formation of a global policy framework for pollinators, primarily through the International Pollinator Initiative within the Convention of Biological Diversity. There are now regional Pollinator Initiatives, along with regional and national

Eggs of the honeybee Apis mellifera capensis from South Africa were screened for Wolbachia using degenerate primers designed to amplify a segment of the wsp A gene sequences. This strategy resulted in the identification of two new strains (wCap-B2, and -A1) in addition to the one (wCap-B1) characterized earlier from A. m. capensis and A. m. scutellata. Strain-specific primers were designed and used

Ptilothrix plumata is a solitary bee, oligolectic on Malvaceae. In this study we evaluate its oligoletic behavior through quantitative and qualitative analyses of larval provisioning in the National Park of Catimbau, Brazil. Quantitative pollen analysis showed that, to feed one larva, females collect pollen from an average of 17.2 flowers of Pavonia cancellata, 8.5 flowers of P. varians, 4.8 flowers

The high variability in the reproductive biology of stingless bees makes them very amenable for comparative studies with other eusocial bee taxa. We investigated the structural organization of the ovaries of Melipona quadrifasciata queens and workers kept under different social conditions by analyzing their general histology, mitotic activity, and microfilament organization. The overall dynamics of

Europe harbours several endemic honeybee (Apis mellifera) subspecies. Yet the distribution of these subspecies is nowadays also much influenced by beekeeping activities. Large scale migratory beekeeping and trade in queens, coupled with the promiscuous mating system of honeybees, have exposed native European honeybees to increasing introgressive hybridization with managed non-native subspecies, which

Certain phenolic acids and flavonoids are described in the literature as marker substances for several unifloral honeys. As not all authors utilised the same methods for extraction and determination, there are remarkable discrepancies in the published data concerning these substances. Ethyl acetate extracts which, aside from phenolic acids, also contain flavonoids were analysed by Ultra Performance

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and microscopy were used to test 307 adult bee and 37 honey samples collected in Australia for the presence of two microsporidia, Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis. N. ceranae was detected in samples from 4 states (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia) and was most commonly found in samples from

Recent concerns regarding the decline of plant and pollinator species, and the impact on ecosystem functioning, has focused attention on the local and global threats to bee diversity. As evidence for bee declines is now accumulating from over broad taxonomic and geographic scales, we review the role of ecology in bee conservation at the levels of species, populations and communities. Bee populations

We studied the effects of mixed honeybee colonies of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana on the intraspecific and interspecific recognition of female brood stages in the honeybees A. cerana and A. mellifera by transferring brood combs between queenright colonies. In the intraspecific tests, significantly more larvae were removed in A. cerana than in A. mellifera, whilst significantly fewer eggs and pupae

Pollen is very important for the bees’ nutrition and it is necessary for their survival and reproduction. In this work we studied the possibility of recording the pollen flora of an area by examining the pollen content of the rectum of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) and comparing the results to these coming from pollen traps. We concluded that the pollen analysis of the rectum of honeybees could be

We show, with classical morphometrical analyses, that Libyan honeybees sampled at coastal and desert locations are distinctly different from both the adjacent A. m. intermissa bee populations of Tunisia and Algeria and those of A. m. lamarckii of Egypt. The morphotype was most closely related to A. m. sahariensis and, based on wing venation angles, showed affinities to A. m. jemenitica, indicating

The epidemiology of a Paenibacillus larvae infection, causing American Foulbrood (AFB), was studied regionally in Finland and temporally in the apiaries. Altogether 156 P. larvae isolates from honey or brood samples supplied by 114 beekeepers were analysed by NotI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and biotyping, as well as for tetracycline resistance. Fifty-two NotI macrorestriction profiles

Adult females (n = 518) of Varroa destructor from Apis mellifera prepupae were examined by scanning electron microscopy without prior fluid fixation, dehydration and critical-point drying. Fifty-five (10.6%) mites had one (8.1%) or two (2.5%) diagonal dimples positioned symmetrically on the idiosoma’s dorsum. Where one such regular dorsal dimple existed per mite body, it occurred on the left or right

Historic data in the form of pinned specimens in entomological collections offer the potential to determine trends in genetic diversity of bumble bees (Bombus). We screened eight microsatellite loci in pinned bumble bee specimens from the U. S. National Pollinating Insects Collection. We tested three species (Bombus appositus, Bombus huntii and Bombus occidentalis) representing three subgenera of bumble

In addition to honeybee workers, drones also contribute to colonial thermoregulation. We show the drones’ contribution to thermoregulation at 5 different experimental temperatures ranging from 15– 34 °C. The frequency and the degree of endothermy depended on the drones’ local ambient temperature and age. Location on brood or non-brood areas had no influence. The frequency of endothermic drones and

Bees are major pollinators of Angiosperms and therefore their apparent decline is of importance for humans and biodiversity. We synthesise results of 12 recent reviews to provide a global picture of the threats they face. Habitat loss is the major threat to bee diversity, whilst invasive species, emerging diseases, pesticide use, and climate change also have the potential to impact bee populations

The Neotropics bee fauna is very rich with 5000 recognised species, including 33 genera (391 species) of Meliponini, but it is estimated to be at least three fold greater in species richness. Deforestation, agriculture intensification and introduction/spread of exotic competing bee species are considered the main threats to most indigenous species, although other less obvious causes can affect the

The small hive beetle (SHB, Aethina tumida) is a parasite and scavenger of honeybee colonies. Here, we conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the potential of SHB as a vector of honeybee viruses. Using RT-PCR methods, Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) was detected in adult SHBs that: (1) were fed with dead workers with deformed wings, (2) were fed with DWV-positive brood, and (3) were associated with

We review evidence from around the world for bumblebee declines and review management to mitigate threats. We find that there is evidence that some bumblebee species are declining in Europe, North America, and Asia. People believe that land-use changes may be having a negative effect through reductions in food plants in many parts of the world, but that other factors such as pathogens may be having

Although the alien Impatiens glandulifera successfully invades riparian habitats and is visited by native insects, knowledge of its impact on native bees is limited. We assessed pollinator abundance in field sites where I. glandulifera was absent, present or had been experimentally removed. We measured insect visitation to flowers of potted native plants and to I. glandulifera. Bombus spp. comprised

Bees (a.k.a. Apoidea Anthophila) are among the main pollinators in most ecosystems. The yearly value of the ecological services provided worldwide by pollinators reaches more than € 150 billion. As in many other groups, the erosion of bee diversity is now a well-assessed reality. However, quantification of the phenomenon, including the assessment of its extent and severity has been lacking for a long

We review direct and indirect impacts of invasive alien species (focussing on plants and insects) on native bees worldwide. Although there is a rapidly growing body of research into the effects of invasive alien plants on native plant pollination via disruption of native mutualisms, there has been little research on the impacts of invasive alien plants directly on bees. Such impacts are likely to vary

Honeybees are native to Africa and Europe but have been spread worldwide as the basis for an apicultural industry. To date, large and diverse wild populations only remain in Africa. On this continent the beekeeping industry is relatively undeveloped and relies on trapping swarms from wild populations to constitute the managed stocks. Bee breeding is seldom practiced. The situation is therefore different

A commercialized pollinator introduced from Europe, Bombus terrestris, has colonized Japan. We investigated nest density and genetic structure in two sites based on worker genotypes at 12 microsatellite loci. We confirmed that five workers were triploids using multilocus genotypes and flow cytometry, indicating that queens mated with diploid males and produced triploid workers. The inbreeding coefficient

Instrumental insemination is an attractive alternative to natural mating because specific genetic crosses can be made, thus producing colonies with desired traits. However, there are conflicting reports on the quality and acceptance of instrumentally inseminated (II) queens compared to naturally mated (NM) queens. One factor that affects acceptance and retention of queens is the volatile compounds

Body size is hypothesized to play a major role in animal foraging, particularly in pollinators. In general, species with larger bodies forage over greater distances. Studies have found support for this body size-foraging range hypothesis across a wide variety of pollinator species, but have not investigated the possibility that this effect also applies within a pollinator species. We trained foragers

Australia’s idiosyncratic bee fauna is characterised by a combination of numerous endemic taxa and by the complete absence of some families. Many species, and in particular several oligolectic species, remain undescribed and more than half the named taxa are in need of revision. The main threats to the native bee fauna include removal of nesting and foraging opportunities through land clearing and

East Asia is home to at least 9 indigenous species of honey bee. These bees are extremely valuable because they are key pollinators of about 1/3 of crop species, provide significant income to some of the world’s poorest people, and are prey items for some endemic vertebrates. Furthermore, Southeast Asian Dipterocarp forests appear to be adapted to pollination by honey bees. Thus long-term decline in

Artificially reared larvae are an ideal model for experiments involving brood diseases or testing pesticides. Because conditions during larval development can influence the general performance of adult honeybees, we created an evaluation method for the viability of artificially reared honeybees. We compared the flight performance of honeybees artificially reared in the laboratory with that of their

Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar contain a wealth of bee diversity, with particularly high levels of endemicity in Madagascar. Although Africa contains seven biodiversity hotspots, the bee fauna appears rather moderate given the size of the continent. This could be due to various factors, an important one being the dearth of bee taxonomists working in Africa and difficulties in carrying out research

Stingless bees produce considerable numbers of virgin queens over the year, most of which are superfluous and get executed by the workers. Nothing is known yet about the sign stimulus that releases the worker attacks. In the present study we investigated the queen execution process in Melipona beecheii and found in both behavioral observations and experiments with caged living virgin queens that workers

Sperm competition is the competition between sperm of different males for the fertilization of an ovum. Queen honey bees mate with many males over a short period, establishing ideal conditions in which sperm competition might occur. One hypothesized mechanism by which sperm competition may occur is via sperm incapacitation (SI), which involves the killing and/or inhibition of function of sperm from

We investigated the age-dependent morphology and ultrastructure of the cornua glands in drones of Apis mellifera. Two epithelial types could be distinguished, each corresponding with a different type of cuticle. The thickness of both epithelia decreases during the period of sexual maturation. Ultrastructural research did not reveal a difference between the two epithelia.

The microsporidian Nosema is a common honeybee pathogen which enters the adult bee orally and multiplies in its gut, imposing a metabolic demand on its host. The newly discovered Nosema ceranae, given its relatively new association with the European honeybee, is likely to be particularly severe in this regard. We therefore hypothesized that N. ceranae exerts a significant effect on the feeding behavior

Chalkbrood susceptibility of in vitro reared honey bee larvae was investigated. Larvae were grafted from 3–4 colonies headed by pure mated queens of Apis mellifera carnica, A. m. ligustica and A. m. mellifera, respectively. Three day old larvae were fed with different dosages of Ascophaera apis spores and a clear dose-response relationship was shown. Over the whole experiment LD50 estimates ranged

Aiming at alternative small hive beetle control, slaked lime, powdered limestone and diatomaceous earth (Fossil Shield® FS 95, FS 90.0 and FS 90.0s) were evaluated for their effects on pupation and adult emergence in the laboratory. Limestone, FS 90.0 and FS 95 showed no significant effect. Slaked lime in autoclaved soil prevented pupation, but was lethal only in high dosages of 10 and 15 g per 100

Beeswax is a mixture of many organic compounds, including hydrocarbons, wax esters, and fatty acids. Because fatty acids in beeswax also serve as social signals, we explored the functional significance of the fatty acids. The removal of the fatty acids from beeswax results in diminished yield stress, resilience, stiffness, and proportional limit stress of beeswax samples. Addition of stearic acid to

The abdomens of honey bee queens and semen from drone bees were analyzed by visible and near-infrared spectroscopy. Mated honey bee queens could be distinguished from virgin queens by their absorption spectra with 100% accuracy. Spectra of semen showed that classifications of queens were likely influenced by the presence or absence of semen in the queen spermathecae. However, physiological or morphological

Commercial bumblebee colonies are important crop pollinators. Here we assess whether application of artificial foraging recruitment pheromone can increase foraging activity in Bombus terrestris colonies on a relevant timescale for commercial pollination. We measured bee traffic from the nest to a foraging arena, which is correlated with foraging activity under natural recruitment conditions. During

To identify the evolutionary lineage of honey bee colonies in Turkey, the mtDNA of 244 colonies from 20 locations was analyzed. Several polymorphic restriction sites showed that they belonged to the Mediterranean C lineage. DraI digestion of the CoxI—CoxII intergenic region produced four fragment patterns, one first seen in this study. From 37 colonies from 16 different locations in Turkey and two

In previous works, significant variation in morphometric and molecular characteristics was detected among populations of M. beecheii. Here RFLP tests of the internal transcribed spacer 1 of the ribosomal gene were performed to confirm those results and to evaluate the intraspecific variability within the species. The complete ITS1 region and the flanking regions showed length variation (1720 to 1670)

The mating sign that each drone leaves when mating with a queen essentially consists of mucus gland proteins. We employed a Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) methodology to identify genes that are differentially expressed in mucus glands during sexual maturation of drones. The RDA library for mucus glands of newly emerged drones was more complex than that of 8 day-old drones, with matches

Nest temperature in honeybees is a crucial factor for brood development since it influences the task specialization of adult workers. Accurate and reliable data on temperature distributions are hence of major interest to understand colony function. We present a new device for temperature measurements in brood cells of honeybee combs. The instrument allows for a continuous temperature recording at the