The effects of colony-level selection on the social organization of honey bee ( Apis mellifera L.) colonies: colony-level components of pollen hoarding

AbstractStressful conditions during development can have sub-lethal consequences on organisms aside from mortality. Using previously reported in-hive residues from commercial colonies, we examined how multi-pesticide exposure can influence honey bee (Apis mellifera) queen health. We reared queens in beeswax cups with or without a pesticide treatment within colonies exposed to treated or untreated pollen supplement. Following rearing, queens were open-mated and then placed into standard hive equipment in an “artificial swarm” to measure subsequent colony growth. Our treated wax had a pesticide Hazard Quotient comparable to the average in beeswax from commercial colonies, and it had no measurable effects on queen phenotype. Conversely, colonies exposed to pesticide-treated pollen had a reduced capacity for viable queen production, and among surviving queens from these colonies we observed lower sperm viability. We found no difference in queen mating number across treatments. Moreover, we measured lower brood viability in colonies later established by queens reared in treated-pollen colonies. Interestingly, royal jelly from colonies exposed to treated pollen contained negligible pesticide residues, suggesting the indirect social consequences of colony-level pesticide exposure on queen quality. These findings highlight how conditions during developmental can impact queens long into adulthood, and that colony-level pesticide exposure may do so indirectly.

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Factors affecting the reproductive health of honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones—a review

Apidologie ◽

10.1007/s13592-019-00684-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (6) ◽

pp. 759-778 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Juliana Rangel ◽

Adrian Fisher

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Reproductive Health ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Pesticide Exposure ◽

Adult Emergence ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Female Workers ◽

Sperm Development ◽

Virgin Queens ◽

Colony Level

Abstract In the honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies are composed of one queen, thousands of female workers, and a few thousand seasonal males (drones) that are reared only during the reproductive season when colony resources are plentiful. Despite their transient presence in the hive, drones have the important function of mating with virgin queens, transferring their colony’s genes to their mates for the production of fertilized, worker-destined eggs. Therefore, factors affecting drone health and reproductive competency may directly affect queen fitness and longevity, having great implications at the colony level. Several environmental and in-hive conditions can affect the quality and viability of drones in general and their sperm in particular. Here we review the extant studies that describe how environmental factors including nutrition, temperature, season, and age may influence drone reproductive health. We also review studies that describe other factors, such as pesticide exposure during and after development, that may also influence drone reproductive quality. Given that sperm development in drones is completed during pupation prior to adult emergence, particular attention needs to be paid to these factors during drone development, not just during adulthood. The present review showcases a growing body of evidence indicating that drones are very sensitive to environmental fluctuations and that these factors cause drones to underperform, potentially compromising the reproductive health of their queen mates, as well as the overall fitness of their colony.

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Evaluation of potential miticide toxicity to Varroa destructor and honey bees, Apis mellifera, under laboratory conditions

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-78561-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rassol Bahreini ◽

Medhat Nasr ◽

Cassandra Docherty ◽

Olivia de Herdt ◽

Samantha Muirhead ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Varroa Destructor ◽

High Dose ◽

Agricultural Crops ◽

High Toxicity ◽

High Efficacy ◽

Dose Rates ◽

Colony Level

AbstractThe honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is the world’s most important managed pollinator of agricultural crops, however, Varroa mite, Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman, infestation has threatened honey bee survivorship. Low efficacy and development of Varroa mite resistance to currently used Varroacides has increased the demand for innovative, effective treatment tool options that exhibit high efficacy, while minimizing adverse effects on honey bee fitness. In this investigation, the toxicity of 16 active ingredients and 9 formulated products of registered miticides for use on crops from 12 chemical families were evaluated in comparison to amitraz on Varroa mites and honey bees using contact surface and topical exposures. It was found that fenpyroximate (93% mortality), spirotetramat (84% mortality) and spirodiclofen (70% mortality) had greater toxicity to Varroa mites, but high dose rates caused high bee mortality (> 60%). With this in mind, further research is needed to investigate other options to minimize the adverse effect of these compounds on bees. The results also found high toxicity of fenazaquin and etoxazole against Varroa mites causing 92% and 69% mortality, respectively; and were found to be safe on honey bees. Collectively, it is recommended that fenazaquin and etoxazole are candidates for a potential Varroacide and recommended for further testing against Varroa mites at the colony level.

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Honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) sociability and nestmate affiliation are dependent on the social environment experienced post-eclosion

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.173054 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 221 (3) ◽

pp. jeb173054 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Susie E. Hewlett ◽

Deborah M. Wareham ◽

Andrew B. Barron

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Social Environment ◽

Honey Bee ◽

The Social

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Disentangling the mechanisms linking dispersal and sociality in supergene-mediated ant social forms

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2021.0118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 288 (1949) ◽

Author(s):

Amaranta Fontcuberta ◽

Ornela De Gasperin ◽

Amaury Avril ◽

Sagane Dind ◽

Michel Chapuisat

Keyword(s):

Social Organization ◽

Sex Allocation ◽

Mating Behaviour ◽

Young Females ◽

Social Forms ◽

Propensity To Leave ◽

The Social ◽

In The Wild ◽

Males And Females ◽

Colony Level

The coevolution between dispersal and sociality can lead to linked polymorphisms in both traits, which may favour the emergence of supergenes. Supergenes have recently been found to control social organization in several ant lineages. Whether and how these ‘social supergenes’ also control traits related to dispersal is yet unknown. Our goal here was to get a comprehensive view of the dispersal mechanisms associated with supergene-controlled alternative social forms in the ant Formica selysi. We measured the production and emission of young females and males by single-queen (monogyne) and multiple-queen (polygyne) colonies, the composition of mating aggregations, and the frequency of crosses within and between social forms in the wild. We found that males and females from alternative social forms did not display strong differences in their propensity to leave the nest and disperse, nor in their mating behaviour. Instead, the social forms differed substantially in sex allocation. Monogyne colonies produced 90% of the females flying to swarms, whereas 57% of the males in swarms originated from polygyne colonies. Most crosses were assortative with respect to social form. However, 20% of the monogyne females did mate with polygyne males, which is surprising as this cross has never been found in mature monogyne colonies. We suggest that the polygyny-determining haplotype free rides on monogyne females, who establish independent colonies that later become polygyne. By identifying the steps in dispersal where the social forms differ, this study sheds light on the behavioural and colony-level traits linking dispersal and sociality through supergenes.

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