Evaluating the Role of Drone-Produced Chemical Signals in Mediating Social Interactions in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Villar ◽  
Megan D. Wolfson ◽  
Abraham Hefetz ◽  
Christina M. Grozinger
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Chemical Signals

scholarly journals Transcriptional Control of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Major Royal Jelly Proteins by 20-Hydroxyecdysone

Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Winkler ◽  
Frank Sieg ◽  
Anja Buttstedt
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Juvenile Hormone ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Transcriptional Control ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Adult Worker ◽  
Gene Expression Dynamics

One of the first tasks of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) during their lifetime is to feed the larval offspring. In brief, young workers (nurse bees) secrete a special food jelly that contains a large amount of unique major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs). The regulation of mrjp gene expression is not well understood, but the large upregulation in well-fed nurse bees suggests a tight repression until, or a massive induction upon, hatching of the adult worker bees. The lipoprotein vitellogenin, the synthesis of which is regulated by the two systemic hormones 20-hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone, is thought to be a precursor for the production of MRJPs. Thus, the regulation of mrjp expression by the said systemic hormones is likely. This study focusses on the role of 20-hydroxyecdysone by elucidating its effect on mrjp gene expression dynamics. Specifically, we tested whether 20-hydroxyecdysone displayed differential effects on various mrjps. We found that the expression of the mrjps (mrjp1–3) that were finally secreted in large amounts into the food jelly, in particular, were down regulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone treatment, with mrjp3 showing the highest repression value.

The Role of Honey Bees Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Pollination of Apple

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Rahim Khan . ◽  
Muhammad Rafique Kha .
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees

scholarly journals Silencing the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Naked Cuticle Gene (nkd) Improves Host Immune Function and Reduces Nosema ceranae Infections

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (22) ◽  
pp. 6779-6787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenfeng Li ◽  
Jay D. Evans ◽  
Qiang Huang ◽  
Cristina Rodríguez-García ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Nosema Ceranae ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bee Disease

ABSTRACTNosema ceranaeis a new and emerging microsporidian parasite of European honey bees,Apis mellifera, that has been implicated in colony losses worldwide. RNA interference (RNAi), a posttranscriptional gene silencing mechanism, has emerged as a potent and specific strategy for controlling infections of parasites and pathogens in honey bees. While previous studies have focused on the silencing of parasite/pathogen virulence factors, we explore here the possibility of silencing a host factor as a mechanism for reducing parasite load. Specifically, we used an RNAi strategy to reduce the expression of a honey bee gene,naked cuticle(nkd), which is a negative regulator of host immune function. Our studies found thatnkdmRNA levels in adult bees were upregulated byN. ceranaeinfection (and thus, the parasite may use this mechanism to suppress host immune function) and that ingestion of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) specific tonkdefficiently silenced its expression. Furthermore, we found that RNAi-mediated knockdown ofnkdtranscripts inNosema-infected bees resulted in upregulation of the expression of several immune genes (Abaecin,Apidaecin,Defensin-1, andPGRP-S2), reduction ofNosemaspore loads, and extension of honey bee life span. The results of our studies clearly indicate that silencing the hostnkdgene can activate honey bee immune responses, suppress the reproduction ofN. ceranae, and improve the overall health of honey bees. This study represents a novel host-derived therapeutic for honey bee disease treatment that merits further exploration.IMPORTANCEGiven the critical role of honey bees in the pollination of agricultural crops, it is urgent to develop strategies to prevent the colony decline induced by the infection of parasites/pathogens. Targeting parasites and pathogens directly by RNAi has been proven to be useful for controlling infections in honey bees, but little is known about the disease impacts of RNAi silencing of host factors. Here, we demonstrate that knocking down the honey bee immune repressor-encodingnkdgene can suppress the reproduction ofN. ceranaeand improve the overall health of honey bees, which highlights the potential role of host-derived and RNAi-based therapeutics in controlling the infections in honey bees. The information obtained from this study will have positive implications for honey bee disease management practices.

scholarly journals Lethality of Honey Bee Stings to Heavy Armored Hornets

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 484
Author(s):  
Gaoying Gu ◽  
Yichuan Meng ◽  
Ken Tan ◽  
Shihao Dong ◽  
James C. Nieh
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Elevated Temperature ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Apis Cerana ◽  
Arms Race ◽  
Average Amount ◽  
Vespa Velutina ◽  
Bee Sting ◽  
Large Ball

The heat ball defense of honey bees against their sympatric hornet predators is a classic and spectacular outcome of a co-evolutionary race. Hundreds of bees can encapsulate a hornet within a large ball that kills it with elevated heat. However, the role of stinging in this defense has been discounted, even though sting venom is an important weapon in bees. Surprisingly, no studies have tested the role of bee sting venom alone or in conjunction with elevated temperature on hornet survival. We surveyed dead Vespa velutina hornets found near and inside Apis cerana colonies and found stings retained in hornet bodies, most often in an intersegmental neck-like region, the veracervix. Experimentally stinging hornets in this region with A. cerana and Apis mellifera guards significantly increased hornet mortality. The combination of sting venom and elevated heat ball temperature (44 °C) was the most lethal, although there was no synergistic interaction between sting venom and temperature. As expected, hornet mortality increased when they were stung more often. The average amount of venom per insect species and the length of stinger lancets correlated with insect mass. Sting venom thus remains important in the arms race between bees and their hornet predators.

scholarly journals Study of the efficiency of creeping clover pollination (Trifolium repens L.) by honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)

2021 ◽  
Vol 282 ◽  
pp. 03024
Author(s):  
V.N. Zolotarev
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Trifolium Repens ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
The Family ◽  
Pollinating Insects ◽  
Seed Yields ◽  
Allogamous Species ◽  
Bee Colonies

The creeping clover (Trifolium repens L.) is a natural allotetraploid allogamous species and is characterized by an entomophilic xenogamous pollination method. One of the reasons for the low yield of clover seeds is the insufficient provision of its flowering grass stands with pollinating insects. The main pollinators are representatives of the order of hymenoptera insects (Himenoptera) from the family of true bees (Apidae) – the honey bee Apis mellifera L. and various species of bumblebees (Bombus). Studies have shown that in the conditions of the Central Non-Chernozem region of Russia, the role of bumblebees in the pollination of creeping clover did not exceed 12-13%. In the presence of bumblebees in different growing seasons in the amount of 30-80 to 110-170 indivi-duals/ha during the mass flowering of creeping clover, they -ensured the formation of seed yields of no more than 90 kg/ha. It is established that honey bees perform up to 87-88% of clover pollination. The highest collections of creeping clover seeds are formed at the flight density of bees of 18-21 thousand individuals per hectare. This makes it possible to form a biological clover yield over 720 kg/ha. To ensure such a rich flight of bees, it is necessary to have at least 2-3 strong bee colonies on clover crops.

scholarly journals Nosema Ceranae DNA in Honey Bee Haemolymph and Honey Bee Mite Varroa Destructor/DNK Nosema Ceranae U Hemolimfi Pčela I Pčelinjem Krpelju Varroa Destructor

2014 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glavinić Uroš ◽  
Stevanović Jevrosima ◽  
Gajić Bojan ◽  
Simeunović Predrag ◽  
Đurić Spomenka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Dna Isolation ◽  
Nosema Ceranae ◽  
Knowing That ◽  
Mite Feeding

Abstract Honey bee mite Varroa destructor and microsporidium Nosema ceranae are currently considered the most important threats to honey bees and beekeeping. It has been believed that both N. apis and N. ceranae invade exclusively epithelial cells of the honey bee ventriculus. However, some fi ndings suggest that these microsporidia may infect other tissues of honey bees. There are indications that these pathogens could be found in honey bee haemolymph, as the medium for its distribution to anatomically distant tissues. Knowing that V. destructor being an ectoparasitic mite feeds on the honey bee’s haemolymph, the aim of this study was to investigate if DNA of Nosema spp. microsporidia could be found in honey bee haemolymph and in V. destructor. The study was conducted on bee haemolymph and V. destructor mites from 44 Apis mellifera colonies. From each hive five mite individuals and 10 μL of haemolymph (from 4-5 bees) were used as samples for DNA isolation and PCR detection of Nosema spp. The DNA of N. ceranae was confi rmed in 61.36% of V. destructor mites and 68.18% of haemolymph samples. This is the first report of N. ceranae DNA in honey bee haemolymph and in V. destructor mites. The finding of DNA of N. ceranae in V. destructor could be interpreted as the result of mite feeding on N. ceranae infected bee haemolymph. However, for a full confi rmation of the vector role of V. destructor in spreading of nosemosis, further microscopy investigations are required for the detection of spores in both investigated matrices (haemolymph and V. destructor internal tissues).

Evidence of the role of honey bees (Apis mellifera) as vectors of the bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 571-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Pattemore ◽  
R. M. Goodwin ◽  
H. M. McBrydie ◽  
S. M. Hoyte ◽  
J. L. Vanneste
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Bacterial Plant Pathogen
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