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

Apidologie ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 759-778 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Effects of developmental exposure to pesticides in wax and pollen on honey bee (Apis mellifera) queen reproductive phenotypes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Milone ◽  
David R. Tarpy
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Hazard Quotient ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Developmental Exposure ◽  
Pesticide Treatment ◽  
Colony Level ◽  
Do So

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.

scholarly journals Colony-level pesticide exposure affects honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) royal jelly production and nutritional composition

Chemosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 263 ◽  
pp. 128183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Milone ◽  
Priyadarshini Chakrabarti ◽  
Ramesh R. Sagili ◽  
David R. Tarpy
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Colony Level

Synergistic effects of pathogen and pesticide exposure on honey bee (Apis mellifera) survival and immunity

2018 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 78-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Grassl ◽  
Shannon Holt ◽  
Naomi Cremen ◽  
Marianne Peso ◽  
Dorothee Hahne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Synergistic Effects

scholarly journals Factors affecting the successful cryopreservation of honey bee (Apis mellifera) spermatozoa

Apidologie ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 548-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Kingsley Hopkins ◽  
Charles Herr
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Factors Affecting

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

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.

scholarly journals Acute Thiamethoxam exposure in Apis mellifera : Absence of both stress-induced changes in mRNA splicing and synergistic effects of common fungicide and herbicide

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pâmela Decio ◽  
Pinar Ustaoglu ◽  
Thaisa C. Roat ◽  
Osmar Malaspina ◽  
Jean-Marc Devaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Spliceosomal Intron ◽  
Simultaneous Exposure ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
First Time

AbstractSecuring food supply for a growing population is one of the current major challenges and heavily relies on the use of agrochemicals to maximize crop yield. Neonicotinoids are globally one of the most widely used insecticides. It is increasingly recognized, that neonicotinoids have a negative impact on non-target organisms, including important pollinators such as the European honey bee Apis mellifera. Toxicity of neonicotinoids may be enhanced through simultaneous exposure with additional pesticides, which could help explain, in part, the global decline of honey bee colonies. Here we examined whether exposure effects of the neonicotinoid Thiamethoxam are enhanced by the commonly used fungicide Carbendazim and the herbicide Glyphosate. For the first time, we also analysed alternative splicing changes upon pesticide exposure in the honey bee. In particular, we examined transcripts of three genes: i) the stress sensor gene X box binding protein-1 (Xbp1), ii) the Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule (Dscam) gene and iii) the embryonic lethal/abnormal visual system (elav) gene, both important genes for neuronal function. Our results indicate that neonicotinoid toxicity applied at sub-lethal doses is not enhanced by Carbendazim nor Glyphosate. Likewise, toxicity of these compounds did not impact on the complex process of spliceosomal-directed joining of exons and non-spliceosomal intron excision in the analysed mRNAs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document