Digestibility and nutritional value of fresh and stored pollen for honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata)

2018 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 302-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan W. Nicolson ◽  
Susana Da Silva Das Neves ◽  
Hannelie Human ◽  
Christian W.W. Pirk
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata

Multiple Africanized Bee Stings in a Child

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-117
Author(s):  
Barbara K. Ariue
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Tropical Climate ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
African Honey Bees ◽  
Queen Bees ◽  
Africanized Bees

African honey bees, Apis mellifera scutellata (formerly adsonii) were imported to Brazil in 1956 to introduce a strain of bees with increased honey production which were more suited for the tropical climate.1,2 A year later, 26 African queen bees and their accompanying colonies accidentally escaped.1,2 The African queen bees soon began mating with established European bee races resulting in the hybrid Africanized honey bees.2 Like the pure African bees, the Africanized bees are more defensive with a greater tendency to sting than European bees.3 They respond quickly to the slightest disturbance of their nest and can send out many thousands of bees.

scholarly journals Effects of a neonicotinoid pesticide on thermoregulation of African honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata)

2016 ◽  
Vol 93-94 ◽  
pp. 56-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Tosi ◽  
Fabien J. Démares ◽  
Susan W. Nicolson ◽  
Piotr Medrzycki ◽  
Christian W.W. Pirk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
African Honey Bees

scholarly journals Defense Response in Brazilian Honey Bees (Apis mellifera scutellata × spp.) Is Underpinned by Complex Patterns of Admixture

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1367-1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brock A Harpur ◽  
Samir M Kadri ◽  
Ricardo O Orsi ◽  
Charles W Whitfield ◽  
Amro Zayed
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
South African ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Defense Response ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
European Origin ◽  
Pooled Sequencing ◽  
Genomic Analyses ◽  
Bee Colonies

Abstract In 1957, an invasive and highly defensive honey bee began to spread across Brazil. In the previous year, Brazilian researchers hoped to produce a subtropical-adapted honey bee by crossing local commercial honey bees (of European origin) with a South African honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera scutellata; an A-lineage honey bee subspecies). The resulting cross—African hybrid honey bees (AHBs)—escaped from their enclosure and spread through the Americas. Today, AHB is the most common honey bee from Northern Argentina to the Southern United States. AHBs are much more likely to sting nest intruders than managed European-derived honey bee colonies. Previous studies have explored how genetic variation contributes to differences in defense response between European-derived honey bee and AHB. Although this work demonstrated very strong genetic effects on defense response, they have yet to pinpoint which genes influence variation in defense response within AHBs, specifically. We quantified defense response for 116 colonies in Brazil and performed pooled sequencing on the most phenotypically divergent samples. We identified 65 loci containing 322 genes that were significantly associated with defense response. Loci were strongly associated with metabolic function, consistent with previous functional genomic analyses of this phenotype. Additionally, defense-associated loci had nonrandom and unexpected patterns of admixture. Defense response was not simply the product of more A-lineage honey bee ancestry as previously assumed, but rather an interaction between A-lineage and European alleles. Our results suggest that a combination of A-lineage and European alleles play roles in defensive behavior in AHBs.

African honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata) and nosema (Nosema apis) infections

2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 13-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingemar Fries ◽  
Susan B Slemenda ◽  
Alexandre da Silva ◽  
Norman J Pieniazek
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Nosema Apis ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
African Honey Bees

scholarly journals Tetracycline Exposure Alters Key Gut Microbiota in Africanized Honey Bees (Apis mellifera scutellata x spp.)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kilmer Oliveira Soares ◽  
Celso José Bruno de Oliveira ◽  
Adriana Evangelista Rodrigues ◽  
Priscylla Carvalho Vasconcelos ◽  
Núbia Michelle Vieira da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
South Central ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Bee Health

Honey bees play a critical role in ecosystem health, biodiversity maintenance, and crop yield. Antimicrobials, such as tetracyclines, are used widely in agriculture, medicine, and in bee keeping, and bees can be directly or indirectly exposed to tetracycline residues in the environment. In European honey bees, tetracycline exposure has been linked with shifts in the gut microbiota that negatively impact bee health. However, the effects of antimicrobials on Africanized honey bee gut microbiota have not been examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tetracycline exposure on the gut microbial community of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata x spp.), which are important pollinators in South, Central, and North America. Bees (n = 1,000) were collected from hives in Areia-PB, Northeastern Brazil, placed into plastic chambers and kept under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The control group (CON) was fed daily with syrup (10 g) consisting of a 1:1 solution of demerara sugar and water, plus a solid protein diet (10 g) composed of 60% soy extract and 40% sugar syrup. The tetracycline group (TET) was fed identically but with the addition of tetracycline hydrochloride (450 μg/g) to the sugar syrup. Bees were sampled from each group before (day 0), and after tetracycline exposure (days 3, 6, and 9). Abdominal contents dissected out of each bee underwent DNA extraction and 16S rRNA sequencing (V3-V4) on an Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were filtered and processed through QIIME2 and DADA2. Microbial community composition and diversity and differentially abundant taxa were evaluated by treatment and time. Bee gut microbial composition (Jaccard) and diversity (Shannon) differed significantly and increasingly over time and between CON and TET groups. Tetracycline exposure was associated with decreased relative abundances of Bombella and Fructobacillus, along with decreases in key core microbiota such as Snodgrassella, Gilliamella, Rhizobiaceae, and Apibacter. These microbes are critical for nutrient metabolism and pathogen defense, and it is possible that decreased abundances of these microbes could negatively affect bee health. Considering the global ecological and economic importance of honey bees as pollinators, it is critical to understand the effects of agrochemicals including antimicrobials on honey bees.

scholarly journals Tetracycline exposure alters key gut microbiota in Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata x spp.)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kilmer Oliveira Soares ◽  
Celso JB Oliveira ◽  
Adriana Evangelista Rodrigues ◽  
Priscylla Carvalho Vasconcelos ◽  
Nubia MV Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
South Central ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Bee Health

Honey bees play a critical role in ecosystem health, biodiversity maintenance, and crop yield. Antimicrobials, such as tetracyclines, are used widely used across agriculture, medicine, and in bee keeping, and bees can be directly or indirectly exposed to tetracycline residues in the environment. In European honey bees, tetracycline exposure has been linked with shifts in the gut microbiota that negatively impact bee health. However, the effects of antimicrobials on Africanized honey bee gut microbiota have not been examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tetracycline exposure on the gut microbial community of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata x spp), which are important pollinators in South, Central, and North America. Bees (n=1,000) were collected from hives in Areia-PB, Northeastern Brazil, placed into plastic chambers and kept under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The control group (CON) was fed daily with syrup (10g) consisting of a 1:1 solution of demerara sugar and water, plus a solid protein diet (10g) composed of 60% soy extract and 40% sugar syrup. The tetracycline group (TET) was fed identically but with the addition of tetracycline hydrochloride (450 ug/g) to the sugar syrup. Bees were sampled from each group before (day 0), and after tetracycline exposure (days 3, 6 and 9). Abdominal contents dissected out of each bee underwent DNA extraction and 16S rRNA sequencing (V3-V4) on an Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were filtered and processed through QIIME2 and DADA2. Microbial community composition and diversity and differentially abundant taxa were evaluated by treatment and time. Bee gut microbial composition (Jaccard) and diversity (Shannon) differed significantly and increasingly over time and between CON and TET groups. Tetracycline exposure was associated with decreased relative abundances of Bombella and Fructobacillus, along with decreases in key core microbiota such as Snodgrassella, Gilliamella, Rhizobiaceae, and Apibacter. These microbes are critical for nutrient metabolism and pathogen defense, and decreased abundances of these microbes could negatively affect bee health. Considering the global ecological and economic importance of honey bees as pollinators, it is critical to understand the effects of agrochemicals including antimicrobials on honey bees.

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