1.2.3.1 Scale insect honeydew as forage for honey production

Author(s):  
Hartwig Kunkel
Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1507 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRIS HODGSON ◽  
HEATHER GAMPER ◽  
AMAURI BOGO ◽  
GILLIAN WATSON

Stigmacoccus is an unusual scale insect genus from Central and South America that has been little studied. It belongs to the family Stigmacoccidae within the archaeococcoid group of genera which used to comprise the family Margarodidae (Morrison, 1927) but which are now considered to represent at least 9 families. The present paper describes or redescribes the adult females, adult males, cyst stages and crawlers of the three known species (S. asper, S. garmilleri, and S. paranaensis), plus the prepupa of S. garmilleri and S. paranaensis, and (briefly), the pupa of S. paranaensis. It is considered that the female has two cyst stage instars; the number in the male is uncertain. Adult female S. asper and S. paranaensis appear to have groups of loculate pores on the walls of the vagina. A lectotype for S. asper is designated. In addition, cyst stages of three further undescribed species are described (but not formally named) and illustrated. Some observations on the biology and life cycle are also included. The honeydew of Stigmacoccus species has been shown to be an important energy source for overwintering passerine birds which defend this resource. A summary of our present knowledge is presented, including how the honedew is eliminated (through a long anal tube) and details are given with regard to rates of honeydew flow, sugar concentration, cyst densities and annual timing of peak flows. The annual life cycle, as far as it is known, is discussed. It is concluded that this honeydew could be economically important as a source of sugar for honey production but this would need to be carefully managed to maintain an ecological balance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Santas

In many countries of Europe as well as in Greece a high percentage (40-70%) of the honey production derives from honeydew producing insects which belong to Hemiptem-Homoptera and mainly to the superfamilies Aphidoidea, Coccoidea, Psyloidea and Aleuroidea. To identify these useful to apiculture insects in Greece, a survey work has been carried out since 1977. From this research thirty eight species were observed and listed in the period of 1977-1983. Fifty eight species producing honeydew exploited by bees have been also observed in Central Europe. At least 120 species of honeydew pro­ducing insects (Rhynchota), on various host plants, have been recorded in Greece, therefore the number of insects useful to apiculture might be higher. This work aimed at finding more sources of honey production in our country and for this reason a survey was carried out in many areas to collect and identify the honeydew producing insects on which bees were observed to forage. The work was based on the method used previously. For that, sampling was carried out everywhere bees were observed to forage on insects honeydew. Bees were captured and examined according to the method described by Gary and Lorenzen to find out if and when the bees forage on this honeydew. The data collected during this period, 1984 to 1989, are recorded in this note. List of Species: I) Aphidoidea: A) Aphididae: 1) Acyrthosiphon caraganae (Cholodkovsky) (Aphidinae). It was found on the shrub Colutea arborescens L. at Portaria, Pelion, in May 1986. The bees forage from late April to June. This host plant exists almost all over Greece, but in high numbers in Peloponnesus, Sterea Hellas and Thessaly. A. caraganae was found in all these areas, while the bees were observed to forage on this aphid. 2) Corylobium avellanae (Schrank) (Aphidinae). It was observed on filbert trees (Corylus avellana L.) in the Grevena area in 1984 and later in Aghia, Larissa co. and Katerini, Pieria co. It is found on the under side of the leaf and pro­duces honeydew from May to mid July. 3) Hyalopterus ainvgdafi (Blanchard) (Aphidinae). This aphid appears at high population levels on almond trees (Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb.) in Locrida and Attiki (Central Greece) and on the island of Kea. It produces large quantities of honeydew in May, June, July. B) Lachnidae: 1) Cinara juniperi (De Geer) (Cinarinae). It was observed on Juniperus spp. in Giona mountain, in May 1986, at an altitude where the fir trees grow. The bees forage from May to early June. This honeydew is produced earlier than that excreted by the coccid Physokerines hemicryphus Dalman which lives on fir trees, and is very useful to apiculture in Greece. There are indications that the existence of this aphid close to fir forests, is a prediction that the coccid P. hemicryphus is going to attain high populations at the same year, but this has to be verified. 2) Cinara tujufilina (del Guercio) (Cinarmae). This aphid was observed on ornamental Thuja spp. in Votanikos Athens and Kiphissia, Attiki in April 1984. The bees forage late in April to May. This insect is new to the Greek fauna. C) Drepanosiphidae: 1) Phyllaphis phagi (L.) (Phyllaphidinae). Common aphid on Fagus silvatica L. It was found almost everywhere this host exists as in the mountains of Iti, Tymphristos, Pelion, Vermion and others. This insect produces honeydew in May, June and July. 2) Pterocallis maculata (Von Heyden) (Drepanosiphinae). It was found at low population levels on Alnus q1tifinosa Garth. in the mountains Pelion and Olympus in Central Greece in May 1987. This aphid produces honeydew in May, June and July. 3) Tuberculoides eggleri Burnes (Drepanosiphinae). This aphid was found on various species of Quercus spp. on the mountains, Zeria, Kalidromon, Iti, Pelion and Olympus, at relatively small population levels. The hon­eydew appears in May. II) Coccoidea: A) Aclerdidae: 1) Aclerda berlesei Buffa. This scale insect was found in Korinthia in July 1988 on Arundo donor L.. later it was observed everywhere this host-plant was sampled as in Lamia, Tricalla, Larissa, Platamonas (Central Greece). The population of this insect is always in high levels and it produces large quantities of honeydew. The honeydew appears early in June and continues in July, August and early September. The bees forage on it, mainly in August. The honey from this honeydew has good appearance, good taste but has not so good smell. B) Coccidae 1) Physokertnes piceae Schrank. This scale was recently found at low population levels on fir trees in Parnassus and Giona mountains in Central Greece and this is the first record in Greek fauna. All, but Aclerda berlesei, abovementioned species are recorded also in Central Europe as honeydew producing insects. It seems that amongst these ten honeydew producing insects, the most important for the apiculture of Greece are the aphid C. juniperi and the scale A. berlesei.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-97
Author(s):  
G.J. Stathas ◽  
Ch.F. Karipidis

SummaryPhenology and parasitism of the scale insect, Coccus pseudomagnoliarum (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae), infesting Citrus sinensis (Rutaceae), were studied in Papagou area, in northeastern Athens, from June 2015 to June 2017. Coccus pseudomagnoliarum is a univoltine, viviparous, parthenogenetic species. It overwintered as settled 1st instar nymph on the shoots of the trees. The 2nd instar nymphs appeared between the beginning of April and the end of May, and the mature females were recorded from the beginning of May until the middle of June. The crawlers appeared between the middle of May and the middle of June and the 1st instar nymphs settled on the shoots at the end of May, where they remained during the whole summer period, winter, until the beginning of April next year. Parasitism of the scale was recorded between the beginning of May and the middle of May and reached a maximum rate of 35%. The recorded parasitoid species were Coccophagus shillongensis Hayat and Singh (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), Coccophagus spp. and Metaphycus dispar (Mercet) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae).


Author(s):  
Abraão Almeida Santos ◽  
Tate Jason James Hancox ◽  
Marcelo Coutinho Picanço ◽  
Kate Delaporte ◽  
Katja Hogendoorn

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8305
Author(s):  
Cristiano Ziegler ◽  
Tiago Sinigaglia ◽  
Mario Eduardo Santos Martins ◽  
Adriano Mendonça Souza

Bees play a fundamental role in the ecological balance of ecosystems, due to the pollination process they carry out on crops, including the production of honey. However, the mortality of bees is a significant concern; bee mortality can occur for several reasons, such as pesticides, mites, viruses, climate change, pathogens and a reduction in food resources and nests. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most widely used bee for commercial pollination and honey production. Therefore, the main objective is to compare the development of patent families and article publications related to the reduction in A. meliífera mortality. Data on patent families were collected on the Orbit platform, while data on scientific articles were collected on the Scopus database, with a time interval of 1980–2019. Subsequently, the data were analyzed in order to show the main priority countries, main assignees, and main IPC (International Patent Classification) codes, an analysis of the technology life cycle and the correlation between the data of patent families and articles published. The technologies that help to decrease bee mortality showed a technological maturity rate of 27.15% for patent families data and 53.35% for data from articles published in journals. It was noticed that the principal interest regarding the reduction in A. mellifera mortality is focused on universities, mainly in the United States and China.


2021 ◽  
pp. 007327532199291
Author(s):  
Martino Lorenzo Fagnani

This article analyzes Italian research and experimentation on the economic potential of certain plant species in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, also providing insight into beekeeping and honey production. It focuses on continuity of method and progress across regimes and on the invisibility of many of the actors involved in the development of agricultural science and food research. Specifically, “continuity” refers to the continuation of certain threads of Old-Regime experimentation by the scientific apparatus put in place during the Napoleonic era. These threads were reworked and strengthened with the new means available to Frenchified Europe. The concept of “invisibility” derives from an expression by Steven Shapin and refers to actors who contributed to the development of agricultural science while remaining in the shadows. These include various types of technicians and members of rural society who supported the scientific work of scholars without receiving overt recognition. Continuity and invisibility were therefore two fundamental components both in the epistemological development of agricultural science and in the improvement of food research. The article analyzes case studies mainly from northern Italy – or rather, the various geopolitical entities existing in this geographical region – during the late Old Regime and the Napoleonic era, comparing them with examples from all over Europe.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document