scholarly journals Effects of social parasitism ofpolistes atrimandibularison the colony cycle and brood production ofpolistes biglumis bimaculatus(Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

1992 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Lorenzi ◽  
Rita Cervo ◽  
Stefano Turillazzi
Keyword(s):  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Colony Cycle

scholarly journals Effects of neonicotinoid insecticide exposure and monofloral diet on nest-founding bumblebee queens

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1880) ◽  
pp. 20180761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mar Leza ◽  
Kristal M. Watrous ◽  
Jade Bratu ◽  
S. Hollis Woodard
Keyword(s):  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Initiation Phase ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
Neonicotinoid Insecticide ◽  
Monofloral Pollen ◽  
Bumblebee Pollination ◽  
Nest Initiation

Bumblebees are among the world's most important groups of pollinating insects in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Each spring, queen bumblebees emerge from overwintering and initiate new nests, which ultimately give rise to workers and new reproductives later in the season. Nest initiation and survival are thus key drivers of both bumblebee pollination services and population dynamics. We performed the first laboratory experiment with the model bumblebee species Bombus impatiens that explores how early nesting success is impacted by the effects of temporary or more sustained exposure to sublethal levels of a neonicotinoid-type insecticide (imidacloprid at 5 ppb in nectar) and by reliance on a monofloral pollen diet, two factors that have been previously implicated in bumblebee decline. We found that queens exhibited increased mortality and dramatically reduced activity levels when exposed to imidacloprid, as well as delayed nest initiation and lower brood numbers in the nest, but partially recovered from these effects when they only received early, temporary exposure. The effects of pollen diet on individual queen- and colony-level responses were overshadowed by effects of the insecticide, although a monofloral pollen diet alone was sufficient to negatively impact brood production. These findings speak to the sensitivity of queen bumblebees during the nest initiation phase of the colony cycle, with implications for how queens and their young nests are uniquely impacted by exposure to threats such as pesticide exposure and foraging habitat unsuitability.

scholarly journals Pollen Diet Composition Impacts Early Nesting Success in Queen Bumble Bees Bombus impatiens Cresson(Hymenoptera: Apidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 711-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristal M Watrous ◽  
Michelle A Duennes ◽  
S Hollis Woodard
Keyword(s):  
Larval Growth ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
Floral Resource

Abstract Bumble bees are generalist pollinators that typically collect floral rewards from a wide array of flowering plant species. Among the greatest threats to wild bumble bee populations worldwide, many of which are declining, is a loss of floral resource abundance and diversity in the landscapes they inhabit. We examined how composition of pollen diet impacts early nesting success in laboratory-reared queens of the bumble bee Bombus impatiens. Specifically, we provided queens and their young nests with one of three pollen diets, each of which was dominated by a single pollen type, and explored how this diet treatment influenced the length of time until queens initiated nests, total counts of brood in the nest at the end of the experiment (8 wk later), and the size and weight of adult offspring produced. We found that the amount of later-stage brood (pupae and/or adults) produced by recently-initiated nests was strongly impacted by pollen diet. For example, on average 66% fewer later-stage brood were found in nests provided with the Cistus pollen Linnaeus (Cistaceae), relative to the predominantly Asteraceae pollen. This finding suggests that particular pollen diet compositions may delay larval growth, which delays colony development and may ultimately be detrimental for young nests. This study sheds light on how one of the leading stressors for bumble bees (nutritional stress) may negatively impact populations through its influence on brood production during the nest-founding stage of the colony cycle.

scholarly journals Sublethal concentrations of clothianidin affect honey bee colony growth and hive CO2 concentration

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Meikle ◽  
John J. Adamczyk ◽  
Milagra Weiss ◽  
Janie Ross ◽  
Chris Werle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Weight Losses ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractThe effects of agricultural pesticide exposure upon honey bee colonies is of increasing interest to beekeepers and researchers, and the impact of neonicotinoid pesticides in particular has come under intense scrutiny. To explore potential colony-level effects of a neonicotinoid pesticide at field-relevant concentrations, honey bee colonies were fed 5- and 20-ppb concentrations of clothianidin in sugar syrup while control colonies were fed unadulterated syrup. Two experiments were conducted in successive years at the same site in southern Arizona, and one in the high rainfall environment of Mississippi. Across all three experiments, adult bee masses were about 21% lower among colonies fed 20-ppb clothianidin than the untreated control group, but no effects of treatment on brood production were observed. Average daily hive weight losses per day in the 5-ppb clothianidin colonies were about 39% lower post-treatment than in the 20-ppb clothianidin colonies, indicating lower consumption and/or better foraging, but the dry weights of newly-emerged adult bees were on average 6–7% lower in the 5-ppb group compared to the other groups, suggesting a nutritional problem in the 5-ppb group. Internal hive CO2 concentration was higher on average in colonies fed 20-ppb clothianidin, which could have resulted from greater CO2 production and/or reduced ventilating activity. Hive temperature average and daily variability were not affected by clothianidin exposure but did differ significantly among trials. Clothianidin was found to be, like imidacloprid, highly stable in honey in the hive environment over several months.

scholarly journals Castes and asynchronous colony cycle in Polybia bistriata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 817-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otavio A.L. de Oliveira ◽  
Fernando B. Noll ◽  
Sidnei Mateus ◽  
Bruno Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Colony Cycle

scholarly journals Nest signature changes throughout colony cycle and after social parasite invasion in social wasps

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. e0190018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Elia ◽  
Giuliano Blancato ◽  
Laura Picchi ◽  
Christophe Lucas ◽  
Anne-Geneviève Bagnères ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Wasps ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Parasite Invasion ◽  
Colony Cycle

The timing of conflict and cooperation among cofoundresses of the social wasp Polistes fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J. Gamboa ◽  
Katherine A. Stump
Keyword(s):  
Social Wasp ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Polistes Fuscatus ◽  
Conflict And Cooperation ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Ecological Pressure ◽  
Temporal Overlap

Field observations were made on 37 preworker, multiple-foundress colonies of the social wasp Polistes fuscatus. In total, 401.9 h of behavioural observations of cofoundresses were conducted at three different periods prior to the emergence of workers. Cofoundresses displayed a marked, significant increase in aggression at about the time in the colony cycle when reproductive-destined eggs began to be laid. Both queens and their subordinates became increasingly aggressive at this time. These empirical results support theoretical predictions that conflict among cofoundresses would intensify over the production of reproductive-destined (but not worker-destined) eggs. Cooperation in foraging to minimize nest inattendance as well as synchronicity (temporal overlap) in activity also increased significantly at the onset of the production of reproductive-destined eggs. Thus, conflict and cooperation are not necessarily antagonistic in P. fuscatus. Foundresses minimized the time that nests are unattended at a time in the colony cycle when most conspecific usurpations occur. This suggests that the ecological pressure of conspecific usurpation has favoured increased coordination in foraging to minimize the time nests are unattended. The adaptive significance, if any, of an increase in synchronicity of activity among cofoundresses at the onset of the production of reproductives is not obvious.

Inbreeding and heterosis in queen bees in relation to brood area and honey production

1988 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 959 ◽  
Author(s):  
BP Oldroyd ◽  
RD Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Queen Bees

The brood area and weight gain of colonies headed by hybrid queens were compared with those headed by their inbred parentals. Although the colonies headed by hybrid queens had increased brood production, this did not lead to increased honey production. There was a significant increase in the longevity of hybrid queens compared with inbreds, and this alone may justify their use by apiarists.

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