Diversity, density, efficiency, and effectiveness of pollinators of cicer milkvetch, Astragalus cicer L.

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 2168-2176 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Propagation Rate ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Bee Pollination ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Astragalus Cicer

Diversity, density, efficiency, and effectiveness of pollinators of cicer milkvetch, Astragalus cicer L., grown at two locations in southern Alberta were studied from 1978 to 1983. Twenty-seven species of bees were identified as pollinators. At Lethbridge, honey bees (Apis mellifera) comprised 74% of the observations, bumble bees 16%, and leafcutter bees 10%, while at Spring Coulee, the proportions were honey bees 14%, bumble bees 69%, and leafcutter bees 17%. The rate of foraging by pollinator species from flower to flower varied; bumble bee species, especially Bombus nevadensis Cress., foraged consistently more efficiently than honey bees or alfalfa leafcutter bees, Megachile rotundata (F.). A theoretical approach used to predict the bee populations required to pollinate varying flower densities shows that the population of B. nevadensis required is about half those of Bombus huntii Greene and M. rotundata and less than one-quarter that of the honey bee. Pollination by B. nevadensis consistently resulted in more seeds per pod than with any other bumble bee species, the honey bee, or M. rotundata. Of the nine species of bumble bee that established colonies in artificial domiciles near the field, B. nevadensis established the most colonies each year. The number of workers and sexuals produced per colony varied considerably among bumble bee species with only 55% of the colony establishments producing workers and 31% producing sexuals. The propagation rate and quality of alfalfa leafcutter bees produced on cicer milkvetch was excellent.

First Complete Genome of Lake Sinai Virus Lineage 3 and Genetic Diversity of Lake Sinai Virus Strains From Honey Bees and Bumble Bees

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 1055-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Šimenc ◽  
Urška Kuhar ◽  
Urška Jamnikar-Ciglenečki ◽  
Ivan Toplak
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Complete Genome ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Genome Region ◽  
Pcr Method ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽  
First Time

Abstract The complete genome of Lake Sinai virus 3 (LSV3) was sequenced by the Ion Torrent next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology from an archive sample of honey bees collected in 2010. This strain M92/2010 is the first complete genome sequence of LSV lineage 3. From October 2016 to December 2017, 56 honey bee samples from 32 different locations and 41 bumble bee samples from five different locations were collected. These samples were tested using a specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method; 75.92% of honey bee samples and 17.07% of bumble bee samples were LSV-positive with the RT-PCR method. Phylogenetic comparison of 557-base pair-long RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) genome region of selected 23 positive samples of honey bees and three positive bumble bee samples identified three different LSV lineages: LSV1, LSV2, and LSV3. The LSV3 lineage was confirmed for the first time in Slovenia in 2010, and the same strain was later detected in several locations within the country. The LSV strains detected in bumble bees are from 98.6 to 99.4% identical to LSV strains detected among honey bees in the same territory.

scholarly journals Using Commercial Bumble Bee Colonies as Backup Pollinators for Honey Bees to Produce Cucumbers and Watermelons

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 590-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.S. Stanghellini ◽  
J.T. Ambrose ◽  
J.R. Schultheis
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Citrullus Lanatus ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Insect Visitation ◽  
Parasitic Mite ◽  
Fruit Abortion ◽  
Bee Colonies

The effectiveness of bumble bees, Bombus impatiens Cresson, and honey bees, Apis mellifera L., on the pollination of cucumber, Cucumis sativus L., and watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai, was compared under field conditions. Comparisons were based on fruit abortion rates and seed set as influenced by bee type (honey bee or bumble bee) and the number of bee visits to treatment flowers (1, 6, 12, and 18 bee visits), plus two controls: a no-visit treatment and an open-pollinated (unrestricted visitation) treatment. For both crops, an increased number of bee visits had a strong positive effect on fruit and seed set. All cucumber and watermelon flowers bagged to prevent insect visitation aborted, demonstrating the need for active transfer of pollen between staminate and pistillate flowers. Bumble bee-visited flowers consistently had lower abortion rates and higher seed sets in the cucumber and watermelon studies than did honey bee-visited flowers when compared at the same bee visitation level. Only slight differences in fruit abortion rates were detected between bee types in the watermelon study. However, abortion rates for bumble bee-visited flowers were consistently less than those for honey bee-visited flowers when compared at equal bee visitation levels, with one exception at the 12 bee visit level. As the number of honey bee colonies continues to decline due to parasitic mite pests and based on the data obtained, we conclude that bumble bees have a great potential to serve as a supplemental pollinator for cucumbers, watermelons, and possibly other vine crops, when honey bees available for rental are in limited supply.

scholarly journals Genomic changes underlying host specialization in the bee gut symbiont Lactobacillus Firm5

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
KM Ellegaard ◽  
S Brochet ◽  
G Bonilla-Rosso ◽  
O Emery ◽  
N Glover ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Host Specialization ◽  
Divergent Evolution ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Genomic Changes ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Gut Symbionts ◽  
Phylogenetic Lineages

AbstractBacteria that engage in longstanding associations with particular hosts are expected to evolve host-specific adaptations that limit their capacity to thrive in other environments. Consistent with this, many gut symbionts seem to have a limited host range, based on community profiling and phylogenomics. However, few studies have experimentally investigated host specialization of gut symbionts and underlying mechanisms have largely remained elusive. Here, we studied host specialization of a dominant gut symbiont of social bees, Lactobacillus Firm5. We show that Firm5 strains isolated from honey bees and bumble bees separate into deep-branching host-specific phylogenetic lineages. Despite their divergent evolution, colonization experiments show that bumble bee strains are capable of colonizing the honey bee gut. However, they were less successful than honey bee strains, and competition with honey bee strains completely abolished their colonization. In contrast honey bee strains of divergent phylogenetic lineages were able to coexist within individual bees. This suggests that both host selection and interbacterial competition play important roles for host specialization. Using comparative genomics of 27 Firm5 isolates, we found that the genomes of honey bee strains harbor more carbohydrate-related functions than bumble bee strains, possibly providing a competitive advantage in the honey bee gut. Remarkably, most of the genes encoding carbohydrate-related functions were not conserved among the honey bee strains, which suggests that honey bees can support a metabolically more diverse community of Firm5 strains than bumble bees. These findings advance our understanding of genomic changes underlying host specialization.

scholarly journals Honey bees, Apis mellifera, are important pollinators of the highbush blueberry variety Ventura despite the inability to sonicate

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keanu Martin ◽  
Bruce Anderson ◽  
Corneile Minnaar ◽  
Marinus de Jager
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Highbush Blueberry ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Bee Pollination ◽  
Hand Pollination

AbstractAnimal-mediated pollination is an essential ecosystem service which over a third of the world’s agricultural crops depend on. Blueberry fruit production is highly dependent on pollinators and in their native range they are pollinated mostly by bumble bees (Bombus spp.). Demand for blueberries has increased in recent years due to their perceived health benefits. Consequently, blueberry cultivation has expanded well beyond their native range, including several regions where bumble bees are not present. In many areas, honey bees may be the only commercially available pollinators of blueberries because many countries ban the importation of bumble bees. This study aimed to determine the benefits of honey bee pollination on blueberry fruit quality and quantity for the variety Ventura by comparing yields of honey-bee-pollinated flowers to flowers where pollinators had been excluded. Honey bees significantly increased berry mass and diameter. Our results suggest that the presence of honey bee pollinators potentially increases revenue by approximately $864 501/ha in areas without bumble bees. We conclude that Ventura is reliably pollinated by honey bees, and that honey bee pollination may be a useful substitute for bumble bees in areas where bumble bees are absent. We also determined the extent to which blueberry yields could still be improved by comparing fruit quality and quantity under honey bee pollination to fruit quality and quantity achieved through ideal hand pollination. We found that blueberry yields may be still be significantly increased relative to ideal hand pollination and we discuss potential ways to improve the efficiency of honeybee pollination in the future. Additional research is required to study how beneficial honey bees are to fruit yield on varieties as the benefits of honey bees are likely to vary across different varieties.

scholarly journals Olfactory coding in the antennal lobe of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Mertes ◽  
Julie Carcaud ◽  
Jean-Christophe Sandoz
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Carbon Chain Length ◽  
Olfactory Coding ◽  
Major Transitions

AbstractSociality is classified as one of the major transitions in evolution, with the largest number of eusocial species found in the insect order Hymenoptera, including the Apini (honey bees) and the Bombini (bumble bees). Bumble bees and honey bees not only differ in their social organization and foraging strategies, but comparative analyses of their genomes demonstrated that bumble bees have a slightly less diverse family of olfactory receptors than honey bees, suggesting that their olfactory abilities have adapted to different social and/or ecological conditions. However, unfortunately, no precise comparison of olfactory coding has been performed so far between honey bees and bumble bees, and little is known about the rules underlying olfactory coding in the bumble bee brain. In this study, we used in vivo calcium imaging to study olfactory coding of a panel of floral odorants in the antennal lobe of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. Our results show that odorants induce reproducible neuronal activity in the bumble bee antennal lobe. Each odorant evokes a different glomerular activity pattern revealing this molecule’s chemical structure, i.e. its carbon chain length and functional group. In addition, pairwise similarity among odor representations are conserved in bumble bees and honey bees. This study thus suggests that bumble bees, like honey bees, are equipped to respond to odorants according to their chemical features.

ALSIKE CLOVER POLLINATION BY HONEY BEES IN THE PEACE RIVER REGION

1959 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Pankiw ◽  
C. R. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Flowering Period ◽  
Peace River ◽  
River Region ◽  
Native Pollinator ◽  
Seed Yields

Pollination studies involving zero, one and three colonies of honey bees per acre, on commercial alsike clover fields ranging in size from 15 to 75 acres, were conducted in 1954, 1955, and 1957 in the Hinton Trail district of the Peace River Region of Alberta. These studies indicated that in large fields one colony of honey bees per acre is sufficient to pollinate alsike clover, consideration being given to competition of other crops and to the climatic conditions. The influence of competing crops was such that 65- to 75-acre fields, with one colony per acre, were similar in honey bee populations and seed production to 15- to 20-acre fields with three colonies per acre. Competing plant species accounted for 15 to 36 per cent of the pollen collected by honey bees. Fields with the higher populations of pollinators matured earlier than fields deficient in pollinators. A population of 3400 honey bees per acre (0.7 bee per sq. yd.) throughout the flowering period resulted in seed sets up to 82 per cent and seed yields to 375 lb. per acre. Check fields, where no honey bees were supplied, ranged in production from 29 lb. per acre, with a low native pollinator count, to 293 lb. where a pollinator equivalent of 1300 bumble bees per acre was observed. Bumble bees worked alsike clover at the rate of 28.6 florets per minute, as compared to 20.0 for leaf-cutter bees and 18.7 for honey bees.

scholarly journals Busy Bees: Variation in Insect Flower-Visiting Rates across Multiple Plant Species

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret J. Couvillon ◽  
Chandra M. Walter ◽  
Eluned M. Blows ◽  
Tomer J. Czaczkes ◽  
Karin L. Alton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
The Other ◽  
Insect Diversity ◽  
Visitation Rates ◽  
Insect Visitation ◽  
Flower Visiting

We quantified insect visitation rates by counting how many flowers/inflorescences were probed per unit time for five plant species (four native and one garden: California lilac, bramble, ragwort, wild marjoram, and ivy) growing in Sussex, United Kingdom, by following individual insects (n=2987) from nine functional groups (honey bees (Apis mellifera), bumble bees (Bombusspp.), hoverflies, flies, butterflies, beetles, wasps, non-Apidae bees, and moths). Additionally, we made a census of the insect diversity on the studied plant species. Overall we found that insect groups differed greatly in their rate of flower visits (P<2.2e-16), with bumble bees and honey bees visiting significantly more flowers per time (11.5 and 9.2 flowers/minute, resp.) than the other insect groups. Additionally, we report on a within-group difference in the non-Apidae bees, where the genusOsmia, which is often suggested as an alternative to honey bees as a managed pollinator, was very speedy (13.4 flowers/minute) compared to the other non-Apidae bees (4.3 flowers/minute). Our census showed that the plants attracted a range of insects, with the honey bee as the most abundant visitor (34%). Therefore, rate differences cannot be explained by particular specializations. Lastly, we discuss potential implications of our conclusions for pollination.

Establishment of Bombus spp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Artificial Domiciles in Southern Alberta

1960 ◽  
Vol 92 (11) ◽  
pp. 868-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Hobbs ◽  
J. F. Virostek ◽  
W. O. Nummi
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Food Preference ◽  
Thin Metal ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Grassland Species ◽  
Metal Plates ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Flax Straw

Since Fye and Medler (1954) described methods of obtaining establishment of bumble bee queens in artificial domiciles in Wisconsin, we have been obtaining colonies for pollination and food-preference studies by similar means. The following is a summary of our experiences with the Fye-Medler type of above-ground domicile. Most of the trials were conducted in the prairie region of southern Alberta with grassland species of bumble bees; one was conducted in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta, where species peculiar to treed areas are common. Because bumble bee queens make their nests in deserted mice nests, domiciles with entrance holes 1 ¼ inches in diameter were partly filled with roughed-up flax straw and set out in the fall to first provide homes for mice. The following spring, the mice were expelled and mice-excluders (thin metal plates 2 inches square, with holes 5/8 inch in diameter) were nailed over the original holes (cf. Fye and Medler, 1954).

scholarly journals Development of Apis cerana District Extractor with innovation of Machinery and Pest control in Kumelembuai Village

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 147-156
Author(s):  
Joice J.I. Rompas ◽  
Betsy Agustina Naomi Pinaria ◽  
Ventje V. Memah
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Apis Cerana ◽  
Cane Sugar ◽  
Bee Venom ◽  
Good Effect ◽  
North Sulawesi ◽  
The Village

This study aims to: 1). Knowing the development of Apis Cerana Honey BeesF.with extractor engine innovation 2). Control of pests that attack honey bees 3). Obtain products from honeybeesApis Cerana F.produced 4). Predict to what extent the quantity and quality of royal jelly products Apis cerana F.produced in the development of beekeeping in North Sulawesi, especially Kumelembuai Village, South Minahasa Regency. This research is expected to develop beekeeping in North Sulawesi, specifically the local bee Apis cerana in Kumelembuai Village. The benefits obtained from beekeeping development activities include increasing the income and nutritional quality of the community from beekeeping products such as honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, bee venom. Conservation of natural resources, honey bees play an important role in helping the process of pollinating plants, in addition to beekeeping activities can also increase public awareness to participate in conservation efforts. North Sulawesi, especially in the village of Kumelembuai, can be developed using the methodqueen rearing best because it has bright prospects for cultivation in North Sulawesi. Honey bee cultivation is very profitable, in addition to increasing agricultural production (crop yields) and producing products from beesApis cerana namely honey, royal jelly, tepung sari, propolis, wax, bee venom which can all be utilized for human welfare. A number of studies have been carried out by various parties who feel an interest in the development of beekeeping, but the research conducted is still partial and limited to one or two environmental components, not integrated yet. It is hoped that this research can produce the best methods for developing beekeeping in the North Sulawesi kumelembu village. The research location will be conducted in the village of Kumelembuai, South Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi. Laboratory analysis is focused on the content of royal jelly products produced by honey bees Apis cerana F. Based on the results of data analysis and discussion in this study are as follows. 1. Research of the four methods namely Supersedure, Emergency cell, Miller and Doolittle produce superior methods, namely the method Emergency cell. 2. In the methodemergency cell artificial feeds provide queen cell formation and productionroyal jelly with a composition of 100 grams of sugar and 200 grams of water both cane sugar and palm sugar are higher than other treatments, although not significantly different. 3. Artificial feed with a composition of 200 grams of cane sugar and 200 grams of water gives a good effect on the fat content of royal jelly Apis cerana in the method emergency cell. 4. Product of royal jelly as a result of panelist evaluationin this study showed that the preferred odor was not pungent, slightly acidic and sticky taste on the tongue and the white color of the product of royal jelly honey bee Apis cerana

scholarly journals Native bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) pollinators vary in floral resource use across an invasion gradient

2017 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Gillespie ◽  
J. Bayley ◽  
E. Elle
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Local Plants ◽  
Floral Resource

AbstractIntegration of pollinator-dependent invasive plants into native pollination networks can have direct and indirect effects on local plant and pollinator communities. Impacts on local plants are well documented; however effects on native pollinators have gained less attention. We examine these issues in habitat fragments of the endangered oak-savannah ecosystem in British Columbia, Canada. We measured pollen collection by native bumble bees (Bombus Latreille; Hymenoptera: Apidae) and the introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus; Hymenoptera: Apidae) foraging on two common native plants in habitat fragments with varying invasive (Cytisus scoparius (Linnaeus) Link; Fabaceae) density. The Bombus species with the largest workers had higher proportions of invasive pollen on their bodies and in their corbiculae than smaller workers. Honey bees rarely collected C. scoparius pollen. While some native bumble bees species collect an increasing proportion of C. scoparius pollen with increasing C. scoparius density, this did not translate into an increased potential for pollination. Rather, measures of effective pollination decline with C. scoparius density. Overall, our results suggest that some bee species may be better at finding resources at highly invaded sites. Apis mellifera is likely not playing a major role in facilitating the spread of C. scoparius in our region. Rather C. scoparius is visited by a complement of native bumble bees that are similar to pollinators in the native range of this plant.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document