Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Health in Stationary and Migratory Apiaries

The practice of migratory beekeeping is based on moving honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies between different locations to intensify agricultural production through improved pollination services. However, due to stress caused by exposure of bee hives to different environments, migratory beekeeping activities can lead colonies to greater susceptibility of these insects to pathogens and pests, thus leading to population decline and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health profile of apiaries that adopt two types of management (stationary and migratory), located in the central-eastern region of São Paulo state, Brazil, during two sampling periods, one in spring (October 2010), and one in autumn (May 2011). We collected 474 samples of honeycomb from the brood area, combs containing capped brood, adult bees that covered the brood area, and foraging bees, to evaluate the presence and prevalence of Paenibacillus larvae, Varroa destructor, Nosema apis and N. ceranae. Seasonality was identified as a determining factor in the health condition of Africanized A. mellifera colonies, causing a stronger effect on health than the type of management employed (stationary vs migratory beekeeping). The infection rates of N. ceranae were higher during the autumn in relation to the spring (387 ± 554 spores per bee in the spring and 1,167 ± 1,202 spores per bee in the autumn in stationary apiaries and 361 ± 687 spores per bee in the spring and 1,082 ± 1,277 spores per bee in the autumn in migratory apiaries). The same pattern was found for infestation rates of V. destructor (2.83 ± 1.97 in the spring and 9.48 ± 6.15 in the autumn in stationary apiaries and 3.25 ± 2.32 in the spring and 6.34 ± 6.58 in the autumn in migratory apiaries). These results demonstrate that the seasonality affects the health of A. mellifera colonies, but it does not depend on the type of management adopted (stationary or migratory).

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Sequential generations of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens produced using cryopreserved semen

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rd11088 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (8) ◽

pp. 1079 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Brandon K. Hopkins ◽

Charles Herr ◽

Walter S. Sheppard

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Food Production ◽

Effective Means ◽

Eastern Asia ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Instrumental Insemination ◽

Diploid Female ◽

Frozen Semen

Much of the world’s food production is dependent on honey bees for pollination, and expanding food production will further increase the demand for managed pollination services. Apiculturists outside the native range of the honey bee, in the Americas, Australia and eastern Asia, have used only a few of the 27 described subspecies of honey bees (Apis mellifera) for beekeeping purposes. Within the endemic ranges of a particular subspecies, hybridisation can threaten native subspecies when local beekeepers import and propagate non-native honey bees. For many threatened species, cryopreserved germplasm can provide a resource for the preservation of diversity and recovery of endangered populations. However, although instrumental insemination of queen honey bees is well established, the absence of an effective means to cryopreserve honey bee semen has limited the success of efforts to preserve genetic diversity within the species or to develop repositories of honey bee germplasm for breeding purposes. Herein we report that some queens inseminated with cryopreserved semen were capable of producing a substantial number of fertilised offspring. These diploid female larvae were used to produce two additional sequential generations of new queens, which were then back-crossed to the same stock of frozen semen. Our results demonstrate the ability to produce queens using cryopreserved honey bee spermatozoa and the potential for the establishment of a honey bee genetic repository.

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Diversity and Global Distribution of Viruses of the Western Honey Bee, Apis mellifera

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11040239 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 239 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Alexis Beaurepaire ◽

Niels Piot ◽

Vincent Doublet ◽

Karina Antunez ◽

Ewan Campbell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Colony Losses ◽

New Host ◽

Deformed Wing Virus ◽

Bee Colony ◽

Queen Cell

In the past centuries, viruses have benefited from globalization to spread across the globe, infecting new host species and populations. A growing number of viruses have been documented in the western honey bee, Apis mellifera. Several of these contribute significantly to honey bee colony losses. This review synthetizes the knowledge of the diversity and distribution of honey-bee-infecting viruses, including recent data from high-throughput sequencing (HTS). After presenting the diversity of viruses and their corresponding symptoms, we surveyed the scientific literature for the prevalence of these pathogens across the globe. The geographical distribution shows that the most prevalent viruses (deformed wing virus, sacbrood virus, black queen cell virus and acute paralysis complex) are also the most widely distributed. We discuss the ecological drivers that influence the distribution of these pathogens in worldwide honey bee populations. Besides the natural transmission routes and the resulting temporal dynamics, global trade contributes to their dissemination. As recent evidence shows that these viruses are often multihost pathogens, their spread is a risk for both the beekeeping industry and the pollination services provided by managed and wild pollinators.

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Significance of Apoidea as Main Pollinators. Ecological and Economic Impact and Implications for Human Nutrition

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d12070280 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 280

Author(s):

Peter Hristov ◽

Boyko Neov ◽

Rositsa Shumkova ◽

Nadezhda Palova

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Genetic Resource ◽

Economic Value ◽

Wild Plants ◽

Insect Pollination ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Total Economic Value

Wild and managed bees provide pollination services to crops and wild plants, as well as a variety of other services beneficial to humans. Honey bees are the most economically valuable pollinator worldwide. It has been calculated that 9.5% of the total economic value of agricultural production comes from insect pollination, thus amounting to just under USD 200 billion globally. More than 100 important crops depend on pollination by honey bees. The latter pollinate not only a wide number of commercial crops but also many wild plants, some of which are threatened by extinction and constitute a valuable genetic resource. Moreover, as pollinators, honey bees play a significant role in every aspect of the ecosystem by facilitating the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants that serve as food and shelter for many large and small creatures. In this paper, we describe how the reduction in honey bee populations affects various economic sectors, as well as human health.

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On the Importance of the Sound Emitted by Honey Bee Hives

Veterinary Sciences ◽

10.3390/vetsci7040168 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 168

Author(s):

Alessandro Terenzi ◽

Stefania Cecchi ◽

Susanna Spinsante

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Acquisition System ◽

Monitoring Systems ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Sound Analysis

Recent years have seen a worsening in the decline of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) colonies. This phenomenon has sparked a great amount of attention regarding the need for intense bee hive monitoring, in order to identify possible causes, and design corresponding countermeasures. Honey bees have a key role in pollination services of both cultivated and spontaneous flora, and the increase in bee mortality could lead to an ecological and economical damage. Despite many smart monitoring systems for honey bees and bee hives, relying on different sensors and measured quantities, have been proposed over the years, the most promising ones are based on sound analysis. Sounds are used by the bees to communicate within the hive, and their analysis can reveal useful information to understand the colony health status and to detect sudden variations, just by using a simple microphone and an acquisition system. The work here presented aims to provide a review of the most interesting approaches proposed over the years for honey bees sound analysis and the type of knowledge about bees that can be extracted from sounds.

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