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 Varroa jacobsoni infestation of adult Africanized and Italian honey bees (Apis mellifera) in mixed colonies in Brazil

1999 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldo Moretto ◽  
Leonidas João de Mello Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Mite Infestation ◽  
Varroa Jacobsoni ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
African Honey Bees ◽  
Africanized Bees ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Different Levels

Different levels of infestation with the mite Varroa jacobsoni have been observed in the various Apis mellifera races. In general, bees of European races are more susceptible to the mite than African honey bees and their hybrids. In Brazil honey bee colonies are not treated against the mite, though apparently both climate and bee race influence the mite infestation. Six mixed colonies were made with Italian and Africanized honey bees. The percentage infestation by this parasite was found to be significantly lower in adult Africanized (1.69 ± 0.44) than Italian bees (2.79 ± 0.65). This ratio was similar to that found in Mexico, even though the Africanized bees tested there had not been in contact with varroa, compared to more than 20 years of the coexistence in Brazil. However, mean mite infestation in Brazil on both kinds of bees was only about a third of that found in Mexico.

scholarly journals Phenotypic correlations of field and laboratory tests with honey production in Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Apidologie ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Zárate ◽  
Chavier De Araujo-Freitas ◽  
Luis A. Medina ◽  
Alfonso Velásquez ◽  
J. Javier G. Quezada-Euán
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Phenotypic Correlations

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

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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