scholarly journals Comparison of Different Pollen Substitutes for the Feeding of Laboratory Reared Bumble Bee (Bombus Terrestris) Colonies

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-104
Author(s):  
Laura Bortolotti ◽  
Filip Pošćić ◽  
Gherardo Bogo
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Protein Source ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Fresh Frozen ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Protein Diets

AbstractIn bumble bee colonies, pollen is the only protein source for larval feeding and its shortage causes a distress in larval development. Adult bumble bees need pollen for the development of glands and the reproductive system. In bumble bee rearing, honey bee collected pollen is used as the main protein source, either as fresh-frozen or dried pellets, and pollen provisioning is the most problematic and expensive aspect of mass rearing. In honey bee breeding, pollen substitutes are used during the period of food shortage or to stimulate colony strength. We tested different protein diets (five commercial pollen substitutes and two natural protein sources) for the maintenance of bumble bee colonies in captivity. We further mixed Feedbee®, one of the substitutes that gave the best results, with different amounts of pollen to evaluate the optimal amount needed for the whole colony development. Although none of the pure protein diets alone were adequate, diets with a 1 to 1 and 1 to 3 ratio of Feedbee to pollen were both suitable for colony development and queen production. The colony consumed between 2 and 4 g per day of the Feedbee mixed diets, corresponding to a protein consumption of 0.75–0.85 g day−1. Nevertheless, the consumption rate of the pure pollen showed that a mean amount of protein between 0.4 and 0.5 g day−1 was enough to allow colony development indicating the suitability of Feedbee mixed diets.

Control of Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a pest in Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies

2003 ◽  
Vol 135 (6) ◽  
pp. 893-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Jung Kwon ◽  
Shafqat Saeed ◽  
Marie José Duchateau
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Plodia Interpunctella ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Pollen Storage ◽  
Indian Meal Moth ◽  
Pest Outbreaks ◽  
Indian Meal ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractThe bumble bee Bombus terrestris L. is an important pollinator of commercial crops. Mass-rearing of bumble bees under controlled conditions is susceptible to pest outbreaks such as the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella L. This study showed that pollen collected from pollen traps at honey bee colonies can be contaminated with eggs of the Indian meal moth and that the eggs can hatch under bumble bee rearing conditions. Storage of pollen at −60 °C for more than 3 weeks can prevent an infestation of P. interpunctella in bumble bee colonies via pollen. Storage at −20 °C is less effective. Although P. interpunctella larvae slightly prefer pollen as their food source, they also feed on bumble bee pupae, especially when little pollen is present in a bumble bee colony. Spraying with the microbial insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis Aizawai at a concentration of 1 g/L water can control P. interpunctella (99.8% mortality) without harm to the bumble bee colonies. Higher concentrations have a negative impact on bumble bee colonies. Other B. thuringiensis strains, Kurstaki and Kurstaki Plus, are less effective.

scholarly journals The Effects of Pollen Protein Content on Colony Development of the Bumblebee, Bombus Terrestris L.

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Güney Hikmet Baloglu ◽  
Fehmi Gurel
Keyword(s):  
Protein Content ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Papaver Somniferum ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Sinapis Arvensis ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Pollen Sources ◽  
Ad Libitum

Abstract The effects of pollen protein content on the colony development of Bombus terrestris were investigated by feeding queens and queenright colonies with four different pollen diets. We used three kinds of commercially available pure pollen (Cistus spp. 11.9%, Papaver somniferum 21.4%, and Sinapis arvensis 21.8% crude protein). We also used a mixture which was made up of equal weights of these pure pollens (18.4 % crude protein). All queens and colonies were fed with sugar syrup and pollen diets ad libitum (28 ± 1 ℃, 65 ± 5% RH). Until there were 50 workers reached, colonies fed with the Cistus pollen diet (167.4 ± 28.9 g) consumed significantly more pollen than colonies fed with the Papaver pollen diet (140.7 ± 15.7 g), the mixed pollen diet (136.2 ± 20.1 g) or colonies fed with the Sinapis pollen diet (132.4 ± 22.6 g). The date when there were 50 workers reached was approximately one week later in the colonies fed with the Cistus, and colonies fed with the Papaver diet than in the colonies fed with the Sinapis diet, and for colonies fed with the mixed pollen diets. Considering 8 tested criteria, the best performances were observed using the Sinapis, and using the mixed pollen diets. The lowest performances were observed using the Cistus pollen diet. Results showed that pollen sources play an important role in commercial bumblebee rearing. Results also showed that the polyfloral pollen diets are more suitable for mass rearing of bumblebees than the unifloral pollen diets.

scholarly journals Is diversity in worker body size important for the performance of bumble bee colonies?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob G. Holland ◽  
Shinnosuke Nakayama ◽  
Maurizio Porfiri ◽  
Oded Nov ◽  
Guy Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
Physiological Adaptations ◽  
Comparable Performance ◽  
Colony Performance ◽  
Size Diversity ◽  
Individual Effort ◽  
Bee Colonies

ABSTRACTSpecialization and plasticity are important for many forms of collective behavior, but the interplay between these factors is little understood. In insect societies, workers are often predisposed to specialize in different tasks, sometimes with morphological or physiological adaptations, facilitating a division of labor. Workers may also plastically switch between tasks or vary their effort. The degree to which predisposed specialization limits plasticity is not clear and has not been systematically tested in ecologically relevant contexts. We addressed this question in 20 freely-foraging bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) colonies by continually manipulating colonies to contain either a typically diverse or reduced (“homogeneous”) worker body size distribution, over two trials. Pooling both trials, diverse colonies did better in several indices of colony performance. The importance of body size was further demonstrated by the finding that foragers were larger than nurses even in homogeneous colonies with a very narrow body size range. However, the overall effect of size diversity stemmed mostly from one trial. In the other trial, homogeneous and diverse colonies showed comparable performance. By comparing behavioral profiles based on several thousand observations, we found evidence that workers in homogeneous colonies in this trial rescued colony performance by plastically increasing behavioral specialization and/or individual effort, compared to same-sized individuals in diverse colonies. Our results are consistent with a benefit to colonies of predisposed (size-diverse) specialists under certain conditions, but also suggest that plasticity or effort, can compensate for reduced (size-related) specialization. Thus, we suggest that an intricate interplay between specialization and plasticity is functionally adaptive in bumble bee colonies.

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 Influence of spring feed on the strength of honey bee colonies during spring development

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1757-1760
Author(s):  
B. Andjelkovic ◽  
G. Jevtic ◽  
M. Mladenovic ◽  
M. Petrovic ◽  
T. Vasic
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Fourth Group ◽  
The Third ◽  
Spring Period ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Sugar Syrup ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Bee Colonies

The strength of honey bee colonies during year depends on wintering and on biologic development of colonies during spring period. To ensure satisfactory colony development in spring period, it is necessary to add stimulative feed. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of different types of spring feed on the honey bee colony strength. Twenty honey bee colonies were selected for this experiment. Colonies were divided into five groups, and each group received different stimulative feed. The first group was fed with sugar syrup, and the second with sugar syrup with added microelements and with vitamin complex. The third group received sugar candy without additives, and the fourth group received sugar candy with addition of microelements and vitamins. The fifth group was fed with honey. The experiment was conducted on the apiary of the Institute for forage crops in Krusevac.

scholarly journals The acaricidal effect of flumethrin, oxalic acid and amitraz against Varroa destructor in honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) colonies

2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Ivana Smodiš Škerl ◽  
Mitja Nakrst ◽  
Lucija Žvokelj ◽  
Aleš Gregorc
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Oxalic Acid ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Apis Mellifera Carnica ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Mite Control ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Mite Mortality

During 2007 and 2008, natural mite mortality was recorded in honey bee colonies. These colonies were then treated with various acaricides against Varroa destructor and acaricide efficacies were evaluated. In 2007, experimental colonies were treated with flumethrin and/or oxalic acid and in 2008 the same colonies were treated with flumethrin, oxalic acid or amitraz. The efficacy of flumethrin in 2007 averaged 73.62% compared to 70.12% for three oxalic acid treatments. In 2008, a reduction of 12.52% in mite numbers was found 4 weeks after flumethrin application, while 4 oxalic acid applications produced significantly higher (P < 0.05) mite mortality, an average of 24.13%. Four consecutive amitraz fumigations produced a 93.82% reduction on average in final mite numbers and thus ensure normal colony development and overwintering. The study is important in order to demonstrate that synthetic acaricides should be constantly re-evaluated and the use of flumethrin at low efficacies need to be superseded by appropriate organic treatments to increase the efficacy of mite control in highly-infested colonies during the period of brood rearing.

scholarly journals Glucosinolate Bioactivation by Apis mellifera Workers and Its Impact on Nosema ceranae Infection at the Colony Level

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1657
Author(s):  
Luisa Ugolini ◽  
Giovanni Cilia ◽  
Eleonora Pagnotta ◽  
Lorena Malaguti ◽  
Vittorio Capano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Specific Effect ◽  
Hydrolytic Activity ◽  
Nosema Ceranae ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Bee Colonies

The microsporidian fungus Nosema ceranae represents one of the primary bee infection threats worldwide and the antibiotic fumagillin is the only registered product for nosemosis disease control, while few alternatives are, at present, available. Natural bioactive compounds deriving from the glucosinolate–myrosinase system (GSL–MYR) in Brassicaceae plants, mainly isothiocyanates (ITCs), are known for their antimicrobial activity against numerous pathogens and for their health-protective effects in humans. This work explored the use of Brassica nigra and Eruca sativa defatted seed meal (DSM) GSL-containing diets against natural Nosema infection in Apis mellifera colonies. DSM patties from each plant species were obtained by adding DSMs to sugar candy at the concentration of 4% (w/w). The feeding was administered in May to mildly N. ceranae-infected honey bee colonies for four weeks at the dose of 250 g/week. In the treated groups, no significant effects on colony development and bee mortality were observed compared to the negative controls. The N. ceranae abundance showed a slight but significant decrease. Furthermore, the GSL metabolism in bees was investigated, and MYR hydrolytic activity was qualitatively searched in isolated bee midgut and hindgut. Interestingly, MYR activity was detected both in the bees fed DSMs and in the control group where the bees did not receive DSMs. In parallel, ITCs were found in gut tissues from the bees treated with DSMs, corroborating the presence of a MYR-like enzyme capable of hydrolyzing ingested GSLs. On the other hand, GSLs and other GSL hydrolysis products other than ITCs, such as nitriles, were found in honey produced by the treated bees, potentially increasing the health value of the final product for human consumption. The results are indicative of a specific effect on the N. ceranae infection in managed honey bee colonies depending on the GSL activation within the target organ.

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