scholarly journals Instrumental Insemination of Honey Bee Queens During Flight Activity Predisposition Period 2. Number of Spermatozoa in Spermatheca

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Gerula ◽  
Beata Panasiuk ◽  
Paweł Węgrzynowicz ◽  
Małgorzata Bieńkowska
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Flight Activity ◽  
Instrumental Insemination ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Orientation Flight ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

Instrumental Insemination of Honey Bee Queens During Flight Activity Predisposition Period 2. Number of Spermatozoa in SpermathecaThe effect of the instrumental insemination of honeybee queens after they performed their orientation flight or attempted to perform the flight, on the number of sperm in the spermatheca was observed. Naturally mated queens and instrumentally inseminated queens were examined. Queens were instrumentally inseminated under one of the following 4 circumstances: the instrumentally inseminated queens were either 7 day olds and had been given either a short or long-CO2treatment, or they were inseminated after the trial flight or after returning from the orientation flight. Queens from the various groups had a similar number of spermatozoa in their spermatheca (on average, from 4.7 to 5.3 million). The number of spermatozoa filling the spermatheca influenced both the color and the texture of spermathecae. Significant differences in the number of spermatozoa were stated. Instrumentally inseminated queens that did not lay eggs had significantly less spermatozoa in their spermathecae (3.9 mln) than egg laying queens (5.5 mln).

90EFFECTIVE VIABILITY THRESHOLD FOR PRESERVED HONEY BEE SEMEN

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
A.M. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Fluorescent Staining ◽  
Sufficient Time ◽  
Drone Brood ◽  
Viable Sperm ◽  
Viability Level ◽  
Honey Bee Queens ◽  
Mixed Groups ◽  
Fresh Semen

The honey bee, Apis mellifera, is one of very few insects for which artificial insemination is possible, and preservation of semen has been attempted. Honey bee queens normally mate with 7–20 males early in life, store the semen in the spermatheca and release approximately 30 sperm to fertilize each egg. Fertilized eggs are females (queens or workers) and unfertilized eggs are males (drones). The queen controls release of spermatozoa, laying only worker eggs across large areas of comb, and drone eggs in small separate groups. As stored spermatozoa are depleted, a queen will begin to lay mixed groups of workers and drones. Semen cryopreserved following existing protocols (Harbo JR 1983 Annals Entomol. Soc. Amer. 76, 890–891) has less than 20–25% live spermatozoa (based on percentage of workers reared). This viability level is insufficient to successfully fertilize all of the 1000–1500 eggs per day from an active queen, and the colony slowly dwindles and dies. Using dual fluorescent staining (Collins AM and Donoglye AM 1999 Theriogenology 51, 1513–1523). I have determined that semen with 46% live spermatozoa (50% fresh and 50% freeze-killed semen v/v) or more, produces consistent laying patterns with all fertilized eggs (workers) from inseminated queens (Collins AM 2000 Apidologie 31, 421–429). The current study was done to determine how long queens inseminated with mixed fresh:frozen semen would continue to produce normal brood (collective term for all eggs, larvae and pupae), as compared to those inseminated with all fresh semen, or naturally mated in flight. In spring, sister queens were reared and inseminated with [1] all fresh semen, [2] half fresh and half freeze-killed semen, or [3] ¼ fresh and ¾ freeze-killed semen, or [4] were allowed to mate naturally. The queens were evaluated monthly in individual colonies for percentage of worker offspring v. drone offspring and area of comb with eggs, larvae and pupae, until the queen failed. As expected, the inseminated queens produced less brood than did the naturally mated [4] queens. All of the queens with only fresh semen [1] produced normal brood with 100% workers, and lived well into the winter. Eighty-eight percent of the queens inseminated with half freeze-killed semen [2] performed as well, although some of those failed within a few months. The remaining 22% began laying with mixed worker and drone brood. In treatment [3], 60% of the queens produced variable but high levels of drones in reduced areas of egg laying. Those queens in this group that did lay well (40%) also survived into the winter. These results mean that preserved semen that has 50% or better viable sperm has a good probability of producing inseminated queens that will lay normally for a complete beekeeping season. This is sufficient time for breeders to rear daughter queens from such matings, and incorporate desirable genotypes into a breeding program.

scholarly journals Number of spermatozoa in the spermatheca of honey bee queens inseminated with small doses of semen and kept in an incubator in cages with different numbers of workers

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 488-490
Author(s):  
Jakub Gąbka ◽  
Renata Muszyńska ◽  
Barbara Zajdel
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Mass Production ◽  
Instrumental Insemination ◽  
Small Doses ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

In mass production, instrumentally inseminated honey bee queens are usually kept in mailing cages with a low number of workers and inseminated with small doses of semen. Inseminated queens should have more than 4 mln sperms in their spermatheca. The aim of this study was to investigate the number of spermatozoa entering the spermatheca of queens inseminated with different small doses of semen. Ninety queens were divided into six groups and inseminated as follows: 1µl, 2µl or 3µl of semen at the age of 7 days and 2x1µl, 2x2µl or 2x3µl at the age of 7 and 9 days. Queens were kept in the mailing cages with 15 or 25 attendant bees before and after instrumental insemination. No significant differences were found in mortality and the condition of oviducts of queens inseminated with different small doses of semen and kept in cages with 15 or 25 workers. Queens inseminated with 2x2µl of semen had significantly less sperms in their spermatheca than those inseminated with 2x3µl but signifficantly more than 2x1µl and 1µl, 2µl or 3µl. The smallest dose of semen used for instrumental insemination of honey bee queens should be 2x3µl. Significant differences in the number of spermatozoa in the spematheca of queens kept with 15 or 25 attendant bees were not found.

scholarly journals Balling Behavior of Workers Toward Honey Bee Queens Returning from Mating Flights

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-256
Author(s):  
Dariusz Gerula ◽  
Beata Panasiuk ◽  
Małgorzata Bieńkowska ◽  
Paweł Węgrzynowicz
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Mating Flight ◽  
Natural Mating ◽  
Orientation Flight ◽  
Honey Bee Queens ◽  
Mating Flights ◽  
Balling Behavior

Abstract During natural mating honeybee queens can get lost due to drifting, predators or other cases. In this work, the balling of queens returning from flights by worker bees originating from the same colony was observed. Three subspecies of bees Carniolan, Caucasian and European Black Bee were tested. Research was conducted in both spring and summer, but in the former in newly created colonies, while in the latter in new and earlier used ones. Generally 15.2% of queens were balled and in total 30.2% of queens were lost during mating flights. 269 queens performed 785 mating flights, and 5.2% of those finished with balling. Three times more queens were balled when returning from mating flight rather than orientation flight. Subspecies matches or mismatches of queens and workers in nucleuses did not significantly affect the balling or its frequency. Additionally, no bee subspecies characterized stronger tendencies to ball a queen. Worker bees from newly created nucleuses treated queens similarly to the ones in nucleuses earlier used. However, significantly more queens had been balled during the spring in comparison to summer. There were days with higher balling of queens. During some days the weather was very unstable and unpredictable with such anomalies as heat waves, thunderstorms or sudden drops in insolation. Most of the queens were balled at the entrance while returning from flight and only a few inside the hive. In the research, clear causes of balling were not found, but some factors can be excluded.

scholarly journals Current knowledge about behaviors of honey bee queens with highlighting of the importance future studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossam F. Abou-Shaara ◽  
Nuru Adgaba ◽  
Ahmad A. Al-Ghamdi
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Genetic Characteristics ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

Abstract Background There is one queen in each honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colony under normal conditions. This queen performs egg laying and pheromonal control in the colony. All genetic characteristics of bee workers and drones depend on the queen. This reflects the importance of bee queen in the colony. In this review, behaviors of honey bee queens are presented and further studies are suggested to fill in gaps in knowledge. Main body The major studies about behaviors of honey bee queens either inside or outside the colony were reviewed. Some behavioral aspects especially egg laying pattern, sperm storage and utilization, conflict between queens, and the role of the queens in swarming and absconding have gained relatively few attention. Also, some other points such as the ability of a queen to transmit parasites after mating to her offspring and effects of pesticides on queen rearing and characteristics of emerged queens were highlighted. Conclusion This study highlighted the points that require further detailed studies. This review article may stimulate others toward performing specific future studies on bee queens.

scholarly journals Patterns of viral infection in honey bee queens

2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 668-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Mathew Francis ◽  
Steen Lykke Nielsen ◽  
Per Kryger
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infection ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Copy Numbers ◽  
Kashmir Bee Virus ◽  
Honey Bee Queens ◽  
Negative Sense ◽  
Paralysis Virus

The well-being of a colony and replenishment of the workers depends on a healthy queen. Diseases in queens are seldom reported, and our knowledge on viral infection in queens is limited. In this study, 86 honey bee queens were collected from beekeepers in Denmark. All queens were tested separately by two real-time PCRs: one for the presence of deformed wing virus (DWV), and one that would detect sequences of acute bee-paralysis virus, Kashmir bee virus and Israeli acute paralysis virus (AKI complex). Worker bees accompanying the queen were also analysed. The queens could be divided into three groups based on the level of infection in their head, thorax, ovary, intestines and spermatheca. Four queens exhibited egg-laying deficiency, but visually all queens appeared healthy. Viral infection was generally at a low level in terms of AKI copy numbers, with 134/430 tissues (31 %) showing the presence of viral infection ranging from 101 to 105 copies. For DWV, 361/340 tissues (84 %) showed presence of viral infection (DWV copies ranging from 102 to 1012), with 50 tissues showing viral titres >107 copies. For both AKI and DWV, the thorax was the most frequently infected tissue and the ovaries were the least frequently infected. Relative to total mass, the spermatheca showed significantly higher DWV titres than the other tissues. The ovaries had the lowest titre of DWV. No significant differences were found among tissues for AKI. A subsample of 14 queens yielded positive results for the presence of negative-sense RNA strands, thus demonstrating active virus replication in all tissues.

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