No apparent correlation between honey bee forager gut microbiota and honey production

One of the best indicators of colony health for the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is its performance in the production of honey. Recent research into the microbial communities naturally populating the bee gut raise the question as to whether there is a correlation between microbial community structure and colony productivity. In this work, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to explore the microbial composition associated with forager bees from honey bee colonies producing large amounts of surplus honey (productive) and compared them to colonies producing less (unproductive). As supported by previous work, the honey bee microbiome was found to be dominated by three major phyla: the Proteobacteria, Bacilli and Actinobacteria, within which we found a total of 23 different bacterial genera, including known “core” honey bee microbiome members. Using discriminant function analysis and correlation-based network analysis, we identified highly abundant members (such asFrischellaandGilliamella) as important in shaping the bacterial community; libraries from colonies with high quantities of theseOrbaceaemembers were also likely to contain fewerBifidobacteriaandLactobacillusspecies (such as Firm-4). However, co-culture assays, using isolates from these major clades, were unable to confirm any antagonistic interaction betweenGilliamellaand honey bee gut bacteria. Our results suggest that honey bee colony productivity is associated with increased bacterial diversity, although this mechanism behind this correlation has yet to be determined. Our results also suggest researchers should not base inferences of bacterial interactions solely on correlations found using sequencing. Instead, we suggest that depth of sequencing and library size can dramatically influencestatistically significantresults from sequence analysis of amplicons and should be cautiously interpreted.

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Reviewing the Efficacy of Pollen Substitutes as a Management Tool for Improving the Health and Productivity of Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems ◽

10.3389/fsufs.2021.772897 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Author(s):

Emily R. Noordyke ◽

James D. Ellis

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Management Tool ◽

Disease Response ◽

Bee Colony ◽

Key Factor ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Bee Colonies ◽

Colony Productivity

Western honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) collect pollen from flowers as their source of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Beekeepers feed pollen substitutes to their honey bee colonies to mitigate a lack of natural pollen resources in the environment. Despite their widespread use, it is unclear if pollen substitutes are beneficial to colony health and productivity. Herein, we review the literature regarding pollen substitute efficacy in four major categories: (1) consumption/palatability of pollen substitutes, (2) colony productivity, (3) pest and disease response, and (4) physiological response. Collectively, the literature shows a mix of positive, neutral, and negative impacts of pollen substitutes on honey bee colony health. Additionally, we recommend areas for improvement in pollen substitute research. We hope this review will lead to more research on pollen substitutes given nutrition is a key factor impacting the health of managed honey bees globally.

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Effect of Initial Strength of Honey Bee Colonies (Apis mellifera) Supered in Different Ways on Maximizing Honey Production in Nepal

Journal of Apicultural Science ◽

10.2478/v10289-012-0025-7 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 71-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Khem Raj Neupane ◽

Jerzy Woyke ◽

Jerzy Wilde

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Initial Strength ◽

Honey Production ◽

Colony Management ◽

Bee Colony ◽

Worker Brood ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

The Cost ◽

Bee Colonies

Abstract A study was carried out to investigate the effect of the original strengths of honey bee colonies supered in different ways, on the production of honey by Apis mellifera bees in the Terai region of Nepal. Bee colonies of three different original strengths, in which the bees covered 5, 10 and 20 combs, were supered in three different methods. The results showed that honey production was highly correlated to the number of worker brood cells in the colonies (r = 0.96, p = 0.003). Colonies of 5 comb initial strength (CIS), as farmers’ practices in Nepal, produced the lowest amount of honey (30.1 kg per annum). Bees in colonies of 10 CIS with a deep super, produced twice as much honey (62.2 kg), and colonies of 20 CIS with deep supers produced even significantly more honey (74.5 kg). However, the relationship between the financial values of the produced honey to the cost of its production was the highest - 1.52 : 1 for colonies of 10 CIS with a deep super. Therefore, this bee colony management is recommended to the beekeepers in the Terai region and lower hills of Nepal. This fi nding has global application.

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Sublethal concentrations of clothianidin affect honey bee colony growth and hive CO2 concentration

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-83958-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

William G. Meikle ◽

John J. Adamczyk ◽

Milagra Weiss ◽

Janie Ross ◽

Chris Werle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Pesticide Exposure ◽

Co2 Concentration ◽

Colony Growth ◽

Control Group ◽

Brood Production ◽

Weight Losses ◽

Bee Colony ◽

The Impact ◽

Bee Colonies

AbstractThe effects of agricultural pesticide exposure upon honey bee colonies is of increasing interest to beekeepers and researchers, and the impact of neonicotinoid pesticides in particular has come under intense scrutiny. To explore potential colony-level effects of a neonicotinoid pesticide at field-relevant concentrations, honey bee colonies were fed 5- and 20-ppb concentrations of clothianidin in sugar syrup while control colonies were fed unadulterated syrup. Two experiments were conducted in successive years at the same site in southern Arizona, and one in the high rainfall environment of Mississippi. Across all three experiments, adult bee masses were about 21% lower among colonies fed 20-ppb clothianidin than the untreated control group, but no effects of treatment on brood production were observed. Average daily hive weight losses per day in the 5-ppb clothianidin colonies were about 39% lower post-treatment than in the 20-ppb clothianidin colonies, indicating lower consumption and/or better foraging, but the dry weights of newly-emerged adult bees were on average 6–7% lower in the 5-ppb group compared to the other groups, suggesting a nutritional problem in the 5-ppb group. Internal hive CO2 concentration was higher on average in colonies fed 20-ppb clothianidin, which could have resulted from greater CO2 production and/or reduced ventilating activity. Hive temperature average and daily variability were not affected by clothianidin exposure but did differ significantly among trials. Clothianidin was found to be, like imidacloprid, highly stable in honey in the hive environment over several months.

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PROSPECT BUDIDAYA USAHA LEBAH MADU (Trigona sp) DENGAN METODE TOPING DAN STUP

Media Agribisnis ◽

10.35326/agribisnis.v4i2.1121 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 13-22

Author(s):

Safrin Edy ◽

Laode Al Hemawan Ardi

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Carrying Capacity ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Business Development ◽

Feasibility Analysis ◽

Business Opportunity ◽

Honey Production ◽

Business Opportunities ◽

Additional Costs ◽

Bee Colonies

This study aims to analyze the feasibility of the business and analyze the opportunities and threats of Trigona Ongka farm in Laompo Village, Batauga District, South Buton Regency. The research was conducted from January to February 2020 in Laompo Village, Batauga District, South Buton Regency. The sample in this study was 1 (one) honeybee breeders (Trigona sp). The method used is the independent sample t-test and the R / C feasibility analysis. Business opportunities and threats are analyzed qualitatively. The results showed that the business feasibility of Trigona sp honey bee livestock through the STUP and topping method was 1.5, (R/C > 1), meaning that each additional cost incurred resulted in a larger increase in revenue as much as IDR 1,400,000 for the STUP method and IDR 1,500,000 for the topping method instead of additional costs or simply profitable business activities. The honey bee livestock business opportunity of Trigona sp, namely honey as a favorite that is popular, relatively stable price, partially known production of the community, the location is easy to reach by vehicles, the availability of large land for business development. While the threat of Trigona sp honey bee livestock, namely: lack of environmental carrying capacity, so that environmental improvements and increasing the number of bee colonies are needed to increase honey production, do not have a product brand to be widely commercialized, product quality standardization is still poorly understood by breeders, there is no internal coordination between breeders to strengthen institutions and lack of access to assistance from capital institutions in terms of capital. Keywords: Prospects, Business Feasibility, Honey Bees

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Effect of Lactobacillus johnsonii CRL1647 on different parameters of honeybee colonies and bacterial populations of the bee gut

Beneficial Microbes ◽

10.3920/bm2014.0155 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

pp. 687-695 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

M.C. Audisio ◽

D.C. Sabaté ◽

M.R. Benítez-Ahrendts

Keyword(s):

Lactobacillus Johnsonii ◽

Bacterial Populations ◽

Honey Production ◽

Bee Colony ◽

Enterococcus Spp ◽

Colony Performance ◽

Genus Lactobacillus ◽

Bacillus Spp ◽

Bee Colonies ◽

Administration Schedules

Lactobacillus johnsonii CRL1647, isolated from the intestinal tract of a worker-bee in Salta, Argentina, was delivered to Apis mellifera L. honey bee colonies according to two different administration schedules: 1×105 cfu/ml every 15 days (2011) or monthly (2012). The effect of each treatment on the bee-colony performance was monitored by measuring honey production, and the prevalence of varroasis and nosemosis. Worker bees from each assay were randomly captured 3 days after administration and assayed for the following intestinal culturable and defined bacterial populations: total aerobic microorganisms, Bacillus spp. spores, Lactobacillus spp., Enterococcus spp. and enterobacteria. Interestingly, both treatments generated a similar increase in honey production in treated colonies compared to controls: 36.8% (every 15 days) and 36.3% (monthly). Nosema index always exhibited a reduction when lactobacilli were administered; in turn, Varroa incidence was lower when the lactobacilli were administered once a month. Moreover, the administration of L. johnsonii CRL1647 every 15 days produced an increase in the total number of aerobic microorganisms and in bacteria belonging to the genera Lactobacillus and Enterococcus; at the same time, a decrease was observed in the number of total spores at the end of the treatment. The number of enterobacteria was constant and remained below that of control hives at the end of the assay. On the other hand, the delivery of lactobacilli once a month only showed an increase in the number of bacteria belonging to the genus Lactobacillus; meanwhile, viable counts of the remaining microorganisms assayed were reduced. Even though it seems that both treatments were similar, those bee colonies that received L. johnsonii CRL1647 every 15 days became so strong that they swarmed.

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Reduced worker relatedness does not affect cooperation in honey bee colonies

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z04-138 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 82 (9) ◽

pp. 1542-1545 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robyn M Underwood ◽

Michael J Lewis ◽

James F Hare

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Kin Selection ◽

Genetic Relatedness ◽

Production Worker ◽

Brood Production ◽

Eusocial Insects ◽

Honey Production ◽

Drone Brood ◽

Bee Colonies

Although kin selection is commonly regarded as a major force in the evolution and maintenance of social behaviour in eusocial insects, recent controversy regarding whether honey bee (Apis mellifera L., 1758) workers can discriminate close kin from more distant relatives casts doubt on the extent to which cooperation among individuals within honey bee colonies is controlled by genetic relatedness. We contrasted brood and honey production in colonies where we diluted worker relatedness with those elements of productivity in colonies where relatedness was unmanipulated. Relatedness manipulation did not affect overall brood production, worker or drone brood production, the worker to drone brood sex ratio, or the volume of honey produced. Thus, there is no evidence that honey bees discriminate close from distant relatives or, more importantly, that dilution of the coefficient of relatedness within a colony has any impact on the efficiency of that colony.

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Loss and Gain of Gut Bacterial Phylotype Symbionts in Afrotropical Stingless Bee Species (Apidae: Meliponinae)

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9122420 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 2420

Author(s):

Yosef Hamba Tola ◽

Jacqueline Wahura Waweru ◽

Nelly N. Ndungu ◽

Kiatoko Nkoba ◽

Bernard Slippers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Management ◽

Amplicon Sequencing ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Stingless Bee ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

16S Rrna Amplicon Sequencing ◽

Bee Health ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Species Specific

Stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) are the most diverse group of corbiculate bees and are important managed and wild pollinators distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. However, little is known about their associated beneficial microbes that play major roles in host nutrition, detoxification, growth, activation of immune responses, and protection against pathogens in their sister groups, honeybees and bumble bees. Here, we provide an initial characterization of the gut bacterial microbiota of eight stingless bee species from sub-Saharan Africa using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Our findings revealed that Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria were the dominant and conserved phyla across the eight stingless bee species. Additionally, we found significant geographical and host intra-species-specific bacterial diversity. Notably, African strains showed significant phylogenetic clustering when compared with strains from other continents, and each stingless bee species has its own microbial composition with its own dominant bacterial genus. Our results suggest host selective mechanisms maintain distinct gut communities among sympatric species and thus constitute an important resource for future studies on bee health management and host-microbe co-evolution and adaptation.

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Florida Beekeeping Management Calendar

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-in848-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 (4) ◽

Author(s):

James D. Ellis ◽

Mary C. Bammer ◽

William H. Kern Jr.

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Plant Communities ◽

South Florida ◽

Floral Resources ◽

North Central ◽

Colony Management ◽

Bee Colony ◽

Starting Point ◽

Honey Bee Colony ◽

Bee Colonies

Climate, plant communities, and timing of floral resources differ significantly across Florida, which means that management of European honey bee colonies in Florida differs as well. This 8-page fact sheet written by James D. Ellis, Mary C. Bammer, and William H. Kern and published by Department of Entomology and Nematology outlines a management calendar created for Florida beekeepers. It is specific to region (north, central, and south Florida) and month and includes recommendations for major management considerations like when to treat for parasites or pathogens and when to feed colonies or harvest honey. This management calendar, while not exhaustive, is a valuable reference or starting point for honey bee colony management in Florida. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in848

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Chronic exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide and a synthetic pyrethroid in full-sized honey bee colonies

10.1101/293167 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Richard Odemer ◽

Peter Rosenkranz

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Chronic Exposure ◽

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Synthetic Pyrethroid ◽

Social Resilience ◽

Bee Colony ◽

The Impact ◽

Bee Colonies

ABSTRACTIn the last decade, the use of neonicotinoid insecticides increased significantly in the agricultural landscape and meanwhile considered a risk to honey bees. Besides the exposure to pesticides, colonies are treated frequently with various acaricides that beekeepers are forced to use against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Here we have analyzed the impact of a chronic exposure to sublethal concentrations of the common neonicotinoid thiacloprid (T) and the widely used acaricide τ-fluvalinate (synthetic pyrethroid, F) - applied alone or in combination - to honey bee colonies under field conditions. The population dynamics of bees and brood were assessed in all colonies according to the Liebefeld method. Four groups (T, F, F+T, control) with 8-9 colonies each were analyzed in two independent replications, each lasting from spring/summer until spring of the consecutive year. In late autumn, all colonies were treated with oxalic acid against Varroosis. We could not find a negative impact of the chronic neonicotinoid exposure on the population dynamics or overwintering success of the colonies, irrespective of whether applied alone or in combination with τ-fluvalinate. This is in contrast to some results obtained from individually treated bees under laboratory conditions and confirms again an effective buffering capacity of the honey bee colony as a superorganism. Yet, the underlying mechanisms for this social resilience remain to be fully understood.

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

Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry ◽

10.2298/bah1104757a ◽

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.

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