The Current State of the Protected Apis mellifera mellifera Population in Russia: Hybridization and Nosematosis

The Southern Urals of Russia are the habitat of one of the surviving populations of the dark forest bee—the Burzyan population of Apis mellifera mellifera. In this study, we present the results of the subspecies identification of bee colonies in the Altyn-Solok Nature Reserve in the Southern Ural Mountains using the intergenic mtDNA COI-COII locus and the assessment of the prevalence of nosematosis. Analysis of the mtDNA COI-COII intergenic locus in the studied sample showed that 30.4% of the colonies belong to the lineage C. The PCR diagnostics of nosematosis in 92 colonies selected from different sectors of the Altyn-Solok Nature Reserve showed that about half of the analyzed colonies were infected with Nosema apis. Nosema ceranae was found in eight colonies. Both of these factors can lead to the extinction of this population of the dark forest bee.

The Buzz Changes within Time: Native Apis mellifera mellifera Honeybee Subspecies Less and Less Popular among Polish Beekeepers Since 1980

Socio-cultural research might address anthropocentric reasons for honeybee (Apis mellifera) conservation. In some regions, particular honeybee subspecies are considered to be native; A. mellifera mellifera (“dark bee”) in the north-east and A. mellifera carnica in the Island Beskids in Poland. Additionally, A. mellifera caucasia (often incorrectly called A. mellifera caucasica) and Buckfast are reported across Poland. In order to verify the actual choice of beekeepers, a survey on honeybee subspecies kept in apiaries was conducted annually from 1980 to 2018. This is a way to verify if conservation management towards the dark bee influenced its maintenance at a sufficient level for their restoration. The analysis revealed that Polish beekeepers know what is “buzzing” in their hives, and the awareness of which subspecies/types of honeybee they maintain has grown through the years. Initially, they kept up to four different subspecies per apiary, but now most have only one (maximum of two). Currently, Polish apiaries approach a homogeneous share with the exclusive presence of A. mellifera carnica subspecies. The popularity of indigenous A. mellifera mellifera has declined over time and is low now. It seems that new solutions should be considered to increase the effectiveness of dark European bee conservation management efforts.

Exploring Two Honey Bee Traits for Improving Resistance Against Varroa destructor: Development and Genetic Evaluation

For the development of novel selection traits in honey bees, applicability under field conditions is crucial. We thus evaluated two novel traits intended to provide resistance against the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and to allow for their straightforward implementation in honey bee selection. These traits are new field estimates of already-described colony traits: brood recapping rate (‘Recapping’) and solidness (‘Solidness’). ‘Recapping’ refers to a specific worker characteristic wherein they reseal a capped and partly opened cell containing a pupa, whilst ‘Solidness’ assesses the percentage of capped brood in a predefined area. According to the literature and beekeepers’ experiences, a higher recapping rate and higher solidness could be related to resistance to V. destructor. During a four-year field trial in Switzerland, the two resistance traits were assessed in a total of 121 colonies of Apis mellifera mellifera. We estimated the repeatability and the heritability of the two traits and determined their phenotypic correlations with commonly applied selection traits, including other putative resistance traits. Both traits showed low repeatability between different measurements within each year. ‘Recapping’ had a low heritability (h2 = 0.04 to 0.05, depending on the selected model) and a negative phenotypic correlation to non-removal of pin-killed brood (r = −0.23). The heritability of ‘Solidness’ was moderate (h2 = 0.24 to 0.25) and did not significantly correlate with resistance traits. The two traits did not show an association with V. destructor infestation levels. Further research is needed to confirm the results, as only a small number of colonies was evaluated.

Determinación de la calidad fisicoquímica de la miel de abeja Apis mellifera mellifera producida en el Municipio de Tepatlaxco, Ver., envasada en vidrio y PET apoyado en un estudio etnobiológico

La apicultura en las regiones tropicales de México tiene antecedentes de cientos de años. Las abejas sociales y productoras de miel son parte esencial de las costumbres religiosas, alimenticias y comerciales de muchos pueblos indígenas. La miel para consumo humano debe tener buenas condiciones higiénicas, comportamiento microbiológico característico como consecuencia de la composición del producto base elaborado por las abejas. El conocimiento ancestral no se pierde, sin embargo el proceso de elaboración y envasado ha ido cambiando de acuerdo a las necesidades de los productores y consumidores. Sin embargo no se tiene registro de la forma de elaboración, se desconoce si el proceso de envasado es el correcto y si las características que dicho envase proporciona a la miel diferentes características físicoquímicas. Por lo anterior en esta investigación se realizaron encuestas a apicultores del Municipio de Tepatlaxco, para registrar los conocimientos que poseen en cuanto a la producción de miel. Se determinaron variables fisicoquímicas (pH, grados Brix y acidez) de la miel envasada en plástico, vidrio nuevo y vidrio reutilizado a diferentes tiempos de anaquel. Algunos de los resultados encontrados fueron que el envase de vidrio, nuevo y reciclado son opciones viables para los apicultores del municipio de Tepatlaxco, Veracruz ya que preserva las características particulares de la miel.

Association between the Microsatellite Ap243, AC117 and SV185 Polymorphisms and Nosema Disease in the Dark Forest Bee Apis mellifera mellifera

The microsporidian Nosema parasites, primarily Nosema ceranae, remain critical threats to the health of the honey bee Apis mellifera. One promising intervention approach is the breeding of Nosema-resistant honey bee colonies using molecular technologies, for example marker-assisted selection (MAS). For this, specific genetic markers used in bee selection should be developed. The objective of the paper is to search for associations between some microsatellite markers and Nosema disease in a dark forest bee Apis mellifera mellifera. For the dark forest bee, the most promising molecular genetic markers for determining resistance to nosemosis are microsatellite loci AC117, Ap243 and SV185, the alleles of which (“177”, “263” and “269”, respectively) were associated with a low level of Nosema infection. This article is the first associative study aimed at finding DNA loci of resistance to nosemosis in the dark forest bee. Nevertheless, microsatellite markers identified can be used to predict the risk of developing the Nosema disease.

THE CURRENT STATE OF THE EUROPEAN DARK BEE SUBSPECIES Apis mellifera mellifera L. IN THE NORTH RANGE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The research to determine the factors with a negative impact on the resource status of honey bees in the Russian Federation has been done. Based on the research results, a simple and affordable rapid test for determining the origin of bees was proposed, based on the study of a complex of morphological and biological characteristics of working bees, such as proboscis length, cubital index, discoid displacement, the shape of the rear border of the wax plate of sternite 5, body color, the character of the honey seal, behavior of bees during the examination of the nest and phototaxis. The test is suitable for detecting bee crossbreeding during their mass selection since the listed morphological and biological traits are the most contrasting and indicative among others. The indicated morphological and biological characteristics of bees from the Yaroslavl, Vologda, Kostroma regions, Perm Territory were studied. In the Susaninsky district of the Kostroma region, the bee colonies were identified that correspond to the European dark bees Apis mellifera mellifera L. according to the studied traits. From them, breeding material was taken and evaluated for further breeding and the creation of a nursery reproducer. In conclusion, a landmark is given, a promising direction of work is indicated for the conservation and restoration of the resources of the European dark bees in the current conditions of mass unsystematic crossbreeding in the north of their historical range.