Pharmacological Potentials of Royal Jelly in Dentistry: A Review

“Royal Jelly” is a viscous material which is secreted by the cephalic gland of the “worker bee.” This is the key component of the “queen bee’s” diet, rendering it with longer life span compared to worker bees.“Royal Jelly” possess various pharmacological properties. These includes antioxidant, neurotropic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antibiotic, anti-aging, antihypertensive properties. This article summarizes biological properties, composition, criteria of quality evaluation of “Royal Jelly”and published studies on the efficacy of “Royal Jelly” as a “wound healing agent” , as a component of mouth wash used in treatment of oral mucositis, periodontal diseases, as a storage media and as a pulp capping agent.“Royal Jelly” can emerge as a viable alternative to conventional synthetic agents, which may avoid usual drawbacks of synthetic medicaments.

Pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae) at Meskine (Maroua, Cameroon)

Most plant species require pollen transfer to produce fruits and set seeds. Although some insects visit flowers for nectar or pollen, not all flowering insects bring about pollination. To evaluate the impact of Apis mellifera Linnaeus on fruit and seed yields of Solanum nigrum Linnaeus, foraging and pollinating activities of worker bees were studied at Meskine in January 2019 and February 2020. The experiments were carried out on 540 flowers divided in four treatments: two treatments differentiated according to the presence or absence of protection of flowers regarding A. mellifera and other insect visits; the third with flowers protected and uncovered when they were opened, to allow A. mellifera visits and the fourth with flowers protected then uncorvered and reprotected without the visit of insects or any other organism. The foraging behaviour of A. mellifera on flowers, its efficiency pollination, the fruiting rate, the number of seeds per fruit and the percentage of normal seeds were evaluated. Results indicate that among 27 insect species recorded on flowers, A. mellifera ranked first accounting for for 34.16% of 2652 visits. This worker bee intensely harvested nectar and pollen. The mean foraging speed was 10.39 flowers / min. The mean abundance per 1000 flowers was 519.46. For the two years, throughout its pollination efficiency, A. mellifera increased the fruiting rate by 16.29%, as well as the percentage of normal seeds by 15.57%. Hence, the installation of honeybee colonies close to S. nigrum fields is recommended to improve fruit yields, seed quality, pollen as a hive product and honey production.

Suitability of drone olfactory sensitivity as a selection trait for Varroa-resistance in honeybees

The most effective strategy against brood diseases, such as those stemming from infestation by the mite Varroa destructor, is the early detection and removal of sick brood. Recent findings suggest that genes associated with worker bee olfactory perception play a central role in Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH). In this study, the odour sensitivity of Apis mellifera drones was examined through proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning. Individuals sensitive/insensitive to the two Varroa-parasitised-brood odours (extract-low and extract-high) were used for breeding. Twenty-one queens from a VSH-selected line (SelQ) and nineteen queens from a nonselected line (ConQ) were single-drone-inseminated with sperm from drones that showed either sensitivity (SenD+) or insensitivity (SenD−) to the two extracts. Individual VSH behaviour in a total of 5072 offspring of these combinations (SelQ × SenD+, SelQ× SenD−, ConQ × SenD+, ConQ × SenD−) was subsequently observed in a specially designed observation unit with infrared light. The results from the video observation were also separately examined, considering the genetic origin (VSH-selected or nonselected line) of the participating queens and drones. While the drone PER conditioning results were not significantly reflected in the VSH results of the respective offspring, the genetic origin of the participating queens/drones was crucial for VSH manifestation.

Effect of Using Drone Brood Cells as Traps Against Varroa destructor (Varroa Mite)

Today, the honeybee parasite Varroa destructor is thought to be the most dangerous creature in the beekeeping industry worldwide. In this study, the efficacy of using drone brood cells (known to have no residue concerns in bee products and harmless on bee health) as traps against V. destructor was investigated. A total of 16 honeybee (Apis mellıfera) colonies with V. destructor infestation percentage of less than 5% were used for the trial. The treatment group consisted of 8 colonies that were randomly assigned to molded drone comb (comb with 5.4 mm hexagonal cells). The other 8 were assigned to unmolded comb to form the control group. In the trial groups, after 20 days (from 10th May), all drone combs with complete pupation were removed and destroyed on 30th May, 20th June, 10th July, 30th July, and 20th August. During the trial, varroa mite infestation rate (mean abundance), colony development, and varroa mite preference for drone and work bee brood cells were determined. The results showed that the application of drone brood cells as a control method was statistically significant against V. destructor, and did not negatively affect colony development. On the other hand, V.destructor's preference for both drone and worker bee brood cells among the groups was not statistically significant. In conclusion, drone brood cells ensured an approximately 43% success rate as traps against V. destructor compared to the control group. The effective application of drone brood cells as traps in combination with other Varroa mite control methods should be investigated.

Morphological Changes in the Mandibles Accompany the Defensive Behavior of Indiana Mite Biting Honey Bees Against Varroa Destructor

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most important managed pollinator to sustainable agriculture and our ecosystem. Yet managed honey bee colonies in the United States experience 30–40% losses annually. Among the many biotic stressors, the parasitic mite Varroa destructor is considered one of the main causes of colony losses. Bees’ mite-biting behavior has been selected as a Varroa-tolerant or Varroa-resistant trait in the state of Indiana for more than a decade. A survey of damaged mites from the bottom of a colony can be used as an extended phenotype to evaluate the mite-biting behavior of a colony. In this study, on average, 37% of mites sampled from the breeding stocks of 59 colonies of mite biters in Indiana were damaged or mutilated, which is significantly higher than the 19% of damaged mites found in commercial colonies in the southern United States. Indiana mite biter colonies had a higher proportion of damaged mites, although among the damaged mites, the number of missing legs was not significantly higher. In addition, the morphology of pollen-forager worker bee mandibles was compared by X-ray microcomputed tomography for six parameters in two populations, and a difference was detected in one parameter. Our results provide scientific evidence that potentially explains the defensive mechanism against Varroa mites: structural changes in the worker bee mandibles.

Queen cells acceptance rate and royal jelly production in worker honey bees of two Apis mellifera races

Royal jelly (RJ) is an acidic yellowish-white secretion of worker honey bee glands, used as food material of worker bee larvae for the first three days and queen bee larvae for the entire life. It is commercially used in cosmetics and medicinal industry in various parts of the world. This study determined the queen cell acceptance rate and RJ production difference among Italian and Carniolan bee races. Furthermore, the effect of plastic cup cell priming media, diets and seasons were tested on the larval cell acceptance rate and RJ yield of both races. The results indicated that average queen cell acceptance rate was significantly (p<0.001) higher in Italian race (75.53 ± 1.41%) than Carniolan race (58.20 ± 1.30%). Similarly, mean RJ yield per colony significantly (p<0.001) differed between both bee races, which were 13.10 ± 0.42 g and 9.66 ± 0.43 g, in Italian and Carniolan races, respectively. Moreover, priming media, diets and seasons significantly (p<0.001) affected queen cell acceptance rate and RJ production of both bee races. This study would help breeders to select the bees with higher-level of queen cell acceptance rate and RJ production in the future.

Indigenous knowledge of ground-nesting stingless bees in southwestern Ethiopia

While Ethiopia has six species of stingless bees, indigenous knowledge of them has not been well documented. In southwestern Ethiopia, we documented the Sheka community’s knowledge of stingless bees. We used the snowball sampling technique to locate 60 experienced honey collectors, conducted semi-structured interviews, and complemented interviews with field observations during honey collection trips with interviewees. Given the scarcity of aboveground nesting stingless bees, honey collectors only collected honey from stingless bees nesting belowground. The average age of the honey collectors was 43 years, but there was much variation in both age and the number of years of experience, indicating that the tradition is handed down between generations. To find the underground nests in the field, honey collectors used several methods, including directly observing nest entrances and worker bee movement, attaching a thread to the worker bee, and listening for the humming sound of the bee’s natural enemy (wasp). Wild nests were always harvested destructively. A single farmer kept ground-nesting stingless bee colonies at his backyard using uniquely tailored wooden hives. Collected honey was used for home consumption, disease treatment, and the generation of income. Our findings illustrate the Sheka community’s deep indigenous knowledge of ground-nesting stingless bees. To facilitate the establishment of stingless bee beekeeping (meliponiculture) in the study area, we may build upon this indigenous knowledge by field research on the biology of stingless bees, taxonomic studies to assess the diversity and identity of ground-nesting stingless bees, and engineering studies to develop beekeeping practices. Together, this may allow for better income for local farmers and avoid the risk of overexploitation of wild stingless bee nests.

STUDY OF MELLIFEROUS PLANTS VISITED BY THE WORKER HONEYBEE, APIS MELLIFERA INTERMISSA IN BOUMERDES, ALGERIA

This work allows to establish a list of melliferous plants visited by the worker bee, Apis mellifera intermissa in Boumerdes through melissopalynological analysis. Eight samples of honey were collected in summer from different regions of Boumerdes province in Algeria: Mizrana (H1), Tizéruine (H2), Tagdempt (H3), Sherraba (H4), Baghlia (H5), Boudouaou (H6), Sidi Daoud (H7) and Si Mustapha (H8). For the analysis, we adopted the classical method of Louveaux et al., (1970). The results obtained showed that the melissopalynological analysis indicated the pollen grains of Eucalyptus were numerous as more than 45% of the pollen in six (6) of the eight samples of Boumerdes (H1, H2, H3, H4, H7 and H8). The pollen of Hedysarum coronarium was dominant in the sample H5 (67.60%). In seven samples honey recognized multifloral by beekeepers, Eucalyptus and Citrus taxa were respectively super represented and underrepresented in the honey H7 (87.46%) and H6 (19.80%). Thus, the number of taxa listed in the honeys studied varies from 14 to 19. The total number of pollen grains counted for the 8 samples varied from 646 to 3580.

Overt Infection with Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV) in Two Honey Bee Colonies

Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV), a widespread honey bee RNA virus, causes massive worker bee losses, mostly in strong colonies. Two different syndromes, with paralysis, ataxia and flight incapacity on one hand and black hairless individuals with shortened abdomens on the other, can affect a colony simultaneously. This case report presents two Apis mellifera carnica colonies with symptoms of paralysis and hairless black syndrome in 2019. Via RT-PCR, a highly positive result for CBPV was detected in both samples. Further problems, such as a Nosema infection and Varroa infestation, were present in these colonies. Therapy methods were applied to colony 1 comprising queen replacement, shook swarm method and Varroa control, whereas colony 2 was asphyxiated after queen loss and colony weakening. After therapy, colony 1 was wintered without symptoms. Beekeeping and sanitary measures can save a CBPV-infected colony, while further complications result in total colony loss.