Article
Biology
Zoe Langlands, Esther E. du Rand, Karl Crailsheim, Abdullahi A. Yusuf, Christian W. W. Pirk
Summary: The honeybee nest parasite Aethina tumida, or small hive beetle, uses behavioral mimicry to induce trophallactic feeding from its honeybee hosts, successfully getting worker bees to feed them protein-rich secretions from their hypopharyngeal glands. Female beetles are more successful in this induction process than males, and while females do not show preference for interacting with a specific age cohort of bees when soliciting food, males tend to avoid older bees that are more aggressive and active.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Anna Papach, Federico Cappa, Rita Cervo, Leonardo Dapporto, Rammohan Balusu, Geoffrey R. Williams, Peter Neumann
Summary: Social insects use cuticular hydrocarbons for chemical recognition and communication, but parasites can exploit this for their advantage. Small hive beetles have a similar but lower chemical profile compared to honey bee hosts, and lack colony-specific chemical profiles. This is likely due to their free-flying behavior in the field, limiting the acquisition of specific chemical profiles. Small hive beetles do not use finely tuned chemical strategies to conceal their presence in host colonies and rely on behavioral adaptations.
Article
Agronomy
Marian Hybl, Jan Sipos, Anna Krejcova, Karolina Sodomova, Ondrej Polak, Ivana Kolackova, Petr Mraz
Summary: The study found that low plant species richness and abundance, as well as contamination, can affect the quality of pollinator diets. Different forage mixtures with selenium and zinc treatments did not directly impact the abundance and richness of pollinators, but did influence the preferences of different pollinator species.
Article
Entomology
Charles J. Stuhl, Peter E. A. Teal
Summary: Observations of wild and colony-reared small hive beetle populations have identified aggregations of both sexes. A potential male-produced pheromone, consisting of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, nonanal, and decanal, was discovered through volatile collections on males and females. Flight tunnel and laboratory trapping assays showed that a synthetic pheromone blend, along with a fruit-derived attractant, captured significantly more beetles than the control. The identification of a potential pheromone is an important step in effectively controlling and monitoring small hive beetles.
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
(2023)
Editorial Material
Entomology
Yuanzhen Liu, Wensu Han, Jinglin Gao, Songkun Su, Alexis Beaurepaire, Orlando Yanez, Peter Neumann
Summary: This study reports a case of SHB infestations in China and uses COI gene sequencing to trace their origin. DNA sequences suggest an introduction from an unidentified African source, similar to the Philippines but different from previously reported SHB haplotypes. The establishment of SHB in China underlines the importance of limiting novel introductions to protect endemic Asian honey bees.
JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Anthony P. Abbate, Joshua W. Campbell, Geoffrey R. Williams
Summary: Due to a lack of knowledge on kiwifruit pollination requirements in the US, farmers use multiple pollination methods, but this can be costly and inefficient. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of two managed bee species to kiwifruit pollination and found that Bombus impatiens carried more kiwifruit pollen than Apis mellifera. Artificially pollinated kiwifruit flowers resulted in higher fruit set and quality compared to insect and wind pollination. These findings suggest that farmers should focus on artificial pollination for kiwifruit crops and further research should explore other methods.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Amelie Cabirol, Tamara Gomez-Moracho, Coline Monchanin, Cristian Pasquaretta, Mathieu Lihoreau
Summary: Environmental stressors can have sublethal consequences for animals, affecting phenotypic traits in populations and increasing inter-individual variability. In bees, stressors decrease mean cognitive performance but increase cognitive variability. Chronic exposure has a greater impact on mean performance, but both chronic and acute exposure increase cognitive variability. Guidelines for plant protection products may overlook the consequences of chronic exposure, leading to harmful effects on bee populations. More research is needed to understand stress-induced phenotypic variation and incorporate it into policy guidelines for animal exposure.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Anisa Ribani, Valeria Taurisano, Valerio Joe Utzeri, Luca Fontanesi
Summary: This study detected the DNA of small hive beetle and greater wax moth in 82 honey samples from Italy using PCR. Only one sample was positive for small hive beetle DNA, while about 66% of samples were positively amplified for greater wax moth DNA. The use of honey eDNA is important for controlling the spread of these pests.
VETERINARY SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Entomology
William Montag, Ling-Hsiu Liao, May R. Berenbaum
Summary: This study found that food choices of small hive beetles (SHB) differ between male and female individuals. Females preferred monofloral honey diets, especially the white tupelo honey diet, while males preferred the control diet without phytochemicals. This suggests that for males, the ability to detect sugar sources is the primary factor influencing their preference, while females may respond to a broader range of food-related cues in order to identify well-provisioned hives.
JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Lixian Wu, Liangbin Li, Yajing Xu, Qiang Li, Fang Liu, Hongxia Zhao
Summary: This study identifies the key role of AtCYP307A1 gene in 20E synthesis during the larval-pupal metamorphosis of beetles, suggesting its potential as an insecticide target for pest control.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Ola Lundin, Chloe A. Raderschall
Summary: The study found that bumble bee abundance and legitimate flower visitor abundance were higher in areas with higher landscape complexity. Additionally, although excluding insect pollination in the pollination experiment resulted in fewer beans per pod, the individual bean weight increased, maintaining total bean mass per plant. This suggests that faba bean pollination potential is higher in complex landscapes, and there is not a complete dependency on insect pollination.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Qinzhi Su, Qinglin Wang, Xiaohuan Mu, Hao Chen, Yujie Meng, Xue Zhang, Li Zheng, Xiaosong Hu, Yifan Zhai, Hao Zheng
Summary: The gut microbiota of eusocial bumblebees and honeybees exhibit high strain-level diversity, with specific strains being vertically transmitted from queens to newborn workers. The species composition of both queen and worker shifts with colony growth, highlighting the role of social interactions in the microbiota composition. Comparative metagenomic analysis shows host-specificity for microbes across different bee hosts, with honeybees exhibiting a higher level of strain variation and complex gene repertoires linked to polysaccharide digestion.
Review
Microbiology
Menglan Zhou, Yanbing Li, Timothy Kudinha, Yingchun Xu, Zhengyin Liu
Summary: This study systematically reviewed the clinical characteristics of K. ohmeri infections, finding that neonates and the elderly were the majority of patients, and fungemia was the dominant infection type. Common comorbidities among patients included malignancy, diabetes, and invasive operations.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Jinjia Liu, Jiangchao Zhang, Jinshan Shen, Huiting Zhao, Weihua Ma, Yusuo Jiang
Summary: This study compared the antennal and behavioral responses of honey bees and bumble bees to tomato flower volatile compounds. The results showed that bumble bees are more sensitive to these compounds compared to honey bees, and honey bees exhibited avoidance behavior towards certain compounds. These findings suggest that flower volatiles significantly influence bee foraging preference for tomato.
Article
Biology
Anja Tehel, Tabea Streicher, Simon Tragust, Robert J. Paxton
Summary: A study found that the DWV virus in honeybees can be transmitted to bumblebees, but the reverse transmission from bumblebees to honeybees was not observed. These results indicate the potential risk of viral spillover from honeybees to other bee species when honeybees rob resources from heterospecific nests or visit the same flowers in the field. The study also highlights the importance of understanding the virulence of DWV in wild bee species to assess the impact on individual and population fitness as well as the virus' adaptation to new host species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Mubasshir Sohail, Muhammad Anjum Aqueel, Pingli Dai, James D. Ellis
Summary: Certain plant essential oil constituents show promising insecticidal activities against greater wax moths, with thymol exhibiting the highest toxicity towards larvae and adults of the pest. Limonene, estragole, and gamma-terpinene have lower toxicity towards larvae, while carvacrol, linalool, and limonene are less toxic to GWM adults.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Cameron J. Jack, Edzard van Santen, James D. Ellis
Summary: The study tested different doses of oxalic acid applied via vaporization and found that colonies in the 4 g OA treatment group had the lowest infestation rate and were generally healthier compared to those in the lower dose treatment groups.
JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Tomas Bustamante, Stefan Fuchs, Bernd Grunewald, James D. Ellis
Summary: The study developed a computer-based method for identifying honey bee species with a high accuracy rate of 99.4% using geometric morphometric techniques. They also created a web application where users can upload wing images for species identification, which is valuable for research in honey bee ecology and conservation.
Article
Entomology
Leigh Boardman, Pratibha Srivastava, Ayyamperumal Jeyaprakash, Matthew R. Moore, Leroy Whilby, James D. Ellis
Summary: An assay using real-time qPCR was developed to detect African-derived subspecies of western honey bees, successfully distinguishing A-lineage honey bees from non-A-lineage bees but not specific subspecies within the A-lineage.
Editorial Material
Entomology
Norman L. Carreck, Vincent Dietemann, James D. Ellis, Jay D. Evans, Peter Neumann, Panuwan Chantawannakul
JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Emily R. Noordyke, Edzard van Santen, James D. Ellis
Summary: The study found that a portion of adult bees consume pollen substitute patties, but do not directly feed them to larvae or store them like bee bread. Pollen substitute patties serve as a supplement, not a replacement, for natural pollen in terms of larval provisioning and long-term storage.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Entomology
Cameron J. Jack, James D. Ellis
Summary: Varroa destructor is a major threat to honey bee health worldwide, and the overuse of chemical treatments for control has led to widespread resistance. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable approach to minimize environmental impacts, but reliable IPM protocols for Varroa are lacking due to its complex biology and heavy reliance on chemical control. Effective IPM strategies for Varroa control in managed colonies must be cost-effective and easily implemented by beekeepers.
JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Cameron J. Jack, Kaylin Kleckner, Fabien Demares, Leslie C. Rault, Troy D. Anderson, Paul R. Carlier, Jeffrey R. Bloomquist, James D. Ellis
Summary: Amitraz showed the highest toxicity to Varroa, while carbamate 2 was nearly as active and more selective due to lower bee toxicity. Carbamate 1 was less toxic to bees than Amitraz, but also less toxic to the mites. Matrine and FlyNap (R) were relatively ineffective against Varroa and moderately toxic to bees.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Sanchai Naree, James D. Ellis, Mark Eric Benbow, Guntima Suwannapong
Summary: Nosema ceranae infection disrupts the gut microbiota of honey bees and reduces the populations of Bifidobacterium sp. and Apilactobacillus kunkeei in different Apis species. Infected bees had lower survival rates and varied infection ratios, with A. florea having the highest infection ratio.
JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Emily R. Noordyke, Edzard van Santen, James D. Ellis
Summary: A study showed that feeding pollen substitutes to stressed honey bee colonies during winter can reduce the loss in total colony biomass and improve brood mass, with AP23 being more effective in this aspect.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Sanchai Naree, Mark E. Benbow, Guntima Suwannapong, James D. Ellis
Summary: Propolis from both A. mellifera and T. apicalis colonies shows promise as a control against N. ceranae infection in honey bees, significantly reducing bee mortality, infection rate, and infectivity, while leading to greater protein contents in treated bees.
JOURNAL OF INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Patterson Rosa, Amin Eimanifar, Abigail G. Kimes, Samantha A. Brooks, James D. Ellis
Summary: A genome wide association study was conducted on two subspecies of western honey bees endemic to the Republic of South Africa, revealing genetic variants associated with important phenotypes such as ovariole number, scutellar plate, and tergite color. Mutations in genes such as Ebony and GB54634 were found to significantly influence these phenotypes, highlighting the genetic components underlying relevant behavioral traits in honey bees.
Article
Entomology
Atreya Manaswi, Emily Noordyke, Cody Prouty, James D. D. Ellis
Summary: Many beekeepers provide artificial pollen substitutes to their honey bee colonies when natural pollen is limited or of poor quality. In a choice-test, caged worker bees showed a preference for consuming wildflower pollen over commercially available pollen substitutes. This suggests that bees have a strong attraction to wildflower pollen.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cody Prouty, Cameron Jack, Ramesh Sagili, James D. D. Ellis
Summary: This study examined the efficacy of various treatments in reducing Vairimorpha spp. infections in honey bee colonies. The lab experiment revealed no reductions in prevalence or intensity, but found a decrease in honey bee survival after treatment with certain products. The field experiments showed mixed results, suggesting the need for further evaluation of the effectiveness of current control methods.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Cody Prouty, Hossam F. Abou-Shaara, Branden Stanford, James D. Ellis, Cameron Jack
Summary: This study investigated the efficacy of oxalic acid (OA) on reducing Varroa destructor infestations in honey bee colonies. The results showed that vaporizing 4 g of OA every 5-7 days was the most effective method in controlling V. destructor populations.
JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE
(2023)
