Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Margarita Orlova, Etya Amsalem
Summary: Queen pheromones are only able to inhibit worker reproduction in bumble bees when presented in a realistic social context that includes the queen's visual presence and her offspring. A new approach to the study of chemical ecology in social insects is suggested based on the findings that queen chemistry, visual presence, and presence of offspring all play a role in regulating worker reproduction.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Xuyan Huang, Yujie Gan, Lei Wang, Yanying Xu, Zhonghua Wei, Aimin Shi
Summary: In this study, the appearance of Agrilus adelphinus larvae and pupae is described and illustrated. DNA barcoding (COI gene) is used to associate the larval and pupal stages with adults using the maximum-likelihood method. The complete mitochondrial genome of A. adelphinus is sequenced and annotated, revealing its composition and gene orientation consistent with other species of Buprestidae. These findings demonstrate the potential of DNA barcoding to overcome the limitations of traditional taxonomy and provide valuable data for species identification and phylogenetic analyses.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicole Miller-Struttmann, Zachary Miller, Candace Galen
Summary: Pollinators at high elevations face multiple threats from climate change, including phenological mismatches with floral resources and community disruption. Warmer conditions are decreasing abundances of range-stable alpine bumble bees and increasing abundance of range-expanding species, leading to a more diverse bumble bee community. However, the precise mechanisms accounting for these changes are not yet known.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Antoine Gekiere, Denis Michez, Maryse Vanderplanck
Summary: In this study, the suitability of artificial pollen substitutes and mixed diets for bumble bees was assessed. The results showed that feeding bumble bees with artificial diets led to reduced offspring development, but had no detrimental effects on worker's health. This suggests that artificial diets may not be suitable for bumble bee breeding, and further research is needed to establish appropriate pollen-free diets.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mario X. Ruiz-Gonzalez
Summary: While research on females social insects is extensive, this study sheds light on the neglected investigation of males. The researchers discovered a potential health issue in bumble bee males, where their proventriculus becomes swollen and melanized, leading to an abnormal passage of food. This finding challenges previous understanding of the proventriculus as a taxonomic character.
Article
Environmental Sciences
H. Blaydes, E. Gardner, J. D. Whyatt, S. G. Potts, A. Armstrong
Summary: Solar parks have the potential to provide a suitable habitat for pollinators, particularly for bumble bees. Proper management and design decisions of solar parks can significantly increase bumble bee density and benefit crop pollination.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomohiro Watanabe, Ken Sasaki
Summary: The behavioral roles of biogenic amines in males of primitive and advanced eusocial bees were compared. Octopamine was found to significantly affect locomotor and flight activities, while dopamine had little impact. Furthermore, the dynamics of dopamine-related substances in honey bee drones were different from those in bumble bee males.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Yunfei Wu, Xuye Yuan, Jing Li, Tatsuhiko Kadowaki
Summary: The study established an in vitro system to investigate the mechanisms of deformed wing virus (DWV) infection, revealing the importance of the P-domain of the virion subunit VP1 and the targeting of undifferentiated cells for viral infection. Inhibitors of mammalian picornavirus 3C-protease were found to suppress RdRP synthesis, suggesting potential for screening antiviral compounds.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
John M. Mola, Jeremy Hemberger, Jade Kochanski, Leif L. Richardson, Ian S. Pearse
Summary: The decline of many bumble bee species has led to concerns about their role as pollinators and potential indicators for declines in other insect taxa. Evidence suggests that forests play an important role in the life history of bumble bees, providing food resources, nesting and overwintering habitats, and favorable abiotic conditions. Future research efforts should focus on how ongoing changes in forests affect the suitability of these habitats for bumble bees, highlighting the importance of forested habitats in understanding and conserving bumble bee populations.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Kaleigh Fisher, Erica Sarro, Christie K. Miranda, Blanca M. Guillen, S. Hollis Woodard
Summary: Bumble bees are a model system for studying animal behavior, ecology, and evolution. In incipient colonies, workers organize their tasks related to brood feeding and food collection, with most workers responsible for feeding brood, a subset collecting nectar, and a smaller subset collecting pollen.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edward A. Straw, Elena Cini, Harriet Gold, Alberto Linguadoca, Chloe Mayne, Joris Rockx, Mark J. F. Brown, Michael P. D. Garratt, Simon G. Potts, Deepa Senapathi
Summary: Many pollinators, including bumble bees, are declining due to various factors. This study tested the effects of an insecticide and a common bumble bee parasite on bumble bee colonies and found that they did not have an impact on foraging performance or fruit set. These results suggest that the insecticide tested may be less harmful to bee health compared to other commonly used insecticides.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Jonathan Berenguer Uhuad Koch, Lindsie M. McCabe, Byron G. Love, Diana Cox-Foster, Guy Bloch
Summary: Cuckoo bumble bees are a unique lineage of bees that rely on host bumble bee species, usurping their nests and dispersing over long distances to find host colonies. Field-deployed bumble bee colonies are highly susceptible to usurpation by Bombus insularis, with measures such as excluders being 100% effective at preventing invasion. Sibship analysis revealed that B. insularis females have the ability to disperse across the landscape at distances of at least 3.52 km.
JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Francis A. Drummond
Summary: During the spring of 2021, a Bombus terricola Kirby queen established a nest in the hollow iron front axle of a 1950 John Deere 40U tractor in Bowdoinham, Maine. The tractor remained stationary from April 15 to June 10. On June 10, seven workers were observed flying out from the axle when the tractor was started. From June 15 to August 15, the tractor was used 1-3 times per week for 15-90 minutes each time, always returning to the same location. The presence of bees emerging from the tractor throughout the summer suggests that the colony survived long enough to produce next year's queens (gynes).
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tobin J. Hammer, August Easton-Calabria, Nancy A. Moran
Summary: The changes in a host's microbiome over its lifespan can affect its development and aging. In this study, the temporal dynamics and stability of the bumble bee worker gut microbiome were characterized. It was found that microbiome assembly is highly predictable at the community level, similar to patterns observed in the human gut. However, at the strain level, there were stochastic colonization events. Differences in temporal dynamics among symbiont species were also observed. The gut microbiome and host transcriptome were found to stabilize, rather than senesce, with age. These findings provide a foundation for further exploring the mechanisms and functional outcomes of bee microbiome succession.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yong-Ming Chen, Sami Pekdemir, Ismail Bilican, Behlul Koc-Bilican, Betul Cakmak, Asad Ali, Lian-Sheng Zang, M. Serdar Onses, Murat Kaya
Summary: A natural chitin film was successfully produced from insect pupae bio-waste of the Japanese giant silkworm, showing a micropapillary surface structure. By depositing silver to create a nanoscopic film, the natural chitin film exhibited surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity depending on its structure. This study has expanded materials science by introducing a utilizable natural chitin film with unique properties.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2021)