Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Melanie Normandeau Bonneau, Olivier Samson-Robert, Valerie Fournier, Gerald Chouinard
Summary: This study investigated the pollination effectiveness of commercial bumble bee hives under exclusion netting systems for apple production. The results suggest that bumble bees can provide adequate pollination under exclusion netting systems, with resulting fruit quality equivalent to conventionally pollinated apple fruit. Proper positioning of bumble bee hives can lead to better fruit load homogeneity in pollinated trees.
RENEWABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Keng-Lou James Hung, Sophia L. Fan, Caroline G. Strang, Mia G. Park, James D. Thomson
Summary: Assessing the contributions of different pollinator taxa to pollination services is important in ecological research and agriculture. This study compared the pollination capacities of managed honey bees, native bumble bees, and native mining bees in apple crops, taking into account pollen carryover and pollinator movement patterns. The study found that pollination service delivery was significantly reduced when considering these factors, and native bumble and mining bees outperformed managed honey bees in terms of pollen delivery.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Jacquelyn A. Perkins, Kyungmin Kim, Larry J. Gut, George W. Sundin, Julianna K. Wilson
Summary: Fungicide exposure in honey bees during cherry orchard bloom in eastern North America was investigated. Residue levels of captan and chlorothalonil were found to be higher in nurse bees compared to foragers, and chlorothalonil levels in workers increased significantly during cherry bloom. Pollen samples also showed the presence of captan and chlorothalonil at levels known to negatively affect honey bee health. This study highlights the importance of considering hive location and worker role in minimizing fungicide exposure to bees, and emphasizes the need for further research to balance crop disease management and pollinator health.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
N. Leclercq, L. Marshall, T. Weekers, P. Basu, D. Benda, D. Bevk, R. Bhattacharya, P. Bogusch, A. Bontsutsnaja, L. Bortolotti, N. Cabirol, E. Calderon-Uraga, R. Carvalho, S. Castro, S. Chatterjee, M. De La Cruz Alquicira, J. R. de Miranda, T. Dirilgen, A. Dorchin, K. Dorji, B. Drepperr, S. Flaminio, J. Gailis, M. Galloni, H. Gaspar, M. W. Gikungu, B. A. Hatteland, I. Hinojosa-Diaz, L. Hostinska, B. G. Howlett, K. -L J. Hung, L. Hutchinson, R. O. Jesus, N. Karklina, M. S. Khan, J. Loureiro, X. Men, J. -M Molenberg, S. Mudri-Stojnic, P. Nikolic, E. Normandin, J. Osterman, F. Ouyang, A. S. Oygarden, L. Ozolina-Poles, N. Ozolss, A. Parra Saldivar, R. J. Paxton, T. Pitts-Singer, K. Poveda, K. Prendergast, M. Quaranta, S. F. J. Ready, S. Reinhardt, M. Rojas-Oropezaj, C. Ruiz, M. Rundlofar, A. Sade, C. Sandberg, F. Sgolastra, S. F. Shah, M. A. Shebl, V. Soon, D. A. Stanleym, J. Straka, P. Theodorou, E. Tobajas, J. L. Vaca-Uribe, A. Veraaz, C. A. Villagra, M. -K Williams, M. Wolowski, T. J. Woodn, Z. Yan, Q. Zhang, N. J. Vereecken
Summary: An essential prerequisite to safeguard pollinator species is characterisation of the multifaceted diversity of crop pollinators and identification of the drivers of pollinator community changes across biogeographical gradients. In this study, the researchers investigated diversity drivers for bee species in commercial apple orchards across different countries and biomes. The study revealed dissimilarity among biogeographical zones but also shared traits due to habitat filtering caused by intensive crop production. The presence of herbaceous, uncultivated open areas and organic management practices were associated with increased wild bee diversity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Itsuki Doi, Weibing Deng, Takashi Ikegami
Summary: Social entrainment is crucial for the functioning of bee colonies. Through analysis of tracking data from around 1000 honeybees, it was observed that honeybees exhibit synchronized bursting behavior during locomotion. These bursts, which occur spontaneously, are possibly a result of intrinsic interactions among the bees. Physical contact was found to be a mechanism for these bursts. Pioneer bees, linked to foraging behavior and waggle dancing, play a key role in spreading external information within the hive. Transfer entropy analysis demonstrated that information flows from pioneer bees to non-pioneer bees, indicating that bursting behavior is influenced by foraging and information propagation, promoting integrated group behavior among individuals.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Myrto Barda, Filitsa Karamaouna, Vaya Kati, Dionysios Perdikis
Summary: Insect pollinators, such as bees, play a crucial role in crop production, food security, ecosystem stability, and biodiversity in agroecosystems. However, the intensification of agricultural practices poses a threat to pollination services in agricultural landscapes due to the decline in flower resources for pollinators. This study explores the potential conservation of insect pollinators in apple orchards by providing floral resources through the sowing of flowering mixtures. The results show that the sown mixture attracted a greater number and more diverse taxa of pollinators compared to wild plants, but it did not affect the pollinators visiting apple flowers. Managing groundcover with suitable flowering mixtures can enhance pollinator conservation in apple orchards.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Fabrizia Ratto, Peter Steward, Steven M. Sait, James Stephen Pryke, Rene Gaigher, Michael J. Samways, William Kunin
Summary: The introduction of enhanced floral resources has a positive impact on apple flower visitors and crop yield in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, particularly on apple size and economic value. Increased landscape complexity benefits wild bees but not honey bees, while enhancing overall pollinator abundance and honey bee flower visitation in apple orchards.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Stenford Ruvinga, Gordon Hunter, Olga Duran, Jean-Christophe Nebel
Summary: In this paper, the authors discuss their use of acoustic signals and machine learning algorithms to identify the presence of a healthy queen in beehives. The results are positive and can assist beekeepers in deciding if intervention is necessary for colony preservation.
Article
Entomology
Amelie Gervais, Marc Belisle, Marc J. Mazerolle, Valerie Fournier
Summary: The study showed that planting hedgerows and flower strips in apple orchards can increase the abundance and diversity of bumble bee species, thereby enhancing pollination efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Martin Bencsik, Adam McVeigh, Costas Tsakonas, Tarun Kumar, Luke Chamberlain, Michael I. Newton
Summary: NDIR detectors are widely used to measure atmospheric CO2, but their application in honeybee colony health assessment is limited. This study presents a microcontroller-based system that collects data from NDIR sensors in honeybee colonies. The data suggests that colony size can be estimated from changes in CO2 levels, but no correlation with humidity was observed. The study also reveals a decreasing trend of CO2 levels over weeks as colonies die.
Article
Ecology
Karen Cristine Bezerra da Silva Santos, Elizabeth Frost, Ulrika Samnegard, Manu E. Saunders, Romina Rader
Summary: This study investigated the timing, identity, and quantity of pollen collection by individual honey bee hives during almond bloom. The findings showed that most hives collected non-almond pollen in addition to almond pollen, and the weight of almond pollen collected was positively related to the number of concurrently open almond flowers. Non-almond pollen richness and abundance were not related to the number of almond flowers but had a positive relationship with the weight of almond pollen collected. The distance among hives did not affect the identity of pollen collected.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Quanshun An, Yangliu Wu, Dong Li, Xianghong Hao, Canping Pan, Arno Rein
Summary: A dynamic plant uptake model was developed to simulate pesticide concentrations in soil and different plant compartments in an apple orchard. The model successfully described the fate of four pesticides and indicated that ingestion of the apples may not pose a risk to human health.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Yunfei Wang, Shuangxi Liu, Zhuo Ren, Bo Ma, Junlin Mu, Linlin Sun, Hongjian Zhang, Jinxing Wang
Summary: This research proposes a pest adhesion image segmentation method based on Gaussian Mixture Model with Density and Curvature Weighting (GMM-DC). By desaturating the image, performing threshold segmentation, and introducing a shape factor to determine the regions and quantities of adhering pests, the method achieves accurate segmentation of pests. Experimental results demonstrate that this method outperforms traditional image segmentation methods and can significantly improve the recognition accuracy of pest images when combined with recognition models.
Article
Horticulture
H. Castro, C. Siopa, V Casais, M. Castro, J. Loureiro, H. Gaspar, S. Castro
Summary: This study investigated the impact of artificial pollination on kiwifruit production and found that pollen supply improved productivity in most orchards, especially in terms of increasing fruit set and improving fruit quality. However, not all orchards required or benefited from artificial pollination. Further research is needed to assess the efficiency of the methodologies used in this region.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ranjith Karunakaran, Uri Yermiyahu, Arnon Dag, Or Sperling
Summary: This study demonstrates that irrigating 2-year-old almond trees with 6 mg P can maximize photosynthesis, transpiration, and growth. However, irrigation with 10 mg P and 15 mg P l(-1) continues to promote almond tree growth and increase yields.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Deepa Senapathi, Jochen Fruend, Matthias Albrecht, Michael P. D. Garratt, David Kleijn, Brian J. Pickles, Simon G. Potts, Jiandong An, Georg K. S. Andersson, Svenja Baensch, Parthiba Basu, Faye Benjamin, Antonio Diego M. Bezerra, Ritam Bhattacharya, Jacobus C. Biesmeijer, Brett Blaauw, Eleanor J. Blitzer, Claire A. Brittain, Luisa G. Carvalheiro, Daniel P. Cariveau, Pushan Chakraborty, Arnob Chatterjee, Soumik Chatterjee, Sarah Cusser, Bryan N. Danforth, Erika Degani, Breno M. Freitas, Lucas A. Garibaldi, Benoit Geslin, G. Arjen de Groot, Tina Harrison, Brad Howlett, Rufus Isaacs, Shalene Jha, Bjorn Kristian Klatt, Kristin Krewenka, Samuel Leigh, Sandra A. M. Lindstrom, Yael Mandelik, Megan McKerchar, Mia Park, Gideon Pisanty, Romina. Rader, Menno Reemer, Maj Rundlof, Barbara Smith, Henrik G. Smith, Patricia Nunes Silva, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Teja Tscharntke, Sean Webber, Duncan B. Westbury, Catrin Westphal, Jennifer B. Wickens, Victoria J. Wickens, Rachael Winfree, Hong Zhang, Alexandra-Maria Klein
Summary: The study found that higher pollinator diversity contributes to greater inter-annual stability in pollinator communities; temporal variation in pollinator abundance is primarily driven by the three-most dominant species; crops in tropical regions demonstrate higher inter-annual variability in pollinator species richness compared to crops in temperate regions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Lucie Schurr, Benoit Geslin, Laurence Affre, Sophie Gachet, Marion Delobeau, Magdalena Brugger, Sarah Bourdon, Veronique Masotti
Summary: The study highlights the importance of insect activity in crop pollination, particularly on aromatic crops like fennel, where high insect richness can improve essential oil yield. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the significance of maintaining a complex landscape configuration to sustain insect diversity and crop yield.
Article
Entomology
Lise Ropars, Laurence Affre, Benoit Geslin
Summary: The study showed that the honey bee population in the Mediterranean protected area mainly consists of hybrids of the Western European dark honey bee and the intermissa honey bee, which may have better resistance to the Varroa mite and be more adapted to the dry Mediterranean climate.
JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Lise Ropars, Laurence Affre, Elisa Thebault, Benoit Geslin
Summary: Due to the widespread use of pesticides and the lack of floral resources, many beekeepers have moved honey bee colonies to protected areas, which could impact the diversity of wild bees. This two-year study in a Mediterranean protected area examined the seasonal dynamics of competition between honey bees and wild bees. The study found that competition for floral resources from honey bees is strongest in early spring and then decreases throughout the season for all groups of wild bees. The presence of honey bees resulted in competitive exclusion and changed the floral preferences of large and small bees.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Julia Lanner, Nicolas Dubos, Benoit Geslin, Boris Leroy, Carlos Hernandez-Castellano, Jovana Bila Dubaic, Laura Bortolotti, Joan Diaz Calafat, Aleksandar Cetkovic, Simone Flaminio, Violette Le Feon, Jordi Margalef-Marrase, Michael Orr, Baerbel Pachinger, Enrico Ruzzier, Guy Smagghe, Tina Tuerlings, Nicolas J. Vereecken, Harald Meimberg
Summary: The complex relationships between invasive species and their new environments pose challenges for predicting their distribution. This study focuses on invasive bees, particularly the solitary wild bee Megachile sculpturalis, which is expanding in North America and Europe. The species has colonized suitable areas in North America, largely due to anthropogenic factors, but is still in the early stages of invasion in Europe. The study highlights the importance of expert knowledge in evaluating meaningful variables for species distribution modeling and emphasizes the need for monitoring and effective management strategies for invasive pollinator species.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Xavier Lair, Lise Ropars, Jeffrey H. Skevington, Scott Kelso, Benoit Geslin, Elise Minssieux, Gabriel Neve
Summary: The occurrence and distribution of Pelecocera species in France were revised, and a new species was described. Distribution and ecological data of these species were provided, and an identification key was given. Mitochondrial gene sequences supported the morphological species concept, with one exception.
Article
Plant Sciences
Coline C. Jaworski, Benoit Geslin, Marie Zakardjian, Caroline Lecareux, Pauline Caillault, Gabriel Neve, Jean-Yves Meunier, Sylvie Dupouyet, Aoife C. T. Sweeney, Owen T. Lewis, Lynn Dicks, Catherine Fernandez
Summary: Pollinators are declining globally, with climate change as a key driver. This study examined the effects of drought on floral traits, plant reproduction, and pollinator visits in a Mediterranean shrubland. The results showed that drought altered floral emissions and nectar production, and affected pollinator behavior. However, the impacts of drought are expected to be stronger in the future, which could have profound effects on plant-pollinator networks in Mediterranean ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Luca Carisio, Lucie Schurr, Veronique Masotti, Marco Porporato, Gabriel Neve, Laurence Affre, Sophie Gachet, Benoit Geslin
Summary: Nectar is an essential resource for insects, but the traditional method for measuring nectar productivity may not account for the impact of insect activity. This study used field experiments and simulation models to examine the effect of insect foraging activity on nectar productivity in lavender and fennel flowers. The results showed that insect activity had a significant influence on nectar production, suggesting that it should be considered when estimating the resources produced by plants.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Marie Zakardjian, Prisca Mahe, Benoit Geslin, Herve Jourdan
Summary: Edaphic conditions, particularly in ultramafic substrates, play a significant role in shaping plant assemblages and community structure. Ultramafic environments in New Caledonia have unique flora and limited presence of certain pollinators, such as wild alien bees. Native bees, on the other hand, were equally present in both ultramafic and non-ultramafic environments but less diverse in the latter.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jean-Yves Meunier, Benoit Geslin, Mehdi Issertes, Gilles Mahe, Frederic Vyghen, Harold Labrique, Yves Dutour, Vincent Poncet, Jeremy Migliore, Gabriel Neve
Summary: This study provides data on 9752 bee specimens hosted in several museums in southeast France, most of which are from France. The specimens were captured from the beginning of the nineteenth century to 2018, and their geographical locations are based on the collection site. The identification of 1377 specimens, mainly belonging to the genus Bombus, is considered reliable.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Karolina Argote, Cecile H. Albert, Benoit Geslin, Charlotte Biryol, Mathieu Santonja
Summary: Collembola can perceive and seek better litter quality, but litter quality does not affect their foraging behavior to select high-quality resources.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Marie Zakardjian, Herve Jourdan, Thomas Cochenille, Prisca Mahe, Benoit Geslin
Summary: Assessing bee distribution in challenging areas like tropical oceanic islands is crucial for species evaluation and conservation prioritization. This study provides an updated checklist of bee species in New Caledonia, highlighting the need for increased sampling efforts and biomolecular analyses to clarify species distribution.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Karolina Argote, Cecile H. Albert, Benoit Geslin, Charlotte Biryol, Mathieu Santonja
Summary: This study investigated the ability of Collembola to perceive and seek better litter quality. The results showed that litter quality plays a relevant role in Collembola demographic parameters, but does not affect foraging behavior to select high-quality resources.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Correction
Ecology
Julia Lanner, Fabian Gstoettenmayer, Manuel Curto, Benoit Geslin, Katharina Huchler, Michael C. Orr, Barbel Pachinger, Claudio Sedivy, Harald Meimberg
Summary: The paper has been amended and can be accessed through the original article.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Julia Lanner, Fabian Gstoettenmayer, Manuel Curto, Benoit Geslin, Katharina Huchler, Michael C. Orr, Barbel Pachinger, Claudio Sedivy, Harald Meimberg
Summary: This study used Illumina sequencing to genotype codominant markers and investigate the history of invasion and connectivity between populations across the European invasion axis. Distinctive genetic clusters with east-west differentiations were detected in Middle-Europe, suggesting multiple, independent introductions of the species to the European continent.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
