Article
Zoology
Laura Jones, Abigail Lowe, Col R. Ford, Lynda Christie, Simon Creer, Natasha de Vere
Summary: Understanding the forage use of honeybees is important for supporting pollinator populations. DNA metabarcoding was used to examine the foraging behavior of honeybees in a diverse landscape within the UK. Native or near-native plants were found to be most abundant in the honey, with tree species important in the spring and herbs and shrubs later in the foraging season. Garden habitat increased the richness of native and horticultural plants in the honey.
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Dusica Calic, Jelena Milojevic, Maja Belic, Rade Miletic, Snezana Zdravkovic-Korac
Summary: This study found that the viability and germination rate of fresh pollen varied under different storage temperatures, with Budimka cultivar showing the highest viability and germination rate. Storage at 4 degrees Celsius extended the pollen viability and germinability, while -20 or -80 degrees Celsius significantly prolonged the pollen longevity for all cultivars. After 6 months, pollen stored at -20 and -80 degrees Celsius had much higher germination rates compared to pollen stored at room temperature for the same period.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Qinzhi Su, Min Tang, Jiahui Hu, Junbo Tang, Xue Zhang, Xingan Li, Qingsheng Niu, Xuguo Zhou, Shiqi Luo, Xin Zhou
Summary: The gut microbiome of Asian honeybees shows progressive changes at a large geographic scale, influenced by environmental factors, diets, and pollen polysaccharides.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Mikolaj Kostryco, Miroslawa Chwil
Summary: Poland is the largest European Union producer of Rubus idaeus, with its pollen containing rich protein and various amino acids, high quality and high attractiveness. The research results are significant for understanding the production and nutritional value of raspberry pollen.
Article
Ecology
Edy Fantinato, Judit Sonkoly, Peter Torok, Gabriella Buffa
Summary: The study found a hump-shaped relationship between community-level pollinator visitation rate and the quantity of floral resources, which was consistent across different types of floral resources. The relationship between the quantity of floral resources and the structure and robustness of the network was inconsistent among different types of floral resources, with only intermediate levels of nectar volume associated with high levels of network robustness.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carolin Plos, Niklas Stelbrink, Christine Roemermann, Tiffany M. Knight, Isabell Hensen
Summary: Both plant nectar production and insect activity are influenced by abiotic environmental conditions, and nectar properties can affect insect pollinators' foraging behavior. The study investigated the impact of temperature and solar radiation variation on nectar quantity, quality, and flower visitation rates in four herbaceous plant species. Results showed that temperature affected nectar properties in all species, while solar radiation affected nectar quantity and quality in two species. The responses to abiotic factors varied across species, likely due to differences in flower characteristics, visitor composition, or other unmeasured factors.
Article
Entomology
Beatrice N. Dingha, Louis E. Jackai
Summary: Research on the chemical composition of pollen from four industrial hemp varieties and bee abundance and diversity showed differences in composition among the varieties. The Joey variety was preferred by bees despite having lower nutritional content. Industrial hemp pollen provides some nutritional benefits to bees, but multiple sources of pollen are needed for sustained bee survival.
Article
Ecology
Gordon Fitch, Laura L. Figueroa, Hauke Koch, Philip C. Stevenson, Lynn S. Adler
Summary: Floral nectar and pollen contain secondary metabolites that have been found to have antiparasitic effects, which is important for reducing bee diseases and protecting pollinators. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying these effects, such as direct or host-mediated effects, as well as the nonadditive effects of multiple compounds and the transformation of metabolites on the disease-reducing capacity of floral products.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE
(2022)
Article
Horticulture
Heather Kalaman, Sandra B. Wilson, Rachel E. Mallinger, Gary W. Knox, Taehoon Kim, Kevin Begcy, Edzard van Santen
Summary: The study compared the resource value of ornamental plants with their native congeners, finding that nonnative ornamentals provided resource-rich floral rewards comparable to native species. However, caution should be taken when making similar assessments of other modern floral types.
Article
Entomology
Manuel Zeballos, Ana A. Calvino, Fernando Zamudio
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of the urban heat island (UHI) effect on the behavior of a stingless bee species in Cordoba, Argentina. The results showed that increased temperature led to increased flight activity and nectar foraging, while pollen foraging was more influenced by time of day. The findings suggest that this bee species may be able to adapt to urban warming.
JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Franziska Baden-Boehm, Mario App, Jan Thiele
Summary: This study presents two databases, the FloRes Database and the raw database, which are used to collect and analyze the floral resources' traits of plants. The establishment of these databases is crucial for researching the food availability in insect habitats.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Deeksha Mg, Mohammad Sarfraz Khan, Gaurava Kumar, Avinash Udikeri
Summary: This study investigates the influence of four Asteraceae weed species on pollinator diversity in different land-use gradient in Terai Arc Landscape of Uttarakhand state in India. A total of 29 species of pollinators from 10 families and 3 orders were observed, with all four weed species showing association with pollinators. Principal component analyses indicate that Tridax procumbens and Caesulia axillaris are potential producers of floral rewards. Favorable weather conditions, such as minimum relative humidity, minimum temperature, rainfall, and maximum temperature, influenced the visitation of insect pollinators.
Article
Entomology
Marzena Masierowska
Summary: This two-year study confirmed the advantages of using native plants in urban landscaping and their positive impact on strengthening both wild and managed bee populations in cities. The translocation of wild plants from their natural habitat to urban environments can result in the development of self-sustaining populations and beneficial relationships with urban bees, highlighting the importance of conserving both native plants and pollinators.
JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kyle Christie, Susan P. Harrison, Maren L. Friesen, Sharon Y. Strauss
Summary: Reproductive interactions among closely related plant species through pollination may play a significant role in community assembly and co-occurrence. Outcrossing congeners are more likely to co-occur in sites lacking congeners, while selfers tend to be more common in communities with multiple congeners. Flower size and reliance on outcrossing were found to be key factors influencing co-occurrence patterns among Trifolium species.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Juan Carlos Di Trani, Virginia Melendez Ramirez, Anovel Barba, Yostin Anino
Summary: The foraging patterns of bees in watermelon flowers were studied in Los Santos, Panama for 84 observation days. The study identified the bee species, their visitation rates, and foraging resources. Native stingless bees were found to play a crucial role in pollinating watermelon crops. The most frequently observed bee species were N. perilampoides (58.7%), A. mellifera (23%), and P. peckolti (4%).
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR AND BIOMETEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rita Filep, Robert W. Pal, Viktoria L. Balazs, Matyas Mayer, David U. Nagy, Bradley J. Cook, Agnes Farkas
Article
Agronomy
Rita Filep, Lajos Balogh, Viktoria L. Balazs, Agnes Farkas, Robert W. Pal, Szilvia Czigle, Dora Czegenyi, Nora Papp
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2018)
Review
Toxicology
Andras Kerchner, Agnes Farkas
FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Agronomy
Viktoria Lilla Balazs, Rita Filep, Tunde Ambrus, Marianna Kocsis, Agnes Farkas, Szilvia Stranczinger, Nora Papp
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Alexandra Bodo, Lilla Radvanyi, Tamas Koszegi, Rita Csepregi, David U. Nagy, Agnes Farkas, Marianna Kocsis
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandra Bodo, Lilla Radvanyi, Tamas Koszegi, Rita Csepregi, David U. Nagy, Agnes Farkas, Marianna Kocsis
Summary: Melissopalynology, antioxidant capacity, mineral and toxic element contents were analyzed in eight types of Hungarian honeys. Different color honeys showed varying antioxidant capacity and mineral contents, with toxic elements below detection limit. Black meadow sage honey performed best in terms of element content and antioxidant activity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alexandra Bodo, Agnes Farkas, David U. Nagy, Kinga Rudolf, Richard Hoffmann, Marianna Kocsis, Tanis Morschhauser
Summary: The study on nectar traits of wild garlic revealed the importance of soil properties in addition to microclimatic factors; humus, iron, and sulphate content in soil showed negative correlation with nectar production, while magnesium content had a positive effect.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Viktoria Lilla Balazs, Lilla Nagy-Radvanyi, Rita Filep, Erika Kerekes, Bela Kocsis, Marianna Kocsis, Agnes Farkas
Summary: The study investigated the antibacterial and anti-biofilm effects of Hungarian black locust, linden, and sunflower honeys against respiratory tract pathogens. Linden honey was found to be the most effective in both antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities, highlighting its potential role in treating respiratory tract infections caused by biofilm-forming bacteria.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marianna Kocsis, Alexandra Bodo, Tamas Koszegi, Rita Csepregi, Rita Filep, Gyula Hoffmann, Agnes Farkas
Summary: The goal of this study was to evaluate the pollen spectrum, antioxidant capacity, and mineral content of four types of Hungarian honey using multivariate statistical analysis. The results showed significant differences in pollen spectrum, antioxidant capacity, and mineral content among different types of honey, indicating their potential as markers for classification and identification of honey types.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eszter Csikos, Adrienn Horvath, Kamilla Acs, Nora Papp, Viktoria Lilla Balazs, Marija Sollner Dolenc, Masa Kenda, Nina Kocevar Glavac, Milan Nagy, Michele Protti, Laura Mercolini, Gyorgyi Horvath, Agnes Farkas
Summary: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urinary disease in men, with increasing prevalence with age and related to testosterone levels. Treatment often involves herbal drugs, pharmacotherapy, and surgical options.
Article
Plant Sciences
Szilvia Czigle, Rita Filep, Ema Balazova, Hajnalka Szentgyorgyi, Viktoria Lilla Balazs, Marianna Kocsis, Dragica Purger, Nora Papp, Agnes Farkas
Summary: This study aimed to compare the antioxidant capacity of goldenrod honeys collected from three Central European countries. The highest radical-scavenging activity and flavonoid content were found in Hungarian honeys, while Slovak honeys exhibited medium antioxidant activity. Polish honeys displayed the lowest antioxidant activity.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Agnes Farkas, Viktoria Lilla Balazs, Tamas Koszegi, Rita Csepregi, Erika Kerekes, Gyoergyi Horvath, Peter Szabo, Krisztian Gaal, Marianna Kocsis
Summary: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of four unifloral honeys on food-borne pathogens and analyze their antibacterial effects, biofilm degradation ability, antioxidant activity, and element content. The results showed that linden honey and chestnut honey had the best antibacterial and biofilm degradation effects and could be potential antimicrobial agents in food preservation.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Viktoria L. Balazs, Lilla Nagy-Radvanyi, Erika Bencsik-Kerekes, Regina Koloh, Dina Szabo, Bela Kocsis, Marianna Kocsis, Agnes Farkas
Summary: Hungarian honey types, particularly chestnut and linden honeys, have strong antibacterial activity and can disrupt bacterial membranes, making them potential alternatives for wound treatment.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Agnes Farkas, Gyorgyi Horvath, Monika Kuzma, Matyas Mayer, Marianna Kocsis
Summary: This study aimed to determine the phenolic profile of four Hungarian unifloral honeys. The results showed that phenolic acids and flavonoids can serve as markers for health benefits of honey and for distinguishing honey types. Different honeys have different phenolic compositions, and the composition of phenolic compounds is influenced by geographical origin.
CURRENT RESEARCH IN FOOD SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Kinga Gyergyak, Borbala Boros, Krisztina Marton, Attila Felinger, Nora Papp, Agnes Farkas
NATURAL PRODUCT COMMUNICATIONS
(2016)