Honey bee Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

To illustrate and test the applicability and performance of the innovative honey-bee mating optimization (HBMO) algorithm in highly non-convex hydropower system design and operation, two problems are considered: single reservoir and... more

To illustrate and test the applicability and performance of the innovative honey-bee mating optimization (HBMO) algorithm in highly non-convex hydropower system design and operation, two problems are considered: single reservoir and multi-reservoir. Both hydropower problems are formulated to minimize the total present net cost of the system, while achieving the maximum possible ratio for generated power to installed capacity. The single hydropower reservoir problem is approached by the developed algorithm in 10 different runs. The first feasible solution was generated initially and later improved significantly and solutions converged to a near optimal solution very rapidly. In the application of the proposed algorithm to a five-reservoir hydropower system with 48 periods and a total of 230 decision variables, in early mating flights, the first feasible solution was identified and the results converged to a near optimal solution in later mating flights. In the case of the multi-reservoir problem, an efficient gradient-based nonlinear-programming solver (LINGO 8.0) failed to find a feasible solution and for the single hydropower reservoir design problem it performed much worse than the proposed algorithm.

High bee colony losses in the United States this past year can be attributed in part to an unresolved syndrome termed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). An extensive genetic survey found one virus, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), to be... more

High bee colony losses in the United States this past year can be attributed in part to an unresolved syndrome termed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). An extensive genetic survey found one virus, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), to be strongly associated with CCD. Using DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analyses, we provide evidence that IAPV was present in U.S. bees collected several years prior to CCD, and prior to the recent importation into the U.S. of honey bees from Australia and New Zealand. While downplaying the importance of bee importation for the appearance of CCD, these results indicate an urgent need to test specific strains of IAPV for their disease impacts.

This study determined the longevity of caged workers fed with different diets (carbohydrate only, bee bread, unfermented pollen substitute diet, and fermented pollen substitute diet). Survival rates were higher for bees fed the fermented... more

This study determined the longevity of caged workers fed with different diets (carbohydrate only, bee bread, unfermented pollen substitute diet, and fermented pollen substitute diet). Survival rates were higher for bees fed the fermented versus the non-fermented diet, though the difference was not significant. The honey bees consumed significantly more fermented than an unfermented diet. Hemolymph proteins were significantly higher in bees that had been fed a fermented versus an unfermented diet. Though still significantly lower than in bees fed on beebread, where vitellogenin (an essential storage protein for honey bees) levels were increased significantly in bees fed the fermented versus the non-fermented diet and were similar to and not significantly different when compared to beebread-fed bees. We conclude that fermented by beebread-derived microorganisms can improve the nutritional value, acceptance, and utility of an artificial protein diet and lifespan of the honey bee's workers.

... 2. Honeybee—Behavior. ... 1.3 The genetic system used by Vis-scher (1989) to assess the frequency of worker reproduction in honey bee colonies. ... was approximately 74 drones/(12 colonies × 150,000 worker bees/colony) = 0.00004, or... more

... 2. Honeybee—Behavior. ... 1.3 The genetic system used by Vis-scher (1989) to assess the frequency of worker reproduction in honey bee colonies. ... was approximately 74 drones/(12 colonies × 150,000 worker bees/colony) = 0.00004, or essentially zero, drones per worker bee. ...

... DOI: 10.3896/IBRA.1.49.1.25 VANENGELSDORP, D; EVANS, JD; SAEGERMAN, C; MULLIN, C; HAUBRUGE, E; NGUYEN, BK; FRAZIER, M ... DOI: 10.3896/IBRA.1.49.1.03 VANENGELSDORP, D; MEIXNER, MD (2009) A historical review of managed honey bee... more

... DOI: 10.3896/IBRA.1.49.1.25 VANENGELSDORP, D; EVANS, JD; SAEGERMAN, C; MULLIN, C; HAUBRUGE, E; NGUYEN, BK; FRAZIER, M ... DOI: 10.3896/IBRA.1.49.1.03 VANENGELSDORP, D; MEIXNER, MD (2009) A historical review of managed honey bee populations in ...

Social immunity, which describes how individual behaviors of group members effectively reduce disease and parasite transmission at the colony level, is an emerging field in social insect biology. An understudied, but significant... more

Social immunity, which describes how individual behaviors of group members effectively reduce disease and parasite transmission at the colony level, is an emerging field in social insect biology. An understudied, but significant behavioral disease resistance mechanism in honey bees is their collection and use of plant resins. Honey bees harvest resins with antimicrobial properties from various plant species and bring them back to the colony where they are then mixed with varying amounts of wax and utilized as propolis. Propolis is an apicultural term for the resins when used by bees within a hive. While numerous studies have investigated the chemical components of propolis that could be used to treat human diseases, there is a lack of information on the importance of propolis in regards to bee health. This review serves to provide a compilation of recent research concerning the behavior of bees in relation to resins and propolis, focusing more on the bees themselves and the potential evolutionary benefits of resin collection. Future research goals are also established in order to create a new focus within the literature on the natural history of resin use among the social insects and role that propolis plays in disease resistance. Die „soziale Immunität“ als neues Forschungsfeld bei sozialen Insekten beschreibt, wie das individuelle Verhalten von Mitgliedern einer Gruppe wirkungsvoll die Verbreitung von Krankheiten und Parasiten auf der Ebene des Sozialstaates verhindern kann. Ein bisher zwar wenig untersuchtes aber wichtiges Verhaltensmerkmal zur Krankheitsabwehr bei Honigbienen ist die Verwendung von Pflanzenharzen. Honigbienen sammeln Harze mit antimikrobiellen Eigenschaften von verschiedenen Pflanzen, mischen diese dann im Bienenvolk mit unterschiedlichen Mengen von Wachs und benutzen dies als Propolis (Abb. 1–4). Propolis ist demnach der bienenkundliche Begriff für Harze, die im Bienenstock verwendet werden. Während es zahlreiche Untersuchungen zur Verwendung bestimmter Bestandteile des Propolis zur Krankheitsbekämpfung beim Menschen gibt, sind kaum Informationen über die Bedeutung von Propolis für die Bienengesundheit vorhanden. Dieses Review ist eine Zusammenstellung neuerer Forschungsergebnisse zum Verhalten der Bienen in Bezug auf Harze und Propolis mit dem Schwerpunkt auf die möglichen evolutiven Vorteile des Harzsammelns für die Honigbienen. Die Verwendung von Harzen durch Bienenvölker (Apis mellifera) ist weit verbreitet. Während es erhebliche Unterschiede zwischen einzelnen Völkern bzgl. der Menge an gesammelten Harzen und Propolis gibt, scheinen alle — und dabei insbesondere die wildlebenden — Bienenvölker das Propolis zur Auskleidung des gesamten Stockinneren zu benutzen. Es wird angenommen, dass Propolis dazu beiträgt, die Homöostase innerhalb des Bienenstockes aufrecht zu erhalten. Konkret könnte das Propolis dabei das mikrobielle Wachstum an den Beutenwänden reduzieren, unkontrollierten Luftzug ins Beuteninnere verhindern und zusätzlich mechanische Barrieren gegenüber Eindringlingen bilden. Einige Forschungsprojekte zeigen eindeutig, dass Propolis im Bienenstock direkt gegenüber Krankheitserregern (z.B. Amerikanische Faulbrut) und Parasiten (z.B. Kleiner Beutenkäfer, Varroa destructor) wirkt. Daneben scheint es aber auch eine subtilere Wirkung über die Unterstützung des individuellen Immunsystems zu geben. Die weiteren Forschungen sollten sich auf das bessere Verständnis der Verwendung von Harzen durch Honigbienen und andere soziale Insekten konzentrieren. Dafür gibt es eine Vielzahl an Forschungsfeldern, von den pharmazeutischen Möglichkeiten des Propolis für die menschliche Gesundheit über die Mechanismen der Sammelstrategie von Propolis auf den Ebenen der Einzelbienen und des Bienenvolkes bis hin zu einer möglichen Anwendung von Propolis als Bekämpfung von Bienenkrankheiten. Schließlich ermöglichen Informationen zur Verwendung von Harzen und deren Aufnahme in den Bienenstock spannende Forschungsansätze zum Einfluss der Umwelt auf Krankheitsresistenz und soziale Immunität.

Die Annahme von Larven zur Weiselaufzucht wird, wenn in Pflegevölkern einer anderen Rasse vorgenommen, als geringer beschrieben. Beekman et al. (2000) zeigten darüber hinaus, dass bei unterschiedlichen Rassen Interaktionen zwischen der... more

Die Annahme von Larven zur Weiselaufzucht wird, wenn in Pflegevölkern einer anderen Rasse vorgenommen, als geringer beschrieben. Beekman et al. (2000) zeigten darüber hinaus, dass bei unterschiedlichen Rassen Interaktionen zwischen der Brut und den Pflegebienen auftreten können, die signifikante Auswirkungen auf die Eigenschaften der Nachkommen haben.

BackgroundPhosphatase and TENsin (PTEN) homolog is a negative regulator that takes part in IIS (insulin/insulin-like signaling) and Egfr (epidermal growth factor receptor) activation in Drosophila melanogaster. IIS and Egfr signaling... more

BackgroundPhosphatase and TENsin (PTEN) homolog is a negative regulator that takes part in IIS (insulin/insulin-like signaling) and Egfr (epidermal growth factor receptor) activation in Drosophila melanogaster. IIS and Egfr signaling events are also involved in the developmental process of queen and worker differentiation in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Here, we characterized the bee PTEN gene homologue for the first time

An N-terminal amino acid sequence of a previously reported honey bee hexamerin, HEX 110 [Danty et al., Insect Biochem Mol Biol 28:387–397 (1998)], was used as reference to identify the predicted genomic sequence in a public GenBank... more

An N-terminal amino acid sequence of a previously reported honey bee hexamerin, HEX 110 [Danty et al., Insect Biochem Mol Biol 28:387–397 (1998)], was used as reference to identify the predicted genomic sequence in a public GenBank database. In silico analysis revealed an ORF of 3,033 nucleotides that encompasses eight exons. The conceptual translation product is a glutamine-rich polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 112.2 kDa and pI of 6.43, which contains the conserved M and C hemocyanin domains. Semiquantitative and quantitative RT-PCR with specific primers allowed for an analysis of mRNA levels during worker bee development and under different physiological conditions. Concomitantly, the abundance of the respective polypeptide in the hemolymph was examined by SDS-PAGE. Hex 110 transcripts were found in high levels during the larval stages, then decreased gradually during the pupal stage, and increased again in adults. HEX 110 subunits were highly abundant in larval hemolymph, decreased at the spinning-stage, and remained at low levels in pupae and adults. In 5th instar larvae, neither starvation nor supplementation of larval food with royal jelly changed the Hex 110 transcript levels or the amounts of HEX 110 subunit in hemolymph. In adult workers, high levels of Hex 110 mRNA, but not of the respective subunit, were related to ovary activation, and also to the consumption of a pollen-rich diet. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 63:57–72, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.