title of presentation: crofting and the conservation of ... · the contribution of eva crane to the...
TRANSCRIPT
Belfast 8-11 September 2008
EurBee33rd EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF APIDOLOGY
at the MBC, Queen’s University Belfast97 Lisburn Road
Edited by Jennifer Teal, Juliet L Osborne and Robert J Paxton
CAMPUS MAP
Proceedings of EurBee3
The 3rd European Conference of Apidology
Queen’s University Belfast Northern Ireland
8th - 11th September 2008
Post-Conference Updated Abstracts
Edited by Jennifer Teal, Juliet L Osborne and Robert J. Paxton
Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………….. i Programme ...………………………………………………………………….….... iii Biographical Sketches of Main Organisers and Plenary Lecturers …………… vii Plenary Lectures – Abstracts ………………………………………………………. 1 Oral and Poster Presentations - Abstracts ……………………………………….. 5 Index of Authors ……………………………………………………………………. 114 Additional Abstracts added at the conference start (not indexed)………..…….. 123 Best student lecture, Bettina Ziegelmann (certificate)…………………………… 126 Best student poster, Thibaut De Meulemeester (certificate)………..…………… 127 Best student poster, Thibaut De Meulemeester (poster)………..…………..…… 128
Introduction VENUE Welcome to the 3rd European Conference of Apidology, the biennial conference of the European Association for Bee Research, staged from 8th – 11th September 2008 at the Medical Biology Centre (MBC), 97 Lisburn Road, Queen’s University Belfast. All lectures, poster rooms, lunch and tea/coffee will be within the MBC (building 34 of the campus map on the inside cover of this book of abstracts). Monday evening’s Welcome Reception is in the Whitla Hall (building 7 of the campus map), next to the original ‘Lanyon’ building of the university, when we hope to be welcomed by the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland, Michelle Gildernew MP MLA. Wednesday evening’s céilí (party) is at a venue called ‘the Empire’ on Botanic Avenue, a 10 minute stroll from the MBC. CATERING Tea/coffee and lunch are provided for all delegates, plus a welcome drinks reception on Monday evening and local cheeses and cider on Tuesday afternoon’s poster session. Dinners are not provided, and delegates need to forage for themselves. There are very many restaurants and cafés to suit all tastes in and around the university quarter of South Belfast. Ask us for recommendations. SPEAKERS All lecture rooms are equipped with PC’s running Windows XP and Microsoft Powerpoint version Office 2007 as well as overhead projectors. If you run ‘Vista’ on your PC, take care! You must make sure your presentation will run on Office 2007. Macs can also be hooked up to the data projectors, though it would facilitate symposia if speakers could bring their talk on a pen-drive/memory stick. Do not forget that the UK (and Republic of Ireland) has ‘British’/’UK’/‘square’ electric plugs/sockets so, if travelling from the Continent of Europe, bring a plug adaptor. WEATHER It rains a lot in Belfast. Always. EXHIBITORS International Bee Research Association and Northern Bee Books will exhibit books for purchase. STUDENT PRIZES Do not forget that there is a prize of Euro 100 for the best student talk and Euro 100 for the best student poster. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
i
Lots of people have assisted with the preparation and staging of EurBee3, including Antonella Soro, Stephen Fowler, Gillian Riddell, Joachim de Miranda, Bob Elwood, Emily Davis, Orlando Yañez, Theresa Buckham, João Paulo Holanda Neto, David Trew, Lorraine McKendrick, Manuela Giovanetti Emma Seale and many others in the School of Biological Sciences and Queen’s University Belfast. As official sponsors we thank the European Union through the FP6 project BeeShop (contract FOOD-CT-2006-022568, coordinator Prof. Robin FA Moritz, University of Halle, Germany) for support of our Monday’s plenary speakers, Belfast City Council for support of Monday evening’s Welcome Reception, and Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau for organising delegates’ accommodation. A final thank you goes to Ian Montgomery, Head of the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, for his encouragement and willingness to support the Eurbee3 conference, and a lot else besides.
Robert J Paxton (local organiser) on behalf of Jennifer Teal (registration, compilation of abstract book) and Juliet L Osborne (science programme) EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR BEE RESEARCH Chair: Dorothea Brückner Other board members: Bernard Vaissière Robert J Paxton Details about membership should be addressed to:
[email protected] Membership fees are included in the conference fee to EurBee3. If you attend the Belfast meeting, you have paid automatically for membership of EurBee until the next 2010 meeting (i.e. you pay for two years). If you attend EurBee3 but you do not wish to join EurBee, please inform the registration desk. For those not attending the conference, payment by bank transfer (only) can be made to:
account number: 0805108303 at the Postbank Hannover (German bank code: 250 100 30) BIC: PB NK DE FF IBAN: DE83 2501 0030 0805 1083 03 name: Dorothea Brückner/Eurbee
The annual fee is euro 10. The Annual General Meeting of EurBee will be at 18.00 on Wednesday 10th September in LT1 of the MBC, at the very end of the symposia of EurBee3.
ii
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- 11.
45 C
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: Arn
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Non-
Apis
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y
11.4
5 -
12.3
0 P
atho
gens
& d
isea
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(1)
- O
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: Eva
For
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Gen
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10th
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Dive
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- O
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s: E
va F
orsg
ren;
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er G
ener
sch
16.0
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16.3
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Para
llel s
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sia
16.3
0-17
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Dive
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& c
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- O
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isea
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va F
orsg
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ener
sch
17.0
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Flo
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pol
linat
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- Org
aniz
er: J
ane
Stou
t
18.0
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rBee
3 A
GM
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sday
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ber 2
008
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REGI
STRA
TIO
N
in t
he M
BC f
oyer
of
Que
en's
Uni
vers
ity B
elfa
st,
97 L
isbu
rn R
oad
(Bui
ldin
g 34
of
the
on-li
ne c
ampu
s m
ap)
EurB
ee3
2008
Pro
gram
me
Ove
rvie
w
Coff
ee B
reak
Lunc
h
Coff
ee B
reak
Coff
ee B
reak
Wel
com
e re
cept
ion
in W
hitla
Hal
l, sp
onse
red
by B
elfa
st C
ity C
ounc
il
Vas
sya
Bank
ova
- Pr
opol
is:
good
for
bee
s, g
ood
for
hum
ans
Mar
tin G
iurf
a -
A t
aste
fro
m t
he m
agic
wel
l: st
udie
s on
lear
ning
and
cog
nitio
n in
hon
eybe
es
Coff
ee B
reak
Céilí
(par
ty)
in T
he E
mpi
re
EXCU
RSIO
N G
iant
's C
ause
way
and
Bus
hmill
s D
isti
llery
Post
er s
essi
on w
ith lo
cal c
hees
es a
nd d
rinks
(p
lus
othe
r sm
all m
eetin
gs, t
o be
ann
ounc
ed a
t th
e co
nfer
ence
)
Clai
re K
rem
en -
Hon
ey b
ee p
ollin
atio
n 'c
risis
': ca
n na
tive
bees
tak
e up
the
sla
ck?
Dav
e Go
ulso
n -
Cons
erva
tion
of B
umbl
ebee
s
Coff
ee B
reak
Lunc
h
Tom
See
ley
- Ho
use
hunt
ing
by h
oney
bee
s: a
stu
dy o
f ef
fect
ive
grou
p de
cisi
on-m
akin
g
Stev
e M
artin
- B
ee d
isea
ses:
the
nee
d fo
r a
mul
tidis
cipl
inar
y ap
proa
ch
Lunc
h
Coff
ee B
reak
Mo
nd
ay 8
Sep
tem
ber
LT
109
:00-
10:0
0P
len
ary
Lec
ture
: V
assy
a B
anko
vaP
rop
olis
: g
oo
d f
or
bee
s, g
oo
d f
or
hu
man
s
LT
110
:30-
12:3
0B
ee M
anag
emen
t an
d H
ive
Pro
du
cts
Org
anis
ers:
Nor
man
Car
reck
, Ann
a G
loria
Sab
atin
i, R
icha
rd J
ones
Cha
ir: R
icha
rd J
ones
10:3
0N
L C
arre
ck, R
Jon
es
The
con
trib
utio
n of
Eva
Cra
ne to
the
stud
y of
bee
pro
duct
s an
d be
e m
anag
emen
t10
:45
E S
olór
zano
, L M
aldo
nado
, E B
edas
carr
asbu
re, N
Ver
a, R
Ord
oñez
, M In
és Is
la
Ant
imic
robi
al a
ctiv
ity o
f tot
al a
nd fr
actio
nate
d pr
opol
is e
xtra
cts
from
Cat
amar
ca, A
rgen
tina
11:0
0E
Sol
órza
no, L
Mal
dona
do, E
Bed
asca
rras
bure
, N V
era,
R O
rdoñ
ez, M
Inés
Isla
Com
para
tive
stud
y of
pro
polis
che
mic
al a
nd fu
nctio
nal i
ndic
ator
s in
the
nort
hwes
tern
are
a of
Arg
entin
a11
:15
F H
atjin
a, L
Har
isto
s, M
Bou
ga, M
Kos
tare
lou,
N E
mm
anou
el
Qua
lity
char
acte
ristic
s of
pro
duce
d ho
ney
bee
quee
ns in
Gre
ece
11:3
0A
Gre
gorc
B
reed
ing
activ
ities
and
que
en q
ualit
y m
onito
ring
for
Api
s m
ellif
era
carn
ica
in S
love
nia
11:4
5L
Pol
jans
ek, A
Gre
gorc
M
orph
olog
ical
cha
ract
ers
and
perf
orm
ance
of q
ueen
s re
ared
by
diffe
rent
met
hods
12:0
0M
Lod
esan
i, C
Cos
ta
Impa
ct o
f com
b di
stan
ce a
nd h
ygie
nic
beha
viou
r on
the
colo
ny p
aram
eter
s an
d in
fest
atio
n le
vel o
f Var
roa
dest
ruct
or
12:1
5M
K G
reco
D
iagn
ostic
Rad
ioen
tom
olog
y: a
new
tech
niqu
e fo
r lo
okin
g in
side
of t
hing
s
No
rth
LT
10:3
0-12
:30
Co
lon
y L
oss
es (
1)O
rgan
iser
s: P
eter
Ros
enkr
anz,
Pet
er N
eum
ann
Cha
ir: P
eter
Neu
man
n10
:30
P N
eum
ann
An
intr
oduc
tion
to c
olon
y lo
sses
10:4
5K
Cra
ilshe
im, R
Bro
dsch
neid
er, U
Rie
ssbe
rger
-Gal
léC
olon
y lo
sses
in A
ustr
ia a
nd s
trat
egie
s 11
:00
W R
itter
Col
ony
loss
es a
nd N
osem
a in
fect
ions
in G
erm
any
11:1
5Y
Le
Con
te, M
Nav
ajas
New
hap
loty
pes
of th
e pa
rasi
tic m
ite V
arro
a de
stru
ctor
on
Api
s m
ellif
era
in A
sia:
a p
erm
anen
t thr
eat f
or a
picu
lture
?
11:3
0T
Bla
cqui
ère,
B C
orne
lisse
n, L
Ger
ritse
n, J
van
der
Ste
enC
olon
y lo
sses
and
the
timin
g of
Var
roa
cont
rol
11:4
5A
Ror
tais
, Y L
oubl
ier,
G A
rnol
dH
oney
bees
as
bioi
ndic
ator
s in
an
urba
n ar
ea (
Sei
ne-S
aint
-Den
is, F
ranc
e)12
:00
L G
auth
ier,
M R
aval
lec,
M T
ourn
aire
, J D
e M
irand
a, M
E C
olin
, F C
ouss
eran
s, M
Ber
goin
Iden
tific
atio
n of
hon
ey b
ee (
Api
s m
ellif
era
L.)
que
en p
atho
logi
es in
Fra
nce
12:1
5B
Dai
nat,
R K
uhn,
V K
ilche
nman
n, J
-D C
harr
ière
, A Im
dorf
, H B
erth
oud,
P N
eum
ann
Col
ony
loss
es: t
he p
oten
tial r
ole
of th
e in
terf
ace
betw
een
viru
ses
and
Var
roa
dest
ruct
or
LT
113
:30-
14:3
0P
len
ary
Lec
ture
: T
om
See
ley
Ho
use
hu
nti
ng
by
ho
ney
bee
s: a
stu
dy
of
effe
ctiv
e g
rou
p d
ecis
ion
-mak
ing
LT
114
:30-
16:0
0B
eeS
ho
p:
an E
U r
esea
rch
pro
gra
mm
eO
rgan
iser
& C
hair:
Joa
chim
de
Mira
nda
14:3
0R
FA
Mor
itzB
eeS
ho
p -
an
ove
rvie
w14
:40
AG
Sab
atin
iH
on
ey D
epar
tmen
t -
ove
rvie
w14
:50
K B
íliko
vá, J
Sim
úth
Imm
unoc
hem
ical
qua
ntifi
catio
n of
apa
lbum
in 1
in h
oney
15:0
5J
de M
irand
aP
ath
olo
gy
Dep
artm
ent
- o
verv
iew
15:1
5O
Yañ
ez, R
Jaf
fé, I
Frie
s, R
FA
Mor
itz, R
J P
axto
n, J
R d
e M
irand
aD
istr
ibut
ion
of d
efor
med
win
g vi
rus
(DW
V)
varia
nts
in h
oney
bee
dron
e po
pula
tions
col
lect
ed fr
om h
ives
and
from
dro
ne c
ongr
egat
ion
area
s15
:30
A L
inds
tröm
Exp
ress
ion
of s
trai
n-sp
ecifi
c vi
rule
nce
of P
aeni
baci
llus
larv
ae o
n co
lony
and
larv
al le
vel i
n th
e ho
ney
bee
15:4
5E
Fre
y, S
Wel
ler,
R O
dem
er, P
Ros
enkr
anz
Com
paris
on o
f pop
ulat
ion
dyna
mic
s, h
ygie
nic
beha
vior
and
mite
rep
rodu
ctio
n in
hon
ey b
ee c
olon
ies
pres
elec
ted
for
Var
roa
tole
ranc
e
No
rth
LT
14:3
0-16
:00
Beh
avio
ur
and
Ph
ysio
log
y (1
)O
rgan
iser
& C
hair:
Jea
n-C
hris
toph
e S
ando
z14
:30
R B
rods
chne
ider
, U R
iess
berg
er-G
allé
, K C
rails
heim
R
earin
g ho
neyb
ees
in v
itro
and
letti
ng th
em fl
y su
cces
sful
ly14
:45
A T
ofils
ki, K
Cze
kons
kaD
evel
opm
ent t
ime
of h
oney
bee
wor
kers
in c
ell o
f diff
eren
t siz
es15
:00
M K
lein
henz
, S F
uchs
, J T
autz
Usa
ge o
f bro
od g
aps
for
incu
batio
n of
sea
led
broo
d in
hon
eybe
e co
loni
es15
:15
MA
Bec
her,
RF
A M
oritz
Mod
ellin
g br
ood
tem
pera
ture
and
col
ony
size
in h
oney
bee
colo
nies
15:3
0K
Cra
ilshe
im, C
Mös
linge
r, T
Sch
mic
klT
roph
alla
xis
of b
ees
insp
ired
a ro
botic
sw
arm
LT
116
:30-
18:0
0B
eeS
ho
p:
an E
U r
esea
rch
pro
gra
mm
eO
rgan
iser
& C
hair:
Joa
chim
de
Mira
nda
16:3
0M
Giu
rfa
Beh
avio
ur
& G
enet
ics
Dep
artm
ent
- o
verv
iew
16:4
0M
Sol
igna
c, F
Mou
gel,
D V
autr
inLa
ck o
f rec
ombi
natio
n ho
tspo
ts in
the
hone
y be
e: c
onse
quen
ces
for
who
le g
enom
e sc
reen
ing
16:5
5D
Beh
rens
, I F
ries,
E F
orsg
ren,
M S
olig
nac,
RF
A M
oritz
Map
ping
res
ista
nce
gene
s in
Api
s m
ellif
era
aga
inst
Am
eric
an fo
ulbr
ood
17:1
0R
Jaf
fé, V
Die
tem
ann,
RM
Cre
we,
RF
A M
oritz
Tem
pora
l dyn
amic
s of
an
Afr
ican
hon
eybe
e D
rone
Con
greg
atio
n A
rea
17:2
5M
Giu
rfa
How
do
bees
lear
n ab
out b
ad th
ings
? F
rom
beh
avio
ur to
mol
ecul
es; f
rom
the
labo
rato
ry to
the
field
17:4
0D
Tite
raE
xten
sio
n D
epar
tmen
t -
ove
rvie
w17
:50
D T
itera
Hiv
e bo
ttom
mon
itorin
g an
d its
use
in c
ontr
ol o
f bee
dis
ease
s
No
rth
LT
16:3
0-18
:00
Bee
gen
etic
s (1
)O
rgan
iser
& C
hair:
Ber
nhar
d K
raus
16:3
0M
Nav
ajas
, J-F
Mar
tin, Y
Le
Con
teT
he e
ffect
of p
atho
gens
and
pes
ts o
n ho
ney
bee
gene
exp
ress
ion
16:4
5H
Sch
lüns
, RH
Cro
zier
A
ntim
icro
bial
pep
tide
gene
s re
gula
ted
by R
elis
h in
Api
s m
ellif
era
17:0
0D
C D
e G
raaf
, M B
runa
in, F
J Ja
cobs
New
insi
ghts
into
the
hone
ybee
ven
om c
onst
ituen
ts fr
om p
rote
omic
stu
dies
and
gen
ome
data
base
min
ing
17:1
5T
E M
urra
y, R
J P
axto
nT
he im
pact
of s
ocia
lity
and
hapl
odip
loid
y on
mic
rosa
telli
te g
ene
dive
rsity
in th
e H
ymen
opte
ra17
:30
A J
aros
ch, R
FA
Mor
itzS
yste
mic
RN
A-I
nter
fere
nce
in th
e ho
neyb
ee A
pis
mel
lifer
a17
:45
M M
eixn
er, R
Büc
hler
, C G
arrid
o, K
Bie
nefe
ld, K
Ehr
hard
tB
reed
ing
for
vita
lity
– es
tabl
ishm
ent o
f a n
ew b
reed
ing
conc
ept f
or th
e fu
ture
Eu
rBee
3 20
08 S
ymp
osi
um
Pro
gam
me
Det
ails
(in
the
MB
C, Q
ueen
's U
nive
rsity
Bel
fast
, 97
Lisb
urn
Roa
d)
Eu
rBee
3 20
08 S
ymp
osi
um
Pro
gam
me
Det
ails
(in
the
MB
C, Q
ueen
's U
nive
rsity
Bel
fast
, 97
Lisb
urn
Roa
d)
Tu
esd
ay 9
Sep
tem
ber
LT
109
:00-
10:0
0P
len
ary
Lec
ture
: M
arti
n G
iurf
aA
tas
te f
rom
th
e m
agic
wel
l: s
tud
ies
on
lear
nin
g a
nd
co
gn
itio
n in
ho
ney
bee
s
LT
110
:30-
12:3
0B
ehav
iou
r an
d P
hys
iolo
gy
(2)
Org
anis
er &
Cha
ir: J
ean-
Chr
isto
phe
San
doz
10:3
0U
R E
rnst
, T W
ense
leer
s, P
Ver
leye
n, D
Car
doen
, DC
de
Gra
af, L
Sch
oofs
, FLW
Rat
niek
sA
lloca
tion
of w
orke
r po
licin
g in
the
hone
ybee
Api
s m
ellif
era
10:4
5G
Kol
eogl
u, Z
Gul
dure
n, R
I Tun
ca, T
Gira
y, M
Ken
ce, A
Ken
ceA
life
his
tory
trai
t, th
e ra
te o
f beh
avio
ral d
evel
opm
ent c
orre
late
s w
ith b
ioge
ogra
phy
of h
oney
bee
rac
es11
:00
A R
orta
is, A
Pap
achr
isto
foro
u, G
Arn
old
Hor
nets
and
hon
eybe
es: t
he e
xam
ples
of V
espa
orie
ntal
is a
nd A
pis
mel
lifer
a cy
pria
in C
ypru
s an
d V
. vel
utin
a a
nd A
. mel
lifer
a in
Fra
nce
11:1
5S
Spi
ewok
, P N
eum
ann
Que
en fi
ght -
an
exam
ple
for
leth
al in
tras
peci
fic c
onfli
cts
11:3
0M
Bau
de, M
Mug
abo,
E D
anch
in, I
Daj
ozIn
adve
rten
t soc
ial i
nfor
mat
ion
in p
lant
-pol
linat
or in
tera
ctio
ns11
:45
NE
Rai
ne, S
C L
e C
ombe
r, L
Chi
ttka
Lear
ning
to fo
rage
in th
e flo
ral s
uper
mar
ket
12:0
0J
Osb
orne
, A S
mith
, A R
eyno
lds
Bee
sea
rchi
ng s
trat
egie
s in
the
land
scap
e12
:15
N D
eisi
g, M
Giu
rfa,
JC
San
doz
Neu
ral r
epre
sent
atio
n of
olfa
ctor
y m
ixtu
res
in th
e ho
neyb
ee b
rain
No
rth
LT
10:3
0-12
:30
Bee
gen
etic
s (2
)O
rgan
iser
: Ber
nhar
d K
raus
Cha
ir: R
odol
fo J
affé
10:3
0H
MG
Lat
torf
f, R
M C
rew
e, M
Sol
igna
c, R
FA
Mor
itzN
atur
e vs
nur
ture
: wor
ker
repr
oduc
tion
in h
oney
bees
(A
pis
mel
lifer
a)
10:4
5K
Bíli
ková
, H
Leh
rach
, J S
imút
hT
he v
iew
on
scan
ty g
enom
ic p
oten
tial o
f hon
eybe
e in
nate
imm
unity
11:0
0I M
uñoz
, R D
all´O
lio, M
Lod
esan
i, P
De
la R
úaS
eque
nce
varia
tion
in th
e m
itoch
ondr
ial t
RN
Ale
u-co
x2 in
terg
enic
reg
ion
of A
fric
an a
nd A
fric
an-d
eriv
ed h
oney
bee
popu
latio
ns11
:15
Pal
acio
, MA
; Fig
ini,E
; And
ere,
C; B
edas
carr
asbu
re,E
A h
oney
bee
gen
etic
pro
gram
in A
rgen
tina
11:3
0R
Dal
l´Olio
, I M
uñoz
, P D
e la
Rúa
, M L
odes
ani
Est
imat
ing
intr
ogre
ssio
n in
Api
s m
ellif
era
sicu
la p
opul
atio
ns: a
re th
e co
nser
vatio
n is
land
s re
ally
effe
ctiv
e?11
:45
F Ö
zdil,
B F
akhr
i, A
N K
hoei
, C E
rkan
, MA
Yild
izH
infI
and
Dra
I dig
estio
n of
the
CO
I-C
OII
inte
rgen
ic r
egio
n in
hon
ey b
ee (
Api
s m
ellif
era
L.)
pop
ulat
ions
from
Tur
key
and
wes
tern
par
t of I
ran
12:0
0Z
Gul
dure
n, S
Ban
erje
e, M
Ken
ceW
hy h
oney
bees
are
het
eroz
ygot
e fo
r P
gm (
Pho
spho
gluc
omut
ase)
in w
inte
r?12
:15
MA
A E
l-Niw
eiri,
RF
A M
oritz
The
impa
ct o
f bee
keep
ing
on th
e ge
netic
str
uctu
re o
f wild
hon
eybe
e po
pula
tions
(A
pis
mel
lifer
a ye
men
itica
)
LT
113
:30-
14:3
0P
len
ary
Lec
ture
: S
teve
Mar
tin
Bee
dis
ease
s: t
he
nee
d f
or
a m
ult
idis
cip
linar
y ap
pro
ach
LT
115
:00-
16:3
0C
olo
ny
Lo
sses
(2)
Org
anis
ers:
Pet
er N
eum
ann,
Pet
er R
osen
kran
zC
hair:
Pet
er R
osen
kran
z15
:00
G B
udge
, B J
ones
, L L
aure
nson
, S W
ilkin
s, S
Pie
trav
alle
, M B
row
nH
isto
ric a
nd r
ecen
t col
ony
loss
es in
Eng
land
and
Wal
es15
:15
P R
osen
kran
z, K
Wal
lner
T
he c
hron
olog
y of
hon
ey b
ee lo
sses
in th
e R
hine
Val
ley
durin
g sp
ring
2008
: an
acci
dent
cau
sed
by th
e dr
ift o
f Clo
thia
nidi
n dr
esse
d m
aize
see
d
15:3
0A
Gre
gorc
, AIS
Ske
rlLe
thal
and
sub
leth
al e
ffect
s of
pes
ticid
es o
n in
divi
dual
bee
s an
d th
eir
tissu
es15
:45
M-P
Cha
uzat
,P
Car
pent
ier,
FM
adec
,S
Bou
gear
d,N
Cou
goul
e,P
Dra
jnud
el,M
-CC
lem
ent,
MA
uber
t,J-
PF
auco
nH
ealth
of h
oney
bee
col
onie
s (A
pis
mel
lifer
a)
in F
ranc
e : R
ole
of in
fect
ious
age
nts
and
para
site
s an
d in
fluen
ce o
f pes
ticid
e re
sidu
es
16:0
0K
Wal
lner
, S G
öser
Effe
cts
of s
eed
dres
sed
and
spra
yed
pest
icid
es o
n po
llen,
nec
tar
and
hone
y of
oil
seed
rap
e16
:15
R B
üchl
er, M
Mei
xner
H
ealth
ier
colo
nies
due
to b
rood
with
draw
al
No
rth
LT
15:0
0-16
:30
Po
llin
ato
r d
eclin
es:
dri
vers
an
d im
pac
tsO
rgan
iser
s an
d C
hair:
Ingo
lf S
teffa
n-D
ewen
ter;
Koo
s B
iesm
eije
r15
:00
K B
iesm
eije
rE
urop
ean
wild
bee
s: s
tatu
s an
d th
reat
s15
:15
CL
Hut
chin
s, J
C B
iesm
eije
r, W
E K
unin
, M T
erm
anse
n, J
Hog
gW
ild b
ee a
nd p
lant
dec
lines
in th
e U
K15
:30
SG
Pot
ts, S
PM
Rob
erts
, R D
ean,
G M
arris
, M B
row
n, R
Jon
es, J
Set
tele
S
tatu
s an
d tr
ends
of h
oney
bees
in E
urop
e: s
ever
e de
clin
es in
cen
tral
Eur
ope
15:4
0S
PM
Rob
erts
, SG
Pot
tsA
LAR
M: c
limat
e ch
ange
and
pol
linat
ors
15:5
0C
A B
ritta
in, R
Bom
mar
co, M
Vig
hi, S
G P
otts
Im
pact
of p
estic
ide
pres
sure
s on
pol
linat
or b
iodi
vers
ity a
t mul
tiple
spa
tial s
cale
s16
:00
T P
etan
idou
, A N
iels
en, J
Dau
ber,
J B
iesm
eije
r, D
Gab
riel,
WE
Kun
in, W
Lam
born
, M M
oora
, B M
eyer
, SG
P
otts
, V S
õber
, I S
teffa
n-D
ewen
ter,
J S
tout
, T T
sche
ulin
, M V
aitis
, D V
ivar
elli
Wild
pla
nt p
opul
atio
n st
ruct
ure
shap
es fl
ower
vis
itor
asse
mbl
age:
a p
an-E
urop
ean
appr
oach
16:1
5B
E V
aiss
ière
, N G
alla
i, G
Car
ré, R
Bom
mar
co, K
Kre
wen
ka, N
Mor
ison
, SG
Pot
ts, S
PM
Rob
erts
, I S
teffa
n-D
ewen
ter,
J-M
Sal
les,
H S
zent
györ
gyi,
C W
estp
hal,
M W
oyci
echo
wsk
iA
sses
sing
the
pote
ntia
l im
pact
of d
eclin
ing
inse
ct p
ollin
atio
n se
rvic
e to
cro
ps in
Eur
ope
Eu
rBee
3 20
08 S
ymp
osi
um
Pro
gam
me
Det
ails
(in
the
MB
C, Q
ueen
's U
nive
rsity
Bel
fast
, 97
Lisb
urn
Roa
d)
Wed
nes
day
10
Sep
tem
ber
LT
109
:00-
10:0
0P
len
ary
Lec
ture
: C
lair
e K
rem
enH
on
ey b
ee p
olli
nat
ion
'cri
sis'
: ca
n n
ativ
e b
ees
take
up
th
e sl
ack?
LT
110
:30-
11:4
5C
rop
po
llin
atio
nO
rgan
iser
and
Cha
ir: A
rnon
Dag
10:3
0O
Boe
ckin
g, U
Kub
ersk
yP
ollin
atio
n of
hig
h bu
sh b
lueb
erry
: sm
alle
r ho
ney
bee
colo
nies
see
m to
pro
vide
a b
ette
r se
rvic
e co
mpa
red
to la
rger
col
onie
s 10
:45
BE
Vai
ssie
re, N
Mor
ison
, G C
arré
Impa
ct o
f pol
len
feed
ing
on th
e po
llina
ting
activ
ity o
f hon
ey b
ee c
olon
ies
in e
nclo
sure
s11
:00
A D
agIm
prov
ing
polli
natio
n le
vel i
n R
osac
eae
frui
t tre
es11
:15
Z K
olto
wsk
iT
he p
ollin
atin
g in
sect
s ef
fect
on
seed
set
ting
of P
hase
olus
coc
cine
us L
. cul
tivar
s11
:30
JP H
olan
da N
eto,
BM
Fre
itas,
RJ
Pax
ton
Inad
equa
te c
ross
-pol
linat
ion
and
low
yie
ld in
cas
hew
(A
naca
rdiu
m o
ccid
enta
le)
in a
man
aged
orc
hard
and
its
natu
ral h
abita
t
LT
111
:45-
12:3
0P
ath
og
ens
and
dis
ease
s, w
ith
vir
use
s (1
)O
rgan
iser
s an
d C
hair:
Eva
For
sgre
n; E
lke
Gen
ersc
h11
:45
C G
arrid
oC
olon
y de
velo
pmen
t, V
arro
a in
fest
atio
n an
d vi
rus
infe
ctio
ns a
s in
dica
tors
for
vita
lity
of b
ees
12:0
0F
Naz
zi, D
Ann
osci
a, F
Del
Pic
colo
, F D
ella
Ved
ova,
N M
ilani
Che
mic
al b
asis
of c
ell i
nvas
ion
by V
arro
a de
stru
ctor
12:1
5B
Zie
gelm
ann,
J S
teid
le, A
Lin
denm
ayer
, P R
osen
kran
zT
he d
istin
ct m
atin
g be
havi
our
of m
ale
Var
roa
No
rth
LT
10:3
0-12
:30
No
n-A
pis
b
ees
Org
anis
er a
nd C
hair:
Tom
ás M
urra
y10
:30
SP
M R
ober
ts, S
G P
otts
Brid
ging
the
gap.
The
am
ateu
r/pr
ofes
sion
al in
terf
ace
10:4
5A
Hol
zsch
uhLa
ndsc
ape
com
posi
tion
and
orga
nic
farm
ing
influ
ence
bee
div
ersi
ty in
agr
icul
tura
l lan
dsca
pes
11:0
0A
Sor
o, J
Fie
ld, C
Brid
ge, R
J P
axto
nG
enet
ic d
iffer
entia
tion
acro
ss a
soc
ial t
rans
ition
: the
facu
ltativ
ely
euso
cial
sw
eat b
ee, H
alic
tus
rubi
cund
us11
:15
RJ
Pax
ton,
U F
itzpa
tric
k, M
JF B
row
n, T
E M
urra
yR
evea
ling
cryp
tic s
peci
es d
iver
sity
with
in th
e co
mm
on a
nd w
ides
prea
d bu
mbl
e be
e B
ombu
s lu
coru
m s
.l. u
sing
mito
chon
dria
l cyt
ochr
ome
oxid
ase
I D
NA
seq
uenc
es11
:30
J G
ibbs
, L P
acke
rD
NA
Bar
codi
ng th
e B
ees
of th
e W
orld
: a c
ase
stud
y fr
om a
nig
htm
are
taxo
n11
:45
M M
olet
, L C
hittk
a, R
J S
telz
er, N
E R
aine
Col
ony
nutr
ition
al s
tatu
s m
odul
ates
wor
ker
resp
onse
s to
fora
ging
rec
ruitm
ent p
hero
mon
e in
the
bum
bleb
ee B
ombu
s te
rres
tris
12:0
0F
B K
raus
, JC
Gal
indo
Lóp
ezF
acto
rs in
fluen
cing
the
choi
ce o
f dro
ne c
ongr
egat
ion
site
s in
the
stin
gles
s be
e S
capt
otrig
ona
mex
ican
a12
:15
M G
iova
netti
, D S
anto
roS
exua
l har
rass
men
t by
And
rena
agl
issi
ma
mal
es o
f for
agin
g fe
mal
es
LT
113
:30-
14:3
0P
len
ary
Lec
ture
: D
ave
Go
uls
on
Co
nse
rvat
ion
of
Bu
mb
leb
ees
LT
114
:30-
16:0
0P
ath
og
ens
and
dis
ease
s, w
ith
vir
use
s (2
)O
rgan
iser
s an
d C
hair:
Eva
For
sgre
n; E
lke
Gen
ersc
h14
:30
E G
ener
sch,
M N
ordh
off,
A F
ünfh
aus,
A A
shira
lieva
, LH
Wie
ler
New
s ab
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and
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oney
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:00
A B
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Sus
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:15
J K
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Effe
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of n
osem
osis
on
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and
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15:3
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Hig
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:45
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No
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14:3
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14:3
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14:4
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s15
:00
B D
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onno
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15:1
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15:3
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LT
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:30-
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:30
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Ital
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:45
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17:0
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:15
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:00
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No
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:00
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phol
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ator
beh
avio
ur17
:15
KJ
Duf
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C S
tout
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, A
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, JL
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linat
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17:4
5S
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bus
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. ) d
rone
s
LT
118
:00
Eu
rBee
An
nu
al G
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al M
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ng
Biographical Sketches of Main Organisers and Plenary Lecturers Dr Robert Paxton, Conference Organiser (local) School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast (UK) After graduating from Sussex University (England) with a BSc Biological Sciences and a PhD in evolutionary ecology, Robert Paxton moved to Cardiff University in 1985 to work on bee population biology. In 1993 he went to Uppsala University (Sweden) as an EU Madame Curie postdoc to develop his genetic research, then in 1996 to the University of Tübingen (Germany) to focus on social evolution. In 2003 he took up a lectureship at Queen’s University Belfast, where he has built up a substantial team working on aspects of insect conservation, social evolution, pollination and disease ecology. Dr Juliet Osborne, Conference Organiser (programme) Department of Plant & Invertebrate Ecology, Rothamsted Research (UK) Juliet completed her first degree and her PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK. She started studying honey bee pollination in Canada in 1991 and then co-authored a review on pollination of crops and wild flowers for the European Union. Her PhD, under the supervision of Dr Sarah Corbet, was on the relative effectiveness of honey bees and bumble bees as pollinators of borage. She runs the Functional Biodiversity programme at the Rothamsted Research Institute in Harpenden, UK and is recognised for her research on the behaviour and movement of bees, and associated pollen flow between plants. One of her main achievements has been to use harmonic radar to track individual flying insects over hundreds of metres. She is also the Deputy Scientific Director of the Centre for Soils and Ecosystem Function at Rothamsted. Professor Vassya Bankova, Plenary Lecturer Institute of Organic Chemistry and Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria) After graduating from the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy in Sofia with an MSc in Chemical Technology (Organic Synthesis), Vassya Bankova successfully worked for her PhD in Chemistry at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Centre of Phytochemistry (IOCCP). In 1986 she went to the Ruhr University Bochum (Germany) as a visiting research fellow to deepen her knowledge in natural product chemistry. In 2004 she became a full professor at the IOCCP, where she is now Head of the Laboratory of Natural Product Chemistry. She and her group have been working on propolis chemistry, its plant origins and its biologically active constituents for over 20 years, and have made major contributions to our current knowledge of propolis.
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Professor Tom Seeley, Plenary Lecturer Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University (USA) Dr. Thomas D. Seeley is a Professor and the Chairman in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University, where he teaches courses in animal behavior and does research on the functional organization of honey bee colonies. He began keeping and studying bees in 1969, while a high school student, when he brought home a swarm that he had collected in a hastily constructed "hive." When a college student, he worked each summer in the honey bee laboratory at Cornell University, where he learned the craft of beekeeping and began probing the inner workings of the bee colony. Thoroughly intrigued by the smooth functioning of honey bee colonies, he went on to graduate school at Harvard University where he studied under two ant men (Drs. Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson), began his research on bees in earnest, and earned his PhD in 1978. His research focuses on the internal organization of honey bee colonies and has been summarized in three books: Honeybee Ecology (1985, Princeton University Press), The Wisdom of the Hive (1995, Harvard University Press), and Honeybee Democracy (forthcoming, in 2009). Professor Martin Giurfa, Plenary Lecturer CNRS Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, University of Toulouse (France) Martin Giurfa is the Director of the Research Centre of Animal Cognition at the CNRS (French Research Council) and University Paul Sabatier of Toulouse, France. He received his PhD from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he studied the role of olfactory and visual cues in honeybee foraging behaviour. Afterwards, he moved to Germany and joined the Institute of Neurobiology of the Free University of Berlin where he adopted a neurobiological perspective to study behavioural and neural plasticity in honeybees. He spent several years in Germany where he became first assistant and then associate professor at the Free University of Berlin. In 2001 he moved to France where he was appointed full professor and founded a CNRS institute, the Research Centre of Animal Cognition. His research focuses on learning and memory in honeybees at different organization levels, from behaviour to molecules. Martin Giurfa has been awarded the Silver Medal of the CNRS for the highest scientific merit and has been elected to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and to the Institut Universitaire de France, among others. Dr Stephen Martin, Plenary Lecturer School of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield (UK) Stephen Martin has been researching insects both in the UK and abroad since 1979. He obtained his BSc degree, PhD and more recently a DSc from Bangor University in Wales. He spent seven years studying hornets in Japan, seven years working for the National Bee Unit (UK) studying the parasites of honeybees and, for the past eight years, he has been at Sheffield University studying the chemical ecology and recognition systems of social insects including honeybees, ants and bumblebees. He is international renowned for his work on Varroa–honeybee–viral interactions.
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Professor Claire Kremen, Plenary Lecturer Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley (USA) Claire Kremen is Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Conservationist with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Her primary interest is to use biological, social and economic data to develop conservation plans that benefit both the environment and people, and her work has included a wide array of topics, from the economics and ecology of ecosystem services, to reserve design and ecological monitoring. She was recently awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for her contributions to ecology, agriculture and biodiversity. Her work reaches from theory to practice and includes hands-on conservation action, including design and establishment of one of Madagascar’s largest national parks. Her current research focuses on restoring pollination services within farming landscapes, using both predictive modelling and field studies. She was a member of the recent National Academy of Sciences study on the status of pollinators in North America. In Madagascar, she works to establish a national web-based conservation-planning tool by accumulating data on species occurrences, developing predictive models of species distributions, conducting conservation analyses, and making data and analyses accessible via the Internet. She taught Conservation Biology as a professor at Princeton University from 2001-2005, and continues to teach related topics now that she is at U C Berkeley. She received her PhD in Zoology from Duke University in 1987 as an NSF and James B. Duke Fellow, and her BSc in Biology from Stanford University in 1982. She is a scientific advisor for several conservation organizations and sits on the Editorial Board of Conservation Biology. She is a 2001 recipient of the McDonnell 21st Century Research Award Professor Dave Goulson, Plenary Lecturer School of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling (UK) Dave Goulson took a degree in Biology at Oxford University (1984-1987) before undertaking a PhD at Oxford Brookes on butterfly ecology (88-91). After various postdoctoral jobs in Oxford and a short stint teaching at Eton he took up a lectureship at the University of Southampton in 1995, where he stayed for 11 years and built up a substantial research group focussed on bumblebee ecology and conservation. In 2006 he became Professor of Biology at Stirling University, and also launched the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a membership-based national charity (with 2,200 members as of June 08). He has written over 130 scientific articles and a highly acclaimed book on bumblebees.
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PLENARY LECTURES
ABSTRACTS
Propolis: good for bees, good for humans Vassya Bankova Institute of Organic Chemistry and Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria Email: [email protected] Propolis has been used as a remedy since ancient times because of its remarkable healing properties. Modern science has revealed the chemical complexity and variability of propolis, combined with an astounding and invariable presence of valuable biological activities. New chemical data on the variability in propolis composition, its explanation by plant sources, and its positive and negative sides concerning its use by humans are presented. The importance of propolis as source of new biologically active compounds (di- and triterpenes, isoflavonoids, prenylated benzophenones, etc.) is considered. New propolis types and new propolis sources as well as the significance of plant origin for propolis standardization and research are discussed. Working with standardized material will allow scientists to connect a particular chemical propolis type to a specific type of biological activity and formulate recommendations for propolis use. A taste from the magic well: studies on learning and cognition in honeybees Martin Giurfa CNRS Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, University of Toulouse (France) Email: [email protected] Equipped with a mini brain smaller than one cubic millimetre and containing only 950000 neurons, honeybees could be indeed considered as having rather limited cognitive abilities. However, bees display a rich and interesting behavioural repertoire, in which learning and memory play a fundamental role in the framework of foraging activities. We focus on the question of whether adaptive behaviour in honeybees exceeds simple forms of learning and whether the neural mechanisms of complex learning can be unravelled by studying the honeybee brain. Besides elemental forms of learning, in which bees learn specific and univocal links between events in their environment, bees also master different forms of non-elemental learning, including categorization, contextual learning and rule abstraction, both in the visual and in the olfactory domain. Different protocols allow accessing the neural substrates of some of these learning forms and understanding how complex problem solving can be achieved by a relatively simple neural architecture. These results underline the enormous richness of experience-dependent behaviour in honeybees, its high flexibility, and the fact that it is possible to formalize and characterize in controlled laboratory protocols basic and higher-order cognitive processing using an insect as a model.
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Conservation of bumblebees Dave Goulson School of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK Email: [email protected] Declines in bumblebee species in the last 60 years are well documented in Europe, where they are primarily driven by habitat loss and declines in floral abundance and diversity resulting from agricultural intensification. Impacts of habitat degradation and fragmentation are likely to be compounded by the social nature of bumblebees and their largely monogamous breeding system which renders their effective population size low. Recent studies suggest that bumblebee species vary greatly in their dispersal powers. Hence populations of the less mobile species are susceptible to stochastic extinction events and inbreeding. In North America, catastrophic declines of some bumblebee species since the 1990s are probably attributable to the accidental introduction of a non-native parasite from Europe, a result of global trade in domesticated bumblebee colonies used for pollination of greenhouse crops. This trade poses several threats to bumblebee diversity and is poorly regulated in most countries at present. Given the importance of bumblebees as pollinators of crops and wildflowers, it is vital that steps be taken to prevent further declines. Suggested measures include tight regulation of commercial bumblebee use and targeted use of agri-environment schemes to enhance floristic diversity in agricultural landscapes. Honey bee pollination 'crisis': can native bees take up the slack? Claire Kremen Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA Email: [email protected] Honey bees have become an essential farming input for modern intensive cultivation of numerous crops – yet the number of managed colonies has been in decline for decades. Recent sudden and mysterious declines (Colony Collapse Disorder) compounded this problem and left bee-keepers and growers in the United States in a panic last year. Can native bee communities fill the gap? I will explore two farming landscapes – one in New Jersey/Pennsylvania and one in California – to ask under what conditions native bees can meet demands for pollination services and/or alleviate our sole dependence on honey bees. More specifically, in California, only farms near natural habitat had bee communities sufficiently diverse and abundant to provide complete pollination services to watermelon, a highly pollinator-dependent crop. In contrast, most farms in a New Jersey landscape had diverse bee communities capable of providing complete pollination. I argue that both proximity to natural habitat and habitat heterogeneity within the vicinity of the farm determine the characteristics of bee communities and thus the pollination services they provide. In New Jersey, agricultural landscapes are a heterogeneous mix of natural habitat patches, old fields, organic and conventional farms. Thus, in New Jersey, whether bees are nesting on a farm, in natural habitat patches or in old fields, smaller farm sizes and heterogeneous landscapes lessen the distance between nesting and feeding sites, so that bees can find ample forage resources within foraging range of the nest anywhere in the landscape. In contrast, in California, where the landscape is dominated by large,
2
intensively-managed farms that contain few floral resources, floral resource distribution may limit nest site selection and hence bee distributions. Bee species may not find enough forage resources in the intensively managed landscape to nest there, accounting for the low diversity communities found in such landscapes. Abundant, high diversity communities may therefore be limited to natural areas or farms bordering natural areas. Bee diseases: the need for a multi-disciplinary approach Stephen Martin School of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK Email: [email protected] Every since humans started beekeeping, bee diseases have been one of the most discussed and researched topics. The honeybee is often quoted as being the most studied of all insects. This is very true from the point of view of diseases, since the number of honeybee pests and pathogens certainly outnumber those described for any other insect. So why with all this knowledge are we unable to explain large colony losses? The reasons behind colony losses in 1906 caused by the ‘Isle of Wight disease’ or more recently in the USA caused by ‘colony collapse disorder’ remain unexplained, although everything from mobile phones, mites and viruses have been blamed. The Varroa and capensis-clone stories provides excellent examples of the potential complexities that arise when beekeepers ignore natural ecological or environmental barriers, and understanding what is occurring often requires a large amount of lateral thinking and luck. However, a central failing of both bee-scientists and research funders is the collection of base-line disease data from healthy colonies. During my talk I will attempt to illustrate how the global trade in bees has and will continue to generate new and unexpected diseases. In order quickly to understand what is going on, we need to embrace a truly multi-disciplinary approach by involving acarologists, virologists, micro-biologists and other specialists in honeybee research. With their expertise, we may be able to understand what is going on in both healthy and dieing colonies. House hunting by honey bees: a study of effective group decision-making Tom Seeley Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, USA Email: [email protected] The question of social choice, of how groups can best make decisions, has challenged social philosophers and political scientists for centuries. The fundamental problem is to turn individual preferences for different outcomes into a single choice for the group as a whole. A striking example of decision making by an animal group is the choice of a nesting site by a swarm of honey bees. This is a process in which several hundred bees work together to find a dozen or more possible nesting cavities in trees and then select the best one for their new home. We’ve been investigating this process for the past decade, probing it with a variety of observational, experimental, and mathematical modeling studies. This work has revealed a set of behavioral
3
mechanisms in a swarm that consistently yield excellent collective decisions. It has become clear that this group intelligence is a product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromise, among different populations of bees representing different alternatives in the decision-making task. As we shall see, evolution has found an intriguing answer to the question of how to make a group function as an effective decision-making unit.
4
ORAL AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS
ABSTRACTS
Abstracts are listed alphabetically by the first author. The name of the presenter is underlined if the presenter is not the first author. S indicates the presenter is a student.
Colony monitoring by sound analysis David Atauri Mezquida, José Serrano, Pilar de la Rúa Escuela Superior Politécnica. Universidad Europea de Madrid. c/ Tajo sn. 28670 Villaviciosa de Odón Madrid. Spain Email: [email protected] Permanent information about the state of the honey bee colonies assures an efficient colony management. This compels the beekeepers to go to the bee yards and open the hives to get information. This procedure stresses the honeybees and can not be performed continually. It is known that buzz produced by colonies within their hives is related to their condition and tasks being performed. We have developed sensor systems and automatic balances for obtaining data in a continued way. In this poster we present a system for monitoring the bee colonies based on the analysis of the sound produced by the colony inside the hive. It obtains indications about the sound intensity and the frequency spectrum, and stores them in a data base. By means of statistic analyses and data mining aided with beekeepers knowledge, the sound patterns can be inferred and associated to the behaviour observed within the beehives. We have already identified sound variations related to swarm growth, queen replacement and swarming. Some other patterns are still under analysis in relation to particular behaviours. Assessing the nutritional balance between pollen pellets' quantity and content and population growth in a honey bee colony Dorit Avni, Arnon Dag, Zehava Uni, Ofra Kedar, Haim Kalev, Sharoni Shafir S B. Triwaks Bee Research Center, Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agricultural, Food & Environmental Quality Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel. Email: [email protected] Honey bees, Apis mellifera, need pollen as a source of protein and lipids. We evaluated the relationship between the amount and content of pollen entering the colony and the body mass of produced bees. We periodically trapped and sampled the pollen collected by five honey bee colonies during one year in Rehovot, Israel. The pollen was weighed and analyzed for percent of total protein, total fatty acids (TFA), and free fatty acid (FFA) profile. At the same time, we monitored colony development in ten additional colonies, by measuring the production of sealed brood. We also analyzed the body composition of adult workers. The mean (+ SE) total amount of pollen gathered by a colony over the year was 6.7 ± 1.7 Kg, with protein content of 40.9% ± 2.2 and TFA content of 5.1% ± 2.0. From these values, we calculated that a colony collected on average 2.73 Kg of protein and 0.34 Kg of TFA during this period. From the amounts of sealed brood, we calculated that a colony produced an average of 328,253 ± 2384 adult bees during the year. Based on the body composition of workers, we calculated that on average a colony used 5.9 Kg of protein and 0.65 Kg of TFA to produce that many bees. The extra TFA could have been synthesized from carbohydrates. The large gap between the amount of protein that was required and the amount that was estimated to enter the colony is yet to be explained.
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Inadvertent social information in plant-pollinator interactions Baude M., Mugabo M., Danchin E. & Dajoz I S Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75230 Paris Cedex05, France Email: [email protected] Pollinators are confronted to spatial heterogeneity and diversity in floral resources. Acquiring information about their environment thus allows them to optimally exploit floral resources, hence strongly affecting their fitness. Here we focus on the use of inadvertent social information (or ISI), that can be extracted from the observation of the behaviour of conspecifics, by pollinators in flower decision making. The aim of our studies is to investigate links between plant community and ISI use by pollinators. First, we experimentally tested the effects of ISI use (without or with an experienced demonstrator) in relation to spatial flower distribution (random or patchy) in foraging Bombus terrestris. Experiments were performed with rewarding and non-rewarding artificial inflorescences slighty differing in colour. Our results show that the presence of demonstrators improved the performance of naive bees when flowers were patchily distributed. This suggests that naive bees extract ISI, probably in the form of social attraction at the patch scale. In a same way, we also study the influence of the diversity (2 or 4 different colours of flowers) of plant community in ISI use by bumblebees. Results show effects of diversity and ISI use on decision making time before foraging. Lastly, we also present potential implications of ISI use for the efficiency of plant community pollination. By coupling behavioural and community ecology, this study offers promising perspectives for cognitive ecology studies in plant-pollinator interactions. Modelling brood temperature and colony size in honeybee colonies Matthias A. Becher, Robin FA Moritz S Institute of Zoology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany Email: [email protected] Honeybees are well known for their ability to regulate brood temperature in a narrow range around 35°C. Variation in developmental temperature can influence the behaviour of the adult bees (Tautz J. et al. 2003. PNAS 100: 7343-7347). Bees that developed under higher temperatures had earlier onset of foraging and hence brood nest temperature might have consequences for the overall organisation of the colony. A sufficient number of inhive bees are necessary to maintain the appropriate brood nest temperature and also to ensure feeding and tending the larvae. With the help of a deterministic model, we analyse the relation between colony size at the beginning of the season, colony growth and duration of inhive period. The duration of the inhive period is influenced by the amount of brood but also by the developmental temperature of the adult bees offering the possibility of a feedback loop between the heating nurse bees and the developing brood. We model the size and temperature profile of the brood nest, based on the number of
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available hive bees. Hive bees result from the number of emerging bees and the time till onset of foraging. Our results suggest that the colony size in early spring is of major importance as well as the duration of the inhive period for the colony growth. The effect of developmental temperature on division of labour seems to be less strong. When honeybees grow old: age-dependent learning and sucrose responsiveness Andreas Behrends, Ricarda Scheiner Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Ökologie, FG Neurobiologie, Franklinstraße 28/29, D-10587 Berlin, Germany Email: [email protected] In honeybee colonies behavioral development constitutes aged-based division of labor. Young workers perform tasks inside the hive for example as nurse bees. Older bees switch to foraging outside the hive for the rest of their life. We examined the effect of chronological age on associative olfactory learning performance and sensory sensitivity in honeybees. Young bees increased in sensory sensitivity and associative olfactory learning performance during the first 9 days. Bees of 18 days and older, in contrast, showed a reduced learning performance. Physiological aging (e.g. immunosenescence, accumulation of oxidative stress) in honeybees was recently shown to be independent of chronological age but closely related to social task. Foragers showed high rates of immunosenescence and accumulation of oxidative stress, whereas nurse bees of the same chronological age did not. For that reason, we compared the behavior of foragers and nurses in a second experiment. We used a single cohort colony which contains nurses and forager bees of the same chronological age. This setup allowed us to separate the effects of age and social role. Foragers showed a strong impairment of associative learning performance with prolonged foraging activity whereas nurse bees of the same chronological age did not. Gustatory sensitivity to sucrose was not affected by long foraging duration. This shows that deterioration of acquisition in old bees is strongly related to their social task and not to their age per se. In a third experiment we induced foragers to revert to the nursing state by manipulation of the hive. Interestingly, reverted bees learned better than bees that continued to forage. This indicates that it is not the event of foraging onset that leads to cognitive impairment but extensive foraging labor. Overall, the results reveal a unique plasticity in honeybee aging which is mainly governed by social role and not primarily a function of chronological age. Mapping resistance genes in Apis mellifera against American foulbrood Dieter Behrens, Ingemar Fries, Eva Forsgren, Michel Solignac, Robin F.A. Moritz S Hoher Weg 4, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany Email: [email protected] Honeybees are exposed to a large number of pathogens and parasites to which they have evolved various forms of resistances. We focus on individual resistance of larvae against the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood (AFB).
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By conducting QTL mapping studies on drone offspring of the same genetic origin, we identify markers linked to those genes that code for different larval resistance. By using haploid drones we expect a more distinct separation of resistance phenotypes, since interaction of different alleles is not possible. The exceptionally high recombination rate in honeybees and the great number of available microsatellite markers allow for very accurate mapping of candidate genes which then can be tested in expression and RNAi studies. The development of SNP markers that characterize different alleles of the candidate genes will furthermore serve as a diagnostic tool to facilitate breeding of resistant honeybee lines. Evaluation of oxalic acid treatments in summer against Varroa destructor Besana A.M., Baracani G., Nanetti A. Via Idice 299 - Monterenzio (BO) – Italy Email: [email protected] We tested oxalic acid (OA) treatments in summer to control Varroa destructor. An apiary of thirty colonies was divided into three groups of ten colonies and each group received a different treatment:
1. A solution of OA (3,2%) and sucrose (60%) by trickling (five ml/comb) repeated three times at day 1, 14 and 20;
2. A solution of OA (3,2%) and sucrose (60%) by trickling (five ml/comb) repeated six times, in two clusters of three treatments at day 1, 14 and 20. The two clusters were separated by seven days of time interval;
3. Three administrations of thymol (ApilifeVar) every 8 days, following the manufacturer’s instructions. This group served as a positive control.
The efficacy was calculated with the help of a control treatment performed at the end of the period. The tolerability was calculated as the pre-post treatment difference of adult bees and brood cells. Temperature and relative humidity were monitored outside as well as inside the colonies. The efficacy of the treatments was 27.0, 72.3 and 39.7% respectively. The efficacy in group 2 is split in 28.2 and 44.1 for the two clusters of treatments. Between 10th July and 3th September the three groups decreased of 63.0, 68.5, 61.4% in adult bees and 66.7, 64.3, 61.2% in brood cells. Brood strongly influenced the efficacy: the difference in efficacy between the two clusters in group 2 seemed to be correlated to a noticeable natural egg-laying suppression due to extremely dry and hot weather. Each group clearly drecreased in bees and brood but, given environmental conditions and period of the year, this seemed very much consistent with the natural tendency. Fair tolerability was shown by all the treatments; repeated OA administrations in summer did not seem to endanger the honey bee colonies more than other methods.
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A case of acute intoxication with acetamiprid in bee colonies Elisabeta Bianu, Daniela Nica, Gabriela Chioveanu Institute for Diagnosis and Animal Health, Dr. Staicovici nr. 63, sector 5, Bucharest, 050557, Romania Email: [email protected] In May 2008, in a mellifera area situated in the south part of Romania, near some rape plantations, a high mortality of 300 bee colonies from 5 apiaries has been observed. The damages situated at 90% from colonies were registered during three-four days, after phytosanitary treatments were undertaken on the rape. Examination of all apiaries has revealed many colonies organized by an average of 9-10 brood frames at different stages of development, dead worker bees and drones with no pathological chitin modifications, massive grouped in the front of hive entrance and on whole harvested zone. Worker bees and drones had normal chitin, but presented uncoordinated movements, ventral exposition, own axis rotations, flight incapacity, posterior feet paralysis and lateral extension and intermittent needle. Usual bacteriological and parasitological examinations and toxicological determinations concerning pesticide contamination were undertaken on bees, brood and mellifera flora harvested from affected area. The result of bacteriological examinations was negative and parasitological examinations revealed Nosema spp. infection at a low level. Using a LC/MS/MS screening method a neonicotinoid pesticide, acetamiprid, was identified in mellifera flora, bees and uncapped comb with nectar flow. The cause of mortality was an acute intoxication with acetamiprid. Influence of the age of honeybee queens and dose of semen on condition of oviducts and filling of spematheca Malgorzata Bienkowska, Dariusz Gerula, Beata Panasiuk Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Apiculture Division, 24-100 Puławy, Kazimierska 2, Poland Email: [email protected] The study was performed in the Laboratory of Bee Breeding of the Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Apiculture Division in Pulawy in June and August of 2006 and 2007. The aim of the research was to determine the age of queens and dose of semen in a mass insemination of queens regarding a condition of oviducts and filling of spermatheca. Queens were inseminated when 5, 7 or 10 days old with dose of 6, 8, or 10 µl of semen collected from free flying drones of Caucasian race. Altogether in both years of the research 1027 queens were inseminated and dissected. After queens were inseminated, 80.3% of them had cleared oviducts, 16. 6% had some residue of semen, and 3.1% were dead. Significantly more queens among 7 and 10 days old had cleared oviducts (82.3 and 86.2% respectively) compared to 5-day-old ones (23.8%) that had some semen residue. Losses of queens after insemination were 3.1% and were similar in every age group. Spermatheca filling in queens that cleared their oviducts was on average 3.199 mln spermatozoa. Significantly higher number of spermatozoa in spermatheca (average 3.379 mln) was found in the group of queens that were inseminated when 5 days old. The lowest number of spermatozoa was found in queens that were inseminated when
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7 days old, regardless the dose of semen. It was stated that most of examined queens had from 2.5 mln to 4.5 mnl spermatozoa in their oviducts, regardless the age of queens when inseminated or dose of semen used for insemination. Nevertheless, the highest percent of queens that had more than 4.5 mln spermatozoa in spermatheca was found in all experimental groups of queens that were inseminated as the youngest ones. Keywords: age of honeybee queen, dose of semen, insemination, filling of spermatheca, oviducts clearing. European wild bees: status and threats Koos Biesmeijer* Institute of Integrated and Comparative Biology and Earth and Biosphere Institute, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, UK Email: [email protected] Recent initiatives of the Convention for Biological Diversity, the FAO and others argue that pollination services in the wild and in agriculture may be threatened and that pollinators need special attention as a key group in ecosystem functioning and in sustainable agriculture. Indeed, more than 75% of the world’s major vegetable, fruit and seed crops (Klein et al. 2007) and a large share of the flowering plants depend on animals for their pollination, which suggests that pollinator loss may have considerable economic and ecological impact. It is now clear that in Britain pollinators, particularly bees, are declining and with them the wild plants they pollinate (Biesmeijer et al. 2006), but understanding of the causes of these changes remains in its infancy. Documenting change in pollinator abundance and diversity relies on the availability of historical data, which are available only in some W-European countries and several dispersed location around the globe. To assess the status of European bees and get an idea of the major pressures threatening them, we compiled national-level data on bee status from national red lists and expert opinion for countries without a red list to provide an indication of the level of threat to wild bee populations. Next, we asked experts in all countries to give their opinion on the most important threats to each of the threatened bee species. We used threats based on IUCN categories, which include habitat loss/degradation (several subcategories), invasive alien species, pollution (several subcategories), climate change, natural disasters, changes in native species dynamics (e.g. natural changes in food resources or hosts), and intrinsic factors (e.g. limited dispersal, low densities, restricted range). * Many people across Europe have provided data and expertise for this work, they cannot be mentioned above, but will be acknowledged in the presentation.
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Immunochemical quantification of apalbumin 1 in honey Katarína Bíliková and Jozef Simúth Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 21, 845 35 Bratislava, Slovakia Email: [email protected] Although the composition of honey is reasonably well understood in terms of sugar, amino acid and mineral content, little is known about the protein content, which is usually below 0.5%. We have found that honey and bee pollen contain royal jelly (RJ) proteins of 20-90 kDa, but predominantly 55 kDa apalbumin 1, the major protein of RJ. Our experiments showed that apalbumin1 is responsible for important physiological properties of honey in particular and honey products in general. We have developed a simple immunochemical method for quantification of apalbumin1 based on ELISA. Its detection limit was found to be 5 ng of the protein in 1 g of analyzed honey sample, which means that the presence of apalbumin1 in a given product is detectable even after its 10,000-fold dilution. Determination of the apalbumin1 content of honey was modeled by adding various amounts of apalbumin1 to an „artificial“ honey consisting of 40% glucose and 40% fructose in water. The method is simple, sensitive and reproducible, and requires only a small amount of honey sample. Moreover, no pretreatment of the sample is required, just its dilution in water. This immunochemical method for quantification of apalbumin 1 is a suitable tool for detection of adulteration of honey. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by grant 6RP EU-BeeShop No.: 022568 and Max-Planck Society for Partner Group of Slovak Academy of Sciences. The view on scanty genomic potential of honeybee innate immunity Katarína Bíliková, Hans Lehrach and Jozef Simúth Institute for Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-84238 Bratislava, Slovakia Email: [email protected] One of the most surprising data resulting from nucleotide sequence of honeybee genome is that it contains only 6 genes encoding antimicrobial peptides as compared to more than 20 genes occurring in Diptera species. The results suggest that an individual honeybee can defend itself against pathogens only poorly. We present experimental data showing that a honeybee colony is armed against pathogens with very effective exogenous defense system (EDS) based on polyfunctionality of nutritive proteins and physiologically active phytochemicals (plant antimicrobials) present in nectar, pollen and propolis. We have found that propolis contains substances with antiviral activity and ability to inhibit a key enzyme of gene expression, the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase, through blocking its binding to the promotor of a given gene. Recent proteomic studies have shown that a honeybee protein, in general, though being a product of single gene, has several physiological functions. Our investigations have shown that the royal jely proteins have direct antifoulbrood effect, and, at the same time, before the onset of bacterial infection, can induce cytokines, which then activate the genes responsible for synthesis of antimicrobial peptides.
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These immunostimulatory proteins are released by the honeybee into honey and pollen in the course of their processing. Some antimicrobial peptides (apidaecin, abaecin, hymenoptaecin) are induced specifically and are released into haemolymph only post bacterial infection, while others (royalisin, apisimin) are present in honeybee products permanently. The aim of our studies is defining of key EDS elements as markers which could be exploited for practical breeding of honeybees resistant to diseases. Survival of honey bee adults, brood and colonies depends on the timing of Varroa destructor control Tjeerd Blacquière, Bram cornelissen Lonne Gerritsen and Jozef van der Steen bees@wur, Plant Research International, PO Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands Email: [email protected] Infestation by Varroa mites of a cell with a pupa causes the developing bee to have a shorter life expectancy, which may be especially crucial in case of winter bees. In two consecutive experiments the effect of the timing of Varroa control treatments (July, August, September or December) on the life span of individual bees and the survival of colonies during winter was examined. Results: • most winter bees hatched in September and October • life span in late treated colonies was less than in early treated • early treated colonies showed less infestation before and during hatching of winter bees • late treated colonies had prolonged brood rearing in autumn • many of the late treated colonies died during winter, no losses were recorded when colonies were early treated • differences between season 2005-06 and 2006-07 reflected climatic conditions A corresponding relationship between timing of treatments and colony losses were found among Dutch beekeepers in a survey in 2006-07. First detection of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) in France, a discistrovirus affecting honeybees (Apis mellifera) M. Philippe Blanchard, Frank Schurr, Olivier Celle, Nicolas Cougoule, Patrick Drajnudel, Richard Thiéry, Jean-Paul Faucon, Magali Ribière Unité pathologie de l’abeille, AFSSA-LERPRA B.P. 111, 06902 Sophia Antipolis, France Email: [email protected] Bee samples were collected in French apiaries that displayed severe losses and mortality during the winter 2007-2008. A preliminary survey was conducted on 35 apiaries in 16 departments of France to assess the pathological context. Given that last winter losses can suggest those observed in case of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) such as a rapid loss from a colony of its adult bee population, it appeared interesting
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to assess the presence of Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV). Furthermore, Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and Kashmir bee virus (KBV) have also been looked for, since (i) they are genetically closely related to IAPV and (ii) all positive samples for IAPV also contained KBV in a recent report on CCD. Bee samples were screened for the presence of viruses by using RT-PCR. Five apiaries, located in two different geographical areas, were found positive for IAPV. This represents the first reported detection of IAPV in France. The specificity of the PCR products was checked by sequencing. The phylogenetic analysis showed that French isolates of IAPV were closely related to a cluster including American and Australian isolates. Nevertheless, most of American isolates previously reported to be associated to CCD and an Israeli isolate first isolated in 2004 from dead bees were included in another cluster. While ABPV was detected in 40% of apiaries, including 3 IAPV-positive one, KBV was detected only in the samples where IAPV was found. French KBV-like sequences obtained in this study are more closely related to the IAPV sequence, raising the question of the specificity of the KBV primers. Phylogenetic analysis of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) isolated from various geographic regions Philippe Blanchard, Frank Schurr, Violaine Olivier, Olivier Celle, Karina Antùnez, Tamàs Bakonyi, Hélène Berthoud, Eric Haubruge, Mariano Higes, Sylwia Kasprzak, Hemma Köglberger, Per Kryger, Richard Thiéry, Magali Ribière Unité pathologie de l’abeille, AFSSA-LERPRA B.P. 111, 06902 Sophia Antipolis, France Email: [email protected] Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) is responsible for chronic paralysis, an infectious and contagious disease of adult honey bees. Full-length nucleotide sequences for the two major RNAs of CBPV have recently been characterized. The Orf3 of RNA1 has showed significant similarities with the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of positive single-stranded RNA viruses. A phylogenetic analysis was performed on RdRp of CBPV isolates from various geographic regions. Honeybees originating from 9 different countries (Austria, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Uruguay and France) were analysed for the presence of CBPV genome. The complete genomic nucleotide sequence of the RdRp of CBPV (1947b) was determined by sequencing three overlapping PCR products of different sizes, while the complete genomic nucleotide sequence of the potential structural protein of CBPV (543b) was determined from a unique PCR product. The amplification products from 24 honeybee samples were sequenced and phylogenetic analyses was performed. This study suggests the existence of a least four distinct genotypes of CBPV according to their geographic origins. Most of the French isolates clustered into lineage A, together with Spain and Belgium isolates while all the Polish isolates, the Austrian isolates, the Danish isolate and the Hungarian isolate clustered together into lineage D, with a French isolate and the two Swiss isolates. The Uruguayan isolates, only representative of South America, are clearly included in different lineages (B and C), one of them clustering unexpectedly with a French and a Swiss isolates. Similar results were obtained from the phylogenetic analysis of the Orf3 of CBPV RNA2, coding for a potential structural protein.
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Pollination of high bush blueberry: smaller honey bee colonies seem to provide a better service compared to larger colonies Boecking O and Kubersky Ulrike LAVES Institut für Bienenkunde Celle, Herzogin-Eleonore-Allee 5, 29221 Celle, Germany Email: [email protected] Pollination by bees is critical for most high bush blueberry varieties. Honey bees, bumble bees and some solitary bees add extra yield to this crop – as our data clearly show. Under the local situation in the main area of high bush blueberry production in Germany (Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony) the time of blueberry pollination is overlapping with the blooming of oil seed rape. Rape is highly attractive to honey bees as long as they receive nectar reward. This can conflict with the pollination service provided by beekeepers to the high bush blueberry farmers, as they are paid for blueberry pollination and not for the concurrent plants. We tested for the first time honey bee colonies of different size (number of bees per colony) in order to test our hypothesis that smaller colonies might use a smaller area for foraging around their hive if compared with larger colonies (high numbers of bees). Our data show that smaller colonies tend to pollinate more in the nearer area around their hive within the high bush blueberries if compared with larger colonies that tend more to collect nectar and pollen in a oil seed rape field approximately 1.5 km away. However, this was not a strict rule for every investigation day. Spring honeybee losses in Italy Bortolotti L., Sabatini A.G., Tesoriero D., Medrzycki P., Mutinelli F, Astuti M., Lavazza A., Piro R., Sgolastra F., Porrini C. Unità di Ricerca di Apicoltura e Bachicoltura, Via di Saliceto 80, 40128 Bologna, Italy Email: [email protected] During last years several cases of bee losses have been reported all over Europe and in others world countries. Recently those phenomena became extremely worrying. According to the last researches, the most likely risk factors are bee diseases, agrochemical treatments, poor beekeeping management and climatic changes. These factors can act singularly or simultaneously and can vary depending upon the local circumstances. Among them, the agrochemical treatments performed during spring-summer in intensively cultivated areas seem to have a great impact. Bee losses survey is taking place in many European countries including Italy, where it is however not enough well organised. Waiting for the institution of a national monitoring network, beekeepers transmit their reports on hive damages through a specially provided questionnaire. During spring 2008 the number of received reports increased exceptionally in comparison to the past years, because beekeepers developed more attention to the problem and the phenomena are intensifying. Collected data indicate that the higher number of bee losses events occurred in intensively cultivated flat areas, located in the north of Italy, mainly during or after corn sowing. Affected hives were not used for migratory beekeeping, mortality rate was very high and bees showed anomalous behaviours like incapability to return to the hive, disorientation, rolling, nervous spasms. Brood is seldom affected and stores are abundant.
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A total of 105 dead bee samples were analysed, to verify the presence of bee pathogens or agrochemical residues. The inspection carried out by the Veterinary Services and the results of virological analysis excluded a pathological cause. The chemical analyses revealed the presence of three neonicotinoid residues: imidacloprid was found in 25.7% of the sample, thiamethoxam in 2.8%, clothianidin in 25.7%, both imidacloprid and thiamethoxam in 4.7%. The impact of pesticide pressures on pollinator diversity at multiple spatial scales Claire Brittain, Riccardo Bommarco, Marco Vighi, Simon Potts S Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, UK Email: [email protected] Laboratory-based ecotoxicology studies have demonstrated negative effects of pesticides on the fitness and mortality of honeybees. However, little is known about the impacts of pesticides on the wider pollinator community in the field and the potential knock-on effects agro-chemicals have on pollination services. To assess the effects of pesticides on a range of pollinator taxa, including bees and butterflies, we used a model system in northern Italy, where an entire watershed was explicitly mapped for agro-chemical exposure at a fine scale. We exploited the existing pesticide toxicity gradients to map pollinator biodiversity and pollination service to non-crop flowers at two spatial scales: field scale (0 to 100m) and landscape scale (100m to several km). At the field scale there were no detectable impacts on pollinators as most taxa are able to disperse and forage at greater distances than the pesticide gradients cover. At the landscape scale there were clear negative effects of pesticides on solitary bees. We also assessed the differences in biodiversity and pollination services between conventional (high agro-chemical inputs) and organic farming systems (low agro-chemical inputs). Our study provides an evidence base to help underpin the development of policy relating to pesticide application, conservation strategies, and agri-environment schemes. Rearing honeybees in vitro and letting them fly successfully Robert Brodschneider, Ulrike Riessberger-Gallé, Karl Crailsheim S Institute for Zoology, Karl Franzens University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria Email: [email protected] Artificially reared honeybee larvae are an ideal model for experiments with brood diseases or the testing of pesticides and other chemicals. Conditions during larval development can have heavy influence on the general performance of honeybees, but evaluation of the quality of these bees reared in vitro is still missing. Thus we created an evaluation method for the viability of artificially reared honeybees. The flight performance of artificially (in the laboratory) reared honeybees was compared to that of their naturally (in the colony) reared sisters. Wing size, fresh and dry weights of head, thorax and abdomen, flight speed, flight duration and distance covered of honeybee workers during tethered flight in a roundabout were measured. When fed 10 µl of 1 M glucose solution average and maximum flight speed of both groups did not differ. When fed 10 µl of 2 M glucose solution average flight speed did not differ but
artificially reared honeybees showed lower maximum speed than naturally reared honeybees. When honeybee pupae are reared in the laboratory in an unnatural vertical position they develop humpbacks and wing deformations and fail to fly fast and steadily. We therefore suggest to rear honeybees horizontally in the pupal stage by rotating the rearing plates in a vertical position and using a perforated wax layer to simulate capping. Our results clearly demonstrate that artificially reared honeybees meet the challenging demands of insect flight even though naturally reared honeybees seem to be superior in high performance output when fed energy rich 2molar glucose solution. Healthier colonies due to brood withdrawal Ralph Büchler, Marina Meixner Landesbetrieb Landwirtschaft Hessen, Bee institute, Erlenstrasse 9, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany Email: [email protected] Following the natural example of swarming, effects of a complete brood withdrawal on development and health status of bee colonies were investigated. In the test colonies all but one brood combs were removed with just some adhering bees. The brood chamber was reduced to one box and the removed brood combs were replaced with wax foundation and/or newly drawn combs. The remaining comb with mainly young brood acted as a trap for Varroa mites and may be other brood pathogens and was removed one week later after the brood was sealed. The taken brood was collected in separate hives till complete emergence and afterwards the bees were used to establish additional colonies. The wintering size of treated colonies was equal to control colonies, although the brood nest combs were completely renewed and a number of extra colonies could be build up using the removed brood. The Varroa mite infestation was effectively reduced, comparable to a summer treatment with formic acid or Thymol. Interestingly, test colonies showed a lower ABPV infection rate compared to control colonies treated with formic acid. Studies are in process to optimize the time of treatment with regard to honey productivity and work efficacy. Effective population size differences between Irish rural and urban Bombus lucorum populations Theresa A.Buckham, Anthony McCluskey, Staffan Roos, Tomás E. Murray, Úna Fitzpatrick, Mark J.F. Brown, Robert J. Paxton S School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] Worldwide many bumblebees populations are on the decline, including acorss the island of Ireland (Fitzpatrick et al. 2007. Biol. Cons. 136:185-194). Following the 2004 National Bumblebee Nest Survey in the UK, greatest nest densities were found in gardens and linear rural habitats, and the lowest densities were found in woodlands and grasslands, and other similar non-linear habitats (Osborne et al. 2008. J. Appl. Ecol. 45:784-792), suggesting that urban locations may be more suitable than many rural sites for bumble
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bees. To test this hypothesis, we have genetically analysed three urban and four rural populations of the widespread bumble bee Bombus lucorum using microsatellite loci, and compared their genetic diversity. Relative effective population size, Ne, can be inferred directly from these genetic diversity estimates (heterozygosity, allelic richness), to evaluate whether this bumble bee is more numerous in urban versus rural sites across Ireland. Our results give insights into how bumble bees in Ireland are coping to changing habitats and increasing urbanisation. Historic and recent colony losses in England and Wales Giles Budge, Ben Jones, Lynn Laurenson, Selwyn Wilkins, Stéphane Pietravalle, Mike Brown. Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK Email: [email protected] Annual colony losses in England and Wales fluctuate greatly from 4-40%. Weather conditions have a major impact on colony losses, with severe weather accounting for most high annual losses. Historic colony loss data for England and Wales dating back to the 1960s will be presented. The last 7 years have seen a trend of slowly rising colony losses. Colony losses in 2007 were screened for 8 honey bee viruses, Acarapis woodi and Nosema spp., to determine the pest and pathogen loading on weak and lost colonies. Large individual losses in the Summer of 2007 were attributed to co-infection with Nosema spp. and CBPV. Deformed wing virus was the most consistent risk indicator of weak or lost colonies in England and Wales in 2007. Critical points in a risk assessment of introduction and spread of pathogenic agents for honeybees in Spain Bulboa, Mª del Carmen; Martínez, Marta; Sánchez-Vizcaíno, José Manuel S Complutensian University of Madrid. Faculty of Veterinary. Department Animal health. Av. Puerta de Hierro s/n 28040 Madrid. Spain. Email: [email protected] Inside the European Union (EU), Spain is the country with the higher number of beehives and leader of honey production. Therefore, the introduction and spread of pathogenic agents of honeybees will alter beekeeping and will have negative consequences on the ecosystems. For this reason the aim of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with the beekeeping production in Spain. Inside the materials and methods used to carry out this study we have gathered current and trustworthy information across scientific bibliography, databases and surveys. Once defined the population, we have developed a statistical model of logistic regression. In this case, the potential factors of risk analyzed included legal and illegal import of bees and products of the beehive, factors that would influence the dissemination (population density of bees in Spain, sanitary state of the beehives), seasonal migration of bees, age and climate. Through this statistical model, association between the analyzed factors and the presence or absence of diseases has been demonstrated. The factors that have highest influence, for example, in the appearance
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of viral diseases are: management by beekeepers (seasonal migration of bees, it influences on the prevalence of diseases like varroasis) and climatic factors (cold and drought), though a significant association does not exist between them. Thus, we specified the critical points (managing, illegal import, migration) of Spanish beekeeping production and now we know how and where we have to act with higher certainty. In addition, we are developing the bases for a suitable biosecurity in the sector. Keywords: apiculture, pathogenic, factors of risk, sanitary police, biosecurity. Antibacterial properties of honey relating to prevention of bacterial bee diseases Emanuele Carpana, Alessandra Ferro, Francesca Grillenzoni, Fabio Coloretti CRA- Unità di ricerca di apicoltura e bachicoltura, Via di Saliceto 80, 40128 Bologna, Italy Email: [email protected] Honey is known as an antibacterial agent so it has been employed for therapeutic uses, expecially against human pathogenous. On these basis, the possibility to verify a honey role in the prevention of honeybee bacterial diseases was considered. In the total antibacterial activity is possible to distinguish a peroxide activity and a non-peroxide activity due to several factors (phytochemicals, compounds added by bees, etc.) presented with high levels just by few kinds of honeys. The aim of the project was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of selected Italian honeys against pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria isolated from the bee hive (Paenibacillus larvae, causative agent of American foulbrood - AFB), Melissococcus plutonius (causative agent of European foulbrood - EFB), Paenibacillus alvei and Enterococcus faecalis (secondary and opportunistic bacteria in EFB), Bacillus spp. (spore forming aerobic bacteria). During 2007, 60 samples of honeys from 19 floral sources samples produced in Italy were collected. besides Manuka honey from New Zealand as reference for antibacterial activity. Then agar well diffusion method was performed on honey samples in order to determine both total and non-peroxide antibacterial activity. The results allow to outline some partial conclusions:
some honeys show moderate antibacterial effect against honeybee pathogenic bacteria, mostly due to peroxide activity;
non-peroxide activity against honeybee pathogenic bacteria has been shown in 4 of the 16 analysed samples;
Melissococcus plutonius is the most sensitive bacterium, also to the non-peroxide activity.
The contribution of Eva Crane to bee management Norman L. Carreck and Richard Jones International Bee Research Association, 16 North Road, Cardiff, CF10 3DY, UK Email: [email protected] Dr Eva Crane OBE (1912-2007) started beekeeping during the Second World War during a time of sugar rationing. A physicist by training, she rapidly became interested in the science of beekeeping, soon joining the British Beekeepers
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Association Research Committee. In 1949 she formed the Bee Research Association, becoming its first Director, and founding Apicultural Abstracts in the same year. Although clearly international from the outset, BRA officially became the International Bee Research Association in 1976. She assumed editorship of Bee World in 1949 when it was taken over by IBRA, and then founded the Journal of Apicultural Research in 1962. She remained editor of all three journals until her retirement in 1984. This gave her more time to devote to writing, and a steady stream of publications continued until 2006, including the major works “Honey: a comprehensive survey”, “The archaeology of beekeeping”, “Bees and beekeeping: science, practice and world resources” and “The world history of beekeeping and honey hunting”. Although her interests and writings were extremely wide in scope, this paper will concentrate specifically on her contribution to bee management. Effects of resource availability and social parasite invasion on field colonies of Bombus terrestris Claire Carvell, Matthew S. Heard, Peter Rothery, Richard F. Pywell CEH Wallingford, Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK Email: [email protected] Cuckoo bumblebees (sub-genus Psithyrus) are obligate social parasites of Bombus species, however, little is known about their invasion frequency or what environmental factors determine their success in the field. We used 48 experimental colonies of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris, and manipulated both resource availability at the landscape scale and date of colony founding, to explore invasion rates of social parasites and their effect on the performance of host colonies. Proximity to abundant forage resources (fields of flowering oilseed rape) and early colony founding significantly increased the probability of parasite invasion and thus offset the potential positive effects of these factors on bumblebee colony performance. The study concludes that optimal colony location may be among intermediate levels of resources and supports schemes designed to increase the heterogeneity of forage resources for bumblebees across agricultural landscapes. Early detection of European foulbrood using quantitative PCR Charrière J.D., Roetschi A., Imdorf A. Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux ALP, Swiss Bee Research Centre, 3003 Bern, Switzerland Email: [email protected] In Switzerland, the bee disease European foulbrood (EFB) was under control during the last 30 years. From 1970 until 1998 there were 20 to 50 disease cases per year, which were sanitized by the veterinary authorities. Since 1999 there is a significant increase of the cases. In 2007 there were more than 400 apiaries affected which represents an incidence rate of 1.5%. The actual control method against EFB implies the destruction of the colonies with clinical symptoms and disinfection of the material. In the actual situation, these control measures seem to be insufficient. The presence of clinical symptoms happens in a late stage of the disease development and
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Melissococcus plutonius, the causal agent of EFB, is already wide spread in the surrounding colonies. Therefore it would be beneficial to locate the infected colonies before they show clinical symptoms to initiate control measures. For that purpose, we investigated apiaries surrounding diseased apiaries and we performed quantitative real-time PCR analysis of worker bees samples collected in brood nest. Individual colonies were analysed as well as pooled sample for each apiary. Our results show that it is possible to locate with a good accuracy the infected apiaries at an early stage allowing the setting of apicultural measures to reduce the infection and the spreading of the bacterial pathogen. Based on the results of these analyses, the veterinary authorities have the possibility to focus their inspections on infected apiaries. The possibility to perform analysis of pooled samples for an apiary instead of colony samples to reduce the expense is discussed. Health of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) in France: role of infectious agents and parasites and influence of pesticide residues Marie-Pierre Chauzat, Patrice Carpentier, François Madec, Stéphanie Bougeard, Nicolas Cougoule, Patrick Drajnudel, Marie-Claude Clement, Michel Aubert and Jean-Paul Faucon AFSSA LERPRA Les Templiers, 105 route des Chappes, B.P. 111 – F- 06 902 Sophia-Antipolis cedex France Email : [email protected] A three-year field survey was carried out in France, from 2002 to 2005 to study honey bee colony health in relation to bee pathogens and pesticides residues found in the colonies. This study was initially designed to investigate massive losses of honey bee colonies. Four full clinical visits were carried out each year. All winter and summer mortality rates remained below 10% during the 3 year period and were within the ranges commonly cited in the literature. Six of the seven surveyed diseases were regularly found in apiaries: chalkbrood, baldbrood, presence of Nosema sp. spores, varroosis, American and European foulbrood (classified in descending order of mean prevalence). Foulbrood and varroosis were the most severe diseases positively related to mortality, although differences occurred in time-to-death. Varroosis was frequent in apiaries but the protocol did not permit assessment of its direct impact on honey bee populations. Results are presented on pathogen detection in honey bee colonies with special focus on the relationship with bee populations and colony mortality. Possible relationships between low levels of pesticide residues in apicultural matrices and colony health (adult and brood population levels) were investigated. When all matrices were pooled together, the number of residues per visit and per apiary ranged from 0 to 9. Visits with two pesticide residues in matrices were the most frequent (29,6%). No pesticide residue was detected during 12.7% of the visits. Among the tested compounds, samples containing residues of imidacloprid or 6- chloronicotinic acid were the most frequent in pollen loads, honey and honey bee matrices. No significant effect of pesticide residues on the outcomes was found. When pesticide residues from all matrices were pooled together, no mixed model analysis gave any reliable relationship between the presence of pesticide residues and population outcome. No statistical relationship was found between colony mortality and pesticide residues. Attentiveness to disease prevention, early detection and identification were critical points in many apiaries.
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Sexual pheromones and DNA analyses as tools to recognise Bombus terrestris (L.) taxa Audrey Coppée, Pierre Rasmont and Irena Valterova S Laboratoire de Zoologie, Université de Mons-Hainaut, 20 place du Parc, B-7000 Mons, Belgium Email: [email protected] Bombus terrestris is the most used bumblebee in European crop pollination. These commercial activities lead to the import of foreign populations in several countries and the escape of individuals from glasshouses cannot be avoided. The species is polytypic and subdivided in 9 taxa, B. terrestris dalmatinus being the mainly used one. In order to assess the risks of invasion and hybridization, we compare here the use of Cephalic Labial Glands (CLG) secretions analysis to DNA analysis. We sampled 5 subspecies of B. terrestris: audax (U.K.), canariensis (Canary Islands), dalmatinus (Rhodos Island), terrestris (Belgium) and xanthopus (Corsica). Moreover, a mixed population of terrestris and lusitanicus from Pyrénées-Orientales (France) was studied. B. lucorum and B. ignitus were used as outgroup. CLG secretions (including sexual pheromones) are analysed by Gas- Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Concerning the genetical analysis, 2 mitochondrial genes were sequenced: Cytochrome Oxydase I and Cytochrome b. Both technics show some similar results. Insular taxa can be distinguished from continental ones by CLG compounds and genetics. On the contrary, only CLG analyses allow us to recognise the different continental taxa. The more they are geographically distant, the more their CLG secretions are different. This shows that the CLG secretions analysis is a very powerfull tool to identify the taxa of Bombus terrestris. As the CLG secretions are involved in species recognition, the hybridization risk is likely more important for the taxa which are geographically and genetically closer to the imported taxa. Analysis of colony losses in Austria (2007/2008) - Strategies of monitoring and parameters to be tested Karl Crailsheim, Robert Brodschneider, Ulrike Riessberger-Gallé Institut for Zoology, Karl Franzens University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria Email: [email protected] In late February, March and April 2008, we made a survey at 7 beekeeping conventions. We questioned 335 Austrian beekeepers who over-wintered 14524 colonies in 2007. In spring 2008 beekeepers still had 12579 colonies, meaning losses of 13.4%. The losses ranged from 8.7% in Salzburg to 18.3% in Lower Austria, where the highest losses were reported. Analogous 115 questioned beekeepers in Southern Tyrol, Italy, reported 3508 surviving colonies in 2008 of 3999 colonies present in autumn 2007, equalling losses of 12.3%. This is the first time over-wintering success is documented in such a way for Austrian climate and beekeeping praxis, and we conclude that no extraordinary losses occurred during the winter 2007/08 in our investigation area. This monitoring was done because of the large losses in the US during the winter in 2006/2007, later entitled Colony Collapse Disorder, CCD. The
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causes therefore are discussed to be multifactorial. In our investigation area almost no symptoms are reported as for CCD. Our future experiments will focus and have partly focused on conditions that are different in the beekeeping in the US and in Austria (Europe) as for instance the supplementary feeding of protein, what is totally uncommon in Austria, and stressors like long-lasting transportation. A discussion of monitoring deficiencies will be presented. Trophallaxis of bees inspired a robotic swarm Karl Crailsheim, Christof Möslinger, Thomas Schmickl Department for Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria Email: [email protected] Trophallaxis is a very important behaviour within the regulatory processes that achieve homeostasis in a honeybee colony. It allows a bee colony to perform collective decision making on the basis of information that is shared among bees by exchanging fluids via mouth-to-mouth contacts. Based on this behaviour, we developed a control algorithm for an autonomous robotic swarm, in which honeybees' mouth-to-mouth feedings are replaced by local robot-to-robot communication. We created a multi-agent simulation of such a micro-robotic swarm that allowed us to test our trophallaxis-inspired algorithm in a simple aggregation scenario and in a more complex cleaning scenario. In the first scenario, the robots had to collectively decide between two aggregation sites and to recruit the majority of the robots to the larger site. Single robots could not measure the size of a site, but the trophallaxis-inspired algorithm allowed groups of robots to collectively make that decision. In the cleaning scenario, the robots had to explore the arena for local sites containing dirt particles and for dump areas. After that, the robots had to form trails, on which the dirt particles are transported towards the dump. We elaborated this scenario by introducing blocking walls (shortest path decisions) and "sticky" areas, which slowed down the robots motion speed. Under all those conditions, the trophallaxis-inspired algorithm allowed the robotic swarm to perform near-optimal collective decisions, based on joining limited individual sensation to a global trophallactic network of information. Improving pollination level in Rosaceae fruit trees Arnon Dag Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Israel Email: [email protected] The Rosaceae family includes some of the most commercially important fruit trees, among them apple, pear, almond, cherry, apricot and plum. Most of these crop cultivars are self-incompatible and flowering occurs in spring when weather conditions are often unfavorable for pollinator flight. Furthermore, if alternative blooms are available in the vicinity, bees may neglect the orchard and forage on the competing flora. Thus, inadequate cross-pollination frequently limits their fruit set, quality and yield. In this presentation, we will describe different methods of
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improving cross-pollination level in fruit trees belonging to the Rosaceae. A low level of cross-pollination due to scarcity of a foreign pollen source may be overcome using pollen dispensers ('inserts'), as has been done in almond, and by using 'bouquets' as an alternative source of pollen, as will be demonstrated with apple and almond. Sequential introduction of beehives increases the bee's mobility between cultivars and increases the proportion of bees foraging on the target crop vs. competing flora, as has been found in apple, pear and plum. Another approach to increasing the proportion of bees on the target crop is to breed genetic strains with a stronger preference for the target crop, as has been done in apple. Using alternative pollinators instead of, or in addition to honeybees can also increase pollination level; the example of using Bombus terrestris to improve pollination level in almond will be described. A new challenge in pollinating fruit trees is their cover under nets: this new environment demands that special attention be paid to keeping the bee colony populated and active throughout the pollination period. Colony losses: the potential role of the interface between viruses and Varroa destructor Benjamin Dainat, Rolf Kuhn, Verena Kilchenmann, Jean-Daniel Charrière, Anton Imdorf, Hélène Berthoud, Peter Neumann S Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux, Research Station ALP, Schwarzenburgstrasse 161, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Email: [email protected] Due to the ubiquitous mite V. destructor, interactions between mites and viruses are inevitable in Apis mellifera colonies and have been proposed as a factor for honeybee losses. In particular, the role of V. destructor as a biological vector of some viruses may be crucial. However, the causal link between viruses presence, loads and colony losses remains unclear. Here we conducted field experiments to further assess the role of the Varroa/virus interface for losses. In winter 2007/2008, 30 colonies were exposed to a differential Varroa treatment and surveyed for mite numbers, infections with six viruses, life expectancy of workers and colony mortality. Results will be discussed. Estimating introgression in Apis mellifera sicula populations: are the conservation islands really effective? Raffaele Dall´Olio, Irene Muñoz, Pilar De la Rúa, Marco Lodesani CRA-API Via di Saliceto 80 40128 BOLOGNA (Italy) Email: [email protected] The Italian National Register of queen bee breeders includes a section for the subspecies Apis mellifera sicula (Montagano, 1911), strongly endangered of extinction. The ongoing conservation programme includes now three populations in different islands (Filicudi, Alicudi and Vulcano) of the Sicilian archipelago “Eolie”, that serve as genetic source for outcrossing to selected stock. The genetic structure and molecular diversity of Sicilian honeybee populations have been investigated with
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microsatellite and mitochondrial markers. In total 56 honeybee colonies from 8 Sicilian main island sites and two minor conservation islands (Vulcano and Filicudi) were analyzed; moreover, 20 colonies of Apis mellifera ligustica from 5 continental Italian sites have been analyzed for appropriate comparison. The RFPL (DraI) analysis of the mitochondrial tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region, included all the samples of the conservation islands in the African (A) evolutionary lineage, while three lineages were detected (A 0.715, M 0.125, C 0.160) in the samples from the main island. All the Italian samples bear the C1 haplotype. Around 350 samples has been analyzed for microsatellite variation at 5 polymorphic loci to compare managed and un-managed populations and also to evaluate the admixture proportion with two different approaches: correspondence analysis and an admixture estimator implementing a Bayesian method. The estimated proportion of non-native genetic material is essential to conservation and management policies, thus, the choice of the right approach becomes pivotal. The influence of dispersal on bumblebee conservation Ben Darvill, Steph O’Connor, Gillian Lye, Joe Waters and Dave Goulson School of Biological Sciences, University of Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK Email: [email protected] Habitat loss has fragmented populations of many invertebrates, but bumblebees may be particularly at risk due to low effective population sizes. It was not known whether dispersal, and therefore sensitivity to habitat fragmentation, might differ between species. By comparing two bumblebee species (Bombus muscorum and Bombus jonellus) in a model island system we were able to use microsatellites to investigate population genetic structuring, dispersal and patterns of genetic diversity. I’ll be presenting the fascinating results of these experiments, and providing further evidence for the role of inbreeding in accelerating bumblebee declines. I’ll also discuss whether dispersal may in part explain differential declines of mainland populations, and I’ll finish by considering the implications for conservation. Conservation ecology and genetics of a rare mining bee, Colletes floralis Emily Davis, Tomás E. Murray, Úna Fitzpatrick, Mark J.F. Brown, Robert J. Paxton S School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] The rare mining bee, Colletes floralis, has an arctic/alpine distribution different from most other bee species that are thought to have survived the last ice age in glacial refugia around the Mediterranean and further east. The species is nowadays only to be found in significant numbers in NW Britain and Ireland, where it is restricted to coastal sand dunes, and the fringes of the Baltic. Indeed, a significant (up to 70%) proportion of the world's population is thought to exist in coastal areas of Ireland. Agricultural intensification and global warming have been cited as possible reasons for the decline in numbers of this species. Due to its rarity, it has been designated a UK BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) species to aid its protection and conservation,
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and also to highlight the need for its effective management. We used microsatellite genetic markers developed specifically for the species to analyse populations of C. floralis from Britain and Ireland so as to determine its population genetic structure and infer population connectivity between its sand dune ‘habitat islands’. Significant differentiation was found between western and eastern populations in Ireland, and populations in the Inner and Outer Hebrides off the NW coast of Scotland. Inferred levels of gene flow were low. These results suggest the need for site-specific management and conservation of the species. At present, data are lacking surrounding abundance and habitat preferences of the species, which I aim to rectify over the coming two years of my PhD research. New insights into the honeybee venom constituents from proteomic studies and genome database mining Dirk C. de Graaf, Marleen Brunain, Frans J. Jacobs Laboratory of Zoophysiology, Ghent University, Belgium Email: [email protected] The availability of the genome of the honey bee has encouraged the search for new venom components. Recent proteomic studies have discovered several new venom proteins. Among them a member of the major royal jelly protein family (MRJP9), a PDGF/VEGF factor 1 and icarapin, a protein of which the function is not yet known. BLAST-search of the genome sequence revealed several homologues of known allergens from other insect species and some coding sequences that match venom components of snakes and scorpions. In the pre-genome period only 18 bee venom proteins or peptides were described. Now, it seems reasonable to believe that this number should be doubled. Besides, all the newly discovered venom proteins display a remarkable protein heterogeneity due to alternative splicing of a single transcript or the occurrence of allelic variants of the same gene. Api m 6, a minor bee venom allergen, has been known to show amino acid variation at both the N-terminus and C-terminus. It could be demonstrated that at least the C-terminal variation has a simple genome-level cause. The completion of the protein composition of honey bee venom paves the way to a “component resolved” diagnosis of bee venom allergy, an approach that is based on the determination of the individual IgE-recognition profile of a patient in order to administer a selected mixture of allergens for immunotherapy. The use of mixtures of recombinant venom allergens offers several advantages related to standardisation, efficacy and toxicity when compared to the traditional use of natural venom in diagnosis and therapy.
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RFLP variation in the mitochondrial AT-rich region of Apis mellifera Pilar De la Rúa, Rita Gonçalves, Antonio Brehm Área de Biología Animal, Dpto. Zoología y Antropología Física, Fac. Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain) E mail: [email protected] The complete AT-rich region of the mitochondrial DNA has been amplified in Macaronesian Apis mellifera populations and submitted to a RFLP assay. The size of the amplified fragment was ca. 1600 bp and due to the high AT content, it was restricted with the enzyme DraI, which target sequence is TTAA. Ten haplotypes (AT1-AT10) were observed in the 31 analyzed honeybees. The haplotype AT2 was detected on every sampled island except on La Palma, and showed an overall frequency of 0.419, whereas particular haplotypes have been observed on every island although at a low frequency (< 0.065). The different haplotype diversity underlying in the AT-rich region is discussed in comparison to that depicted from the tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region. The nest of the bumblebee Bombus (Mendacibombus) shaposhnikovi Skorikov (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Thibaut De Meulemeester, Pierre Rasmont, Sidney Cameron, A.Murat Aytekin S Université de Mons-Hainaut (UMH), Laboratoire de Zoologie, Place du Parc, B-7000 Mons, Belgium E mail: [email protected] Bombus shaposhnikovi Skorikov is a rare species of the subgenus Mendacibombus Skorikov and is known from mountain meadows of Eastern Anatolia, Caucasus and Northern Iran. The subgenus Mendacibombus shows many plesiomorphic characters and it is considered as the sister-group of all other bumblebees subgenera. The nesting behaviour of this subgenus is highly characteristic and quite unique among bumblebees. However this behaviour is only known from Bombus mendax Gerstaecker. Here we describe for the first time the nest of B. shaposhnikovi. A nest was discovered near a spring at 2295 m in Murgul (Turkey, Artvin region) on the 12th August 2007. It was established in an abandoned rodent nest. Except the absence of canopy in the nest of B. shaposhnikovi, the architecture confirms the Mendacibombus particularities: - larvae are reared individually in hexagonal cells, - pollen and honey pots are built out of the brood, - food reserves are very abundant. The nest is in the late post-reproductive phase. It appears to suffer from a high level of parasitism: whithin the 11 bumblebee cocoons discovered, 2 B. shaposhnikovi male pupae and 9 Mutilla saltensis Radoszkowski were found. All adult individuals (18 workers and 6 males) had yellowish bands except one worker with grey-white bands. From the observation of this worker, B. shaposhnikovi seems to be dimorphic in coloration. This polymorphism in coloration gives further evidence that the yellowish B. shaposhnikovi and the greyish B. handlirschianus Vogt are conspecific. This conspecific status had already been suggested by a recent molecular study based on five genes.
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The nest-seeking behaviour of bumblebee queens in the Burren region, Western Ireland Aislinn Deenihan, John Breen, Mark Brown S Department of Life Sciences, University of Limerick, Ireland Email: [email protected] Bumblebee abundance and species richness are experiencing a decline throughout the world with Ireland being no exception. Bumblebee nesting and foraging habitat requirements differ among the various Bombus spp. and are particularly threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. This study examines the effects of differing boundary types within the largest habitats of the Burren region on the nest seeking behaviour of queens. The Burren region in Western Ireland is collectively used to describe the karstic region of North Co. Clare and the Aran Islands and is an area known internationally for its exceptionally high biodiversity (Nelson, 1999). Among the Bombus spp. found in the Burren are B. sylvarum, B. muscorum pallidus, and B. muscorum allenellus and there have been previous reports of the B. distinguendis in the region which is endangered in Ireland. The Burren region has become increasingly fragmented in the last 30 years due to changing agricultural practices, with increasing area of Improved Grassland and Scrub habitats. The 3 largest habitat types at present in the Burren are Calcareous Grassland, Improved Grassland and Limestone Pavement. The nest seeking behaviour of bumblebee queens were examined in these habitats with 3 different boundary types: scrub, hedgerow and stonewall. Preliminary results indicate a positive correlation between scrub boundary and bumblebee number. The role of Z-(8)-heptadecene in host selection by Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman F. Del Piccolo, F. Nazzi, G. Della Vedova, N. Milani S Dipartimento di Biologia e Protezione delle Piante, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze, 208, 33100 Udine, Italy E-mail: [email protected] Cell invasion is a crucial step in the life cycle of V. destructor; as the Varroa mite reaches the brood cell for reproduction carried by a nurse bee, the choice of the host by the parasite could affect the mite’s reproductive success. This study aims at investigating the role of the bee cuticular hydrocarbons in the host-preference of the Varroa mite for nurse bees over pollen foragers. A Petri dish bioassay in which the position of a mite with respect to two dead adult bees was used to confirm the preference for nurse bees over pollen foragers. GC-MS analysis of nurse and pollen bees revealed notable differences in the composition of cuticular hydrocarbons; in particular pollen bees had more Z-(8)-heptadecene compared to nurse bees. Lab bioassay showed that Varroa mite prefers nurse bees over nurse bees treated with 100 ng of Z-(8)-heptadecene. Field trials in which 100 ng of Z-(8)-heptadecene were injected into cells capped 0-15 hours after sealing showed that the infestation rate and
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the number of mites per cell are significantly lower in comparison with cells treated with the solvent alone. These results support the hypothesis that the alkene can affect the choice of the host by the Varroa mite; this aspect, together with the biological activity of Z-(8)-heptadecene on the mite’s reproduction, could represent a promising result in view of developing novel control methods for Varroa. Pathology Department – an overview Joachim R. de Miranda School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] The Pathology Department of BeeShop consists of three institutes coordinating similar research objectives for three different honeybee pathogens: Varroa mites, American foulbrood and honeybee viruses. The research objectives are grouped in three work packages: WP2 - Mechanisms of pathogen transmission and disease tolerance of colonies. In this WP there are three study areas for each of the pathogens: transmission within a colony, transmission between colonies and colony-level resistance. Data for this past year includes experiments on DWV transmission through feeding and natural mating; AFB transmission through brood, honey and swarming. For the colony-level resistance studies, new data includes analysis of the varroa and DWV differences between normally managed colonies and colonies that have survived for many years without varroa treatment. WP3 - Variance among pathogens. This WP includes the characterisation of variation among AFB isolates, of the variation within and between natural populations of DWV, as well as between historical and biogeographic DWV isolates, the molecular characterisation of SPV and of a novel virus, and the attempted propagation of DWV in honeybee cell lines. WP4 – Variance in Disease Tolerance among honeybees at the individual level. New data for this WP includes the development of oral and injection virulence bioassays for DWV, surveys of the incidence DWV and other bee viruses among French colonies and apiaries, a mating-insemination scheme for genetic analysis of possible individual resistances to vertical DWV transmission, and preliminary genetic analysis of possible resistance to varroa reproduction. Similar genetic analyses have already been concluded for AFB resistance. Also included in this WP is a comparison of four races of honeybees (A.m. mellifera, A.m. carnica, A.m. ligustica and A.m. “Buckfast”) for differential tolerance to AFB, varroa and DWV.
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Reduction of pollen viability of cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melo L., Cucurbitaceae) by honeybee body hair contact Chloé Dibos, Séverine Suchail, Mohamed El Maataoui S Unité Mixte de Recherche 406, « Abeilles et Environnement », Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique. Domaine Saint-Paul, Site Agroparc, 84 914 AVIGNON Cedex 9, France E mail: [email protected] Honeybees take part in 80% of Angiosperms pollination. With pollen transport and transfer from flower to flower, they increase fruit and seed set compared to hand pollination. Nevertheless, it was shown in some species that bee contact decreases pollen viability. The aim of this study was to assess the bee contact effect on Cucurbitaceae pollen viability during different times. The studied model is cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melo L.), an economically important crop of Southern France. Pollen was collected and artificially applied to honeybee body hairs. The pollen viability was determined after 1 h; 2.5 h and 4 h of bee contact by fluorochromatic reaction (FCR). After the first hour, the viability of pollen in contact with honeybee body hairs was null whereas the viability of pollen without contact (control) was 45 %. These results show clearly that honeybee body hairs affect the cantaloupe pollen viability since 1 hour of contact. This would be due to substances present on body hairs like cuticular hydrocarbons or secretions of mandibular and labial glands deposited on body hairs by brushing. Studies are in progress (i) to identify the biochemical nature of the substances affecting pollen viability and (ii) to determine the period during which bee can transport viable pollen able to fertilize plant after harvesting. Species diversity, ratio and distribution of alfalfa pollinators in the central black-soil region of Russia Nikolay Dobrynin Voronezh State Agricultural University, ul. Michurina,1, Voronezh, 394087, Russia E-mail: [email protected] Species composition, distribution and abundance of bees on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), their significance as pollinators were studied. At different sites of the Central Black-Soil Region (CBSR) of Russia we registered 103 bee species ( as compared to 39 - 60 species registered in 1950s years), belonging to 27 genus of Apoidea: including Colletidae – 5 species, Andrenidae – 28 species, Halictidae – 24 species, Melittidae – 2 species, Megachilidae – 18 species, Anthophoridae – 12 species, Apidae – 14 species. 59 species were recorded for the first time for CBSR, obviously because our systemic surveys covered much larger territory than in previous times. At the same time, 5 of earlier registered species were not found again. More rich bee species composition in the suburbs of Voronezh city (49.5 %) than in the countryside should be noted, obviously, because of the abundance of various ecological niches in city biotopes. Of the group of dominant and mass alfalfa pollinators 7 main species were the most numerous and distributed in the majority of the examined points: Melittutga clavicornis Latr., Melitta leporina Pz., Rophitoides canus Ev., Eucera
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longicornis L., Andrena flavipes Pz., A. labialis Kby., Halictus simplex Bluthg. (69.7 - 86.5% of all collected females). Consequently, just these species were true alfalfa pollinators tripping on average 84.3 – 96.5% of flowers visited, as compared to honey bee tripping accidentally on average only 1.2 % of visited flowers. Effects of population size, density, and co-flowering species on pollination in Spiranthes (Orchidaceae) Karl J. Duffy and Jane C. Stout S Botany Department, School of Natural Sciences, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland E mail: [email protected] Two members of the genus Spiranthes occur in Ireland; S. romanzoffiana, which is endangered, and S. spiralis, which is more common. Both species are self-compatible but require pollinators for fruit set. Here, we present the results from investigations into the effects of abundance on reproductive success. Visitation to flowers, pollen removal and deposition, and fruit and seed set were recorded. Local inflorescence density was measured in replicate quadrats and visitation rates to common co-flowering species available to pollinators we examined to estimate competitive/facilitative interactions. Population size affected bee visitation rates to S. romanzoffiana but not S. spiralis. However, pollinia removal and deposition did not vary according to population size in either species, nor did fruit set vary among populations. Within populations of S. romanzoffiana, density of co-flowering species positively influenced the proportion of pollen removed. Higher S. romanzoffiana inflorescence density and increased bee visitation rates improved pollen deposition in this species. With S. spiralis, higher visitation rates enhanced pollen removal and higher local density reduced pollen loss, which was reflected in increased fruit set. S. romanzoffiana flowers earlier in the season and its pollen removal was facilitated by the presence of co-flowering species. S. spiralis was not subject to competition or facilitation, and its fruit and seed set were abundant. S. spiralis populations are larger and may be more attractive to visitors and have less competition from co-flowerers due to later flowering. Results will be discussed in light of the conservation of S. romanzoffiana.
The impact of beekeeping on the genetic structure of wild honeybee populations (Apis mellifera yemenitica) Mogbel A.A. El-Niweiri and Robin F.A. Moritz S Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität of Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4 06099 Halle/Saale (Germany) Email: [email protected] Beekeeping often relies on the importation of non native honeybees and large distance migratory beekeeping. These activities can cause serious biodiversity conflicts with the conservation of wild endemic honeybee subspecies. We studied the impact of massive honeybee imports in managed and wild honeybee populations in Sudan using
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microsatellite DNA and mitochondrial DNA markers. The mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed non native haplotypes in the managed population reflecting unambiguous evidence of imports from European stock. Moreover, we found significantly higher linkage disequilibria for microsatellite markers in populations with managed honeybee colonies compared to wild populations which had no contact to beekeeping. Introgression of imported honeybees is measurable in the vicinity of apiaries but gene flow has not generally spread into wild pupolations which represent the majority of honeybees in Sudan. A novel technique for quantification of DNA damage in honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) C. Emmanouil, M. Bouga, F. Hatjina and N. Emmanouel Lab of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., Athens, 11855, Greece E-Mail: [email protected] Honeybee tissues can bioaccumulate a variety of agrochemicals and other pollutants. This fact has consequences on both animal health and structure/ size of the population in a long term. A reliable evaluation of these effects is possible through the integrated use of relevant biomarkers. Biomarkers can be defined as “measurements of body fluids, cells or tissues that indicate in biochemical or cellular terms the presence of contaminants or the magnitude of the host response”. DNA damage is a well-known biomarker of effect and can give rise to heritable effects as well as potential diseases. Genotoxic effects in somatic cells may lead to potential dysfunction, cell death, organ failure and organism morbidity whereas genotoxicity in germ cells may be passed on to future generations resulting in genetically depauperate progeny of reduced quality. Single Strand Breaks of DNA (SSB) are common modifications and their detection in individual cells has become a sensitive but not specific biomarker of genotoxicity. In recent years measurement of SSB is mostly done via the alkaline Comet assay. This version detects a broad spectrum of lesions including single strand breaks, alkali labile sites and single strand breaks associated with incomplete excision repair. We have recently modified the classic alkaline Comet assay specifically for insect tissues and we have applied it to honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) populations which are exposed to chemical pollutants. Comparisons between control and treated groups revealed differences in DNA integrity, which in some cases were significant. Allocation of worker policing in the honeybee Apis mellifera Ulrich R. Ernst, Tom Wenseleers, Peter Verleyen, Dries Cardoen, Dirk C. de Graaf, Liliane Schoofs, Francis L.W. Ratnieks S Laboratory of Entomology, and Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Proteomics, K.U.Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium Email: [email protected] The classic view of insect colonies as harmonic societies has been challenged in the last decades. It became clear that several conflicts ‘loom’ below the peaceful surface.
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One conflict is about male parentage, as some workers are capable of producing viable male eggs and are sometimes favoured by selection to do so. Yet, there are methods in place to reduce or solve these conflicts. Worker policing in social Hymenoptera (by removal of worker laid eggs) was predicted in 1984 and first reported in the honeybee (Apis mellifera) in 1989. Various models try to explain the origin and maintenance of policing in terms of inclusive fitness theory. Much effort has been invested into the search for signals or cues of egg provenance. Less is known about the organization of policing within a colony. Recent studies in several taxa suggest a specialization in policing behaviour. We aim to provide the first insight into the task allocation of worker policing in honeybees. Therefore, we will follow cohorts of individually marked bees of known age in an observation hive, using focal sampling methods, to study the work profile of policing honeybee workers. A predisposition for policing might be indicated by inspecting cells, especially on drone combs. By introducing worker laid eggs in drone cells, we will be able to observe actual events of policing. Policing and non-policing bees of the same age will be sampled and their ovaries dissected. A possibly inherited bias for policing will be detected by microsatellite analysis of patrilines. Honeybees as potential pollinators of olive tree flowers (Olea europaea L.) Antonio Felicioli, Stefano Marcucci, Riccardo Gucci, Guido Flamini, Mauro Pinzauti Dip Anatomia, Biochimica e Fisiologia Veterinaria, Università di Pisa, viale delle Piagge n°2, 56124, Pisa, Italy Email: [email protected] The flower of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) has no nectaries, and the plant is considered to be anemophilous. However, pollen morphology is intermediate between that of pollens in anemophilus and entomophilus species. In addition, some researches report that honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) visit olive flowers, also contributing to pollination in particular years. The pollination efficiency of the bees has been investigated in three localities with Leccino and Frantoio cvs. The pollination efficiency of honeybees was valued testing abloom branches isolated from a possible action of bees, abloom branches isolated from a possible action of wind and abloom branches with previously confined bees. In one of the investigated localities most of the workers were seen to pick up pollen from the olive flowers and to carry pollen pellets on their curbicula. After entomopalinological analysis, the pollen of the curbicula pellets and that of the honeycomb resulted in 100% from olive trees while the melissopalinological analysis of honey from the same nest shows 91% of olive pollen. From the analysis of data we can say that there is no “pollination effect” in two of the chosen localities of cultivation, whereas in the third locality a large number of honeybee workers were observed on the olive tree flowers and the data of our analysis show that honeybees actually forage olive tree pollen in this locality, confirming the report by the owner of the orchard and the so far scanty literature evidence on this behaviour.
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Osmia cornuta pedotrophic cell: lead partitioning between Osmia imago, its secretion (cocoon) and its excreta (faeces) in three investigated areas Antonio Felicioli, Mirko Soci, Mauro Pinzauti Dip Anatomia, Biochimica e Fisiologia Veterinaria, Università di Pisa, viale delle Piagge n°2, 56124, Pisa, Italy Email: [email protected] The aim of this work is to investigate the fate of the lead detected in the pollen pellets gathered by Osmia cornuta females and stored in the pedotrophic cell. The pedotrophic cell is considered like a closed system, where the pollen introduced by the female is totally consumed and metabolized by the larva. Therefore lead ions are found in pollen, is completely consumed, should be found in the insect, or differently divided between its secrete and excrete. The inductive coupling plasma-optic emission spectroscopy analysis (ICP-OES) permitted the detection of lead ions in all the samples and to describe their fate. Results show that the same amount of lead in the pollen provision is equally partitioned throughout the insect, the cocoon and the feces sampled within the pedotrophic cell in all three investigated localities. The results obtained in this investigation also indicate that the Osmia cornuta pedothrophic cell is a suitable tool for monitoring lead ions in small areas and suggest that the Osmia bee could be a model for xenobiotic metabolism studies. Proteinase detection by zymography in the honeybee worker-fate larva Antonio Felicioli, Alberto Niccolini, Danika Tognotti, Ettore Balestreri Dip Anatomia, Biochimica e Fisiologia Veterinaria, Università di Pisa, viale delle Piagge n°2, 56124, Pisa, Italy Email: [email protected] Proteinases is a common metabolic feature in both the extra-cellular digestion of food, that is the environmental cue for honeybee polyphenism, and the intra-cellular proteolytic activity that cause development of polyphenism and metamorphosis. So proteolytic enzymes could be candidates playing a pivot role in the cascade of trasductional events that lead to distinct differences in the polyphenic forms. The aim of this investigation was to detect and describe the expression profile of water-soluble proteinases during ontogenesis of worker fate larvae of honeybees. Extraction of insect homogenates under mild conditions was followed by the electrophoretic separation of the protein extract in polyacrylamide gels, precast with either gelatine, pollen protein extracts and royal jelly. The worker fate honeybee larva shows a proteinase pattern that varies with aging, in particular the 72 hours after hatching larva show a highly expressed 45 kDa range proteinase that remain active until cell sealing. Some proteinases were insect specific since they were not detectable in pollen provisions extract and in royal jelly. The enzymologic properties of the major proteolytic band suggest its serine-proteinase nature.
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Honeybee myasis causes unusually relevant loss of honeybee colonies in Italy Antonio Felicioli, Gianluca Bedini, Mauro Pinzauti Dip Anatomia, Biochimica e Fisiologia Veterinaria, Università di Pisa, viale delle Piagge n°2, 56124, Pisa, Italy Email: [email protected] Since 1993, infestation of the sarcophagid fly Senotainia tricuspis (Meigen) has been recorded in honeybee apiaries throughout Italy. Such endoparasitoid, responsible for honeybee myasis, was found in several honeybee samples from areas where an unusually relevant loss of honeybees occurred in summer and autumn. The infestation, measured by capturing forager bees at the entrance to the hive, varied according to the different geographical areas and reached an average of 70% with peaks of 90% which is lethal for the colony. Under these conditions the colony would probably not survive until October and could even die before August. Therefore how important is the use by man of various chemical substances on the already precarious and articulate equilibrium of the super-organism bee? The periodical loss of bees, unsatisfying production of honey and death of families generally occur for concomitant reasons that inhibit a normal and harmonious development of the bee family. What is the relationship between senotainiosis and other pathologies such as varroasis, nosemiasis (apis ans ceranae) and pests or new emergencies such as neonicotinoids? What is the relationship between senotainiosis and Colony Collapse Disorder? Melissopalynological analysis of Piedmont honeys (North Western Italy) Roberta Ferrero and Paola Ferrazzi Di.Va.P.R.A. Entomology and Zoology applied to Environment “Carlo Vidano”, University of Turin, Via Leonardo da Vinci, 44 – 10095 Grugliasco (TO) – Italy E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] The melissopalynological characterization is the best tool for valorizing honey productions and to evaluate the correspondence of honeys with the geographical origin showed on the label. The aim of this study is to investigate botanical and geographical origins of the honey produced in Piedmont, a region in the North West of Italy. Piedmont is characterized by three areas with different geomorphology: Alps, Prealps and plains, and by several vegetation typologies. Several honeys, produced in different provinces of Piedmont, have been collected and submitted to melissopalynological analyses in order to determine pollen spectra, botanical and geographical origin. Percentages of identified pollens have been elaborated to evaluate their incidence in honeys. According to the results of the qualitative and quantitative analyses, samples have been classified in unifloral (mainly chestnut, black locust, dandelion, lime, rhododendron, honeydew) and multifloral honeys. The pollen spectrum of Piedmont honeys includes: Castanea, Robinia, Rubus, Trifolium repens gr., Prunus and Pyrus form, Tilia, Gramineae, Rhododendron.
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Pollination of isolated wild plants in arable ecosystems Penny Fletcher, John Cussans , Alice Mauchline, Simon Potts and Juliet L Osborne S Department of Plant and Invertebrate Ecology, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK Email: [email protected] There have been major declines in wild plant abundance and diversity in arable ecosystems since the Second World War and they are now recognised as the most threatened group of plants in the UK. Many other taxa, such as insects and birds, associated with agro-ecosystems have also suffered biodiversity losses and the effect of such declines on ecosystem services is a major research focus. Pollination is one such ‘key ecosystem service’ for which concern is growing in light of evidence that many flowering plants and the animals that pollinate them are in decline. Previous work has demonstrated the importance of wild plants in cropped areas for providing seeds and other resources for higher taxa. Diversity and abundance of arable plants tend to decrease with increasing distance from the field margin, resulting in individuals and small aggregations becoming isolated from sources of pollen and pollinators in uncropped areas. This project focuses on the effect of isolation on the pollination of wild arable plants. Field experiments using wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) as a model species have been used to measure pollinator activity and seed production of isolated plants in different crop-fields. The number of visits made by bee and other pollinating insects to this self-incompatible annual were shown to be related to fruit set, which was significantly lower in isolated plants. The results provide insight to plant-pollinator interactions in conventional cereal fields and can contribute to predictions of the persistence and population dynamics of wild plants in cropped areas, a current focus of agri-environment research and policy development. Breeding Varroa Tolerant Honey Bee (Apis mellifera iberiensis) Jose M Flores, Francisco Padilla, Jose A. Perez, Pilar de la Rúa, Irene Muñoz, José Galián, José Serrano Departamento de Zoología. Edificio Charles Darwin. Campus de Rabanales. Universidad de Cordoba. 14071 Cordoba (Spain). Email: [email protected] Breeding tolerant honey bee against Varroa mite is actually a real tool for the control of Varroa population. Suppression of Varroa reproduction, hygienic behaviour or grooming are interesting traits for Varroa control. But, are necessaries research for confirm the tolerance of the bees. We kept a bee yard of sixty five colonies untreated against Varroa from January/2007 to now. Nine (13.85%) of the colonies survived. In the spring of 2008 one colony requeen, other colony is weakened. The other ones increased normally the population of brood and worker and we placed super or they were artificially swarmed. We registered some characters of Varroa population. Natural mite fallen on the bottom board along the beekeeper season; reproductive success on survived colonies (mean ± s.e.): worker brood infestation (6.09±1.55), non-reproductive success of the mite (21.55±7.18) and viable offspring (1.41±0.22) versus cells infested by a single Varroa foundress . This colonies are reproduced actually.
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Confining of queen bees as a strategy against Varroa destructor Giovanni Formato, Alessandra Giacomelli, Stefano Saccares Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana – Via Appia Nuova, 1411 – 00178 Rome (Italy) Email: [email protected] The Varroa mite, Varroa destructor, is one of the most serious pest affecting honey bees. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) seems to be the best strategy to adopt, especially when organic acids and essential oils are chosen for Spring treatments. We tested, in early Spring, the acaricide efficacy of trickled oxalic acid (4.2%) and thymol in gel (ApiGuardTM), combined with the confination of the queen bees for 22 days in a specific queen cage (VAR-CONTROL®). The mean temperatures were found in the range between: 11.1°C and 16.3°C; the maximum temperatures were found in the range between: 13.6°C and 19.6°C. The efficacy of Apiguard® treatment was found to be of 93.3%; while the oxalic acid led to an efficacy of 81.6%. Natual fall of Varroa destructor in the control group was of 34.8%. Comparison of population dynamic, hygienic behavior and mite reproduction in honey bee colonies preselected for Varroa tolerance Frey E., Weller S., Odemer R., Rosenkranz P S University of Hohenheim, Apicultural State institute, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany Email: [email protected] It is still a controversial discussion which host factors contribute to the tolerance of honey bees (Apis mellifera) to Varroosis (Varroa destructor). We analyzed the population dynamic (bees, brood, Varroa mites), the hygienic behavior and the mite reproduction in worker and drone brood in honey bee colonies of three populations: (1) the “Gotland Bees (G)” deriving from a population which survived a period of 8 years without Varroa treatment on the island of Gotland. (2) “SMR Bees (S)” from a breeding line selected for Small Mite Reproduction at Baton Rouge, USA. (3) “Carnica Bees (C)” from our local race at Hohenheim as a susceptible control. The population dynamic of the G colonies revealed clear differences compared to the other groups with lower Varroa infestation rates, lower numbers of bees during winter and higher brood-bee ratios as striking characteristics. In the hygienic behavior, analyzed repeatedly by the pin test, we could not detect any significant differences between the three groups. The percentage of non-reproducing mites analyzed in several hundred single infested drone and worker brood cells was surprisingly low (< 10%) without significant differences between selected and non-selected groups. Only the number of Varroa offspring was significantly lower in the G colonies. However, in additional experiments we could prove that “infertile” mites are still able to reproduce. This indicates that the “infertility” of Varroa females in honey bee brood cells is rather an effect of the host than of the parasite. The possibilities and limits of the factor “mite reproduction” for Varroa tolerance are discussed.
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Heavy metals in adult honey bees and older bee brood Ivana Tlak Gajger, Zeljka Matasin, Visnja Orescanin, Zdravko Petrinec S Department for Biology and Pathology of Fish and Bees, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia Email: [email protected] The aim of this work was to determinate the concentrations of chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cooper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) from samples of adult bees and bee pupas. Sampling was carried out in apiary located in inhabited destination with intensive agricultural production and main transit roads. All samples were analyzed by Energy Dispersive X- Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) using MINIPAL4 spectrometer. The presence of heavy metals was found in all examined samples. Mean values concentrations of heavy metals found in adult bees were: 4.609, 21.698, 180.738, 1.366, 16.594, 87.185 and 0.809 ppm, and in samples of bee pupas: 1.351, 7.623, 146.495, 1.222, 7.470, 67.955 and 0.635 ppm for Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb, respectively. Concentrations of iron were the highest, while lead was the least present element in each sample. The high concentrations of heavy metals were determinate in adult bee samples comparing to the samples of bee pupas. That is probably caused by high absorption of pollutants into adult bee bodies during pasturage. The obtained results indicated that heavy metals originated from persistent contaminations of examined area and that a honey bees and bee brood can be useful organisms for monitoring of environmental pollution. Colony development, Varroa infestation and virus infections as indicators for vitality of bees Claudia Garrido Bee Institute Kirchhain, Erlenstraße 9, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany Email: [email protected] Within a four year breeding project, bee colonies were overwintered without Varroa treatment. Colonies were monitored and sampled regularly before winter. In the following spring, survival of the colonies was monitored. Surviving and died colonies differed significantly in colony development, Varroa infestation and viral infections. These factors can be used as predictors for the overwintering ability of bee colonies. The importance of the single factors and threshold values are discussed.
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Development of a duplex PCR to detect Melisoccoccus plutonius and Ascosphaera apis in bee brood Encarna Garrido-Bailón , Raquel Martín-Hernández, Cristina Botías, Aránzazu Meana, Lourdes Prieto, Mariano Higes Bee Pathology laboratory, Centro Apícola Regional, JCCM, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain. E mail: [email protected] Melissococcus plutonius and Ascosphaera apis are the causative agents of two important diseases of honeybee larvae: European Foulbrood and Chalkbrood, respectively. The first one is a non-sporulating bacterium is particularly difficult to isolate due to its fastidious cultural requirements. Ascosphaera apis is a fungus that germinate within the digestive tract of bee larvae, then begin fungal filamentous (mycelial) growth during the last instar of larval development. Dead larval and pupal bees appear chalky due to growth throughout the bee of mycelia. Identification of individual Ascosphaera species based on morphological features has been difficult due to a lack of distinguishing characteristics. A quick and reliable diagnostic method is designed for identifying both pathogens in Apis mellifera iberiensis using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers that were specifically designed from M. plutonius 16S rRNA and A. apis 5.8 rRNA gene sequence data. The PCR primers have shown to be able to detect and differentiate co-infections of both in a single sample in only one step. This diagnostic method enables a rapid and specific detection and identification of M. plutonius and A. apis from commercial pure strains and naturally infected bee larvae and so, it avoids the need for culturing samples and can be used to process a large number of field collected bee larvae. RTA2005-00152 INIA-FEDER Founds and JCCM 05-280/PA-47. R. Martín-Hernández contract co-financed by JCCM and INIA-FEDER Founds Prevalence of Varroa destructor and Nosema spp. in a multifactorial survey in honeybee colonies in Spain Encarna Garrido-Bailón, Mariano Higes, Aránzazu Meana, Raquel Martín-Hernández Bee Pathology Laboratory, Centro Apícola Regional, Camino de San Martín s/n, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain. E mail: [email protected] Hives from commercial beekeepers were randomly selected on the basis of an epidemiological design (95% confidence), according to regional distribution of total hives and beekeepers and the national estimated prevalence of depopulation and 4 samplings were made on the same sentinel colony in spring and autumn of 2006 and 2007. A total of 1966 samples have been received and only 335 have been four times sampled. The total prevalence of Varroa was higher in autumn (58.4% versus 65.5%) than in spring (31.1% vs 40%) in both years. Adult bees and brood showed very similar percentages of infestation. The increase indicates that no good Varroa control has been reached in our country in spite of the new National Varroa control program imposed in 2005 (only one subsidized and compulsory fall treatment per year). The
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prevalence of positive samples to Nosema spp. was very similar in spring and autumn ranging from 48.3% to 55%. Nosema ceranae is the most prevalent etiological agent of bee microsporidiosis in Spain and it was infecting alone from 37.8% to 42.9% of analyzed samples. Nosema apis was found in a minor level (from 8.4% vs 3.8% in spring and 5,7% vs 5,5% in autumn). Mixed infections of both microsporidia were also observed, but always below 7%. The high presence of N. ceranae and the increasing V. destructor detection in our country must be taken into account when studying bee losses. Work financed by RTA2005-00152 INIA-FEDER Founds and JCCM 05-280/PA-47. R. Martín-Hernández contract co-financed by JCCM and INIA-FEDER Founds. The role of oxalate-decarboxylase in the metabolisation of the oxalic acid in Apis mellifera Gattavecchia Enrico, Ghini Severino, Felicioli Antonio, Nanetti Antonio Dipartimento di Scienze dei Metalli, Elettrochimiche e Tecniche Chimiche, Facoltà di Farmacia, Università di Bologna, Italy Email: [email protected] Evidence of oxalic acid (OA) metabolisation had been attained in experiments on pharmacodynamics performed in Apis mellifera colonies receiving sugar(60%) - OA(4.2%) solutions labelled with 14C. Whereas the beta-radioactivity detected in the adult workers and in the ripe honey may be consistent with a direct contamination, this is not in the case of newly secreted wax (OA is hydrophilic) and of the carbon dioxide sampled from the air of the hive (OA is not volatile). Under controlled lab conditions, homogenates of both adult workers and drones caused a degradation of the OA to CO2 that was sound with the following decarboxylation: (COOH)2 H-COOH + CO2Other substrates of the colony were analysed in the same way. Honey, pollen collected by the bees and workers intensively fed with oxytetracycline syrup also did decarboxylate the oxalic acid, but pollen from the flowers and a microbiologic culture of the intestinal honey bee flora did not. This indicates that the enzymatic asset performing the oxalate decarboxylation might be produced by bee exocrine glands, and seems to contradict that it originates from the symbiotic intestinal flora. When one single worker bee reared on an artificial diet in the lab was analysed, no oxalate decarboxylating activity was recorded, maybe indicating a failure in temporal, environmental and/or social conditions that are crucial for its initiation. The influence of the above enzymatic expression on tolerability and pharmacodynamics of OA as control against Varroa destructor must be investigated further. To the Authors’ knowledge, the presence of an oxalate decarboxylase in Arthropods was never reported earlier.
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Identification of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) queen pathologies in France Gauthier L., Ravallec M., Tournaire M., De Miranda J., Colin M. E., Cousserans F. and Bergoin M. Laboratoire de Pathologie Comparée des Invertébrés EPHE, UMR 1231, Biologie Intégrative et Virologie des Insectes INRA, Université Montpellier II, Place Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France Email: [email protected] Over recent years French honey producers have reported numerous cases of troubles concerning the queen honey bee. These troubles concern either the development of the young queen during rearing operations or the egg laying capacity of the queen once introduced into its hive for honey production. In order to point out pathological signs and identify their cause(s), several experimental queen rearing assays were conducted in the South of France. In parallel hundreds of queen samples originating from several French beekeepers over a three year period were also analysed. The queens were dissected and analysed using molecular and histological techniques. Several tissue lesions were observed, particularly in ovaries were a new clinical sign affecting more than 50 % of the samples we examined was identified. Electron microscopy examinations revealed that viral infections may be responsible of ovariole’s impairment leading to egg laying deficiencies. Another cause of such deficiencies might be related to queen fertilisation problems as we detected low sperm count in the spermatheca of several young queens. Confirming French beekeepers observations, the experimental queen rearing assays revealed a high incidence of queen abortion events occurring at different stages during the pupal development of the queen. Advances in the apiary control of the honeybee American foulbrood with Cinnamon oil* Liesel B. Gende, Maggi M., Damiani, N., Fritz R., Martin J. Eguaras, Ignazio Floris Dipartimento di Protezione delle Piante, Sezione Entomologia Agraria, University of Sassari,Via E. De Nicola 9, 07100 Sassari, Italy. Email: [email protected] The biological activity of Cinnamomun zeylanicum essential oil (cinnamon oil) against Paenibacillus larvae and Apis mellifera was evaluated in laboratory and in a field experiment in order to improve the natural apiary control of the honeybee disease American foulbrood. The results of laboratory tests confirmed the high efficacy of the cinnamon oil against various strains of Paenibacillus larvae and the bioassays on adult bees showed no significant effects on bee mortality. A recent apiary trial including three A. mellifera (A. m. ligustica x A. m. mellifera) hive groups was carried out in April 2006. One group was treated either with cinnamon oil (two doses of 1000 mg/l per hive), another with oxitracycline (three doses of 0.4 g per hive) and the third was left untreated as control. All of the treatments were performed at 7-day intervals. The evaluation of treatment efficacy was made by counting the number of infected brood cells in both sides of a central comb, using a brood surface of 360 cm2 (18 x 20 cm). After 24 and 31 days from the beginning of treatments the cinnamon oil-treated hives showed a lesser incidence of infected larvae (7.89 % and
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52.42 %) than the control group, highlighting a clear efficient natural control. No significant differences between the two treated groups were recorded. These results represent a further proof of the cinnamon oil potential for the control of the honeybee American foulbrood in apiary with minor biological and toxicological risks. *submitted to the Journal of Economic Entomology, section Apiculture and Social Insects News about Paenibacillus larvae Genersch E, Nordhoff M, Fünfhaus A, Ashiralieva A, Wieler LH Institute for Bee Research, Friedrich-Engels-Str. 32, D – 16540 Hohen Neuendorf, Germany Email: [email protected] American foulbrood (AFB) is a bacterial disease affecting the brood of the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). The causative agent of AFB is the gram-positive bacterium Paenibacillus larvae that forms extremely resilient spores, serving as the transmission stage of the bacterium. We used fluorescence in situ-hybridization (FISH) performed with a P. larvae-specific, 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probe to analyze the early steps in the pathogenesis of American foulbrood. The following chain of events could be demonstrated: (i) The spores germinate in the midgut lumen, (ii) the vegetative bacteria massively proliferate within the midgut before (iii) they start to locally breach the epithelium and invade the haemocoel. Our results implicated that successful colonization of the gut may be one of the key factors in AFB pathogenesis. This process is obviously facilitated by the production of non-ribosomal peptide antibiotics. The paracellular route was shown to be the main mechanism for invasion contrasting earlier hypotheses of phagocytosis of Paenibacillus larvae. Toxins identified by comparative genomics may play a role here. Invasion coincided with the death of the host implicating that the penetration of the midgut epithelium is a critical step determining the time of death. Molecular variation of DWV within a colony Genersch E, Yue C, Gisder S Institute for Bee Research, Friedrich-Engels-Str. 32, D – 16540 Hohen Neuendorf, Germany Email: [email protected] Deformed wing virus (DWV) is a bee-pathogenic, plus-stranded RNA virus. Clinical symptoms in adult bees are dependent on the transmission of DWV by Varroa destructor during honeybee pupal development. To elucidate the transmission routes of DWV between mites and pupae, we molecularly analyzed the viral populations in mite infested brood cells. We extracted DWV RNA from freshly hatching bees and their accompanying mites and sequenced the L-gene. The obtained sequences were compared using ClustalW alignment. Supporting the theory of the quasi-species nature of RNA viruses we could not confirm any consensus sequence for the L-gene. Instead, the sequence of the L-gene of DWV was shown to be highly variable. Only 11% of the analyzed bees had identical sequences, the remaining bees showed many sequence variations. In contrast, when analyzing the L-gene sequence of the mites
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corresponding to a certain bee the sequences found in the mites were 100% identical with each other and, more importantly, with the sequence found in the bee suggesting that each “brood cell community”, i. e. the developing bee and the mites present in one brood cell, is harbouring a certain DWV mutant from the mutant cloud RNA viruses tend to form. This mutant is characterized by a DWV master sequence which may develop due to the constant exchange of DWV between the pupa and the mites during the mites’ feeding acts. Effects of an Symmetric triazinetrione on Nosema sp., parasitic in the honeybee Apis mellifera L. Gerardo Gennari, Luis Maldonado, Graciela Rodríguez, Marcelo Del Hoyo and Enrique Bedascarrasbure Ruta Provincial 301 km 32 CP(4132) Famaillá - Tucumán - Argentina. Email: [email protected] Nosema sp. causes significant productive and economic disorders in Argentinean apiculture. Nowadays, and worldwide, fumagillin biciclohexilammonium is the only active principle which is effective for its treatment. The need to have a therapeutic alternative and the results got in previous tests have encouraged the evaluation of a symmetric triazinetrione, the 1-(3-methyl-4(4'-trifluoromethylthiophenoxy)phenyl)-3-methyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-(1H,3H,5H)-trione, a water-soluble product which is widely used in other animal productions. For such a purpose a test was implemented in an Apis mellifera L. commercial apiary, naturally infested with Nosema sp. in the province of Tucumán. The test consisted in 4 treatments with 12 repetitions: 1) applying 125 mg of triazine in sucrose syrup every 7 days, 2) providing 250 mg of triazine to a slow release vehicle, 3) administering 33 mg of fumagillin in sucrose syrup every 7 days and 4) a control group with only sucrose syrup. Results showed that there were significant reductions in the beehives infestation level of the three first treatments as compared with the control group and there were no differences among them (P<0,05). This would show that triazine could be successfully used for therapeutics of nosemosis. Note: This piece of work was developed as part of the INTA – ApiLAB agreement. Egg laying by honey bee queens inseminated when performing mating flight Dariusz Gerula, Malgorzata Bienkowska, Beata Panasiuk, Pawel Wegrzynowicz Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Apiculture Division, 24-100 Pulawy, Kazimierska 2, Poland. Email: [email protected] The aim of the research was to check whether the insemination of honey bee queens when they perform mating or orientation flight influences the latency period and the number of spermatozoa entering spermatheca. Honeybee queens were kept in mating hives. The hives’ entrances with glass walls were supplied in queens’ excluder that enabled to observe the queens trying to perform the flight. The bee colonies established in mating hives that were randomly divided into 3 groups depending on
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queens’ treatment: AI group- comprised 28 queens that were inseminated when 7 days old with 8µm dose of semen regardless performing mating flight. The queens were treated twice with CO2 gas (2 x 3 minutes). The first time during insemination, and the second 48 hours after the treatment. AI-1 group- comprised 24 queens that were inseminated when trying to perform their first mating flight with 8µm dose of semen. They were treated with CO2 gas only during insemination in order to immobilize them (about 20 seconds). AI-2 group- comprised 13 queens that were inseminated with 8µm dose of semen after performing their first orientation flight and again, but only when trying next flight with 4µm dose of semen. They were treated with CO2 gas only during inseminations in order to immobilize them (about 20 seconds). The shortest latency period was observed among the queens of AI group (8.6 days). Those queens started oviposition when 15.7 days old without inclination to perform mating flights later. In AI-1 group of queens, the latency period was the longest (16 days). The average age of queens when started oviposition was 26.4 days. Queens of AI-2 group, inseminated after their first orientation flight started oviposition when 21 days old, about 11.8 days after insemination. Some of queens of this group were inseminated again when trying next flight. It was stated that dose of semen and number of inseminations as well as a treatment of queens did not affect the number of spermatozoa in spermatheca. However, the orientation flights performed by queens before insemination might have influenced shorten latency period. The latency period did not differ significantly as compared to control group, nevertheless the average treatment with CO2 gas was 11-times shorten. Keywords: insemination, mating flight, latency period, dose of semen, number of spermatozoa DNA barcoding the bees of the world: a case study from a nightmare taxon Jason Gibbs and Laurence Packer S York University, Biology Department, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, ON, M3J1P3, Canada Email: [email protected] Bees are of great economic and ecological importance as the most significant animal pollinators of the world’s food crops and wildflowers. Beyond their role in pollination, bees are ideal candidates for bio-monitoring; they are ecologically important and highly susceptible to extinction. At this time efforts to conserve bees and understand their importance in ecosystems is hampered by a lack of taxonomic expertise. DNA barcoding is providing new resources to aid in our understanding of bee diversity and improving our capacity to identify species. A global campaign to barcode the bees of the world is now in the initial stages. The sweat bee subgenus Dialictus (family Halictidae, genus Lasioglossum) presents one of the greatest challenges for a campaign of this sort. North American Dialictus are the most difficult taxonomic group on the continent but integrative taxonomy, with DNA barcoding as a crucial component, is permitting great progress in our understanding of this group. DNA barcodes help us identify species, associate dimorphic sexes, recognize new cryptic species (more than 36 in Canada and the USA), and synonymise superfluous names. Evidence from this group supports the successful prospects of the bee
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barcoding campaign. DNA barcoding the bees of the world will a boon to pollination biologists, bee conservationists and anyone with an interest in bees. Sexual harassment by Andrena agilissima males of foraging females Giovanetti M., Santoro D. School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] Males of this communal bee are usually present at nesting sites and 97% of females are inseminated before emerging from their natal burrow at the start of the season (Paxton et al. 1999). However, males have been observed also on the plant species visited by the oligolectic A. agilissima, namely Brassicaceae. The aim of this study was to determine how often copulatory attempts at flowers occur, the primary activity of males at flowers, and the extent to which female foraging activity is disturbed by the presence of males. We recorded A. agilissima males pouncing on other insects (n = 272) while crossing randomly a flowering patch of Brassicaceae. We observed focal male individuals (n = 72) while entering a selected area of 2m x 2m of Brassicaceae blossom, recording all behaviours and their sequence. Finally, we observed focal female individuals (n = 44) in the same area, recorded their foraging behaviour and any disturbance to it. Our results confirm that males pounce quite frequently on foraging females and that they can probably recognise conspecific females. All males patrol incessantly flowers of Brassicaceae (90-97% of individuals perform this behaviour), but individuals are present preferentially in the morning. Chasing females is a frequent behaviour (performed by 34-45% of males), while feeding is less common (12-30% of males). Male presence at foraging sites is more related to copulation attempts than feeding needs. Foraging females respond to male mating attempts usually by leaving the vicinity of the area. If females do not fly away, but stay closer to the place where they were harassed, they visit a significantly lower number of flowers when compared with undisturbed females. Honey bees activity devoted to pollen foraging and storage of a springtime species, Fraxinus ornus L. Giovanetti M., Aronne G. School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] Honey bee handling ability when collecting pollen is mainly considered relative to economic interests or conservation efforts of some botanical species. Less attention is paid to frequent natural species, although they may correspond to a rapid growth and establishment of a colony. Pollen of Fraxinus ornus L., a springtime species, is commonly detected in the hive. Our aim was measuring its recurrence and the honey bee handling ability. During its flowering period, an experiment with 36 hives distributed at 12 sites in the Sorrento Peninsula (southern Italy) was performed. From each hive, honey and pollen loads were sampled weekly and analysed to detect and quantify the presence of this species. Pollen was found in a total of 118 samples out of
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198. In most cases (43 times) it was detected simultaneously in the honey and in the pollen loads; however, 10 times was exclusively found in the pollen loads, while 22 times solely in the honey. As regards the foraging activity, we particularised foraging actions following females at sight, recording through a voice-recorder and, later, a stopwatch (n=14 bees, n=564 actions). We also evaluated morning activity and quantified visited panicles and possible disturbance due to the activity of other insects (n=74 bees). Only pollen foragers visit this plant. The alternation of pollen collection and cleaning behaviour in front of the same panicle may be performed up to about 20 times, while average time spent is 27 seconds. An undisturbed bee may complete a load in about 7 minutes. Results support the recurrent presence of F. ornus and its importance as springtime pollen source. Comparative study of Spanish chestnut honeys from Mediterranean and Eurosiberian regions González-Porto A. V., Seijo-Coello M. C. , León-Ruiz V. & Chouza-Carou M. Centro Agrario de Marchamalo (Centro Apícola Regional). Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha. Camino de San Martín s/n. Marchamalo. 19180. Guadalajara, Spain Email: [email protected] The chestnut tree (Castanea sativa Miller) presents a great interest for the honey production in North and central area of Spain. The bees obtain an important quantity of pollen, nectar and often honeydew from these. Chestnuts honeys are summer honeys that present some sensorial characteristics very appreciated by a good number of consumers. These are dark amber to dark colour sometimes with reddish tone, strong, durable and woody olfative perception and its sweet-salted flavor with certain bitter aftertaste, according to their content in heather or bramble nectar. Astringency is other common mouth perception. In this work we present the results of the comparative study of uniflorals chestnut honeys collected from different phytosociological areas of Spain. The results of the pollen analysis and the physicochemical pattern are included. The honeys from Northwest of Spain have as secondary pollen: Rubus sp., Ericaceae (E. arborea, E. australis and E. umbellata principally), Leguminosae (T. cytisus) or Eucalyptus. Those ones from Castilla-La Mancha region present Echium, Lavandula stoechas, Lavandula angustifolia, Leguminosae, Rubus sp., Quercus sp., Cistaceae (frequently Cistus ladanifer) and Olea europaea like accompanying pollens, some of them representative of the Mediterranean vegetation. The physicochemical study includes the results about free and total acidity, lactones, reducer sugars, sucrose, electrical conductivity, diastase content, colour and pH. The geographical origin of honeys affects the physicochemical pattern. There are significant differences in some of the values, for example, pH, electrical conductivity or diastase content.
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Comparison of PCR methods for detection of Nosema apis/Nosema ceranae infection in Italian apiaries Granato A, Caldon M, Casellato A, Cattoli G, Nanetti A, Lodesani M, Formato G, Mutinelli F Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro (Padova) Italy Email: [email protected] Nosemosis is a important disease of adult honey bees that has many negative effect on production capacity. The discrimination between Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae spores under microscopic examination and based on morfological criteria is not reliable, so the development of molecular methods for Microsporidia species identification is necessary. The aim of our study was to compare two different PCR methods used for diagnosis of N. apis/N. ceranae infection. 107 samples of adult honey bees from different Italian regions, submitted to the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie for microscopic diagnosis of nosemosis, were used for molecular diagnosis of N. apis/N. ceranae infection. After examinanation of honey bee crushings on a microscope slide for the presence of spores at 400x by light microscopy, the samples were used for DNA extraction. The QIAamp DNA Mini Kit was used to extract DNA with a preincubation with chitinase to lyse the rigid cell wall. The DNA was examinated by PCR and sequencing (Higes et al. 2006), PCR-RFLP (Klee et al. 2007) and PCR with specific primers for N. apis (Webster et al. 2004). The 107 analyzed samples produced the same results using the two PCR methods: 60 were positive for N. ceranae and 47 negative for N. apis/N. ceranae/N. bombi. All 107 samples were negative for N. apis. PCR-RFLP and PCR followed by sequencing demonstrated comparable results for discrimination between N. apis/N. ceranae infection. However, PCR-RFLP method was more rapid. The efficacy of these methods needs to be investigated in N. apis/N. ceranae coinfection. Diagnostic Radioentomology: a new technique for looking inside of things. Mark K Greco Swiss Bee Research Centre, Schwartzenburgstrasse Bern, 3003, BE, Switzerland Email: [email protected] X-ray Computerised Tomography (CT) is effective for non-invasively visualising internal contents of bee nests. Research continues on MacroCT and MicroCT collectively termed Diagnostic Radioentomology (DR). For MacroCT, a General Electric HiSpeed scanner was used to assess stingless, solitary and honeybee nests. We accurately localized and identified nest structures and evidence of a fluid level meniscus in natal cells of Amegilla holmesi, previously not reported. DR enabled visualization of egg laying, juvenile development and cell provisioning. Incidence of parasitism by Miltogramma sp. and outbreaks of Ascosphaera sp. in A. holmesi nests and tracking of small hive beetle and wax moth larvae numbers were quantified for Trigona carbonaria and Apis mellifera determining colony health. For MicroCT a Skyscan 1172 MicroCT system was used to assess internal and external morphology of T. carbonaria and A. holmesi. External morphology of coxae, trochanters, tibiae, tarsi of each leg including broadened hind basitarsi, antennal scapes and the various
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parts of the tongue including the proboscis and labium were visualised. However, individual facets of the eye were barely discernable and fine detail of hairs on the body or legs was poor. Internal morphology including tracheal system and details of proventricular plates was visualised. DR has advantages for non-invasively visualising bees, particularly scientifically valued specimens trapped in amber or museum specimens and for following lifecycles from egg to imago and for bee numbers and parasite behaviour such as Varroa and small hive beetle. Breeding activities and queen quality monitoring for Apis mellifera carnica in Slovenia Ales Gregorc Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Hacquetova 17, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia Email: [email protected] The evaluation of potential breeder honeybee colonies of Apis mellifera carnica is conducted in the laboratory and in the field. Two levels of breeding activities include: a) basic selection performed in each apiary through regular colonies examination by beekeepers. b) the second level is carried out according to Breeding Programme in approximately 30 queen-breeding apiaries. About 150 samples of workers from potential breeding colonies are examined. Racial characteristics, honey production, swarming tendency, gentleness and tendency to remain calm on the comb, Varroa tolerance (daily natural dead mite drop) of potential breeder colonies are tested. Performance test of honeybee queens is conducted on approximately 1300 queens yearly. Queens are delivered to 80 queen testing apiaries and after the evaluation the breeding values are estimated. Bee breeders with support of professional service rank the potential breeder colonies and suggest them as breeding colonies in the next generation. Throughout June and July 2006, 27 queen breeders sent 320 queens for the queen quality survey to determine if the queens were well-mated and to look for their physiological status and the prevalence of viruses and Nosema spores. Queens were weighted, dissected, ovaria and ventriculus were removed, weighed and examined for the No. of ovarioles. The spermatheca was removed from each queen and the number of sperm was estimated. The attendants were checked for Nosema spores. The queen breeders who are involved in the breeding quality survey program are committed to improving their breeding stock and contribute in improving the characteristics of local carniolan population. Lethal and sublethal effects of pesticides on individual bees and their tissues Ales Gregorc and Maja Ivana Smodis Skerl Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Hacquetova 17, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia Email: [email protected] Worker bees (Apis mellifera carnica) emerged from comb brood cells in the incubator were treated with imidacloprid or coumaphos. Hypopharyngeal glands (HPG) were morphologically and immunohistologocally analysed. HPG acini size was reduced by imidacloprid and by coumaphos treatments (p<0.01). Difference in the size of acini
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was evident in all long-term (48 h and 72 h) treatments. Low-time imidacloprid treatment (24 h) induced Hsp70 activity in nuclei and cytoplasm while in the treatment of 48 h the activity in nuclei was not present. The activity of both Hsp-s was more intensive in untreated workers. Hsp90 was found intense in most cell cytoplasm and glands ducts 48 h and 72 h after treatment. Hsp-s activity was more intensive and preserved in HPG of coumaphos-treated than imidacloprid-treated workers. Coumaphos trigged increased level of programmed cell death in HPG while imidacloprid induced extended necrosis in comparison to coumaphos. Both treatments had influence on the reduced size of HPG and also on the extended expression of cell death level. When honeybee colonies were treated with rotenone, capped brood and young larvae were removed from combs at a greater rate than after the oxalic acid (OA) treatment. Rotenone (1%) caused 75.2% of capped brood removal, OA (3%) 18.7% and the control treatment, 13.3%. Caged worker bees treated with rotenone or OA or with a control solution had mortality rates of 10.9%, 5.1% and 1.9% respectively. Rotenone significantly affected the mortality of brood and adult bees. Increasing concentrations of OA in sucrose solutions applied to adult bees resulted in decreased consumption. Why honeybees are heterozygote for Pgm (Phosphoglucomutase) in winter? Z. Gulduren, S. Banerjee, M. Kence Department of Biology, Middle East Technical University 06531 Ankara, Turkey Email: [email protected] We previously found that Pgm genotye frequencies fluctuate seasonally, Pgm75/100 heterozygotes being at significantly (P<0.001) high frequencies in winter in all colonies studied. We further looked into the presence of any correlation between the Pgm genotypes and enzyme activity and glycogen content. Biochemical analysis of different Pgm genotypes have revealed that heterozygotes (Pgm75/100) have significantly higher levels of enzyme activity than the homozygotes (Pgm75/75) (P<0.0001). There is also a significant correlation between glycogen content and Pgm heterozygosity. These findings together with the finding that correlation between Pgm heterozygosity and winter survival in honeybees suggest that heterozygotes are more efficient in energy metabolism at times of decrease of both temperature and pollen supply. Winter bees having longer life span secure the survival of the broodless colony during the winter. Morphometric analysis of Apis florea including new data from Jordan and Sudan Nizar Haddad, Stefan Fuchs, Randall Hepburn, Sara Radloff Bee Research Unit. National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension, Jordan E mail: [email protected] The worker honeybees used for the analyses of A. florea in this study derive from raw data from Southern India (1 colony), Sri Lanka (6 colonies), Iran (19 colonies), Pakistan (3 colonies), Saudi Arabia (1 colony) and Oman (3 colonies) from the Institut for Bienenkunde database at Oberursel; new material collected from Aqaba
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golf of Jordan (9 colonies) and Sudan (8 colonies). Morphometric analyses were performed on 870 individual worker bees from 50 colonies representing 29 localities. Twenty-seven morphological characters of worker bees related to size or angles of venation were measured using the methods of Ruttner (1988).A cluster analysis using the complete linkage procedure was carried out on colony mean character values combined for the 8 countries. Cluster analyses show the first group linked colonies from Pakistan and Sudan, then Oman and Jordan and then Saudi Arabia and finally Iran; while the second cluster linked colonies from S. India and Sri Lanka. Results show a clear relationship between the new data from Jordan with the samples from Oman, which can be a direct indication of the introduction of the A. florea bees into Jordan with commercial ships. The first detection of honey bee viruses in Jordan using RT-PCR methods Nizar Haddad, Joachim R. de Miranda Bee Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension, Jordan Email: [email protected] Mortality of honeybees is a serious problem that beekeepers have to face periodically in Jordan and worldwide. The Ajlon province is the second most important region in Jordan for beekeeping, in terms of the number of beekeepers and managed colonies. Adult worker bees collected from thirteen colonies in seven widely dispersed apiaries from the Ajlon province were assayed for the presence of six honeybee viruses (ABPV, BQCV, CBPV, DWV, KBV and SBV) using RT-PCR. The results are shown in Figure 1. Out of the 13 colonies examined, 92% were infected with DWV, 8% with SBV and 16% with ABPV. None were infected with CBPV, BQCV or KBV. Several colonies were infected with more than one virus. This indicated that DWV is the most common virus in collapsing bee colonies in Jordan, These data are similar to comparable surveys conducted elsewhere (Tentcheva et al. 2004). Nearly all the samples from colonies that presented bee mortality were infected with at least one virus or co-infected with more than one virus. These preliminary results show the presence of several bee viruses, in particular DWV, in dying Jordanian bee colonies. This is similar to surveys conducted in other countries (Todd et al. 2007; Cox-Foster et al. 2007). Further research is needed to determine which other factors are also differentially associated with colony mortality, such as infestation with parasitic mites (Varroa destructor, Acarapis woodi), Nosema apis and N. cerana, bacterial diseases and any possible effects of chemical treatment of colonies or foraging resources. Septicaemia induces colony losses Ulrike Hartmann, Jean-Daniel Charrière, Alexandra Roetschi, Peter Neumann S Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux, Schwarzenburgstrasse 163, CH 3003 Bern, Switzerland Email: [email protected] The investigation concerned the question whether colony losses can be traced back on septicaemia. Haemolymph of individuals of affected hives was examined for bacteria
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occurrence. Different bacteria could be found and furthermore a couple of bees with intense bacteria infection had milky white haemolymph. The virulence traits of the detected micro-organisms need to be tested to ensure the significance involving the problem of colony losses. Recovery of organic acids in the haemolymph of Apis mellifera after oral application Marika Harz, Frank Mueller, Eva Rademacher S Free University of Berlin, Dept. of Biology/ Neurobiology, Königin-Luise-Strasse 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany Email: [email protected] The purpose of this study is to get a better understanding about the pharmacological process involved in the way organic acids work against bee parasites. We analysed the haemolymph of treated honey bees by HPLC for recovery of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and ascorbic acid (AA) after oral application in laboratory tests. These two acids are of comparable acidity like other acids (e.g. oxalic acid) used as drugs for honey bees and were applied in different concentrations (0.05M, 0.075M, 0.1M for AA; 0.025M, 0.05M, 0.075M for ASA) in water with 1.5 M saccharose. Groups of 30 bees per concentration were fed individually with 10µl of each acid after a 24 h starvation period. Controls received sugar water only. Haemolymph samples were extracted 24, 48 and 72h after application using micro-capillaries after dissection of the intersegmental abdominal membrane. Because of the high toxicity of ASA the 0.075M concentration was sampled over a shorter time interval (2h, 4h, 24h). The acids or their metabolites were recovered in the haemolymph of treated bees depending on the concentration applied. The amounts of recovered acids decreased in course of time after application. Ascorbic acid (AA) was detected after any time interval examined and for each concentration tested. When acetylsalicylic acid had been applied, only the metabolite salicylic acid was recovered and its detection limit was reached 24 h after application. Our investigation shows that organic acids when administerd orally will be metabolised in the digestive system and are therefore available to parasites feeding on honey bee haemolymph. Quality characteristics of produced honey bee queens in Greece F. Hatjina, L. Haristos, M. Bouga, M. Kostarelou and N. Emmanouel Laboratory for Verification of Honey bee Queens’ Quality, Hellenic Institute of Apiculture (N.AG.RE.F.), Greece Email: [email protected] Honey bee queens’ quality was assessed based on criteria specified in the Quality System of the Laboratory for Verification of Honey Bee Queens’ Quality, which had been accredited by the Hellenic Accreditation System S.A. (ESYD) under the terms of ELOT EN/ ISO 17025 Standard (Certification No. 379, August 29, 2007). Criteria include: quantification of percentage of worker brood and empty brood cells, quantification of Nosema spores in queens digestive system, determination of
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spermatheca diameter and ovariole number. Because dissections of the queens were necessary for the evaluation of the later three characteristics, these were carried out in a small percentage of the queens sampled. In total, 71 new produced queens were dissected in 2007 and 45 queens during 2008. Their anatomical characteristics were compared with those of 150 queens produced by beekeepers through supersedure or swarming. Genetic origin of queens produced by different breeders was detected by the Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology of Agricultural University of Athens, which is accredited as Certification Body for Honey Bee Queens under the terms of ELOT EN 45011 (Certification No 382, September 24, 2007). All evaluated queens, according to our specification are originated from Greece and have characteristics above the limits determined by the above-accredited bodies, a fact showing that good quality queens are produced commercially in Greece. Small differences were detected among the bee breeders regarding the above quality characteristics, as well as low genetic variability. Enhancing bumblebees in farmland: interactions between agri-environment schemes and landscape context M.S. Heard, C. Carvell, J.L. Osborne, A. Martin, A.F.G. Bourke, W. Jordan CEH Wallingford, Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK Email: [email protected] European bumblebee declines, linked to agricultural intensification, may have severe consequences for pollination services. In England attempts are being made to restore forage habitats for bees through reintroducing forage resources through agri-environment schemes yet there are few data examining how forage area or landscape context may affect their success. We investigated the effects of sown forage patches on bumblebees across sites varying in landscape characteristics. Over a four year study we measured the relative response of foraging bumblebees to sown forage patches and other habitats across a landscape gradient. Importantly we investigated the effects at the population level by measuring changes in actual colony density of two Bombus species using microsatellite markers. We will describe the findings from this large-scale experiment. Fumagillin can avoid colony collapse if Nosema ceranae is present Mariano Higes, Cristina Botías, Encarna Garrido, María Jesús del Nozal, José Luis Bernal, Aránzazu Meana, Raquel Martín-Hernández Bee Pathology Laboratory, Centro Apícola Regional, Camino de San Martín s/n, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain. E mail: [email protected] As Mid Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium offers the tentative recommendations for beekeepers noticing the symptoms of CCD, of using Fumagillin when feeding their bees with sugar syrup, a field trial was designed to confirm the efficacy of this remedy. Hives (N=70) located in 4 near apiaries were divided randomly into 7 groups. Total doses tested were 120 mg of FMG per hive (divided in
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4 applications) or 160 mg FMG (divided in 8 applications) at a weekly administration. Vehicles were 250 ml syrup (50% ddH2O, 50% sugar) or 250 g patties (50% honey-50% grinded sugar). The final groups were: Group JE (n=9), syrup, 120 mg FMG; Group JF (n=9) syrup, 160 mg FMG; Group CE (n=12), patties, 120 FMG; Group CF (N=18 hives), patties, 160 mg FMG; Group TJ (n=5) syrup control; Group TC (n=5) patties control; Group T (n=12) syrup with 2% food supplement. Total ingestion of the treatments was directly correlated with the efficacy. Efficacy was valuated as the absence of spores by PCR. Only Group JE consumed 100%, showing the higher efficacy (100% at 6 weeks and 77.7% at 6 months) and none of these colonies dead after 1 year. The lowest ingestion was observed in Group CF with the lowest efficacy at 6 weeks (61.1%). At 6 months the lowest was observed in Group JF. The higher losses after 1 year appeared in control groups (77.7% total) and in Group CE (66.6%). A year after the treatments, all the living colonies were again positives to Nosema spores. No residues of fumagilien were detected in honey samples from treated colonies. RTA2005-00152 INIA-FEDER Founds and JCCM 05-280/PA-47. R. Martín-Hernández contract co-financed by JCCM and INIA-FEDER Founds. Pathology due to natural infection of Apis mellifera honeybees with Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia) Mariano Higes, Pilar García-Palencia , Cristina Botías, Encarna Garrido-Bailón, Raquel Martín-Hernández, Aranzazu Meana Bee Pathology laboratory, Centro Apícola Regional, JCCM, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain. Email: [email protected] Microsporidia are an unusual group of eukaryotic, obligate intracellular parasites that were recently reclassified from protozoa to cluster Fungi. Nosema ceranae seems to have recently jumped from its host, the Asian honeybee Apis cerana, to Apis mellifera and it is pathogenic when experimentally inoculated in honey bees. The aim of this work was to know if lesions due to this microsporidium were similar in natural conditions all over the seasons. Adult honey bees (interior and foragers) were collected from positive N. ceranae colony since spring 2005 (PCM and PCR methods) to winter 2006. Ten adult bees were analyzed monthly. Two adult interior bees and two foragers were processed for histopathological studies and the other 3 interior and 3 forager bees for ultrastructural examinations. Midgut with the Malpighian tubes attached and the rectum were fixed in formalin and stained with hematosylin and eosin while samples for Transmission Electron Microscopy, ventriculi were removed and semithin (0.5 µm) sections prepared. After light microscopic selection of representative tissue areas, ultrathin (60 nm) sections examined and photographed. Immature and mature stages of N. ceranae were observed only in the ventriculus. Lesions were observed all along the year. Parasited cells showed evidence of degeneration such as presence of vacuoles in the cytoplasm or a brightly stained nucleus, breakage of the plasma membrane of the cell either at the base of the brush border, all of them similar to previously described in caged bees. Heavily infected cells may either be dead or dying, but clearly afunctional causing bee starvation. RTA2005-00152 INIA-FEDER Founds and JCCM 05-280/PA-47. R. Martín-Hernández contract co-financed by JCCM and INIA-FEDER Founds
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Honey bee pathogens and presence of pesticides in honey bee colonies in Spain Mariano Higes, Raquel Martín-Hernández, Encarna Garrido-Bailón, Amparo Martínez-Salvador, María Jesús del Nozal, José Luis Bernal, Aránzazu Meana Bee Pathology Laboratory, Centro Apícola Regional, Camino de San Martín s/n, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain E mail: [email protected] The relationship between the presence of the main honeybee pathogens and more than 40 agrotoxics and acaricides were studied. A total of 61 adult bees and stored pollen of combs samples from 11 different Spanish regions, coming from commercial beekeepers, were selected by veterinarians, 41 of them with denounced bee losses and 20 from asymptomatic apiaries. Main parasites were analysed in bee samples (OIE and PCR methods) while a total of 41 pesticides were searched for in the pollen samples. The most prevalent pathogen found in all bee samples was Nosema ceranae (65.6%) followed by Varroa destructor (32.7%). N. ceranae prevalence in the depopulated group was higher than in asymptomatic hives (p< 0.0001). Prevalence of V. destructor and Nosema apis did not differ significantly (p<0.05) between both groups of colonies while 60.9% of the depopulated colonies were exclusively positives to N. ceranae. A regression no multinomial logistic was performed and showed the lack of individual association between other parameters (pathogens or pesticides) and N. ceranae. Only 9 pesticides were detected with 67% negative samples. The most frequently found was fluvalinate (33%), with no differences between both groups. Fipronil was detected only in 3 samples. No relationship between the presence of pesticides and pathogens could be established with the depopulated group except for the presence of Nosema ceranae. Not even Varroa positive samples or pesticide positive sample showed a statistical relationship with the presence of depopulated colonies in an apiary either individual or concomitant. RTA2005-00152 INIA-FEDER Funds and JCCM 05-280/PA-47. R. Martín-Hernández contract co-financed by JCCM and INIA-FEDER Founds. Inadequate cross-pollination and low yield in cashew (Anacardium occidentale) in a managed orchard and its natural habitat João Paulo Holanda Neto, Breno M Freitas., Robert J. Paxton S School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is an economically important nut crop of NE Brazil, though knowledge of its pollination biology is scant. We performed hand pollination experiments on bagged flowers with commercial cashew in a managed orchard and with wild cashew in its natural habitat to determine its pollination requirements, from initial flower set through to seed germination. We also recorded stigmatic pollen loads at each location to assess the ecological service of pollination provided to cashew. Both commercially grown cashew varieties and wild cashew
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were obligately insect pollinated. Self-pollination was sufficient for initial flower set, yet cross pollination led to far higher nut yields than self-pollination. Cashew is largely, though not entirely, self-sterile. Stigmatic pollen loads were sufficient to have led to higher nut yields in the managed orchard. Thus self-pollination (via geitonogamy and via pollen of the same clonal variety) seems to be a primary cause for low nut yields. Landscape composition and organic farming influence bee diversity in agricultural landscapes Andrea Holzschuh Agroecology, Georg-August University, Waldweg 26, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany Email: [email protected] Bees may connect noncrop habitats providing nesting sites and arable fields providing food resources via foraging. The agricultural intensification during the last decades may disrupt those bee movements thereby threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services. We studied effects of crop and noncrop habitats at local and landscape scales on bee diversity in 21 agricultural landscapes differing in land-use intensity. Organic farming of crop fields and heterogeneous landscapes both contributed to higher bee diversity. Our results suggest that organic farming may reach highest relative effectiveness in homogeneous landscapes with few remaining flower-rich habitats. Food subsidies from weeds in organic crop fields may have landscape-wide effects on bee communities even in noncrop habitats. An increase of the proportion of organic crop fields from now 5 % on average in Germany to 20 % as aimed by the government may enhance species richness of bees in fallow strips by 50 %. Bee abundance in mass-flowering oil seed rape fields without seminatural habitats in the vicinity was low suggesting little contribution of bee pollination to seed set in isolated rape fields. According to our data, cross-habitat fluxes between crop and noncrop habitats are important for maintaining high bee diversity in agricultural landscapes. Conservation management plans and studies assessing biodiversity patterns have to consider factors at both local and landscape scales, because they have the potential to modify or to complement effects of each other. Wild bee and plant declines in the UK C.L.Hutchins, J.C.Biesmeijer, W.E.Kunin, M.Termansen & J.Hogg S Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, 8.94d Irene Manton Building, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT. United Kingdom Email: [email protected] Bee species provide an important ecosystem service by pollinating many agricultural crops and wild plants. Wild bees have been proposed as an insurance policy against ongoing honeybee declines but little is known about how much they contribute to crop pollination. Wild bees have also shown declines in the UK in recent decades, which has raised concerns, because any worldwide decline of pollinators has potential consequences for the stability of crop yields. Resource availability (e.g. food plant
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availability) has been highlighted as an important determinant of both the abundance and distribution of bee species. Food plants used by wild bees in the UK have shown similar declines within the same timescale as the bees, but it is unknown if the observed plant declines are caused by, or cause the bee declines. This study attempts to analyse the reported declines of bee species and associated plants within 10x10 km grid cells in the UK, to look for trends between the decline of plants in particular functional groups and the bee species that use them. Genetic variation of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) populations from Bulgaria* E. Ivanova, P. Petrov, R. Ivgin Tunca, M. Kence, M. Bouga and N. Emmanouel Dept.of Dev. Biol., Section of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria Email: [email protected] Genetic differentiation of honeybee populations from different areas of Bulgaria were studied using isoenzymic analysis, RAPD-PCR, and RFLP analysis of 16s rDNA, CO I and ND 5 PCR-amplified mtDNA genes using five, eight, and six restriction enzymes respectively. MDH, EST, ME, and ALP allozyme analysis revealed that all loci were polymorphic in populations studied and had 3, 2, 4, 2 alleles respectively. The observed mean heterozygosity values were between 0.146 and 0.259. Allele frequencies were used to estimate Nei's genetic distances, which range between 0.003 and 0.054 among the populations studied. UPGMA tree obtained by genetic distances method showed that the most distant population is that of Pomorie. RAPD-PCR analysis with 10 primers produced 103 polymorphic bands, with a ratio of 89.57% of all loci. An UPGMA tree using the genetic distances (Nei, 1972) revealed three clusters. The first one consisted of Pizanetz bees alone, the second included Pomorie and Jijevo and third had the rest of the populations. Although the Nm value of 0.5 indicates that there is not a strong gene flow between the populations, a moderate genic diversity level is determined (GST = 0.2797). mtDNA analysis showed no variation. Comparing these results with that of the similar studies on Greek and Turkish honey bees, Bulgarian honey bees seem to maintain their characteristics and may have origin from Turkey. These results could be useful for the conservation of local honey bee populations. *A part of this study was supported by Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria (VU-AN-2/2005). Temporal dynamics of an African honeybee Drone Congregation Area R. Jaffé, V. Dietemann, R.M. Crewe and R.F.A. Moritz S Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg. Hoher Weg 4, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany. Email: [email protected] Although the life history of honeybees is well studied, the dynamics of wild populations is still poorly understood. Basic characteristics, such as migration rate and colony turnover can be assessed through the temporal variations in the population of sexual reproductives. Virgin honeybee queens fly to specific drone congregation areas
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(DCAs) in order to mate with tens of drones originating from many colonies. Since wild populations are rare in Europe and beekeeping affects gene flow, we collected honeybee drones (Apis mellifera scutellata) from a DCA in an African nature reserve devoid of apicultural activities. By sampling them over a period of three years and genotyping them using three sets of tightly linked microsatellite markers, we reconstructed the genotype of their maternal queens and followed them through time to estimate their rate of replacement. We found that most queens contributing drones to the DCA were replaced within a year by new ones. Moreover, the allelic combinations found within each linkage group were replaced at a very high rate by new combinations, suggesting a constant migration of honeybee colonies to and from our study population. Our results show that DCAs are highly dynamic systems, guaranteeing a high genetic diversity among the queen’s mates, and together with migration ensuring a high population gene flow. A long way to silence: Systemic RNA-Interference in the honeybee Apis mellifera A. Jarosch, R.F.A. Moritz S Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther University Halle/Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, 06099 Halle/Saale, Germany Email: [email protected] Understanding the mechanism of mRNA destruction via double-stranded RNA (Fire et al., 1998) dramatically increased the possibilities of functional genomic studies during the last decade. This so called RNA-interference (RNAi) allows for specific knock-downs of candidate genes in eukaryotes. Although several studies report about successful destruction of locally targeted mRNA in adult honeybees, there are very few reports where local application of dsRNA/siRNA reaches more distant tissues. In this study we investigated the possibility of systemic RNAi in honeybees by injecting fluorescence labelled short-interfering RNA of GAPDH into the abdomen of adult bees. GAPDH is a housekeeping gene, which is uniquely expressed in every tissue. After one day incubation, fatbody, ovaries, flight muscles, brain and hypopharyngeal glands of individual bees were prepared. The fluorescence within siRNA-positive tissues was detected using a confocal laser scanning microscope. In accordance to former studies about gene specific knock-down of mRNA in honeybees (Amdam et al., 2003), we found strong fluorescent signals after injection of siRNA molecules in the fat body. However, in all other tested tissues no fluorescence was detected and the injected siRNA apparently had not reached these tissues within one day. This suggests that at least with the siRNA concentration we used, more distant and/or less permeable tissues then the fatbody cannot be easily reached by just injecting siRNA into the body cavity. In these cases alternative inhibition techniques (eg by direct injection into the target tissue) may be required to achieve non lethal disruptions of transcription.
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Susceptibility of different honey bee subspecies to chalkbrood, Ascosphaera apis Jensen A.B. and Eilenberg J. Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark Email: [email protected] Susceptibility to chalkbrood (a brood disease caused by the fungus Ascosphaera apis) of in vitro reared honey bee larvae from three different honeybee subspecies was investigated. Larvae become infected upon ingestion of A. apis spores. We grafted worker larvae from 3-4 colonies of pure breed queens of Apis mellifera carnica, A. m. ligustica and A. m. mellifera, respectively. Three day old larvae were fed with different dosages of A. apis spores and a clear dose-response relationship was shown. Over the whole experiment LD50 estimates ranged from 55 to 905 spores per individual larva. The response differed significantly (up to a factor ten) between colonies of the same subspecies. The average survival time decreased with increased dose, thus an increased dose resulted in a more rapid death of larvae caused by fungal infection. At the highest dose 10,000 spores, no significant differences in the average survival time were found within or between the three subspecies, but when fed 1000 spores, significant differences between subspecies appeared. The A. m. ligustica larvae used in this study were less susceptible to A. apis than A. m. mellifera and A. m. carnica larvae. However due to the limited number of colonies included and the high within subspecies variation shown we cannot definitely conclude that A. m. ligustica larvae in general is better adapted to cope with A. apis. Honeybee brood incubation: Stereoscopic (3D) visualisation of an elusive behaviour Kleinhenz, Marco eurofins-GAB GmbH, D-75223 Niefern-Öschelbronn, Germany Email: [email protected] Brood incubation in honeybees is based on two special behaviours of worker bees: (1) The maintenance of high thorax temperatures (TTh) during long-time cell visits in open cells scattered all over the sealed brood area (see abstract of oral contribution to this meeting) and (2) the maintenance of high TTh by worker bees on the comb surface while staying motionless in a crouched body posture and pressing their thorax firmly onto the brood caps for several minutes. In comparison to bees with the same TTh but without contact to the comb, this special behaviour renders heat transfer to the brood more than twice as efficient by means of conduction. The 2nd behaviour (brood heating specialists on the comb surface) is the subject of the present study. In thermographic images, these bees are very conspicuous due to their high TTh. However, for a human observer without such an equipment, they appear to be inactive and they are extremely inconspicuous, about half a body diameter closer to the comb than other bees and often covered partially or completely by other bees. Therefore, they can be found only by chance and not systematically, and they may easily remain unnoticed. For documentation of different aspects of this elusive behaviour, a wide range of techniques such as endoscopy, thermography, long-time exposure
photography and stereoscopic (3D) recording of the heating behaviour have been successfully applied and are shown on the poster, in addition to the presentation of real-time 3D footage of this little known behaviour. Usage of brood gaps for incubation of sealed brood in honeybee colonies Kleinhenz Marco, Fuchs Stefan, Tautz Jürgen eurofins-GAB GmbH, D-75223 Niefern-Öschelbronn, Germany Email: [email protected] The presence of small numbers of open cells (gaps) scattered across the sealed brood area is a common appearance even in healthy and well-fed honeybee colonies. These gaps may be empty, contain eggs or young brood or temporary food stores; the latter ones are regularly depleted over night (Camazine 1991). Honeybees readily use these gaps for thermoregulation by depositing water droplets for cooling the hive (Martin and Lindauer 1966) and by producing heat with their thorax muscles for up to 45 minutes during long time visits to these open cells when brood incubation is necessary (this work). Heating occurs in open brood cells as well as in empty cells which share common cell walls with up to 6 neighbouring sealed brood cells. Heat transfer through the comb may be detected up to 3 cells away from the visited open cell and on the opposite side of the comb. A special computer software ("CombUse 2.0") for precise assessment of the number and spatial distribution of gaps and sealed cells (N=112843) was engineered. Here we show that brood incubation by cell visitors is not limited by the small number of gaps. If both sides of a comb are considered and with only 4 to 10% gaps present in the sealed area, 88 to 99 % of the sealed brood cells are within the radius-of-influence of long-time visitors in these open cells. If small numbers of gaps are present and used for brood incubation, honeybee colonies may save 17-32% of the time per brood cell which has to be spent on this task in comparison to the time which is required on completely sealed areas without any gaps. A life history trait, the rate of behavioral development correlates with biogeography of honey bee races Koleoglu, G., Gulduren, Z., Tunca, R. I., Giray, T., Kence, M., Kence, A. Middle East Technical University, Department of Biology, 06531 Ankara, Turkey Email: [email protected] The rate of worker behavioral development underlies allocation to different jobs such as foraging vs. brood care. We have measured the rate of behavioral development in a co-fostering design in three experimental colonies each with focal bees from three races; Apis mellifera carnica, A. m. caucasica, and A. m. syriaca from Turkey. In this design the proportion of bees from each race in the experimental colony are compared to their proportion in the first 50 bees to start foraging. The race of bees that is overrepresented in the sample of first foragers is identified to be faster developing. Each experiment represented genetically distinct colonies of each race. The slowest of the three races in all experiments was the most northern bee A.m. caucasica. The
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southern bee, A.m. syriaca was the fastest in 2 of 3 experimental colonies. This approach of co-fostering is useful to control and even quantify colony background and colony demography effects on rate of behavioral development of genetically distinct bees. The common colony background contains a queen bee unrelated to either race or genetic group and amount of older and younger bees could be altered to examine plastic response of behavioral development of focal genotypes. The effect of race on becoming a normal age nurse or precocious forager was tested by comparing distributions of nurses or foragers with those of colony samples by two-way G-tests. A. m. caucasica bees were always under-represented in forager sample indicating slower rate of behavioral development. A. m. syriaca bees were over-represented in forager samples in 2 of 3 composite colonies. These differences in the rate of behavioral development are in line with the prediction that races from warmer climates have faster developmental rates. The pollinating insects effect on seed setting of Phaseolus coccineus L. cultivars Zbigniew Koltowski Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Division of Apiculture, Kazimierska Str. 2, 24-100 PULAWY, Poland Email: [email protected] The five Phaseolus coccineus dwarf cultivars recently cultivated in Poland (Blanka, Eureka, Felicja, Kontra and Westa) were examined in 2002-2004. During the blooming period, the foraging intensity of flowers by pollinating insects was measured and abundance of nectar secretion was recorded as well. At the stage of technical maturity of runner bean, plants from both parts of each plots (isolated against insects during blooming time and freely accessible for them) were sampled and the biometric analysis of plants was performed. Analysing the results of observations and measurements we can state, that examined cultivars of runner been that bloomed since 1st decade of July to 1st decade of August produced from 1 to 2 thousand of flowers per plant. During full blooming period, from 1 to 2 honeybee workers per 1 m2 was observed. Regarding of pollination requirements, the Phaseolus coccineus is extremely entomophilous plant. Under the gauze cover (without pollinating insects) plants bloomed 3 weeks longer and produced from 2 to 4 thousand of flowers. The cultivars, in free access of pollinating insect conditions, developed from 32 to 46 pods with 2 or 3 seeds, while under the gauze cover only from 5 to 13 pods mostly with one seed. The mass of 1000 seeds harvested from isolator was higher on average ca. 26%, whereas yield of seeds per plant for particular cultivar was 4 or even 10 times lower in comparison to free pollination conditions.
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The effect of pollinating insects on the structure of seeds yield of Helianthus annuus L. Zbigniew Koltowski Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Division of Apiculture, Kazimierska Str. 2, 24-100 PULAWY, Poland Email: [email protected] The study of beekeeping value of sunflower plantation was conducted in Pulawy in the years 2005-2007. Time and the abundance of blooming, abundance of nectar secretion and intensity of foraging flowers by bees were analysed. The pollinating insect effect on seed setting was also estimated. It was carried on in comparison to the main components of the crop from plants freely accessible for pollinating insects during blooming phase and from plants isolated against the insects. It was stated, that sunflower blooms in the second half of July throughout 2 to 3 weeks in Polish conditions. Depending on cultivar, it produces from 1.5 to 2.3 thousand of blossoms per one inflorescence on average. Ten tubiform flowers secrete ca. 4.9 mg of sugars in nectar. The sugar efficiency of evaluated plantations varied from 48 to 62 kg of sugars per 1 hectare. The blossoms of the sunflower were foraged by insects very willingly, mainly by the honeybee workers. The density of insects on sunflower blossoms was equal to values between 2 to 6 individuals per 1 m2 in each year of researches carried on. These insects improved the seed setting very effectively. After cross-pollination the percentage value grew-up to 21-39 points in comparison to self-fertilization. Moreover, in comparison to isolated plants, the ones freely accessible for pollinating insects, during the blooming phase, produced more seeds. Additional effect recorded was that the mass of 1000 seeds was bigger and as a consequence – the higher calculated commercial yield. Effects of nosemosis on homing abilities and learning J. Kralj, S. Fuchs National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia Email: [email protected] We report changes in flight behavior of foragers infested by Nosema sp. and demonstrate that diseased bees have lower returning rate than healthy ones when released from the cage in a distance of 30 m from the colony. The inoculated bees failed to return 2.7 times more frequently than uninoculated bees. Effects of Nosema sp. on learning of 17-19 days old foragers were examined using a proboscis extension conditioning procedure (PER). Although there were no differences in responsiveness to increasing sugar concentration, we found significant differences in learning. The results correspond to an impact of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor on homing and learning abilities of forager honey bees which was demonstrated recently. This similarity supports that the behavioral modifications effected by Nosema and Varroa could be a general response to pathogens. The increased loss of infested workers could be interpreted as a mechanism to remove the parasite from the colony and thus enhance its survival.
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Factors influencing the choice of drone congregation sites in the stingless bee Scaptotrigona mexicana F. Bernhard Kraus & Joany C. Galindo López Instutit für Zoologie, FB Biologie, Martin-Luther Universität Halle Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany Email: [email protected] Drone congregations are a widespread phenomenon among stingless bee species. Drone congregations can consist of several hundred individuals and can be stable for days or even weeks. Because such congregations are often formed directly outside colonies, it has been hypothesized that the presence of virgin queens inside the colony triggers the aggregation of the drones. In this study we use drone congregations of the Neotropical stingless bee Scaptotrigona mexicana to test this hypothesis. We performed behavioral experiments where the drones of a given congregation could decide between a previously chosen colony and a new unknown one as site for the formation of a congregation. Our results show that drone congregations are not associated with a particular colony (and its content) but rather with specific sites at the test location. Thus the content of a colony (e.g. the presence of a virgin queen) is unlikely to be the trigger for the drones to form a congregation. Further we could show that pheromonal markings are used in the short distance orientation of drones towards a given site. Choice experiments of individual drones in the laboratory showed that drones are attracted to groups of other drones while they do not react to groups of workers. These results imply that once a given site was chosen by some drones they will attract more drones simply by their presence and odors, which leads to a self energizing process. How many senses do honey bees really have? Rainer Krell Via A. Traversari 34, Rome, 00152, Rome, Italy Email: [email protected] On the basis of many years of field observations of honey bees during pollination, swarming and migration their behaviour is discussed under the light of newest biological insights into inter- and intra-species communication. An additional channel for communication is described. The demonstrable sensitivity of bees sheds light onto new concepts of (co-) evolution, ecology and current problems with viruses and the mysterious “dissappearing” of colonies and possible solutions.
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Adaptation of real time RT-PCR for the detection of Acute paralysis bee virus and Sacbrood virus Kukielka Zunzunegui D, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM. S Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, University Complutense of Madrid (U.C.M) Avda/Puerta de Hierro s/n 28040., Spain Email: [email protected] Apiculture has a great economical and environmental importance worldwide. Any factor that negatively affects it, lead to important economic looses not only in honey production but also in agriculture production. The honey bee Apis mellifera is suffering several viral infections that are being increasingly studied. Some findings have been described up to now but the real role of these pathogens is still unclear as also other questions related to them such as: relations between presence of virus and parasites, role of parasites as vectors, appearance of clinical signs… Different publications have described that there are prevalent viruses between the honey bee population such as KBV, BQCV, DWV, SBV, APBV and CPBV and they are widely distributed. The main diagnostic test used at the moment is RT-PCR which is the most sensitive and specific method described up to now to analyze honeybee samples. The objective of this study was to develop a new sensitive Real-Time SYBR GREEN RT-PCRs diagnostic method to detect Acute Paralysis Bee Virus and Sacbrood Virus. The real time RT-PCR was performed in the developmental stage with control samples known as postive to conventional RT-PCR and sequencing. Once the experimental steps were adjusted, field samples coming from different apiaries distributed along Spain were tested and the prevalences of these viruses are determined. The newly developed real time RT-PCRs have shown some advantages over the conventional RT-PCR already described for the detection of these viruses such as: higher sensitivity, time saving and the possibility of a viral load quantification. Nature vs. nurture: worker reproduction in honeybees (Apis mellifera) H.M.G. Lattorff, R.M. Crewe, M. Solignac, R.F.A. Moritz Institute for Biology, Molecular Ecology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany Email: [email protected] Usually, workers of social insects are sterile. However, under certain conditions they may activate their ovaries and become egg-layers. These eggs are unfertilized and develop into haploid males. An exception to this rule are workers of the Cape honeybee, A. m. capensis. During meiosis diploidy is restored by a fusion of the central haploid nuclei and hence the offspring are diploid females (thelytoky). Using a backcross of A. m. capensis and A. m. carnica we were able to determine the genetic basis of thelytokous parthenogenesis. By means of a linkage analysis using more than 500 microsatellite markers we determined a single region on chromosome 13 responsible for thelytokous parthenogenesis. A further fine mapping revealed a candidate region containing 16 genes. Further phenotypic analysis of the workers from this backcross revealed a tight association of the type of parthenogenesis, queen-like pheromone production and the
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onset of egg-laying. Hence, the most parsimonious explanation for this phenomenon is the pleiotropic action of the thelytoky locus. Since not all workers will start to reproduce, even if they carry the thelytoky allele, there must be other influences as well. We used measurements of fluctuating asymmetry, a sensitive indicator for developmental stability, for determing an influence of previous development on the success of reproduction. Measurements of 14 characters show that reproducing workers are more symmetric than non-reproducing workers, which indicates that developmental homeostasis is important for high direct fitness gains. New haplotypes of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor on Apis mellifera in Asia: a permanent threat for apiculture? Yves Le Conte & Maria Navajas Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR INRA/UAPV Abeilles et Environnement, Laboratoire Biologie et Protection de l’Abeille, Site Agroparc, Domaine Saint-Paul, 84914 Avignon cedex 9, France Email: [email protected] The invasion of Apis mellifera by Varroa destructor is attributed to two haplotypes (K and J) that shifted from A. cerana, in north-east Asia last century. Of the eight known haplotypes of V. destructor on A. cerana, only two, the so-called Japan 1 (J1) and Korea 1 (K1) haplotypes, have colonized A. mellifera. We have gain further insights into the invasion of A. mellifera by V. destructor by identifying and genotyping the mite infesting both A. cerana and A. mellifera in regions where the J1 and K1 host shifts occurred and in a broader area along the mite geographic range in Asia. Mitochondrial sequences were used and mite samples were first genotyped on the basis of fragment of the COI to connect new samples to the known haplotypes. Based on the analysis of expanded mtDNA sequences, new Varroa mitochondrial lineages were uncovered. New variants of each of the K and J haplotypes were found on Western honeybees and are potential new threats for Western honeybees outside of Asia. The extreme lack of polymorphism now seen in the K and J haplotypes on Western honeybees outside of Asia can be plausibly explained from bottlenecks that occurred in Asia before and after mites shifted from their primary host. The presence of novel haplotypes of V. destructor parasitizing A. mellifera in Asia highlight the permanent risk that a new Varroa type might extend on A. mellifera outside Asia, representing a new threat for apiculture. Bees foraging on native Impatiens (Impatiens spp.) in Korea Seunghwan Lee Entomology Program, School of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Korea Email: [email protected] Biodiversity and foraging behavior of bees visiting on seven native impatiens species, Impatiens spp. (Balsaminaceae), was survey in Korea. Three Bumblebees were dominating, followed by two honeybees (Apis mellifera and A. cerana). With the long
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tongue, two honey bees and one bumblebee, Bombus (Diversobombus) ussuriensis Radoszkowski, are absorbing the nectar of impatiens, which has long nectary. However, two bumblebees (Bombus (Bombus) ignitus Smith, B. (Bombus) hipocrita sapporoensis Cockerell), with short tongue, are breaking and pilfering the nectary, never pollinating the impatiens flower. Bee diversity on the blossom of wild impatiens in Korea and their foraging behavior are discussed in detail. Transmission of Paenibacillus larvae spores between and within honey bee colonies Anders Lindström Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Dept. of Ecology, Ulls väg 16, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden Email: [email protected] The transmission and distribution of a pathogen are crucial features of its biology and has fundamental implications for the epidemiology of a disease. Transmission modes will influence the virulence of the pathogen. Horizontal transmission will favor virulent strains, while vertical transmission will favor more benign strains since the interest of the pathogen and the host is aligned. While being a mainly horizontally transmitted pathogen nowadays, Paenibacillus larvae probably originated as vertically transmitted infection. Beekeeping practices has favored horizontal transmission, which might lead to evolution of more virulent strains. In a more natural setting, colony densities are lower, which will decrease horizontal transmission. We have experimentally studied the horizontal and vertical transmission rates of P. larvae spores between colonies as well as the distribution of spores in colonies and individual bees and the significance of different spore sources for the development of infection. Further, we have studied the impact of different strains on the individual level as well as on the colony level. In this presentation we will present results from these studies and give a synthesis of the result. Expression of strain-specific virulence of Paenibacillus larvae on colony and larval level in the honey bee Anders Lindström Department of Ecology, Swedish Agricultural University, Uppsala, Sweden Email: [email protected] The virulence of a pathogen is of great importance to a pathogen and its host. Different levels of pathogenicity can give rise to different transmission pathways. It has previously been shown that some strains of Paenibacillus larvae exhibit different virulence on the larval level. Some strains kill honey bee larvae within a couple of days and oters do not kill them until the cell has been sealed. Further, it has been hypothezised that this difference in virulence on the larval level will have impact on the virulence on the colony level. We have studied the expression of virulence of two strains of P. larvae, both fed to honey bee larvae in vitro and given to colonies, and their impact on different organizational levels. We have also induced mixed infections
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of the two strains, both on larval and colony level, to study the competition between the strains on different organizational levels. Efficacy of thymol and resveratrol on the development of Nosema ceranae in honeybees in laboratory conditions Marco Lodesani, Cecilia Costa, Lara Maistrello, Francesco Leonardi, Giovanna Marani S CRA-API via di Saliceto, 80 –40128- Bologna, Italy [email protected] Nosema ceranae, recently identified on Apis mellifera, now appears to be more widespread than Nosema apis, and may be partially responsible for the increase of colony losses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two natural compounds, thymol (3-hydroxy-p-cymene) and resveratrol (3,4’,5-trihydroxystilbene) on the development of nosema and on the longevity of honeybees. Newly emerged bees from a Nosema-free apiary were individually infected with 1 µL of sugar syrup containing 18000 spores of Nosema ceranae. Infected bees were placed in hoarding cages, kept in an incubator and fed with candy or syrup prepared with thymol (100 ppm) and resveratrol (10 ppm). Development of nosema was evaluated as spore load in the midgut and rectum. Significant differences were evident on day 25 post-infection, when bees fed with thymol syrup had the lowest level of infection, 60±9 milion spores/bee, while control bees had 138±7. Bees fed with resveratrol had similar levels of infection as control when mode of administration was syrup, but lower than control when the substance was administered as candy. Differences in survival were apparent 12 days post-infection, as the bees fed with thymol and resveratrol syrup lived significantly longer (23 days and 25 days) than bees fed with control syrup (20 days) or thymol, resveratrol and control candy (20, 19, 18 days).Thymol seems to inhibit development of nosema, both in candy and syrup administration, while resveratrol administered as syrup seems to have a beneficial effect on bee longevity, possibly due to anti-oxidant properties. Impact of comb distance and hygienic behaviour on the colony parameters and infestation level of Varroa destructor Marco Lodesani, Cecilia Costa CRA-API via di Saliceto, 80 –40128- Bologna, Italy E mail: [email protected] A bi-directional selection scheme was adopted to obtain two breeding lines of honey bees (Apis mellifera ligustica), for high and low level of hygienic behavior measured with the liquid nitrogen freeze-killed brood assay. Genetic material was collected from 273 A. m. ligustica colonies distributed in 30 apiaries belonging to beekeepers involved in the National Queen Breeders Register. The two lines were selectively propagated by instrumental insemination (40 colonies) and each line divided in two subgroups according to the space between combs: one was left at the normal space (~1 cm) while in the other it was increased twice fold (~2cm). The colonies were
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equalized for Varroa infestation level. At the end of the first year, no differences were found in the total amount of reared brood. The mite infestation level on adult bees was lower in the doubled spaced group (1.04%) than in the normal-spaced group (1.52%) (p<0.05) and in the hygienic group (1.05%) compared to the non-hygienic one (1.51%) (n.s.). The space between the combs did not influence the removal of freeze-killed brood. Considering only hygienic colonies with double-spaced combs, the total amount of infestation at the end of the year was 1859±129 s.e. while in the normal spaced, non hygienic group it was 2405±260 s.e. (p<0.05). Development of new methods for the evaluation of honey quality and authenticity Lolli M., Bertelli D., Plessi M., Bortolotti L., Rancan M., Sabatini A.G. CRA – Unità di Ricerca di Apicoltura e Bachicoltura, Via di Saliceto 80, 40128 Bologna, Italy Email: [email protected] The evaluation of honey quality and authenticity is one of the main target in beekeeping research. It involves the evaluation of authenticity in respect of description (botanical and geographical origin) and in respect of production (presence of defects or adulterations). Within the Beeshop research project, three different analytical methods were developed and tested for the determination of honey quality: DRIFTS (Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy), 1D and 2D HR-NMR spectroscopy (High Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance). All the methods were applied to the evaluation of botanical origin of the honey samples collected by Beeshop members, and to the analysis of honey samples artificially adulterated by sugar syrups. The results of DRIFTS and 2D HR-NMR methods, analysed with general discriminant analysis (GDA), show a classification capability for the botanical origin of 92,56% and 97% respectively. The two methods, coupled with appropriate multivariate statistical analysis, seem to be efficient and versatile techniques for the classification of the botanical origin, and are able to detect honey adulteration by sugar syrup. By means of 1D HR-NMR spectroscopy good results were achieved for the adulteration level in honey samples. Also DRIFTS and 2D HR-NMR spectroscopy appears to be suitable for the determination of honey adulteration by sugar syrup, but it will be necessary to greatly increase the number of acquisitions and replicates. New Zealand as a Noah’s Ark for British bumblebees Gillian Lye, Roddy Hale, Ben Darvill, Dave Goulson S School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK. Email: [email protected] British bumblebees were introduced into the South Island of New Zealand in ~1895 for the pollination of red clover (Trifolium pratense). Four British species became established (Bombus hortorum, B. ruderatus, B. terrestris and B. subterraneus) and all four spread rapidly throughout large areas of the South Island. Their success is largely attributed to the availability of several non-native plant species including
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many that are known to be favoured forage species of these insects within their native range. As a result, the increasing drive towards the eradication of non-native weed species in New Zealand is posing a huge threat to the bumblebees. Due to their non-native status, there appears to be little concern over the loss of these species from New Zealand. However, these non-native bees are potentially of great importance in terms of conservation. New Zealand has been become a stronghold for B. ruderatus, a bumblebee that has suffered severe declines elsewhere, and since the recent extinction of B. subterraneus in the UK, the New Zealand population of this species now constitutes the only remaining individuals of British stock in the world. As a result, New Zealand bumblebee populations have been suggested as potential source populations for reintroduction into the UK. However, this suggestion is based on the assumption that the New Zealand population is ecologically and genetically similar to the original UK population. I will present ecological and genetic data comparing these populations in order to assess the potential of New Zealand bumblebees for use in a reintroduction attempt. Investigations into the hazard of Bacillus thuringiensis formulations for the honeybee Aulo Manino, Augusto Patetta, Marco Porporato Di.Va.P.R.A.-Entomologia e Zoologia applicate all’Ambiente “Carlo Vidano”, Università di Torino, Italy Email: [email protected] In northern Italy, the peach twig borer Anarsia lineatella Zeller, 1839 (Lepidoptera Gelechiidae) completes three generations/year; in March treatments are usually required against the overwintered larva, but they can interfere with peach blooming; therefore peach growers are interested into the use of Bacillus thuringiensis formulations, which are generally considered safe to the honeybee. However some contrasting indications reported in the literature suggested some further investigation before advising a widespread use of such products. Three commercial formulations were tested; they contained: B. thuringiensis kurstaki H3a,3b serotype, strain EG2371; B. thuringiensis kurstaki H3a,3b serotype, strain EG2348; B. thuringiensis aizawai H7 serotype, strain ABTS-1857. Laboratory test were carried out by adapting the standard protocols developed to test pesticide toxicity on the honeybee to the peculiarities of microbial insecticides. Mortality rates were negligible 24 hours after treatment both in acute oral and indirect contact toxicity test, but they raised with time and after 72 and 96 hours some statistically significant differences with the untreated controls were detected. Thus semi-field test were carried out during peach flowering caging with bee-proof nets three plants in 2006 and two bigger plants in 2007. In both years, two cages were used for each formulation and the untreated control; plants were treated three times at weekly intervals. In each cage a nucleus formed with three Dadant-Blatt combs and the adhering bees was placed along with an underbasket dead-bee trap. In all cages, honeybee mortality was negligible, while nuclei slightly got weaker, but one month later they had well recovered.
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Genetic relationships of the stingless bee Melipona beecheii (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) from Mesoamerica assessed with mitochondrial and nuclear data William de J. May-Itzá, J. Javier G. Quezada-Euán, José Serrano, M. Luis Medina, Pilar De la Rúa S Departamento de Apicultura, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. Apdo Postal 4-116. Mérida, 97100, Yucatán, México. Email: [email protected] The stingless bees are a diverse group of eusocial bees with a distribution exclusive to the tropic regions. This group of bees includes the genus Melipona, whose distribution is restricted to the American continent. The species M. beecheii is a native bee of Mesoamerica. Recent studies in populations from México and Costa Rica have detected morphological and genetic variation within this species. Giving that and with the purpose to determine whether this variability is found throughout its range of distribution in Mesoamerica, we have studied bee populations from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, through the Bayesian analysis of two different markers, mitochondrial DNA and the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1). A fragment (580 bp) of the cox1 gene was sequenced yielding 465 conserved sites, 115 variable sites and 24 parsimony-informative sites. On the other hand, a fragment of the ITS1 (1476 pb) was sequenced yielding 1107 conserved sites, 301 variable sites and 64 parsimony-informative sites. The Bayesian analyses of both data sets confirm that these populations form a monophyletic clade, and groups most of them based on their geographic origin. Bootstrap analysis clusters significantly (bootstrap support > 0.90) the Mexican populations from Campeche and Yucatán, those from Nicaragua and most from El Salvador. These results contribute to implement conservation measures for this species that is actually considerate at risk of disappearing. Breeding for vitality – establishment of a new breeding concept for the future Marina Meixner, Ralph Büchler, Claudia Garrido, Kaspar Bienefeld, Klaus Ehrhardt Landesbetrieb Landwirtschaft Hessen, Bee Institute, Erlenstrasse 9, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany Email: [email protected] Traditional breeding concepts mainly focus on increased productivity, low tendency of swarming and gentle temperament of bees, but do not necessarily take bee vitality into account. In fact, the effects of current breeding schemes on vitality are unknown and may even result in honeybees that are maladapted to the pressures of pests and pathogens. To improve selection for vitality, a breeding concept has been developed in the project “Breeding for Varroa tolerance” in Germany. This includes uniform and simple criteria for the assessment of colonies under field conditions, especially the close monitoring of the development of the mite population and the repeated testing of hygienic behaviour. An essential additional component of the program is the inclusion of infestation pressure as decisive factor for both the selection of breeder colonies and their mating success. Variation in the characters assessed was used to establish breeding values for the use as further selection criteria. The project is being
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continued and the results will contribute to the development of a threshold-oriented management and breeding concept for honeybees in the future. Colony nutritional status modulates worker responses to foraging recruitment pheromone in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris Mathieu Molet, Lars Chittka, Ralph J. Stelzer and Nigel E. Raine School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary College, University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK Email: [email protected] Foraging activity in social insects should be regulated by colony nutritional status and food availability, where both the emission of, and response to, recruitment signals should be informed by current conditions. Using fully automatic radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to follow the foraging activity of tagged bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) during 16,000 foraging bouts, we tested whether the cue provided by stored food (the number of full honeypots) could modulate worker responses to the recruitment pheromone. Artificial foraging pheromones (Mena Granero et al. 2005) were applied to colonies with varied levels of food reserves. The response to recruitment pheromones was stronger in colonies with low food, resulting in more workers becoming active and more foraging bouts being performed. Previous studies have shown that in colonies with low food reserves, successful foragers are more motivated to release recruitment pheromone and non-foraging workers are more likely to respond and leave the nest (Dornhaus & Chittka 2005). Our results indicate an additional pathway that modulates bumblebee foraging activity, thus preventing needless energy expenditure and exposure to risk when food reserves are plentiful. This new feedback loop is more complex than the other two since it involves context-dependent response to a signal. It highlights the integration of information from both forager-released pheromones (signal) and nutritional status (cue) that occurs before individual workers start foraging. Our results support the emerging view that responses to pheromones are less hardwired than commonly acknowledged (Grozinger & Robinson 2007). Dornhaus A, Chittka L. 2005. Behav. Ecol. 16:661-666 Grozinger C, Robinson G. 2007. J. Comp. Physiol. A 193:461-470 Mena Granero A et al. 2005. Naturwissenschaften 92:371-374. Genotyping of Paenibacillus larvae isolates from Austria Rudolf Moosbeckhofer, Igor Loncaric, Irmgard Derakhshifar, Hemma Köglberger, Josua Oberlerchner, Marcel Riedel Institute for Apiculture, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), A-1226 Vienna, Austria Email: [email protected] Paenibacillus larvae, the etiological agent of American foulbrood (AFB), is reported to cause this disease in honeybee larvae all over the world. In Austria, AFB is a well-known disease, which causes severe economic losses in affected apiaries. The range of notified outbreaks varied from 49 to 383 cases during the years 1998 – 2006. It was
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the aim of this study to genotype P. larvae isolates from Austria to gain some data on this issue for the first time. Genetic diversity of 214 P. larvae strains from all nine Austrian federal provinces was studied. Genotyping of isolates was performed with polymerase chain reaction with primers corresponding to enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC), repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) and BOX element (collectively known as rep-PCR) using ERIC 1R-ERIC2, BOX A1R and MBO REP1 primers. Using ERIC-PCR technique two genotypes could be differentiated: ERIC I (57 % of isolates) and ERIC II (43 %). Using combined typing by BOX- and REP-PCR, five different genotypes were detected: ab (43 %), aB (35 %), Ab (13 %), AB (8 %) and αb (1 %). Two genotypes, aB and αb, were obtained from Austrian isolates but not found to be reported in other studies using the same techniques. Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of propolis from two regions of Portugal Leandro Moreira, Ermelinda Pereira, Luís Dias, Sância Pires, Letícia Estevinho Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO)/Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus Sta Apolónia, Apartado 1172, 5301-855 Bragança, Portugal Email: [email protected] The aim of the present work was to evaluate the total phenolic compounds, quantify and identify the phenolic and flavonoid compounds and also the antioxidant activity of the propolis collected from two regions of Portugal (Trás-os-Montes and Beira-Baixa). The total phenolic compounds was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method and identified by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) bi-dimensional. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1.1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging (DPPH) and reducing power assays. The results showed that sample of Trás-os-Montes propolis (329mg/g eq. gallic acid) had a higher content in phenolic compounds of the methanolic extracts than Beira-Baixa propolis (151mg/g eq. gallic acid). The value of the antioxidant activity determined by the DPPH assay was EC50 = 6.22µg/mL and EC50 = 52.00 µg/mL for Trás-os-Montes and Beira-Baixa propolis, respectively. Similar trend was obtained by the reducing power assays (EC50 = 4µg/mL and EC50 = 39µg/mL for the same samples, respectively). Through analysis of the results we can see that the propolis sample of Trás-os-Montes was a highest antioxidant activity, probably due to the amount of total phenolic compounds. Our results suggest that the concentration of propolis of Trás-os-Montes required to obtain an antioxidant activity is very low, making possible the use of this propolis as a natural antioxidant. BeeShop - an overview Robin Moritz Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther Universität, 06099 Halle/Saale, Germany Email: [email protected] Honey is among the oldest food products of mankind and beekeeping is deeply rooted in every European culture. Numerous European and national regulations control
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honey quality, which reflects both the high nutritional and societal value of the product. Yet in an environment with increasing chemical pollution and the wide use of agrochemicals, honey runs high risks of becoming chemically polluted. In addition a broad spectrum of chemicals is used to treat honeybee diseases, further contaminating honey with sometimes highly toxic compounds. The BEE SHOP is a network of nine leading European honeybee research groups in honey quality, pathology, genetics and behaviour as well as selected beekeeping industries, which all share a common interest in promoting Europe's high honey quality standards. The prime goal is to reduce potential sources of honey contamination due to both foraging contaminated nectar and chemotherapy of honeybee diseases. The BEE SHOP will therefore deal with the development of biological resistance to pests and pathogens to avoid chemotherapy. Various European honeybee races and populations will be screened for their disease resistance potential to the main pressing pathogens. Differences in foraging patterns among European honeybees and their underlying mechanisms will be studied to identify behavioural traits reducing contamination. Differences in disease susceptibility will be genetically analysed by QTL mapping. Major loci in the genome will be identified with the aid of the published honeybee genome. SNPs will be developed to allow for selection of specific target genes in both drones and queens before insemination. This will greatly accelerate the selection progress in honeybee breeding allowing for the swift establishment of resistant but efficient stock. New tools for testing honey quality and authenticity will be developed to allow inspections of honey according to the current EC directives on honey quality and organic beekeeping. Sucrose acceptance, learning and foraging behaviour in free flying honey bees Samir Mujagic Franklinstrasse 28/29, 10587 D-Berlin, Germany Email: [email protected] Sucrose responsiveness in honey bees is positively correlated with complex behaviours, such as learning and memory. It is generally assumed that these correlations measured under laboratory conditions are also valid for free flying bees in the field. In a first set of field experiments we tested the relationships between sucrose acceptance in the field and responsiveness in the laboratory of same bees. Responsiveness in the laboratory was measured using the proboscis extension response (PER) which is elicited by antennal sucrose stimulation. Foragers accepting only high concentrations of sucrose in the field were also less responsive in the laboratory. Highly sensitive foragers accepting low sucrose concentrations and also water in the field showed no responses during stimulation with same concentrations in the laboratory. The experiments demonstrate that it is not possible to infer from the PER measurements in the laboratory which concentrations the respective bees accepted in the field. In a second set of field experiments we tested the learning performance of three different groups of bees classified according to their sucrose acceptance in the field. Foragers from the highly sensitive group reached a significantly higher learning plateau during colour conditioning in the field then less sensitive bees. We also found in odour conditioning experiments in the laboratory that bees which are sensitive to sucrose in the field show better acquisition and memory
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than less sensitive bees. We will now analyse whether differences in sucrose acceptance under free flying conditions in nectar foragers also correlate with long-term memory in the field. Molecular analysis of the Croatian honeybees increase the genetic variability within the East European evolutionary lineage Irene Muñoz, Raffaele Dall´Olio, Marco Lodesani, Pilar De la Rúa S Área de Biología Animal, Dpto. Zoología y Antropología Física, Fac. Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain) Email: [email protected] The genetic structure and molecular diversity of Croatian honeybee populations have been analyzed in this study with microsatellite and mitochondrial markers. In total 45 honeybee colonies of Croatia, Greece and Italy were analyzed. The sequence of the mitochondrial tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region included all of them in the eastern Mediterranean (C) evolutionary lineage. Two new mtDNA haplotypes have been found in Croatia and Greece, designated as C2e and C2f, respectively. All the Italian samples bear the C1 haplotype. In Croatia, four haplotypes were detected at different frequencies: C1 (0.35), C2c (0.15), C2d (0.05) and C2e (0.45). In Greece the C2d haplotype (0.80) was more frequent than the C2f haplotype (0.20). Through the Bayesian analysis of the microsatellite variation, the Croatian honeybee population could be differentiated into two groups, a result that points to the existence of two ecotypes of A. m. carnica in Croatia. On the other hand the A. m. ligustica population of Italy was uniform, whereas in Greece it was observed the presence of two groups of populations, which suggests a contact zone. These results emphasize the importance of sequencing in the description of new haplotypes and therefore, in the inference of the molecular biodiversity of the honeybee populations. The description of new ecotypes in Croatian honeybees must be considered in future conservation strategies. Molecular variability of Apis mellifera iberiensis selected for Varroa destructor tolerance Irene Muñoz, Antonio J. Perez Ruiz, José M. Flores, Francisco Padilla, José Galián, José Serrano, Pilar De la Rúa S Área de Biología Animal, Dpto. Zoología y Antropología Física, Fac. Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain) E mail: [email protected] The reproductive success of Varroa destructor is considered a significant character for determining the Varroa tolerance of the honeybee. In this study the molecular variability of Apis mellifera iberiensis colonies has been analysed in relation to the infestation and fertility of the V. destructor mites. A total of 48 mite samples collected from honeybee colonies were subjected to RFLP analysis of a particular mitochondrial region to determine their genotype. All mites infesting A. m. iberiensis were identified as the Korean genotype of V. destructor, thus confirming that this
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virulent type is widely distributed. The molecular variability of the honeybee colonies was analyzed with mitochondrial (RFLP of the mitochondrial tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region) and microsatellite markers, using three type of pupae: pupae not parasitized (NP), infested pupae with infertile mites (IM) and infested pupae with fertile mites (FM). Four mitochondrial haplotypes were detected at different frequencies: A2 (0.42), A8 (0.25), A29 (0.29) and M3 (0.04). Two out of the five microsatellite loci analyzed in 191 pupae, showed differences in the allele frequency among the types of pupae. A genetic distance matrix was subjected to principal coordinate analysis (PCA). It was found that the not parasitized pupae and the infested pupae with infertile mites are genetically differentiated from infested pupae with fertile mites. These results suggest that the genotype of the larvae influences the fertility of Varroa mites. Sequence variation in the mitochondrial tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region of African and African-derived honeybee populations Irene Muñoz, Raffaele Dall´Olio, Marco Lodesani, Pilar De la Rúa S Área de Biología Animal, Dpto. Zoología y Antropología Física, Fac. Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain) E mail: [email protected] The genetic variation in the mitochondrial tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region of the honeybee Apis mellifera subspecies has been mainly assessed by RFLP experiments since the description of the DraI test by Garnery et al. (1993). Around 90 different haplotypes have been described with this methodology, 30 of them corresponding to the African evolutionary lineage, thus corroborating the high genetic diversity underlying in these subspecies. The objective of this study is to determine the genetic variation of North African and African-derived honeybee populations around the West Mediterranean area, not only with the DraI test but also through sequencing of the intergenic mitochondrial region. Honeybee samples from Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Niger, the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands have been analysed through RFLP and sequencing of the intergenic region. Eigth RFLP patterns (one newly described A31) and 42 haplotypes (due to the presence of numerous indels) have been determined with each method, thus the observed genetic variability increases with the sequence data. The haplotype distribution shows geographical structure and can be grouped in two sublineages. The results confirm the usefulness of this mitochondrial region to assess the genetic diversity of the honeybee populations, and highlight the importance of the sequence data to obtain biodiversity information. Surveillance of bee diseases in Northern Ireland Archie K. Murchie, Paul J. Moore, Thomas Williamson Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK Email: [email protected] Northern Ireland has approximately 1000 beekeepers, although most of these are hobbyists, with less than ten hives. With its position on the edge of Europe, Ireland
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has typically been later than most other countries to receive non-indigenous pests and diseases. For example, Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) was first detected in England in 1992 and Northern Ireland in 2002. We do therefore have a slight advantage in being forewarned by the presence of bee diseases and pests in Great Britain. Bee disease surveillance is carried out by government inspectors from the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, supported by scientists in the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute. Routine inspections are carried out for notifiable bee diseases (American and European foulbrood) and pests (small hive beetle and Tropilaelaps mites) under the auspices of the The Bee Diseases and Pests Control Order (Northern Ireland) 2007 (www.opsi.gov.uk/sr/sr2007/nisr_20070246_en_1). In addition advice is provided to beekeepers regarding acarine disease, Nosema, resistance of Varroa to synthetic pyrethroids and lately the threat of colony collapse disorder. This poster charts the fluctuations in bee diseases over the past 30 years. The impact of sociality and haplodiploidy on microsatellite gene diversity in the Hymenoptera Tomás E. Murray, Robert J. Paxton Crops Research Centre, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, Ireland. Email: [email protected] The molecular ecology of haplodiploid organisms differs appreciably to that of diplodiploids, resulting in distinct differences in their conservation biology. Historically, the ecologically and economically important haplodiploid insect order Hymenoptera has been used to investigate this phenomenon, in conjunction with the marked socio-ecological variation present within this taxon. Using published data on perfect dinucleotide microsatellite markers, we investigated the effect of haplodiploidy and sociality on the genetic variability of the haplodiploid Hymenoptera, relative the eusocial diplodiploid Isoptera and the solitary diplodiploid Coleoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera. We plotted the (arcsine-root of) expected heterozygosity against the (logarithm of) cloned allele length and compared the residuals across the taxa of interest. The Hymenoptera had the greatest range of heterozygosities of any of the insect orders studied and we therefore divided them into statistically homogenous taxa before further analysis. Contrary to allozyme-based studies across insect orders, we found that ploidy per se had no influence on genetic diversity, with the solitary haplodiploid Hymenoptera not differing from other diplodiploid insect taxa. Corroborating previous allozyme-based studies within the Hymenoptera, eusocial Aculeata had reduced levels of heterozygosity compared to solitary Aculeata. We suggest this is caused by the extremely low effective population size of eusocial species. The use of highly variable microsatellites overcomes the lack of variation found in allozyme studies of the Hymenoptera and allows for a reappraisal of their genetic diversity.
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Sex and aggregation in the Small Hive Beetle Aethina tumida, olfactory and behavioural cues Sandra Mustafa, Peter Rosenkranz, Till Tollasch and Hannes Steidle S Universität Hohenheim, Landesanstalt für Bienenkunde; August von Hartmannstr.13, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany Email: [email protected] Aethina tumida an introduced parasite from South Africa can cause moderate to severe damage in honey bee colonies in its new habitat of Australia and the USA. A strongly developed aggregation behaviour and life style within in the hive suggest the existence of Aggregation- and maybe Sexual Pheromones. Pheromone baited traps might be a possibility to control the beetle in the hive. The aim of this study was to prove the existence of such substances via different bioassays and identify them via GCMS. Particular attention was paid to behavioural observations as the basic biology of this species is still poorly understood. Better knowledge of the mating behaviour might give clues about the transmission of Sexual Pheromones. It was possible to show in various bioassays that beetles are attracted to each other and there is indeed a chemical involved. Description of the mating behaviour revealed a fixed sequence of behaviours in which other beetles can intrude. Some form of competition seems to exist and aggregation seems to be one indispensable trigger for sexual behaviour. Other cues and involved chemicals are still to be identified in further research. The effect of pathogens and pests on honey bee gene expression Maria Navajas, Jean-François Martin and Yves Le Conte Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Centre de Biologie et Gestion des Populations, Campus International de Baillarguet CS 30 016, 34988 Montferrier sur Lez, cedex, France Email: [email protected] The effect of pathogens and pests on honey bee gene expression is a fascinating area of research in itself, and can lead to new molecular tools for diagnostics and selection in beekeeping. In this framework, we first investigated Varroa-bee interactions by using a combination of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers of Varroa destructor to trace the parasite invasion of Apis mellifera since it shifted from A. cerana. The extremely low worldwide mite genetic diversity found on A. mellifera outside Asia contrasts with the variety of known bee phenotypes regarding their response to the parasite. This prompted us to further explore the response of bees to Varroa, by using a transcriptional study. We compared parasitized and non-parasitized full-sister pupae, from two different genetic stocks of bees: one susceptible and one resistant to Varroa. We used a honey bee cDNA microarray, which contained a total of ≈6,778 cDNAs representing ≈5,500 different genes. We identified a set of genes that showed differential expression as a function of parasitization, another set that showed differential expression as a function of bee genotype, and a set of genes affected by both factors. These patterns, and some of the genes that define them, are mostly involved in olfaction and sensitivity to stimuli. These results agree with the hypothesis that tolerance to Varroa is linked to a more efficient bee hygienic behaviour. In an ongoing work we further explore this hypothesis. Using q-PCR
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assays, we try to separate immunological and behavioral bee responses and also parasite effects from bee genotype effects. Chemical basis of cell invasion by Varroa destructor Nazzi F., Annoscia D., Del Piccolo F., Della Vedova F., Milani N. Francesco Nazzi, Dipartimento di Biologia e Protezione delle Piante, Università di Udine, via delle Scienze 208, 33100 Udine, Italy Email: [email protected] The invasion of a bee brood cell is a crucial step in the biological cycle of Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman giving the start to the reproductive phase. Invasion occurs just before cell sealing and differentially involves cells containing larvae of different sex and age. A wealth of information is now available on the semiochemicals involved in the process. A number of active compounds have been identified from the bee larva; substances have been identified from the larval food as well that account for the attraction of drone cells and the repellency of queen ones. The role of these cues in the process of cell invasion will be discussed with an integrated approach keeping into account both mechanism and function. Morphological characteristics of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) reared in Bulgaria P. Nentchev Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria Email: [email protected] The objective of the study is to determine the values of morphological features on the body of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in Bulgaria in order to define the taxonomic status of the studied populations. The studies of morphological features were carried out in the period 1988-2005 in three geographical regions: Eastern Balkan mountain, Flat region and Strandzha-Sakar. From each family we took samples of 100 one-day-old bees for measurements of the length, width and cubital index of front wing, length of proboscis, length of thigh, length of shank, length and width of first foot digit at right hind leg, length and width of ІІІ and ІV tergit, length of ІІІ and ІV sternit, length and width of right wax mirror and the distance between right and left wax mirror at ІІІ and ІV sternit have been carried out according to the methods of Alpatov (1948), Ruttner et al. (1962), Gromisz (1981). For the specific morphological studies in the present research we used 3850 bees in which we applied 88750 measurements of morphological features and over 5000 determinations of body color, behaviour of bees, health status of bee colonies, discoid dislocation, etc. The data have been processed at the base of the Apiculture section, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria using the Excel и Statistica software. The established average values and the variation limits of the morphological features of front wing, length of proboscis, body colour, size of abdomen and hind leg make it possible to develop a standard for bees in the studied populations. No sufficiently convincing differences have been found between the morphological features of
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studied bees and the dark color bees of the neighbouring countries of Bulgaria so as to determine them as a separate taxone. Bees in the studied region show greatest similarity to the bees of Apis mellifera carnica breed and its subpopulation Apis mellifera macedonica y the features length and width of wing, length of proboscis, discoid dislocation, tarsal index, sum total of the length of ІІІ and ІV tergit and abdomen color and they can be determined as their representatives. Influence of the direction of the discoid dislocation on the values of the morphological features of the worker bees (Apis mellifera L.) reared in Bulgaria P. Nentchev Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria Emal: [email protected] The objective of the study is to determine the values of the morphological features on the body of the worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in Bulgaria in order to define the taxonomic status of the studied populations. The studies of the morphological features were carried out in 1988-2005 in three geographical regions: Eastern Balkan mountain, Flat region and Strandzha-Sakar mountain. We chose regions with natural isolation from other villages in which no diseases have been registered and no movable bee-keeping was applied. The bee colonies shown by the bee keeper to be the most productive have been assessed in lack of disease and behavior of the bees. From each family we took samples of 100 one-day-old bees for morphological tests according to Alpatov (1948), Ruttner et al. (1962), Gromisz (1981). The studied bees were divided on separate groups according to discoid dislocation of the front right wing. We established the influence of the discoid dislocation comparing the differences in the values of the features in the separate groups. For the specific morphological studies in the present research we used 3850 bees in which we applied 88750 measurements of morphological features and over 5000 determinations of body color, behavior of bees, health status of bee colonies, discoid dislocation, etc. The data have been processed at the base of the Apiculture section, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria using the Excel и Statistica software. The discoid dislocation has an influence upon the morphological features. Significance levels for the values for bees with positive and bees with negative or neutral discoid dislocation have been obtained. Bees from the geographical region of Eastern Balkan mountain are a separate group with a positive discoid dislocation of the front wing. Bees in the studied region on the discoid dislocation of the front wing are significant similarity to the bees of Apis mellifera carnica breed and its subpopulation Apis mellifera macedonica and can be determined as their representatives.
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An introduction to honeybee colony losses Peter Neumann Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux, Research Station ALP, Schwarzenburgstrasse 161, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Email: [email protected] In many countries, beekeepers are being regularly confronted with drastic and inexplicable colony losses, showing a range of symptoms, including CCD (= Colony Collapse Disorder). Although such losses are long known, it seems as if they occur more frequently and with a higher magnitude in the past years. Varroa destructor certainly plays a key role but cannot explain the current major losses alone. Thus, apiculturists are not aware of the underlying factors, thereby preventing efficient mitigating measures. Moreover, the lack of hard field data on losses limits a better understanding of the causative factors. Common pathogens other than V. destructor (e.g. bacteria, fungi and viruses), environmental aspects (e.g. nutrition, poisoning and beekeeping management) and bee vitality/diversity constitute major suspects. Due to the ubiquitous mite V. destructor, interactions between pathogens as well as interactions between pathogens and other factors are inevitable, which are however poorly understood. Likewise, novel factors such as Nosema ceranae further complicate the picture. Therefore, any attempts by individual countries to adequately address the problem are doomed due to the high number of interacting factors as well as the lack of reliable and comparable field data. The COLOSS network aims at explaining and preventing such large scale losses via identification of the underlying factors and development of emergency measures and sustainable management strategies. COLOSS will also develop international standards for monitoring and diagnosis, which is crucial for a common web based data base on losses. A case of acute intoxication with thiametoxam in bees Daniela Nica, Elisabeta Bianu, Gabriela Chioveanu Institute for Diagnosis and Animal Health, Dr. Staicovici nr. 63, sector 5, Bucharest, 050557, Romania Email: [email protected] In a day the beekeeper of an individual farm with 40 colonies found an excesive number of dead bees around of all his hives situated in a mellifera zone at 800 m from a plum tree plantation. Because a high moratility was recorded (50 % of worker bees) he suspected that phytosanitary treatments to the fruit trees had been undertaken. To establish the cause of the death he harvested moribund and dead bees and leaves from the tree and fruit samples for laboratory investigations. Anatomopathological examination showed that bees had black chitine, presented uncoordinated movement, wing extension in different flight positions, intermitent needle, oral system expulsion and consistent faeces. Parasitical examination of dead bees was positive for Nosema spp and Varroa destructor. Due to the placement of the hives and rapid death of the bees, chemical analyses were performed to determinate pesticides in all types of samples, using GC/MS technique. The results were positive for thiametoxam in all types of samples, so the death of the bees was an acute intoxication with this compound, a highly toxic substance for insects.
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Bee searching strategies in the landscape Juliet L. Osborne, Smith A and Reynolds A Department of Plant & Invertebrate Ecology, Rothamsted Research (UK) Email: [email protected] For successful foraging and growth of the colony, social bees must explore the landscape for food sources which are patchily distributed over space and time. Honeybees receive information on the location of good nectar and pollen sources via the waggle dance performed by nest mates that have “scouted” the landscape and discovered good foraging sites (von Frisch, 1967). However, the strategies by which bees find food across the landscape when they do not have access to waggle dance information from nest mates, when this information is not accurate, or when a particular food source dries up, are only just being revealed. We predict that flying insects, in search of food, will survey the landscape in a fashion which maximises the chances of finding food, whilst optimising (or minimising) energy expenditure or travel time. Field experiments using harmonic radar were performed to track honeybees searching for feeders over the scale of several hundred metres. The bees were trained to a feeder, which was then removed, and the subsequent searching patterns were tracked. We show that the flight paths have a scale-free characteristic that constitutes an optimal search strategy for the original location of the feeder (Reynolds et al., 2007). This methodology is also being used to examine how bees search for, and respond to, odour cues associated with forage at the landscape scale. Crofting and the conservation of the Great Yellow Bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus) Lynne M. Osgathorpe, Dave Goulson, Nick Hanley, Kirsty Park, Athayde Tonhasca S School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA Email: [email protected] The great yellow bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus) has undergone dramatic declines (>95%) in its range and distribution throughout the UK in the past 50 years and is now only found in the Western Isles, Orkney and along the north coast of Scotland. The species is strongly associated with herb rich machair habitats, which are maintained by the traditional Scottish agricultural system of crofting. However, traditional crofting methods are disappearing as they are become increasingly economically unviable. The resulting increase in the use of intensive management operations or the complete abandonment of land has serious implications for the existence of the great yellow bumblebee in crofted areas. For B. distinguendus conservation to be effective in this region an understanding of the relationship between croft economics, land management and bumblebee abundance is essential. It is anticipated that using models to examine the socio-economic factors currently influencing crofter behaviour, and including ecological data, croft production
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decisions and their potential impacts on bumblebees could be predicted, and the outputs used to make informed decisions about the future of crofting and the conservation of B. distinguendus. HinfI and DraI digestion of the COI-COII intergenic region in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations from Turkey and western part of Iran Fulya ÖZDIL, Bahman FAKHRI, Amir Naji KHOEI, Cengiz ERKAN, Mehmet Ali YILDIZ Selçuk University, Faculty of Agriculture, 42075 KONYA/Turkey Email: [email protected] The mitochondrial DNA of 244 honey bee colonies from 20 different regions in Turkey and 72 colonies from 11 different regions in the western part of Iran was analyzed by HinfI and DraI restriction of the COI-COII intergenic region. In all of the Turkish and Iranian honeybees, DraI digestion revealed 3 restrictions that correspond to C mitochondrial lineage. On the other hand a polymorphic HinfI restriction site was found which gave rise to two haplotypes. In one sample from Bolu (Turkey), in one each from Karaj and Ardebil (Iran), and in A. m. ligustica and Buckfast samples, HinfI digestion revealed two sites that generated 292, 260 and 26 bp fragments. In all the other Turkish and Iranian samples, HinfI digestion revealed a total of three sites that gave 292, 240, 26, 20 bp fragments. To identify the positions of the HinfI sites, the COI-COII intergenic region, encompassing 535 bp from positions 3380 to 3915, was sequenced in bees from 39 colonies from Turkey and 24 colonies from Iran. The additional HinfI site results from a T--C transition found at position 3632. The use of genetic diversity against pathogens in Argentina
Palacio, M.A; Figini,E; Andere,C; Bedascarrasbure,E Unidad Integrada INTA - Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias-UNMdP. Balcarce- PROAPI, Argentina Email: [email protected] Different Apis mellifera geographic races have been introduced in Argentina. Overcrossing, recombination and adaptation have resulted in ecotypes adapted to different local environments. This provides great variability for selective breeding of local populations by The National Honey Bee Genetic Program (MeGA) PROAPI. . A great number of colonies have been used as base population and the purpose is to select honey bee stocks adapted to different areas in the country with special emphasis in genetic diversity against pathogens. It was possible to obtain hygienic colonies that had a less frequency of brood disease presence. These colonies have been also evaluated in relation to brood affected by Ascosphaera apis and Paenibacillus larvae after inoculating larvae and they detect, uncap and remove affected brood earlier than non-hygienic bees and are more efficient in this job. This genetic has an important effect on honey bee health and it is possible to develop a competitive beekeeping without the use of antibiotics. Actually colonies all over the country are been evaluated for Varroa tolerance and Nosema spores counting. Other behaviour traits as gentleness, population evolution and production are also considered. Morphometric,
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mitocondrial DNA and microsatellite DNA polymorphism are been used to know genetic variability in local populations . A closed population system is used to maintain the improved genotypes stocks and to maintain variability. Studies are been done in semen preservation. This is possible because of team work conception integrated by beekeepers from different areas, technicians and researchers of different institutions Age of bee workers performing hygienic behaviour in honeybee colony Beata Panasiuk, Wojciech Skowronek, Dariusz Gerula, Malgorzata Bienkowska Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Apiculture Division, 24-100 Puławy, Kazimierska 2, Poland Email: [email protected] Hygienic behaviour of honey bees is detecting of diseased or dead brood and removing from the colony. The behaviour is a mechanism against brood diseases and limits the growth of the parasitic mites’ population. It depends on environmental factors; strength and structure of a bee colony, and genotype of bees. The aim of the research was to analyze the process of detecting and removing of freeze killed brood from capped cells performed by bee workers of known age. The study was performed in the Laboratory of Bee Breeding of the Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Apiculture Division in Pulawy in July of 2006. An experimental colony was set up in 1-frame hive with glass walls that enabled to observe bees. A comb containing stored honey and pollen, larvae, laying queen and approximately 1000 unmarked bees of various ages were used to establish the colony. Next, four groups, 200 of number-tagged newly emerged bees each, were introduced to the colony in 5-day-intervals. Different shape of marks enabled to recognize the age of bees. To observe the hygienic behaviour, a section of comb with approximately 100 cells of freeze killed larvae was inserted in the centre of the comb. Digital camera with infrared light was used for recording the bees’ behaviour. Observations continued on 4 days resulting in 100 hours of video recordings. The behaviors recorded were: recognition of cells with dead brood, uncapping the wax cap and removing dead pupae, inspecting cells, walking and autogrooming. It was stated that most of dead pupae were detected between the 1st and 5th hour of observation, a few later. In detecting cells with dead pupae, 15% of the bees that were 1-day-old when observations started, were involved; 34.5% of 6-day-olds, 19.5 and 22.3% of 11-and 16-day-olds, adequately. In uncapping the wax cap 22.3%, 29.5%, 22.3% and 25.9%, and in removing dead brood and cleaning the cell 26.2%, 30.9%, 22% and 20.8% adequately. Observations showed that all the bees are involved in cleaning the cell, but the most frequently bees that are 6 to 10 days old. Keywords: hygienic behavior, age of bees, freeze killed brood
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Bee biodiversity across the island of Ireland Robert J. Paxton, Úna Fitzpatrick, Tomás E. Murray, Mark J.F. Brown School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] Both wild and managed bees provide the essential ecosystem service of pollination, which is of great ecological and economic importance. It is generally considered that many European bee species are in peril due to habitat degradation and loss as well as pesticide exposure. Yet for the majority of countries in Europe, including Ireland, relatively little is known about their distribution, abundance and conservation status. Our collaborative research project (2003-2007) aimed to understand some of the major threats to Irish bees and how they may be overcome. We have used field surveys (standardized techniques such as quantitative walks and pan trapping), GIS-based habitat analysis and population genetic approaches to generate a comprehensive dataset of Irish bees. These new data, along with historical records, have allowed us (i) to generate an all-Ireland IUCN red data list of bees (Fitzpatrick et al. 2006. See http://www.npws.ie/PublicationsLiterature/RedLists/), (ii) to demonstrate the loss of bumble bee species from the eastern half of Ireland over the past 40 years (Fitzpatrick et al. 2007. Biological Conservation 136:185-194), (iii) to improve upon conservation policy in setting lists of priority species for conservation (Fitzpatrick et al. 2007. Conservation Biology 21:1324-1332), and (iv) to reveal cryptic species diversity among Ireland’s bumble bees (Murray et al. 2008. Conservation Genetics 9: 653-666). Other outputs have included a searchable website of Irish bees (http://www.tcd.ie/Zoology/research/Bees/) and a school booklet highlighting the plight of bees in Ireland. Revealing cryptic species diversity within the common and widespread bumble bee Bombus lucourum s.l. using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I DNA sequences Robert J. Paxton, Úna Fitzpatrick, Mark J.F. Brown, Tomás E. Murray School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] Members of the subgenus Bombus sensu stricto (including Bombus lucorum sensu lato plus Bombus terrestris) are amongst the most abundant and widespread European bumble bees. However, their species diversity is controversial due to the extreme difficulty or inability morphologically to identify the majority of individuals to species. We undertook a character-based phylogenetic analyses of 700 bp of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I DNA sequences (CO1) from 37 individuals of Bombus s.str. spread across their sympatric European range, that provides unequivocal support for 4 taxa (B. cryptarum, B. lucorum, B. magnus, and B. terrestris) with 3-22 diagnostic DNA base pair sites per species. Inclusion of 20 Irish specimens to the dataset revealed ≥2.3% sequence divergence between taxa and ≤1.3% within taxa, suggesting that distance-based DNA barcoding could be used to identify species. We developed a rapid and cheap PCR-RFLP based method for
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unequivocally distinguishing amongst these four cryptic European taxa of this subgenus and used it to analyse 391 females of the former three species collected across Ireland, all of which could be unambiguously assigned to species. Bombus lucorum was the most widely distributed and abundant of the cryptarum-lucorum-magnus species complex, comprising 56% of individuals, though it was significantly less abundant at higher altitudes (>200 m) whilst B. cryptarum was relatively more abundant at higher altitudes. Bombus magnus was rarely encountered at urban sites. COI DNA sequences are clearly able to identify these cryptic bumble bee species across their European range. (Murray et al. (2008) Conservation Genetics 9, 653-666). The effect of pollen consumption on the production of sperm and sexual maturity in males of the stingless bee Melipona beecheii (Hymenoptera: Meliponini). Pech-May, F., May-Itzá W. de J., Paxton, R.J., Quezada-Euán, J.J.G. Departamento de Apicultura, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado 4-116, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, México Email: [email protected] The effect of food supplementation (pollen) on the sexual development of recently emerged males of the stingless bee Melipona beecheii was evaluated in two experimental groups kept in the laboratory: one without and one with supplemental pollen. A control male group was raised in a colony under natural conditions. Dissections of the reproductive tract of the males were made from the three groups at various ages post eclosion (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 days), measuring the testicular area and the number of spermatozoids. Morphometric measures of the head (head width and interocular distance) were also conducted on males from the three groups. Spermatic migration to the seminal vesicle started at day 5 after emergence in all groups. At the same time testicular absorption started at emergence and ended at the age of sexual maturity at ca. day 15. There was no correlation between morphological characters (size) and the number of spermatozoids per male. However, there were more spermatozoa in the group supplemented with pollen (3.19 x 106 spermatozoa), compared with the control group and experimental group without supplemental pollen (2.59 x 106 and 3.02 x 106 spermatozoa respectively). It is recommended to use males of at least 13 days of age and fed with pollen in programs of controlled mating for this stingless bee species. Key words: Male, sperm, sexual maturity, stingless bee, Melipona beecheii.
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Wild plant population structure shapes flower visitor assemblage: a pan-European approach Theodora Petanidou, Anders Nielsen, Jens Dauber, Jacobus Biesmeijer, Doreen Gabriel, William E. Kunin, Ellen Lamborn, Mari Moora, Birgit Meyer, Simon Potts, Virve Sõber, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Jane Stout, Thomas Tscheulin1, Michalis Vaitis, Daniele Vivarelli University of the Aegean, Department of Geography, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece Email: [email protected] Human induced landscape fragmentation is one of the largest threats to biodiversity today. Among others, fragmentation may affect the availability of floral resources at different spatial scales, which, in turn, may affect the assemblage of flower visitors and ultimately plant reproduction. This study aims at assessing how pollinator communities respond to the spatial heterogeneity in plant (and flower) distribution. We compiled a dataset of 75 populations belonging to 10 plant species studied in five European countries. Insect visitation rates were measured using a common sampling protocol at two spatial scales: patch and population, which were further subdivided into small and large, as well as dense and sparse. Pollinators were assigned to five coarse taxonomic categories, namely: honeybees, solitary bees, bumblebees, syrphids, and remaining insects. The application of multivariate statistics (Redundancy Analysis) showed that the different pollinator guilds responded differently to the plants’ spatial parameters. Honeybees strongly related to large patches and populations, syrphids and remaining insects to dense patches and sparse populations, whereas solitary bees related negatively to patch density and positively to population density. Bumblebees showed a negative relationship with patch and population size and a weak positive relationship with patch density. When removing the plant patches predominantly visited by honeybees, the visitation rates of solitary bees and bumblebees showed a positive relationship with patch and population size. Thus, our results also suggest that dominant honeybees may exclude other pollinators, in particular solitary bees and bumblebees, from the plant patches and populations that are most favourable to honeybees. Diagnosis of Nosemosis in a Portuguese reference bee pathology laboratory Pires, Sância; Valério, Maria José; Almeida, Armandina Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO)/Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus Sta Apolónia, Apartado 1172, 5301-855 Bragança, Portugal Email: [email protected] In recent times, nosemosis was thought to be caused by the specific protozoan Nosema apis, a spore forming parasite that invades the intestinal tract of adult bees and is widespread in Europeans countries including Portugal. Ever since, in most of cases, there are no clear symptoms, the diagnosis of this disease only can be confirmed in laboratory. The Bee Pathology Laboratory from the Agrarian Superior School of Bragança (ESAB), is located in Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro province, formed in collaboration with the Apicultural Association of Montesinho Natural Park (AAPNM). It has certification by Portuguese Veterinary Authority in the 2006. This
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Laboratory, process samples of honeybee by microscopically diagnosis, according to the routine methodologies used by the National Reference Laboratory (LNIV). From the diagnostic records of bee sample received between January 2007 and April 2008 we can suggest that the nosemosis is the major prevalence disease with clinical positive cases over all the months of the year. The results also suggest that the incidence of nosemosis remains at high level in various areas all over the country. A related Nosema species from Asia, Nosema ceranae, has recently been identified as causing nosema diseases in European honeybees. However, both disease species cannot be differentiated using the present routine microscopic examination. The question as to whether colony losses in Portugal, probably can be attributed to Nosema ceranae is intended to be cleared up in future with the implementation of molecular genetics diagnosis. First report of detection of Nosema ceranae in depopulated honey bee colonies in Argentina Santiago Plischuk, Raquel Martín-Hernández, Aranzazu Meana, Carlos Lange, Mariano Higes Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE), C.C.T. La Plata- CONICET - U.N.L.P., 1900, La Plata, Argentina. Email: [email protected] Argentina is one of the three biggest world honey producer and exporter countries. Big losses due to depopulation syndrome have been detected during the last three years especially in located southern areas although reports exist all over the country with estimated losses of 30% total estimated hives (5 millions). Interior adult honey bees samples were randomly collected in 2006 and 2007 (n = 1,522 colonies) and the main honey bee pathogens were analyzed. Nosema species was determined by PCR from 18 Nosema spore positive samples (PCM). Nosema spores were observed in all the months with prevalence higher to 42% and maximum detected in austral spring of 2006 (88%) and austral summer 2007 (83%). Nosema ceranae was the only specie detected. Samples came either from depopulated colonies (n=15) or dead colonies (n=3) and the quantified losses from the 18 apiaries were higher to 50% colonies. This is the first report of N. ceranae in European honey bees in Argentina and the most austral report of the presence of this mircrosporidian (latitude 40º06'00” S, 64º25'60"O), which confirms the expansion and colonization of this emergent pathogen and its clearly relation with honeybee losses. Martín-Hernández contract co-financed by JCCM and INIA-FEDER Founds
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Morphological characters and performance of queens reared by different methods Lucija Poljansek and Ales Gregorc S Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Hacquetova 17, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia Email: [email protected] The quality of queens is not only genetically controlled, but it also depends on the conditions in which they grow as larvae and later on the conditions in which they live before and after mating. In our experiments we investigated the influence of the age of grafting larvae on the morphological characteristics of the queen bee and the impact of the age of the queen at the time of mating (in a case of bad weather) on queen fertility. We also checked whether morphological characteristics of the queen – body weight, weight of ovaries, number of ovarioles, volume of spermatheca – demonstrate its potential egg production. Larvae from the same breeder colony were grafted at different ages (1, 24, 36 and 48 hours). During the experiment, larvae, pupae and the newly emerged queens from the four age groups were collected and compared in their development. Forty newly emerged queens were then directly inserted into mating nuclei, while 53 queens were first stored in queen cages in the bank bee colony for 17 days and after this incubation period they were inserted into the mating nuclei to mate. Sixteen queens were used to establish new colonies and the colony strength was measured. Our results have shown that the age of grafting larvae has influence on morphological characteristics of the developmental stages as well as on the newly emerged virgin queens. After this period other factors are more decisive. There were also no differences in morphological characteristics between queens which mated during the period of 8 days after emergence and queens which mated after 17 days of incubation. Laboratory assessment of rotenone toxicity to honeybee and Varroa Marco Porporato, Manuel Cornolti, Aulo Manino, Augusto Patetta Di.Va.P.R.A.-Entomologia e Zoologia applicate all’Ambiente “Carlo Vidano”, Università di Torino, Italy Email: [email protected] Most used products to control Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman, 2000, are organic acids, essential oils, and synthetic acaricides, which cause resistance phenomena, while none of them is able to solve the problem. Thus beekeepers are always looking for new products, even if not legally admitted. Among them rotenone, a pesticide allowed in organic farming, is applied on top bars as powder containing up to 1% a.i. This experimentation has been performed in order to test the toxicity of rotenone on honeybee and its acaricidal effect against Varroa. Following the standard procedure for toxicological tests on honeybees, ingestion trials at the concentrations of 1000, 500, and 200 ppm and indirect contact trials at the concentrations of 500, 200, and 100 ppm were performed. Non-toxic thresholds were 200 ppm and 100 ppm, respectively. These concentrations were tested against Varroa. In indirect contact trials groups of 30 mites were tested in Petri dishes containing paraffin wax sprayed
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with rotenone. After 4 hours of exposure mites were transferred in clean Petri dishes containing 6 honeybee prepupae. After 24 hours mortality was significantly higher in treated mites than in controls and it was almost total after 48 hours, while control mites still showed a low mortality. In direct contact trials with powdered products (wheat flour, flour + rotenone 1%, caolin clay, caolin + rotenone 0,7% and caolin + rotenone 1%) mortality was almost total after 24 hours in all samples containing rotenone and also in those containing caolin clay only, while it was very low in flour. Status and trends of honeybees in Europe: severe declines in central Europe Simon G Potts, Stuart P.M. Roberts, Robin Dean, Gay Marris, Mike Brown, Richard Jones and Josef Settele Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, UK E mail: [email protected] There is patchy evidence that honeybees throughout Europe are under threat and may be in decline, however, to date there is no rigorous continental scale assessment of the status of honeybees. We compiled census data from 20 European countries to assess trends in honeybee colony numbers, beekeeper numbers and honey production using data from 1965, 1985 and 2005. We found significant declines in honeybee colonies in central European countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden and Wales) but some increases in geographically peripheral areas (Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Spain). Numbers of beekeepers had significantly declined in all countries except Italy and Finland, however, honey production had increased significantly in all countries. Loss of colonies and declines in beekeeper numbers may reflect increasing pressures from pests and diseases, intense agricultural management and an increasingly unfavourable economic climate for beekeeping. However, it is not possible to say which driver, or combination of drivers, are responsible for the observed changes in Europe. Based on our study we recommend that honeybee data is collected in a standardised way at the national and European level in order to facilitate future monitoring of honeybee trends and to assist in identifying the possible causes of any declines.
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Native bees (Hymenoptera:Apoidea) increase tomato and hot pepper pollination in subtropical México Quezada-Euán, J. Javier G.; Chuc, Josué; Xiu-Ancona, Patricia; Macias-Macias, Octavio; Cauich, Orlando Departamento de Apicultura, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado 4-116, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, México Email: [email protected] In the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, crops are traditionally cultivated using the Maya system of slash-and-burn agriculture. Secondary growth patches emerge when these areas are abandoned after a couple of years that may function as refuges and nesting sites for many native insects. We evaluated the pollination efficiency of two species of native bee frequently found in tomato and habanero pepper crops cultivated in slash-and-burn patches compared to that of non-native Apis mellifera. Sixty flower buds across 20 plants of each crop were bagged with mesh to exclude insects. When flowers had opened, bags were removed. Each of the treatment flowers was carefully monitored to detect when it received its first visit by an Exomalopsis or Augochloropsis bee or a honeybee. Then the flower was bagged again. The development of the fruit was registered and the number of seeds was counted when the fruit was ripe. Spear´s pollination efficiency index (1983) was used to calculate the pollination efficiency of each bee type. Spear’s pollination index showed that the efficiency of Exomalopsis and Augochloropsis was almost twice as high compared to honeybees. However, there were no significant differences between the fruits produced with either Exomalopsis or Augochloropsis (p> 0.05). Two visits by honeybees would be necessary to produce the same effect as a single visit by one of the native bees evaluated in this study. Our results emphasize the need to preserve a diverse community of native bees in the Yucatan Peninsula for continuous pollination services across time. Secondary forest patches around crops seem ideal nesting sites for native bee species. The utility of secondary growth habitats in tropical regions needs to be reevaluated since such patches are potential reserves of pollinating bees to nearby crops. Keywords: Native bees, Exomalopsis, Augochloropsis, pollination, Yucatan. Behavioural analysis of the aggregation behaviour of young honeybees in a temperature field Gerald Radspieler, Thomas Schmickl, Ronald Thenius, Karl Crailsheim Department for Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria Email: [email protected] Honeybees show a clear preference for certain temperatures, depending on their age. We established an arena which is sized similar to a usual brood comb in a honeybee hive.This arena contained a temperature gradient spanning its ground. We introduced young honeybees into this arena, let them walk freely and recorded them on video. From the results of the fully automated evaluation of the footage, we could deduce a number of behavioural parameters that help us describe the bees' behaviour quantitatively and qualitatively. Most bees however did not show a distinct
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locomotional behaviour that could be qualified as a solution to the problem of finding the optimal temperature.We could classify 4 different types of locomotional behaviour, of which only one enabled the bee to reach the optimal temperature more or less directly, while the other 3 caused the bees to walk randomly or to stay almost motionless. Furthermore, we could derive formulas to describe the bees' probability to change their heading by a given angle and their probability to spend a given time walking or resting respectively. The results of these approximations are tightly correlated with the actual observations and can thus be integrated in a simulation program which we will develop in future. This simulation will help us to further investigate different behavioural models by comparing results from a simulation with results from actual experiments. This approach will help us to test the significance of our explanatory models and to establish an empirically derived mathematical description of honeybees' motion behaviour in a temperature field. Learning to forage in the floral supermarket Nigel E. Raine, Steven C. Le Comber, Lars Chittka School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary College, University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK Email: [email protected] Bees solve complex cognitive problems everyday. When they leave their nest to forage, bees are faced with a diverse and dynamic floral market. How foragers decide which flowers to visit, and how quickly they adapt to changes in the availability of these floral rewards, can have serious consequences on the success of their colony. Like honeybees, bumblebees are sensitive to the amount of rewards they collect from flowers they visit, and can respond rapidly to changes in availability of pollen and nectar. Colour is an important cue for flower detection and discrimination, and bees can learn to associate floral colour and reward. We evaluated the learning performance of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) from multiple colonies in an ecologically relevant associative colour learning task under laboratory conditions, before testing the foraging performance of the same colonies under field conditions. We demonstrate that variation in learning speed among bumblebee colonies is directly correlated with foraging performance, a robust fitness measure, under natural conditions (Raine & Chittka 2008). Colonies varied in learning speed by a factor of nearly five, with the slowest learning colonies collecting 40% less nectar than the fastest learning colonies. Learning to fly shorter routes between rewarding flower patches is also likely to increase foraging efficiency. How do bees establish and develop routes linking flower visits at multiple locations which minimise search times and/or distances flown? Do bees use simple rules of thumb which generate reasonably economical routes or more sophisticated route optimisation strategies? Raine NE, Chittka L. 2008. Proc. Royal Society B 275:803-808.
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The species specific cephalic secretions of the homoplasic and oligolectic bumblebees Bombus consobrinus and Bombus gerstaeckeri Pierre Rasmont, Michael Terzo, Audrey Coppée, Irena Valterova Université de Mons-Hainaut, Laboratoire de Zoologie, Place du Parc, B-7000 Mons, Belgium Email: [email protected] Bombus gerstaeckeri Morawitz and B. consobrinus Dalhbom are both members of the subgenus Megabombus DT, characterised by the longest tongue in the bumblebees. Both taxa show a similar morphology. They are both highly specialised, foraging on the same very special resource: pollen and nectar of Aconitum spp. All the parts of these Ranunculaceae are impregnated with aconitin, a highly toxic alkaloid. B. gerstaeckeri inhabits the woody subalpine level in the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Carpathian and the Caucasus while B. consobrinus lives in the Palaearctic boreal taiga from Norway to the West to the Kamchatka, to the East. These characteristics could lead to the hypothesis that gerstaeckeri and consobrinus are just one single species with a classical boreo-alpine disjunction. However, Hines et al. recently show that they are phylogenetically distinct. The main tool of species specific mating recognition for the bumblebees is the cephalic labial gland secretion sprayed by the males during the nuptial flight. Highly differenciated cephalic secretions are always related to different species. To verify the specific status of B. gerstaeckeri and B. consobrinus, the authors sampled and analysed the chemical respective composition of their cephalic labial gland. The result is without any doubt: gerstaeckeri and consobrinus are confirmed as two well different species. This example shows that a converging way of life could lead to an extremely homoplasic morphology. In such cases, only genetical and biochemical evidences could clarify the relationships. Land management for the conservation of the great yellow bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus Nicola Redpath, Dave Goulson, Kirsty Park, Dave Beaumont S SBES, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, SCOT, United Kingdom Email: [email protected] Once widespread across much of the UK, Bombus distinguendus is now found only in the very north and west of Scotland. The decline of this species, and that of several other Bombus species, has been linked to the progressive intensification of agricultural practices both within the UK and across much of Western Europe. B.distinguendus, although not considered to be a habitat specialist, is now strongly associated with the machair grasslands of North West Scotland. A global rarity itself, Scottish machair is traditionally a cultivated landscape on which crofting communities graze livestock and grow crops. It is these low intensity farming systems which have allowed the machair vegetation, and the species which rely upon it, to flourish. However, the competitive agricultural market has seen crofting become an increasingly financially unviable agricultural strategy. As a result, the abandonment of traditional crofting practices such as small scale rotational cropping has allowed some areas of machair to become rank and degraded, loosing floral diversity as a result. As a vital foraging resource for B. distinguendus and other rare Bombus species, it is
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important that techniques are developed in order to restore floral diversity to areas of machair which have become degraded as a result of changes in land use. This research looks both at how best to restore key forage plants to areas of degraded machair and also aims to establish how current land management techniques implemented on the machair, influence the abundance of rare Bombus species. Recent advances in Chronic bee paralysis virus study Magali Ribière, Philippe Blanchard, Frank Schurr, Violaine Olivier, Olivier Celle, Isabelle Massou, Richard Thiéry, Jean-Paul Faucon Unité pathologie de l’abeille, AFSSA-LERPRA B.P. 111, 06902 Sophia Antipolis, France Email: [email protected] Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) is the aetiological agent of an infectious and contagious disease of adult honey bees known as chronic paralysis. Over the past few years, several outbreaks of trembling symptoms caused by CBPV have occurred in France. This led our laboratory to conduct studies in order to improve the knowledge on this agent and on the disease. Full-length nucleotide sequences for the two major RNAs of CBPV have been characterized, leading to the development of molecular diagnostic tools that can be used to detect and quantify genetically variable viral isolates. A two steps Real-Time PCR viral quantification technique allowed us to quantify the presence of the CBPV genome and its distribution, both within bees (at the individual level) and within the hive (including bees, faeces and Varroa destructor). Moreover, detection of CBPV is reported for the first time in two species of ants (Camponotus vagus and Formica rufa). These results suggest that different modes of transmission of CBPV may occur and that different hosts may act as reservoir in the proximity of an apiary. The viral RNA and its replicative form were observed by in situ hybridization (ISH) in somata and neuropile regions of honey bee brains. Presence of the virus was observed mainly at the level of the integrative centres and sensory neuropiles, which could explain the nervous symptoms observed in diseased honey bees. The improved knowledge on the CBPV genome, sequence and variability, has allowed us to develop better tools to follow virus dissemination both within the bees and within the hive and ways of spread. Survey of European bee surveillance programmes and collation of bee population data Jane Richardson, Sergio Potier Rodeia, EFSA focal point network European Food Safety Authority – EFSA, Assessment Methodology Unit, Largo Natale Palli 5/A, I-43100 Parma, Italy Email: [email protected] Since 2003 there have been reports in Europe and America of serious losses of bees from beehives. This phenomenon has been called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD is characterised by the rapid loss from a colony of its adult bee population. In order to assess the current situation with regard to bee surveillance programmes in Europe a short questionnaire was distributed to member states through the EFSA focal
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point network. The questionnaire requested information on surveillance programmes monitoring collapse, weakening and mortality in bees and data on honey production and bee populations. Twenty member states and Norway completed and returned the questionnaire. This identified sixteen bee surveillance programmes in fifteen member states. Addtionally member states are colaborating in the international COLOSS Network (Prevention of honeybee Colony Losses) which aims to explain and prevent large scale losses of honeybee colonies. In order to investigate further the phenomena of colony collapse disorder in Europe, EFSA plans to launch a funded project open to competent organisations, designated by the Member States and approved by the EFSA Management Board, which may assist the Authority with its mission (under Article 36 of the Regulation EC 178/2002). The planned objectives of the project are as follows 1) Collation of the historical data on bee mortality rates and colony losses from the member state surveillance programmes identified in the questionnaire 2) Review of reports referenced in the questionnaire and existing scientific literature on possible causes of colony collapse disorder and bee mortality Colony losses and Nosema infections in Germany Wolfgang Ritter National Reference Laboratory for Notifiable Bee Diseases (CVUA), Am Moosweiher 2, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany Email: [email protected] Abstract not received
Bridging the gap. The amateur/professional interface
Stuart PM Roberts & SG Potts
Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (CAER), School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, RG6 6AR, UK Email: [email protected] Access to knowledge of the biology, ecology and distribution of solitary and social bees is becoming increasingly important. However, data are often scattered in the huge and diverse literature, very little of which is easily accessible to research professionals working in pollination, landscape ecology and population genetics. In many countries, amateur entomologists can provide a wealth of knowledge and experience and are generally very happy to make their observations and data available to advise conservation and underpin analytical work. Bringing the two groups together is desirable and allows new areas of research to be pursued and mutually beneficial working relationships to develop, however confidence building exercises are often necessary. The role of the UK Bees Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS) is cited as a case study in good practice and the links the Society has built up over the last decade have included those with universities in UK and overseas, NGO’s, Statutory conservation agencies, government departments, museums and
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amateur groups elsewhere in Europe. The outcomes of these partnerships include top quality international scientific publication, popular media outputs such as TV, radio and newspaper articles and development of polices and practices to conserve bees. ALARM: Climate change and pollinators Stuart PM Roberts & SG Potts Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (CAER), School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, RG6 6AR, UK Email: [email protected] Published information on the possible effects of climate change on bees is currently limited to just a few species. The EU-funded ALARM project has developed cross-cutting links between pollination and climate change experts to provide a quantitative assessment of the projected shifts in bees under several possible future climate change scenarios. One study has looked at the potential risk for a group of bees with highly specialised pollen-foraging strategies in the genus Colletes, to become spatially uncoupled from their sources of forage. Another study has looked at a much larger suite of species for which detailed pan-European distribution and range data are available. Range reconstructions using Bayesian techniques have been made and climate change scenarios applied. By using aggregated data it has been possible to predict the extent of biome shifts and also identify which groups of species are more likely to become threatened or endangered as a result. Future land use strategies for species conservation will increasingly rely on such modelling approaches in order to ensure bees and their habitat requirements are protected under climate change. Hornets and honeybees: the examples of Vespa orientalis and Apis mellifera cypria in Cyprus and V. velutina and A. mellifera in France Rortais, A., Papachristoforou, A., Arnold, G. Laboratoire Populations, Génétique, Evolution CNRS, UPR 9034, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette – France Email: [email protected] Hornets are predators of honeybees worldwide. They attack colonies for proteins (bees) and carbohydrates (honey). However, as a result of co-evolution, honeybees which live in sympatry with such predators have developed efficient strategies to defend their nest. Conversely, species that have not evolved with these predators may be at risk when exposed to them as illustrated by the case of imported Italian honeybees (A. m. ligustica) to Asia. This study describes a case-study of co-evolution between the Cypriot honeybee Apis mellifera cypria and the oriental hornet Vespa orientalis. While thermo-balling has been described as a strategy developed by Asian honeybees (A. cerana) to kill their predator, V. mandarinia and V. simillima, another strategy namely asphyxia-balling has been found in Cyprian honeybees and is further presented. In the light of this study, discussion is made on the case of V. velutina which recently invaded France, exposes honeybee colonies to great levels of
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predation, and may have an impact on colonies because local and naïve honeybees (A. m. mellifera) did not evolve with this predator. Honeybees as bioindicators in an urban area (Seine-Saint-Denis, France) Rortais, A. , Loublier, Y. , Arnold, G. Laboratoire Populations, Génétique, Evolution CNRS, UPR 9034, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette – France Email: [email protected] Foraging activity in honeybees is an important component of the colony’s life. When visiting plants, honeybees bring back products (nectar, pollen) to the colony that mirror the diversity and quality of the environment. In addition, honeybees being very sensitive to environmental pollution, any behavioural changes among foragers is an indicator of an environmental stress. Based on these features, the present study describes tested methods for the use of honeybees as bioindicators, in particular in urban areas. In the region of Ile-de-France, three sites showing different types of anthropogenic disturbances (urban, agricultural and semi-natural) were selected. In these sites, five hives were monitored in 2007 and 2008 during the flowering period (April to September). In particular, pollen traps were set at two hives and bee traps, bee counters, cameras and scales on the three other hives. Detail analyses were conducted on pollen identification, forager’s activity and behaviour, and colony’s development Preliminary data are described for the urban site based in the Seine-Saint-Denis department which is recognized for its activities in the field of urban biodiversity conservation (ODBU: Observatoire Départemental de la Biodiversité Urbaine – Departmental Observatory of urban biodiversity). One of the main striking results of this study is the great taxonomic richness found at this site and the presence of exotic species. These results highlight the importance of conserving urban areas as reservoirs of nectariferous and melliferous resources for pollinators. Further studies need to identify the relative importance of generalist (like honeybees) versus specialist pollinators in such a floral environment. The chronology of honey bee losses in the Rhine Valley during spring 2008: an example of a worst case scenario Rosenkranz P., Wallner K. University of Hohenheim, Apicultural State institute, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany Email: [email protected] At the end of April 2008 the first damages of honey bees were reported from beekeepers in the Southern Rhine Valley. Dead, crawling and dying bees on the bottom boards and in front of the hives revealed typical symptoms of intoxication. The increasing number of damage reports indicated a widespread problem obviously related to the sowing of maize. The first analysis of poisoned bees by the JKI confirmed intoxication by Clothianidin, the active ingredient of PonchoPro®. Clothianidin dressed maize seed was used to combat the Western Corn Rootworm, a
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new pest in that region. Unfortunately, several factors contributed to a worst case scenario: 1. The seed was, at least in part, badly dressed so that the insecticide did not adhere sufficiently to the seed. 2. Many farmers used pneumatic machines for the sowing and, thereby, created dust toxic to bees. 3. Due to bad weather the sowing was delayed and the rape and orchards were flowering. Therefore, also bee colonies in larger distances from the maize were affected. 4. The weather was extremely dry, windy and without any rain for two weeks after the sowing. Unfortunately, also the “bee bread” was contaminated so that the dying of bees continued even after the end of flowering. Therefore, a collection and disposal of pollen combs from the affected colonies was organized by the State Ministry of Agriculture. Finally, nearly 12.000 honey bee colonies of more than 700 beekeepers were damaged by the loss of foragers. Additional measures are required to prevent the poisoning of bees during the sowing of dressed seed in future. The Beeshop Honey Department Anna Gloria Sabatini, Francisco Tomás-Barberán, Jozef Simúth CRA – Unità di Ricerca di Apicoltura e Bachicoltura, Via di Saliceto 80, 40128 Bologna, Italy Email: [email protected] The Honey Department is one of the four department of the Beeshop research project and its main goal is the development of novel methods for the assessment of honey quality and authenticity, also in relation to its antibacterial properties toward honeybee pathogens. New analytical methods were developed and resulted suitable for the determination of botanical origin and for the detection of honeys adulteration by sugar syrups: DRIFTS (Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy), 1D and 2D HR-NMR spectroscopy (High Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance). HPLC-MS-MS was used for the identification of markers for the botanical origin. Suitable markers were detected for Robinia, Tilia, Citrus and Eucalyptus unifloral honeys. Potential floral origin markers were also detected in chestnut, sunflower and clover honeys, but nectar was not available. An immunochemical method for the quantitative determination of apalbumin1 in honey was developed. The detection limit is very low: 5 ng of the protein in 1 g of analyzed sample of honey. This method has a potential of wide application to proving the identity of honeys and revealing their adulteration with low-cost syrups. The antibacterial properties of the collected honeys were studied in relation to the prevention of bacterial bee diseases. Agar well diffusion method was used to determine both total and non-peroxide antibacterial activity against the main bacterial strain involved in AFB and EFB. The anti quorum-sensing activities of honeys with different floral origin were evaluated, by well diffusion and liquid culture methodology. The activity resulted especially high for chestnut and linden (Tilia) honeys.
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New experimental data on the use of Rotenone as an acaricide for the control of Varroa destructor in honey bee colonies* Alberto Satta, Ignazio Floris, Pierluigi Caboni, Paolo Cabras, Martin Eguaras, Gustavo Velis Dipartimento di Protezione delle Piante, Sezione Entomologia Agraria, University of Sassari,Via E. De Nicola 9, 07100 Sassari, Italy Email: [email protected] Three slow release experimental rotenone formulations were tested to evaluate their effectiveness against Varroa destructor in colonies with sealed brood and to determine if they left residues in honey and bees wax: we evaluated cardboard strip containing 1 g rotenone and 2 types of PVC strips containing 1 (high-dose) and 0.5 (low-dose) g rotenone, respectively. In general, the efficacy of the treatments, expressed as percentage of mite mortality, were highly variable in all treatment groups (range of 0% to 96.8%). The highest effectiveness was obtained with the high-dose-PVC strips which caused an average percent mortality ranging between 47 and 69% in the adult bees and sealed brood, respectively. At the end of the treatment, rotenone residues ranged between 0.03 - 0.06 mg/kg and 1.5 – 144.0 mg/kg in honey and wax, respectively. Rotenone residues in wax were still detectable four months after the treatment period, while no residues were found in honey. The higher residues content and persistence recorded in wax samples, was probably due to the lipophilic nature of rotenone. A reduction in the amount of adults was recorded for the group treated with high-dose-PVC strips when compared to the untreated colonies. Toxicological risks connected with the use of rotenone and the low maximum level (MRL) recently fixed by European legislation (0.01 mg/kg) suggest that rotenone is not a good candidate for reducing Varroa populations in honey bee colonies. * In press in Journal of Economic Entomology, section Apiculture and Social Insects Antimicrobial peptide genes regulated by Relish in Apis mellifera Helge Schluns and Ross H Crozier School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Centre for Comparative Genomics James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia Email: [email protected] Many genes of the honeybee immune system have been identified in the honeybee genome sequence by applying bioinformatic methods. Detailed investigations of the biological functions of most genes are however still missing. In this study, the function of Relish, which is a presumed NF-κB-like transcription factor, is investigated in relation to immune effector genes. Using RNA interference and subsequently “real-time” PCR, the extent of gene silencing and gene expression were estimated. RNA interference reduced significantly the expression of the signaling gene Relish in adult bees. Furthermore, it could be demonstrated that the antimicrobial peptide genes abaecin and hymenoptaecin are regulated by Relish. The expressions of these two effector molecule genes decreased to the same degree as the expression of Relish. The expression of the antimicrobial peptide gene defensin-1, however, was not reduced suggesting defensin-1 is regulated by a different transcription factor.
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Study about the spring propolis production in beehives from Galicia Seijo-Coello M. C., Trasobares Y. & Rodríguez-Rajo, F. J. Dept. Vegetal Biology and Soil Sciences. Faculty of Sciences. University of Vigo. Campus As Lagoas, 32004 Ourense, Spain Email: [email protected] Galicia, located in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula, is an autonomous community fundamentally dedicated to the primary production, the fishing in the coast and the agriculture inland. The principal phytosociological items of this territory, located in the Eurosiberian area but very next to the Mediterranean one, originate a bee production with characteristics clearly different to the other Spanish areas. Galicia has 104.000 beehives whose fundamental dedication is the honey production. During the last years due to an important agricultural crisis the farmers had tried to get a better market quota, several initiatives related to the improvement of bee production have being established. In the case of the beekeeping an important group of beekeepers show interest in the propolis production. The University of Vigo in collaboration with the Agrupación Apícola de Galicia had intended this study. The principal subjects are: * To study the propolis production in apiaries from biogeographical areas of Galicia. * To determine the vegetal sources for propolis production. * To analyses the principal quality parameters of the product (structure, consistency, sensorial properties, wax content, oxidation index, flavonoids, etc). Cleptoparasitic bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) for monitoring the status of bee communities, and the potential of DNA barcoding in ecological studies Cory S. Sheffield, Laurence Packer, Peter G. Kevan, and Alana Taylor Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, ON Canada M3J 1P3 Email: [email protected] Bees are recognized for their global contributions to terrestrial ecosystem productivity through pollination. Recently, conservation of bees and the services they provide has received much attention, resulting in increased public awareness, development of sampling protocols and methods for analyzing diversity. However, bees themselves also show great diversity in life history attributes, and bee communities can be partitioned into functional units or “guilds” based on floral specialization, nesting preferences, life style, sociality, etc. Although several recent studies of bee communities summarize the fauna based on guilds, the potential for using guild structure to monitor the status of bees as indicators of ecosystem stress has been overlooked. The purpose of our study is to demonstrate that natural bee communities in eastern North America, despite their varying levels of similarity in species composition, display relatively uniform species abundance distributions (SAD’s). Furthermore, guild structure across communities is quite uniform, and deviation from the states observed in natural communties seems to have great potential for monitoring the state of the environment. Cleptoparasitic bees may be among the most
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sensitive indicators of ecosystem status because of their dependence on the presence of populations of their hosts that in turn depend on floral abundance and diversity. Unfortunately, many species (e.g., Nomada, Sphecodes) are difficult to distinguish. Nevertheless, DNA barcoding as a tool for species-level identification offers great potential in bee community ecology that allows analyses of SAD’s and functional guild structure. Lack of recombination hotspots in the honey bee: consequences for whole genome screening Michel Solignac, Florence Mougel, and Dominique Vautrin M. Solignac Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France Email: [email protected] A pilot study on the two smallest chromosomes of the honey bee (chromosomes 15 and 16) was done to improve the resolution of the existing linkage map. The number of genotyped individuals (about 400) and the number of markers were both considerably increased. chromosome 15 chromosome 16 Chromosome size (kb) 8,109 6,072 Chromosome size (cM) 195 138 Recombination (cM/Megabase) 24.0 22.7 Number of markers 212 165 Density (mean cM between consecutive markers) 0.92 0.84 Density (mean kb between consecutive markers) 38 37 The ratio CM/kb is very uniform along the chromosomes (with the exception of a weak decrease at the centromeric end) and similar for the two chromosomes. At a small physical scale, this ratio may fluctuate because the variance of the number of recombination is very high but the regression is very smooth when larger physical distances are considered. This observation does not preclude the possibility of recombination hotspots provided that they are distributed in one even smaller physical scale. In humans, they occur every 100 to 200 kb; if they occurred for instance every 10 kb in the honey bee they should not be detected in this map. To explore this possibility, we have studied, on chromosome 15, a region of 300 kb and about 10 cM. The detection of a significant number of recombination needed to increase the sample (3,376 drones or workers), using almost all microsatellite markers detected in the corresponding sequence: a total of 86 markers, one every 3.5 kb. We have not genotyped 86 markers in 3,376 individuals but used the bisection method. Again, the regression cM/kb is linear in this region. It seems that at the resolution reached in this study, the recombination is not localised in particular regions but occurs at random, only influenced by chance and interference. Consequently, cold spots and hot spots are probably absent in the genome of the honey bee. All the markers used for this fine scale mapping (the two small chromosomes and the 300 kb region) have been genotyped in a sample of 100 males from a drone congregation. In addition, numerous unlinked markers have been used to detect
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brothers that have consequently been removed. These data allowed calculating linkage disequilibrium (LD) between pairs of markers. There are not ideal measures of LD with microsatellites but it is clear that LD is either absent or very weak along the two chromosomes and even in the region analysed with markers distant of only 3.5 kb. What we learn from these analyses to investigate association mapping is that the traditional method using segregation in families is the only one reasonable. It is very rapid when bulk segregant analysis may be used (mixture of individuals showing the same phenotype), i.e. working with drones (brothers) or families with a single father (queens instrumentally inseminated). Seeking historical association through population analysis is for the moment unrealistic because this will be unable to detect LD in routine, even with the use of one marker every 3.5 kb that corresponds to 66,000 polymorphic markers. Antimicrobial activity of total and fractionated propolis extracts from Catamarca, Argentina Eliana Solórzano, Luis Maldonado, Enrique Bedascarrasbure, Nancy Vera, Roxana Ordoñez and María Inés Isla CONICET, National University of Tucuman, Tucumán, Argentina Email: [email protected] One of the indicators of the propolis functional quality is their antimicrobial activity. The objective of this work is to determine the antimicrobial capacity of propolis from Catamarca, Argentina, over human pathogenic bacteria which show different mechanisms of resistance to commercial antibiotics. Extracts with ethanol were prepared, according to what is described in IRAM-INTA 15935-1 Regulation. Then, sub-extracts were obtained by means of fractionated extractions with different solvents (hexane, chloroform and water). Extracts and sub-extracts evaporated and suspended back in ethanol. The content of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were determined, microbiologic (bio-autographies) tests were made and values of minimum inhibitory concentration (CIM) were established by means of the macro-dissolution in solid means method (CLSI, 2007) to 18 isolated stumps of skin and soft part infections: S. aureus, E. faecalis, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, E. cloacae, P.stuartii, M. morganii, P.aeruginosa. Test results showed that ethanolic and chloroformic extracts have an antibiotic activity with Gram positive and negative bacteria in at least three compounds. CIM values of extracts analyzed in Gram positive bacteria were similar, of the order of 100-200 µg/ml, while in Gram negative bacteria values were 10 times higher. This shows that extracts and metabolites isolated in propolis from Catamarca could be used in pharmaceutical products with antibiotic capacity against multi-resistant bacteria. Funding and Acknowledgements: CONICET, ANPCyT, CIUNT, INTA, Fundación Miguel Lillo
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Comparative study of propolis chemical and functional indicators in the Northwestern Area of Argentina Eliana Solórzano, Luis Maldonado, Enrique Bedascarrasbure, Roxana Ordoñez and María Inés Isla CONICET, National University of Tucuman, Tucumán, Argentina Email: [email protected] Propolis is a natural product produced by bees from some plants secretions. Its chemical composition and functional properties vary according to geographical origin, local flora, time and way of harvest. At international level the flavonoid content is accepted as propolis quality chemical indicator and the antioxidant capacity, as functional quality indicator. The objective of this work was to compare both parameters for Argentinian propolis. For such a purpose, 21 samples taken from the Northwestern area of Argentina, provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca, Tucuman and Santiago del Estero were analyzed. The samples were taken from beehives placed in different phytogeographic areas: Woodland (Monte) or prepuneña, Chaco forest (bosque chaqueño), high Andean province (provincia altoandina), yunga and transition between yunga and Chaco forest. Extracts were prepared according to IRAM-INTA 15935-1 Regulation. Dry weight, content of phenolic compounds and total flavonoids were determined in the obtained ethanolic extracts and their antioxidant capacity was quantified. Most of the analyzed propolis showed a content of phenolic compounds that ranged between 5 and 8 mg/mL while the total flavonoid content ranged between 2 and 5 mg/mL. All propolis showed antioxidant capacities with CD50 (purifier concentration of 50% of free radicals) values between 4 and 9 µg/mL. Propolis which came from beehives placed in the phytogeographic area of Woodland Province (Provincia del Monte) were the most active ones, with CD50 values ranging between 4,5 and 6,0 µg/mL. Funding and acknowledgements: CONICET, ANPCyT, CIUNT, INTA, Fundación Miguel Lillo. Genetic differentiation across a social transition: the facultatively eusocial sweat bee, Halictus rubicundus Soro, Antonella; Field, Jeremy; Bridge, Cathy; Paxton, Robert J S School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] The step from solitary to social behaviour is universally recognised as one of the major transitions in the evolution of life and, as such, it is a central focus of evolutionary biology both from the theoretical and empirical points of view. Halictus rubicundus is a facultatively eusocial halictid bee species which is solitary in cool regions of its distributional range and social in warmer ones. This is probably because in cold regions the growing season is too short to support social populations that require sequential worker and reproductive broods. Our research aims are to understand whether the inhibition or expression of social behaviour in Halictus rubicundus is genetically based or a plastic response to environmental conditions. We genotyped 358 females from 8 populations (3 social populations and 5 solitary
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populations) at 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci with the specific objective to quantify genetic differentiation and gene flow among populations and social phenotypes of H. rubicundus across Great Britain and Ireland. If the expression of eusociality is fixed rather than a plastic response to environmental conditions, our expectation is for greater genetic differentiation between eusocial and solitary population pairs than between pairs of eusocial populations or between pairs of solitary populations. Wright’s F statistics revealed isolation by distance: the greater the geographic distance between a pair of populations, the greater the genetic differentiation, irrespective of whether populations were solitary or social. These results were confirmed with a Bayesian clustering approach (STRUCTURE), which grouped the eight populations according to their geographical locations rather than to their social status. The population genetic data therefore provided indirect evidence against a genetic basis to eusociality in H. rubicundus in Great Britain and Ireland. Queen fight - an example for lethal intraspecific conflicts Sebastian Spiewok and Peter Neumann Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany Email: [email protected] Monogyny in honeybees can be restored after swarming via lethal duels among virgin queens (VQ) initiated by a fighting releaser. Since polygyny is also only temporary after colony mergers, we also expected older (OQ) and recently mated queens (MQ) to fight. However, OQ might be less successful in duels than MQ or VQ. Duels of paired queens were conducted in Petri dishes: 10 VQ-pairs (<7 days old), 8 MQ-pairs (4 weeks), 10 OQ-pairs (~1 year) and 15 VQ vs. OQ-pairs. The numbers of contacts, attacks (bending of the abdomen) and fights (aggression for >5 s) were recorded for 10 min. Significant higher proportions of the contacts in VQ and MQ led to attacks or fights compared to OQ. Similarly, more duels were lethal in VQ and MQ compared to OQ. Three of the VQ vs. OQ duels were not lethal. VQ attacked more often than OQ and in all but one fatal duel, the OQ was killed. The fact that MQ and OQ were still attacked indicates the presence of the fighting releaser regardless of age. However, OQ are less aggressive and less efficient in killing opponents, probably due to swollen abdomen (egg production) and the protection of an established queen by her workers. It has been suggested that cutting the mandibles of queens induces low aggressiveness due to a self-assessment of poor fighting ability allowing a multiple queen management. In our Petri dish experiments, such queens were however still capable to kill each other and showed no reduced aggressiveness.
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Hive bottom monitoring and its use in control of bee diseases Dalibor Titera Bee Research Iinstitute Dol, Czech Republic Email: [email protected] In cases of high infestation bee colonies cannot survive without the beekeeper’s help. A common target is minimization of chemical treatment. The ways of monitoring colony health status from hive bottom pads were tested. We developed simple and cheap methods for wide usage by hobby and professional beekeepers. The wax debris collected during winter and summer periods was investigated for intensity of Varroa parasitism and presence of Paenibacillus larvae, the cause of AFB. Obtained results were used for the choice of optimal treatment of colonies against Varroa mites. In cases of high content of Paenibacillus larvae spores in debris, we used these results as a cue for hive inspections and final diagnosis. The efficacy of this system in countrywide practice was evaluates in co-operation with local inspectors of the State veterinary administration and Czech Beekeepers Union. A correlation between level of beekeeper care and colony losses was found. The farms with good levels of disease control had minimal losses. Development time of honeybee workers in cell of different sizes Adam Tofilski, Krystyna Czekonska Department of Pomology and Apiculture, Agricultural University, 29 Listopada 54, 31-425 Krakow, Poland Email: [email protected] In honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies comb cell size affects the reproductive success of Varroa destructor mites. This can be related to length of development time of honeybees reared in cells of different sizes. The aim of this study was to verify if the sell size affects the post-capping development time of workers reared in them. Four honeybee colonies housed in observation hives were used. In each of the colonies three pieces of fully built comb where replaced with pieces of foundation with cells of different sizes: 4.9, 5.1 and 5.7 mm. The pieces of foundation were placed one above the other. Each cell size was represented at least once in each of the three positions. The fragments of comb of different sizes were video recorded using cameras connected with PC computer. The collected data were analyzed to determine the time of cell sealing and the time of emergence of bees. The post-capping development times (±SD) in cell 4.9, 5.1 and 5.7 mm wide were 287.3 ± 5.1, 285.6 ± 5.4, and 286.4 ± 4.2 hours, respectively. The differences in the post-capping development time were not statistically significant. Also the position of brood on the frame (top, middle or bottom) did not affect significantly the development, but there were statistically significant differences between colonies.
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Virus infections in queen brood from queen rearing apiaries Grazyna Topolska Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Vetrinary Medicine, 02-786 Warsaw, Ciszewskiego 8 Email: [email protected] The quality of the honeybee queen is one of the main factors determining success in beekeeping. Beekeepers often buy queens which have the desired features in queen rearing apiaries. However the process of queen rearing is disturbed from time to time by different factors, among which are infections, also caused by viruses. The dead queen brood from six queen-rearing apiaries was investigated by AGID test for BQCV, SBV and ABPV and by RT-PCR for BQCV genome. BQCV was found as a cause of queen brood death in 66% of cases. Infected queen cells contained spinning larvae, prepupae and light (white or pink)-eyed pupae, whose colour had changed in various degrees and ranged from pale yellow to completely dark. 40% of those queen cells had black walls. The most common manifestation of the infection was the presence of pale yellow light-eyed pupae in normal queen cells (27%), followed by partially or completely darkened spinning larvae or prepupae in black queen cells (12%). SBV was present in 8% and ABPV in 2% of queen cells. Queen larvae (on the first or on the fifth day after hatching from eggs) were experimentally infected with black queen cell virus. The experiment showed that queen larvae can be successfully infected with BQCV by adding the virus suspension into royal jelly ingested by larvae. Either young larvae – in the first day after hatching, or older larvae - the day before cell capping - are susceptible to such an infection. Sex-biased dispersal in a facultatively eusocial sweat bee, Halictus rubicundus David Trew; Antonella Soro; Jeremy Field; Cathy Bridge; Robert J. Paxton S School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] Population viscosity has been considered to be a factor that may favour the evolution of sociality via kin selection as it leads to the grouping of kin. For the Hymenoptera, in which females but not males form societies, reduced dispersal of females (versus males) may promote sociality. Little is known of the relative dispersal of males versus females, particularly for the socially labile sweat bees (family Halictidae). We attempt to infer relative dispersal of males versus females in the facultatively eusocial Halictus rubicundus through genetic analysis of mothers and their daughters. The species nests in the ground, usually in discrete aggregations of nests, and there is strictly one foundress female per nest. Using microsatellite loci specifically developed for this species, relatedness of ground nesting foundress females is correlated with the physical proximity of their nest entrances. An equivalent measure is generated for their mates (inferred from daughter genotypes), and compared to that of females to test whether dispersal at the fine scale of 10’s to 100’s of metres is male biased.
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Antipathogenic activity of honeys from different monofloral origins P. Truchado, F. López-Gálvez, M. I. Gil, F.A. Tomás-Barberán and A. Allende Research Group on Quality, Safety and Bioactivity of Plant Foods. Department of Food Science and Technology. CEBAS-CSIC. P. O. Box 164, 30100, Campus Espinardo, Murcia, Spain. Email: [email protected] The antimicrobial properties of honey are well recognized. These properties are usually attributed to osmosis and also to antibacterial activity of hydrogen peroxide and other non-peroxide compounds. Honey has been considered as a natural food preservative due to this antimicrobial activity. However, the antimicrobial properties of honey might only represent one facet of the anti-infective potential as the capacity to inhibit the interaction between the bacterium and the food is also of great interest for avoiding food spoilage. It is known that bacterial cell-to-cell communication or quorum sensing (QS) is an important mechanism that regulates a large number of bacterial physiological functions, including pathogenicity. QS is a population-dependent phenomenon, where signalling molecules, called autoinducers, mediate the ability to detect the size of a bacterial population. Thus, the interference of this communication system can render pathogenic bacteria non virulent. However, nothing has been published regarding the anti-QS activity of honey. In this study, the anti-QS properties of 14 honeys from different monofloral origins using Cromobacterium violaceum as a bacteriological monitor system were evaluated. It was observed that all tested honeys were able to inhibit the production of N-acyl-homoserine lactones, the autoinducer molecules of QS systems in C. violaceum. However, the honey concentration needed to inhibit AHLs production varied with the different floral origins. Additionally, honeys from the same floral origin and different geographical locations showed similar anti-QS activity. Chestnut and Linden honeys showed the highest anti-QS activity at 200 µg/mL. Thus, the compounds responsible of this antipathogenic activity could be the same compounds that determined their floral origin. Acknowledgements: This work was funded by the European Union (Project FOOD 2006—022568-BEESHOP). Assessment of phenolic composition of honeys from different floral origins P. Truchado, F. Ferreres, A. Allende, F.A. Tomás-Barberán S Research Group on Quality, Safety and Bioactivity of Plant Foods. Department of Food Science and Technology. CEBAS-CSIC. P. O. Box 164, 30100, Campus Espinardo, Murcia, Spain. Email: [email protected] The phenolic composition of honey is variable and depends on its floral and geographical origins. In this study, the phenolic composition of six honeys of different floral origins (rhododendrom, rosemary, orange blossom, taraxacum, lucerne, and cherry blossom) has been analysed. Flavonoids such as flavonols, flavones, and flavanones, as well as hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and abscisic acid isomers, were identified and quantified in each unifloral honey. Phenolic compounds were isolated by solid-phase extraction with cartridges Sep-Pak C18 and characterized by HPLC-DAD-MS-MS. The chromatographic profiles of the phenolic fractions
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indicated that most of the honeys have similar but, quantitatively different, phenolic profiles (685-6471 ųg / 100 g of honey). The main flavonoids detected in all the honey samples were propolis-derived compounds such as pinocembrin, pinobanksin and chrysin. Additionally, flavonoid glycosides were also detected in all samples, although they were present in smaller proportions than flavonoid aglycones (10-565 ųg / 100 g). However, these flavonoid glycosides could not be correlated with the floral origin, except for the flavanone hesperitin-7-rutinoside, which has been previously detected in orange blossom honey and proposed as a floral marker for this type of honey. Variable amounts of abscisic acids (111-543 ųg /100 g honey) were only detected in rhododendrom, taraxacum, lucerne, and cherry blossom honeys. These results indicate that honey is a natural product that could be used as a source of antioxidant compounds mainly due to its rich composition in phenolic compounds, which concentration depend on their floral and geographical origins. Acknowledgements: This work was funded by the European Union (Project FOOD 2006—022568-BEESHOP). Morphometric variation in honey bees as revealed by geometric morphometrics and traditional multivariate morphometrics Rahsan I. Tunca, Zerrin Gulduren, Tugrul Giray, Meral Kence, Aykut Kence S Middle East Technical University, Department of Biology, 06531 Ankara, Turkey Email: [email protected] In order to compare three subspecies of honey bees from Turkey, we have measured 17 characters from wings for classical morphometric and we have determined 19 landmarks on the wings for geometric morphometric analysis followed by Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA). Our aim was to compare the efficiency in separation of three subspecies by two types of morphometric analyses. Both methods seem to be efficient in separation of the subspecies. Classical morphometrics is slightly better than geometric morphometrics in order to differentiate honey bee races. This may be due to the size differences between the three races. Size relationship between three races can be summarized as follows; A. m. caucasica >A. m. carnica >A. m. syriaca. The size differences are in agreement with the prediction obtained from altitude and latitude of the localities that subspecies are found. CVA based on the Geometric morphometrics data also differentiates the races quite well showing the shape differences between the three races. Deformation grids of the landmarks demonstrate the shape differences in the wings of honey bees. Homologous points in the wings indicate an elongation of the wing in A. m. carnica whereas deformation grid pattern suggests some shrinking in the wings of syriaca. A. m. caucasica shows some expansion in the mid region of the wing. Geometric morphometrics differentiate the taxa in terms of shape differences independent of the environmental effects. Thus it can be used to unravel the evolutionary relationships between the subspecies compared.
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Honeybees from Bulgaria analyzed morphometrically and compared with a neighboring population from Turkey R.I. Tunca, E. Ivanova, M. Kence S Middle East Technical University, Department of Biology, 06531 Ankara, Turkey Email: [email protected] Geometric and traditional morphometric analyses were used to determine the differentation of honeybee populations from 11 locations of Bulgaria and one from Thrace region of Turkey. Eigth metric characters of right wings of 333 bees used for classical morphometric analysis and 19 landmarks were labeled on the rigth wings of the same bees for geometric morphometric analysis. Both analyses when applied to all populations separated all Bulgarian bees into one cluster, Turkish population into another. Traditional morphometrics had a better separation between Bulgarian and Turkish bees along the first axis of CVA which has size components in it. In geometric morphometric analysis scatter of Turkish and Bulgarian bees overlaps to some extent. Geometric morphometrics differentiate the taxa in terms of shape differences independent of the environmental effects. Thus it can be used to unravel the evolutionary relationship between the subspecies compared. Geometric morphometric analysis reflects evolutionary differentiation between the shapes of honey bees in different populations in comparison to traditional morphometrics where size differences contribute to separation. Assessing the potential impact of declining insect pollination service to crops in Europe Bernard E. Vaissière, Nicola Gallai, Gabriel Carré, Riccardo Bommarco, Kristin Krewenka, Nicolas Morison, Simon G. Potts, Stuart P.M. Roberts, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Jean-Michel Salles, Hajnalka Szentgyörgyi, Catrin Westphal, Michal Woyciechowski INRA, UMR 406 Abeilles et environnement, 84914 Avignon cedex 9, France Email: [email protected] In Europe, 80% of crop species are dependent upon or benefit from pollination by insects, and mostly bees. Insect pollination is both a major ecosystem service that contributes to human well-being and a production practice used by farmers. Wild bees contribute to the pollination of most crop species and their importance are increasingly recognised since their foraging activity as well as their interaction with honey bees can significantly enhance the overall pollinating activity. Yet significant declines have been reported for wild bee populations and honey bee colonies alike in Europe. We quantified the relative importance of autonomous self-pollination, wind pollination and the pollination service provided by insects in annual entomophilous field crops over 7 to 10 sites located over a gradient of increasing semi-natural habitats in five pairs of crop-European country (ALARM EU project) : buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum in Poland, cantaloupe Cucumis melo in France, field bean Vicia faba in the UK, spring oilseed rape Brassica napus in Sweden, and strawberry Fragaria x ananassa in Germany. Pollination service was measured on a whole plant basis, rather than using flower samples, so as to have direct access to yield data as
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well the quality and value of the production. Based on these results and also a larger review (Klein et al. 2007. Proc. Roy. Soc. B. 274:303-313), the potential impacts of pollinator decline on European agriculture will be presented in agronomic terms and also in terms of economic vulnerability. Impact of pollen feeding on the pollinating activity of honey bee colonies in enclosures Vaissière, B E, Morison, N, Carré, G INRA, UMR 406 Abeilles et environnement, 84914 Avignon cedex 9, France Email: [email protected] Most of the crop species that provide our food worldwide are dependent upon or benefit from pollination by insects, and mostly bees. Honey bees are indigenous to the Old World, but are used extensively for crop pollination all over the world. Yet there has been rising concern over the sharp decline in honey bee colonies (e.g. CCD) and the possible negative impact on the wild bee fauna of high colony stocking rates used for crop pollination. However, there has been remarkably little work done to date to try to improve the pollinating activity of honey bee colonies. In enclosures, pollen can be a scarce resource that must be shared between the bees for food and the stigmas for pollination. Feeding pollen to honey bee colonies is known to reduce pollen collection and so we inferred that it might also affect their pollinating activity for crops where nectar foragers are effective pollinators. We tested over several years the impact of feeding pollen to honey bee colonies placed in greenhouses with monoecious cantaloupe and measured the effect on the individual pollination effectiveness of foragers as well as the overall pollinating activity of the colony. Feeding pollen significantly increased both the amount of conspecific pollen deposited onto a stigma following individual visits as well as the overall amount of conspecific pollen deposited onto the stigmas of the open-pollinated flowers in the enclosure. The consequence of these results will be explored as well as their applicability in the open. Pitfalls on the way to passive bioindication and biomonitoring of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals with honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) J. van der Steen Plant Research International, bees@wur, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen Email: [email protected] Bioindication is basically interpreting the concentration of substances in organisms. Bioindication of the atmospheric deposition of the heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, V, Cu, Pb, Zn and the non heavy metal Mg was evaluated in perspective of the biological baseline concentration (BBC) and the environmental memory of the individual honey bee and of the colony. It was concluded that, because there is little knowledge of the BBC and because of long time storage of food and indirect feeding of the brood, bioindication with honey bees of pollution of metals that have a BBC in bees is hard to interpret. Metals that are assumed to have no BBC in bees can be bioindicated. To evaluate the biomonitor capacity of honey bee colonies for these
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metals, the relationship between metal concentration in the bees (µg g bee-1) and metal concentration in the air (ng m-3) was calculated. As there was no consistent relationship between the concentration in the bee and in the air, biomonitoring of actual load of heavy metals in the air with honey bee colonies was not possible. Sample composition is a crucial condition of the bioindication process. Therefore the location of age classes was recorded. It was shown that on all frames the composition of the age classes is similar: a quarter bees of one week, a quarter bees of two weeks, a quarter bees of three weeks and a quarter bees of five and six weeks old. Dutch Trial on beecolony losses 2008-2009, first findings R. van der Zee, O. Bakker, M. Higes, A. Martin Hernandez Durk Dijkstrastr. 10 Tersoal 9014 cc, The Netherlands Email:[email protected] May 2008 a cohort study was started in the Netherlands to observe if a specific combination of possible determinants in honeybees would result in colony losses with a CCD character. Samples are/shall be taken in May 2008, September 2008, May 2009 and September 2009. Data on the presence of viruses, Nosema ssps, Varroa pressure and colonydevelopment are collected in 4 groups, (1) 50 colonies at the isolated island Texel (Ncol = 156) where no ccd losses are observed, (2) 139 colonies at the island Terschelling (Ncol. = 148) where due to some import Nosema ceranae is present and a first case of colony loss with ccd character was observed in spring 2008, (3) 30 colonies at the isolated island Schiermonnikoog (Ncol = 30) where the honeybee population was reconstructed in 2003 after a loss of all colonies in autumn 2002 , and (4) 60 colonies from 12 apiaries on the mainland where severe colony losses with ccd character took place. Varroa destructor is present in all the colonies included in the trial. First findings will be presented. Morphological development of artificially and naturally reared honeybees Jutta Vollmann, Ulrike Riessberger-Gallé, Karl Crailsheim Department for Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria Email: [email protected] In vitro rearing of honeybees is an effective method to test the toxicity of various substances (e. g. pesticides). A goal of rearing honeybees in the laboratory is to get well developed individuals, for testing various parameters. For our studies we transferred larvae into plastic queen cups at the age of 5-10h, fed them 6 days once a day with a solution consisting of royal jelly and sugar-yeast dilution (rearing method slightly modified after Aupinel et al., 2005). We compared the development of artificially and naturally reared individuals of the same colonies (9-50 individuals per class of age). In two out of three investigated colonies significant differences of weight between artificially and naturally reared bee brood could be detected at the age of 1-2.5d, but no differences of development of mouthparts and insertion of wings could be found. From an age of 3d on artificially reared bee brood was significant lighter, but we only
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found differences of the development of the mouthpart and insertion of wings at the age of 3-4.5d. The mouthpart and insertion of wings of 5-8.5d old artificially reared larvae corresponded to the age, but the metamorphoses to pupal stage started 1-2d later. Although a delay of development of 1-2d of artificially reared bee brood could be detected, no differences of emerged bees were found except some artificially reared bees had deformed wings, perhaps effected by the influence of falling temperature during feeding the larvae. The artificially reared individuals compensate a lag during development till eclosion. Protein content of artificially and naturally reared bee brood Jutta Vollmann, Ulrike Riessberger-Gallé, Bernhard Leonhard, Karl Crailsheim Department for Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria Email: [email protected] A goal of in vitro rearing is to get well developed individuals for testing various effects. To verify the quality of artificially raised bee brood we compared the protein content of artificially and naturally raised larvae. For our investigations we grafted larvae into plastic queen cups at the age of 5-10h, fed them 6 days once a day with a solution consisting of royal jelly and sugar-yeast dilution (slightly modified after Aupinel et al., 2005). The protein content of the artificially and naturally reared brood was analysed and calculated as percent of fresh weight (9-36 individuals per class of age; test of significant differences: Mann-Whitney P<0.05). In two out of three investigated colonies a significant lower protein content could be found in the artificially reared larvae till the age of 3.5d in comparison to the naturally reared larvae (artificially reared 6.31+0.75% - 7.46+2.05%, naturally reared 8.01+1.15% - 9.28+1.41%). In the brood of one colony we found a significant higher protein content in the artificially reared larvae at the age of 1-1.5d (artificially reared 9.34+3.63%, naturally reared 8.12+1.34%). From an age-group of 4-4.5d old larvae either a significant higher protein content in the artificially reared brood or no significant differences in the protein content could be found. Just in one colony a significant lower protein content of the 4-4.5d old artificially reared larvae was detected (artificially reared 6.46+0.75%, naturally reared 7.49+0.70%). These results indicate that a well suppliance of artifically reared bee brood is ensured by using this method. Effects of seed dressed and sprayed pesticides on pollen, nectar and honey of oil seed rape Klaus Wallner and Sophie Göser University Hohenheim, National Bee Unit, August-von-Hartmann-Str. 13, D-70593 Stuttgart; Germany Email: [email protected] In addition to environmental pollutants and substances used in beekeeping, plant protection pesticides belong to the main contaminants of pollen, nectar and honey. Considerable quantities of such products in pollen und nectar are known to be a consequence of fungicide applications during the blooming phase of orchards or oil seed rape fields. Seed dressing with systemic insecticides is regarded to be another
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source. High sensitive LC-MS/MS methods were used to record the dynamics of residues of the fungicides Boscalid and Prothioconazole after the time of application. Pollen and nectar of returning forager bees of two colonies were collected and analysed. Additionally Clothianidin, used as a systemic seed dressing insecticide, was included the analytical program. After the blooming period these substances were checked in extracted honey. All substances could be detected in trace amounts in unripe nectar. In honey, however, only the fungicides were found in varying levels; Clothianidin was not detectable with a 1 ppb detection limit in honey. Pollen loads of forager bees were only positive for Boscalid. The potential costs of inbreeding in bumblebees Penelope Whitehorn S School of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK Email: [email protected] In recent years a number of bumblebee species in the UK have suffered severe population declines and range contractions, with the rarer species being the most severely affected. Isolated populations of these rare species are becoming inbred and have been shown to have a reduced genetic diversity and incidences of potentially costly diploid males. An additional cost of this loss of genetic diversity could be an increased susceptibility to parasites thus further driving the rare species towards extinction. This study aims to examine the costs of inbreeding in bumblebees, in terms of susceptibility to parasites and the production of diploid males. The first step towards achieving this aim is an inbreeding experiment under controlled laboratory conditions with the species Bombus terrestris. Inbred and outbred colonies were generated through matings of females and males originating from 10 laboratory colonies. The mated females started their own colonies after hibernation, generating three experimental groups: 1) Inbred colonies with diploid males; 2) Inbred colonies without diploid males; 3) Outbred control colonies. The fitness of these colonies and their susceptibility to parasites were measured. The poster will present and discuss provisional results and outline further objectives. Effects of a single plant gene controlling floral morphology on pollinator behaviour Heather M. Whitney, Lars Chittka, Beverley J. Glover Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge. CB2 3EA, UK Email: [email protected] Many plant-insect interactions occur on the plant surface, and plants can potentially use their surface to control this interaction (for example with defensive leaf trichomes). However less is known about how flowers use the petal surface to influence insect pollinators. Around 80% of angiosperm flowers produce conical cells on their petal epidermis, and their frequency and location has led to the hypothesis that these cells are produced by the flower to increase pollinator attraction. The isolation of the mixta line of Antirrhinum, which differs from the wild-type only in its
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lack of conical petal cells, provided a model system to test this hypothesis. In the field, fewer pollinators either approach or land on the mixta flowers. We have been analysing the different physical properties of conical cells, which appear to influence many surface aspects including flower colour, temperature, reflectance and traction. Using naïve bumblebees we have tested whether any of these factors influence pollinator behaviour. We have found that the absence of conical cells increases the difficulty of pollinator grip and handling of Antirrhinum flowers which leads to discrimination against mixta flowers. Pollination potential of bumblebee (Bombus spec. ) drones Stephan Wolf & Robin F. A. Moritz S Institut für Zoologie, Hoher Weg 4, 06120 Halle/S, Germany Email: [email protected] Bumblebees are among the most efficient pollinators. The pollination service of a colony is regarded to be tightly linked to foraging distance of workers. The role of flower visiting males as pollen-vectors, however, has been largely neglected. This disregards their long-distance patrolling flights and their less intensive grooming, which may well promote efficient pollen transfer. Here we compared quantity and quality of pollen on the body (pollination active pollen) of workers and males of B. lapidarius in order to assess flower constancy of drones. We could show that males visit flowers selectively exhibiting no significant difference in flower constancy compared to workers. We also found highly significant differences in pollen types preferred by either sex. Some pollen types were nearly exclusively found in one sex but not in the other. Though males carry significantly less pollen than workers (mtotal= 3229.7/ bee; wtotal = 12745.2 / bee) the mean number of the “major” pollen type on males (mmajor = 2193.75 / bee) suggests that they are likely to contribute to pollination. Our results indicate that drones not only quantitatively contribute to pollination service provided by the workers but enhance pollen-flow per bumblebee colony in both spatial scale and species spectrum of pollinated plants. This has particular implications for the gene-flow of isolated plant populations in fragmented landscapes that depend on long-distance pollen transfer. Distribution of deformed wing virus (DWV) variants in honeybee drone populations collected from hives and from drone congregation areas Orlando Yañez, Rodolfo Jaffe, Ingemar Fries, Robin Moritz, Robert Paxton, and Joachim de Miranda School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Email: [email protected] Deformed wing virus (DWV) is one of the most studied of the 18 viruses of honeybees (Apis mellifera) with a worldwide distribution. This virus is associated with malformed wings, shortened abdomens and severely reduced life span in highly infected bees, symptoms that are strongly associated with colony failure due to high
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Varroa infestation. Two natural DWV populations were found to be polymorphic for the DWV-Lp gene, with at least two distinct variants (Gotland and Ultuna) detected in a Swedish population, and two more variants (Kilkenny and Tipperary) in an Irish population. This work compares the quantitative and qualitative distribution of these DWV variants in drones collected from drone congregation areas (DCA) with similar drones collected from the contributing hives. The implications of the results for sexual DWV transmission are discussed. The distinct mating behaviour of male Varroa destructor mites is elicited by volatiles found in the females Bettina Ziegelmann, Johannes Steidle, Anne Lindenmayer, Peter Rosenkranz S Landesanstalt für Bienenkunde, Universität Hohenheim, D-70593, Stuttgart, Germany Email: [email protected] The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor can only reproduce within sealed brood cells of the honeybee Apis mellifera. One haploid male and up to 4 diploid female eggs are laid during one reproductive cycle. The mating takes place within the brood cell between the male and the young daughter females. Only adult and mated females are viable and leave the brood cell together with the hatching bee. We developed a bioassay to record the mating behaviour of the mites and to quantify the reactions of the male toward dummies treated with extracts of female mites. The whole mating process can be divided in a behavioural cascade of the male mite including palpation of the female body, ascending the female and descending to the solenostomes on the ventral side of the female where a spermatophore is transferred. Young freshly moulted females are significantly more attractive than elder (mother) mites or deutochrysalis. Obviously, the female mite becomes attractive to the male immediately after moulting. We tested different extracts of attractive females on dummies and could clearly show that volatile substances of the female mite elicit the mating behaviour of the male. These substances seem to be also present in other non-attractive mites, however in different concentrations compared to the attractive female. This is the first confirmation of a sex pheromone in female Varroa mites and may offer further possibilities for a biological control of Varroosis. Pollination of Polish Red List plants: a preliminary statistical survey Marcin Zych & Andrzej Jakubiec University of Warsaw Botanic Garden, Aleje Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warszawa, Poland Email: [email protected] One of the important problems of modern conservation biology is the lack of reliable data on plant pollination systems, especially for taxa threatened with extinction. This paper is an attempt to collect and analyze the available literature data on pollination of Polish red list plants. The Polish red list includes 469 angiosperm taxa, over 53% of them are insect-pollinated and visited mostly by bees and flies, insects that are also declining in Europe. These numbers however are mainly based on lists of flower visitors and the detailed studies of pollination biology or breeding system is available
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for less than 20% of the taxa, with further 10% almost completely unstudied in terms of their life histories. The paper indicates that there is an urgent need to study plant-pollinator relationships in order to better conserve the biodiversity in local and global scales.
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INDEX OF AUTHORS A
Allende, A .............................................................................................................................................104 Almeida, A ..............................................................................................................................................84 Andere, C................................................................................................................................................80 Annoscia, D ............................................................................................................................................76 Antùnez, K ..............................................................................................................................................13 Arnold, G ..........................................................................................................................................93, 94 Aronne, G ...............................................................................................................................................44 Ashiralieva ,A .........................................................................................................................................41 Atauri Mezquida, D ..................................................................................................................................5 Aubert, M................................................................................................................................................20 Avni, D......................................................................................................................................................5 Aytekin, A M ...........................................................................................................................................26
B
Bakker, O..............................................................................................................................................108 Bakonyi, T...............................................................................................................................................13 Balestreri, E............................................................................................................................................33 Banerjee, S..............................................................................................................................................48 Bankova, V................................................................................................................................................1 Baracani, G ..............................................................................................................................................8 Baude, M ..................................................................................................................................................6 Beaumont, D ...........................................................................................................................................90 Becher, M A ..............................................................................................................................................6 Bedascarrasbure, E ............................................................................................................ 42, 80, 99, 100 Bedini, G.................................................................................................................................................34 Behrends, A ..............................................................................................................................................7 Behrens, D ................................................................................................................................................7 Bergoin, M..............................................................................................................................................40 Bernal, J L ........................................................................................................................................51, 53 Bertelli, D ...............................................................................................................................................66 Berthoud, H ......................................................................................................................................13, 23 Besana, A .M ............................................................................................................................................8 Bianu, E ..............................................................................................................................................9, 78 Bienefeld, K ............................................................................................................................................68 Bienkowska, M..............................................................................................................................9, 42, 81 Biesmeijer, J C ...........................................................................................................................10, 54, 84 Bíliková, K ..............................................................................................................................................11 Blacquière, T ..........................................................................................................................................12 Blanchard, M P ..........................................................................................................................12, 13, 91 Boecking, O ............................................................................................................................................14 Bommarco, R ..................................................................................................................................15, 106 Bortolotti, L ......................................................................................................................................14, 66 Botías, C .....................................................................................................................................38, 51, 52 Bouga, M ....................................................................................................................................31, 50, 55 Bougeard, S ............................................................................................................................................20 Bourke, A F G.........................................................................................................................................51 Breen, J...................................................................................................................................................27 Brehm, A .................................................................................................................................................26 Bridge, C ......................................................................................................................................100, 103 Brittain, C A ...........................................................................................................................................15 Brodschneider, R ..............................................................................................................................15, 21 Brown, M ..........................................................................................................................................17, 87 Brown, M J F........................................................................................................................ 16, 24, 27, 82 Brunain, M..............................................................................................................................................25 Büchler, R.........................................................................................................................................16, 68 Buckham, T A .........................................................................................................................................16 Budge, G.................................................................................................................................................17
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Bulboa, M ...............................................................................................................................................17
C
Caboni, P................................................................................................................................................96 Cabras, P................................................................................................................................................96 Caldon, M...............................................................................................................................................46 Cameron, S .............................................................................................................................................26 Cardoen, D .............................................................................................................................................31 Carpana, E .............................................................................................................................................18 Carpentier, P ..........................................................................................................................................20 Carré, G .......................................................................................................................................106, 107 Carreck, N L ...........................................................................................................................................18 Carvell, C .........................................................................................................................................19, 51 Casellato, A ............................................................................................................................................46 Cattoli, G ................................................................................................................................................46 Cauich, O ...............................................................................................................................................88 Celle, O.......................................................................................................................................12, 13, 91 Charrière, J D ............................................................................................................................19, 23, 49 Chauzat, M-P..........................................................................................................................................20 Chioveanu, G......................................................................................................................................9, 78 Chittka, L .................................................................................................................................. 69, 89, 110 Chouza-Carou, M ...................................................................................................................................45 Chuc, J....................................................................................................................................................88 Clement, M-C .........................................................................................................................................20 Colin, M E ..............................................................................................................................................40 Coloretti, F .............................................................................................................................................18 Coppée, A .........................................................................................................................................21, 90 Cornolti, M .............................................................................................................................................86 Costa, C ..................................................................................................................................................65 Cougoule, N............................................................................................................................................20 Cougoule, N............................................................................................................................................12 Cousserans, F .........................................................................................................................................40 Crailsheim, K........................................................................................................ 15, 21, 22, 88, 108, 109 Crewe, R M.......................................................................................................................................55, 62 Crozier, R H ...........................................................................................................................................96 Cussans, J...............................................................................................................................................35 Czekonska, K ........................................................................................................................................102
D
Dag, A.................................................................................................................................................5, 22 Dainat, B ................................................................................................................................................23 Dajoz I ......................................................................................................................................................6 Dall´Olio, R ................................................................................................................................23, 72, 73 Damiani, N .............................................................................................................................................40 Danchin, E................................................................................................................................................6 Darvill, B ..........................................................................................................................................24, 66 Dauber, J ................................................................................................................................................84 Davis, E ..................................................................................................................................................24 de Graaf, D C ...................................................................................................................................25, 31 De la Rúa, P ......................................................................................................... 5, 23, 26, 35, 68, 72, 73 De Meulemeester, T................................................................................................................................26 de Miranda, J R .................................................................................................................. 28, 40, 49, 111 Dean, R...................................................................................................................................................87 Deenihan, A ............................................................................................................................................27 Del Hoyo, M ...........................................................................................................................................42 del Nozal, M J...................................................................................................................................51, 53 Del Piccolo, F...................................................................................................................................27, 76 Della Vedova, F......................................................................................................................................76 Della Vedova, G .....................................................................................................................................27 Derakhshifar, I .......................................................................................................................................69
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Dias, L ....................................................................................................................................................70 Dibos, C..................................................................................................................................................29 Dietemann,V ...........................................................................................................................................55 Dobrynin, N ............................................................................................................................................29 Drajnudel, P ...........................................................................................................................................20 Drajnudel, P ...........................................................................................................................................12 Duffy, K J................................................................................................................................................30
E
Eguaras, M J ..........................................................................................................................................96 Eguaras. M J ..........................................................................................................................................40 Ehrhardt, K.............................................................................................................................................68 Eilenberg, J ............................................................................................................................................57 El Maataoui, M.......................................................................................................................................29 El-Niweiri, M A A ...................................................................................................................................30 Emmanouel, N ............................................................................................................................31, 50, 55 Emmanouil, C .........................................................................................................................................31 Erkan, C .................................................................................................................................................80 Ernst, U R ...............................................................................................................................................31 Estevinho, L ............................................................................................................................................70
F
Fakhri, B.................................................................................................................................................80 Faucon, J-P ............................................................................................................................................20 Faucon, J-P ............................................................................................................................................12 Faucon, J-P ............................................................................................................................................91 Felicioli, A ............................................................................................................................ 32, 33, 34, 39 Ferrazzi, P ..............................................................................................................................................34 Ferreres, F............................................................................................................................................104 Ferrero, R...............................................................................................................................................34 Ferro, A ..................................................................................................................................................18 Field, J..........................................................................................................................................100, 103 Figini, E..................................................................................................................................................80 Fitzpatrick, U..............................................................................................................................16, 24, 82 Flamini, G ..............................................................................................................................................32 Fletcher, P ..............................................................................................................................................35 Flores, J M .............................................................................................................................................35 Floris, I.............................................................................................................................................40, 96 Formato, G .......................................................................................................................................36, 46 Forsgren, E...............................................................................................................................................7 Freitas, B M............................................................................................................................................53 Frey, E ....................................................................................................................................................36 Fries, I ..............................................................................................................................................7, 111 Fritz, R....................................................................................................................................................40 Fuchs, S ......................................................................................................................................48, 58, 60 Fünfhaus, A ............................................................................................................................................41
G
Gabriel, D...............................................................................................................................................84 Gajger, I T ..............................................................................................................................................37 Galián, J ...........................................................................................................................................35, 72 Galindo López, J C .................................................................................................................................61 Gallai, N ...............................................................................................................................................106 García-Palencia, P.................................................................................................................................52 Garrido, C ........................................................................................................................................37, 68 Garrido, E ..............................................................................................................................................51 Garrido-Bailón, E ......................................................................................................................38, 52, 53 Gattavecchia, E .....................................................................................................................................39 Gauthier, L .............................................................................................................................................40 Gende, L B ..............................................................................................................................................40
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Genersch, E ............................................................................................................................................41 Gennari, G..............................................................................................................................................42 Gerritsen, B C L .....................................................................................................................................12 Gerula, D......................................................................................................................................9, 42, 81 Ghini, S...................................................................................................................................................39 Giacomelli, A..........................................................................................................................................36 Gibbs, J...................................................................................................................................................43 Gil, M I .................................................................................................................................................104 Giovanetti, M..........................................................................................................................................44 Giray, T ..........................................................................................................................................58, 105 Gisder, S .................................................................................................................................................41 Giurfa, M ..................................................................................................................................................1 Glover, B J............................................................................................................................................110 Gonçalves, R...........................................................................................................................................26 González-Porto, A. V..............................................................................................................................45 Göser, S ................................................................................................................................................109 Goulson, D ....................................................................................................................... 2, 24, 66, 79, 90 Granato, A ..............................................................................................................................................46 Greco, M K .............................................................................................................................................46 Gregorc, A ........................................................................................................................................47, 86 Grillenzoni, F .........................................................................................................................................18 Gucci, R ..................................................................................................................................................32 Gulduren, Z .............................................................................................................................. 48, 58, 105
H
Haddad, N ........................................................................................................................................48, 49 Hale, R....................................................................................................................................................66 Hanley, N................................................................................................................................................79 Haristos, L ..............................................................................................................................................50 Hartmann, U...........................................................................................................................................49 Harz, M...................................................................................................................................................50 Hatjina, F .........................................................................................................................................31, 50 Haubruge, E ...........................................................................................................................................13 Heard, M S .......................................................................................................................................19, 51 Hepburn, R .............................................................................................................................................48 Hernandez, A M....................................................................................................................................108 Higes, M ........................................................................................................... 13, 38, 51, 52, 53, 85, 108 Hogg, J ...................................................................................................................................................54 Holanda Neto, J P ..................................................................................................................................53 Holzschuh, A...........................................................................................................................................54 Hutchins, C L..........................................................................................................................................54
I
Imdorf, A...........................................................................................................................................19, 23 Isla, M I ..........................................................................................................................................99, 100 Ivanova, E.......................................................................................................................................55, 106
J
Jacobs, F J..............................................................................................................................................25 Jaffé, R............................................................................................................................................55, 111 Jakubiec, A ...........................................................................................................................................112 Jarosch, A...............................................................................................................................................56 Jensen, A B .............................................................................................................................................57 Jones, B ..................................................................................................................................................17 Jones, R ............................................................................................................................................18, 87 Jordan, W ...............................................................................................................................................51
K
Kalev, H....................................................................................................................................................5 Kasprzak, S .............................................................................................................................................13
117
Keda, Or ...................................................................................................................................................5 Kence, A .........................................................................................................................................58, 105 Kence, M..................................................................................................................... 48, 55, 58, 105, 106 Kevan, P G .............................................................................................................................................97 Khoei, A N ..............................................................................................................................................80 Kilchenmann, V ......................................................................................................................................23 Kleinhenz, M.....................................................................................................................................57, 58 Köglberger, H...................................................................................................................................13, 69 Koleoglu, G ............................................................................................................................................58 Koltowski, Z......................................................................................................................................59, 60 Kostarelou, M .........................................................................................................................................50 Kralj, J....................................................................................................................................................60 Kraus, F B ..............................................................................................................................................61 Krell, R ...................................................................................................................................................61 Kremen,C..................................................................................................................................................2 Krewenka, K .........................................................................................................................................106 Kryger, P ................................................................................................................................................13 Kubersky, U ............................................................................................................................................14 Kuhn, R...................................................................................................................................................23 Kukielka, Z D..........................................................................................................................................62 Kunin, W E .......................................................................................................................................54, 84
L
Lamborn, E .............................................................................................................................................84 Langel, C ................................................................................................................................................85 Lattorff, H M G.......................................................................................................................................62 Laurenson, L...........................................................................................................................................17 Le Comber, S C ......................................................................................................................................89 Le Conte, Y .......................................................................................................................................63, 75 Lee, S ......................................................................................................................................................63 Lehrach, H..............................................................................................................................................11 Leonard, Fi.............................................................................................................................................65 León-Ruiz, V ...........................................................................................................................................45 Lindenmayer, A ....................................................................................................................................112 Lindström, A ...........................................................................................................................................64 Lodesani, M .................................................................................................................... 23, 46, 65, 72, 73 Lolli, M ...................................................................................................................................................66 Loncaric, I ..............................................................................................................................................69 López-Gálvez, F....................................................................................................................................104 Loublier, Y ..............................................................................................................................................94 Lye, G ...............................................................................................................................................24, 66
M
Macias-Macias, O ..................................................................................................................................88 Madec, F.................................................................................................................................................20 Maggi, M ................................................................................................................................................40 Maistrello, L ...........................................................................................................................................65 Maldonado, L ........................................................................................................................... 42, 99, 100 Manino, A .........................................................................................................................................67, 86 Marani, G ...............................................................................................................................................65 Marcucci, S.............................................................................................................................................32 Marris, G ................................................................................................................................................87 Martin, A ................................................................................................................................................51 Martin, J-F .............................................................................................................................................75 Martin, S...................................................................................................................................................3 Martínez, M ............................................................................................................................................17 Martín-Hernández, R...................................................................................................... 38, 51, 52, 53, 85 Massou, I ................................................................................................................................................91 Matasin, Z...............................................................................................................................................37 Mauchline, A ..........................................................................................................................................35
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May-Itzá, W de J.....................................................................................................................................68 May-Itzá, W. de J....................................................................................................................................83 McCluskey, A..........................................................................................................................................16 Meana, A ........................................................................................................................ 38, 51, 52, 53, 85 Medina,M L ............................................................................................................................................68 Medrzycki, P ...........................................................................................................................................14 Meixner, M .......................................................................................................................................16, 68 Meyer, B .................................................................................................................................................84 Milani, N...........................................................................................................................................27, 76 Molet, M .................................................................................................................................................69 Moora, M................................................................................................................................................84 Moore, P J ..............................................................................................................................................73 Moosbeckhofer, R ...................................................................................................................................69 Moreira, L ..............................................................................................................................................70 Morison, N....................................................................................................................................106, 107 Moritz, R F A .................................................................................................. 6, 7, 30, 55, 56, 62, 70, 111 Möslinger, C ...........................................................................................................................................22 Mougel, F ...............................................................................................................................................98 Mueller, F...............................................................................................................................................50 Mugabo, M ...............................................................................................................................................6 Mujagic, S...............................................................................................................................................71 Muñoz, I................................................................................................................................ 23, 35, 72, 73 Murchie, A K ..........................................................................................................................................73 Murray, T E .......................................................................................................................... 16, 24, 74, 82 Mustafa, S...............................................................................................................................................75 Mutinelli, F.............................................................................................................................................46
N
Nanetti, A......................................................................................................................................8, 39, 46 Navajas, M........................................................................................................................................63, 75 Nazzi, F.............................................................................................................................................27, 76 Nentchev, P.......................................................................................................................................76, 77 Neumann, P ........................................................................................................................ 23, 49, 78, 101 Nica, D ...............................................................................................................................................9, 78 Niccolini, A.............................................................................................................................................33 Nielsen, A ...............................................................................................................................................84 Nordhoff, M ............................................................................................................................................41
O
O’Connor, S............................................................................................................................................24 Oberlerchner, J ......................................................................................................................................69 Odemer, R...............................................................................................................................................36 Olivier, V ..........................................................................................................................................13, 91 Ordoñez, R......................................................................................................................................99, 100 Orescanin, V ...........................................................................................................................................37 Osborne, J L ...............................................................................................................................35, 51, 79 Osgathorpe, L M.....................................................................................................................................79 Özdul, F ..................................................................................................................................................80
P
Packer, L ..........................................................................................................................................43, 97 Padilla, F..........................................................................................................................................35, 72 Palacio, M A...........................................................................................................................................80 Panasiuk, B...................................................................................................................................9, 42, 81 Papachristoforou, A ...............................................................................................................................93 Park, K .............................................................................................................................................79, 90 Patetta, A ..........................................................................................................................................67, 86 Paxton, R J ....................................................................................... 16, 24, 53, 74, 82, 83, 100, 103, 111 Pech-May, F ...........................................................................................................................................83 Pereira, E ...............................................................................................................................................70
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Perez, J A................................................................................................................................................35 Petanidou, T ...........................................................................................................................................84 Petrinec, Z ..............................................................................................................................................37 Petrov, P.................................................................................................................................................55 Pietravalle, S ..........................................................................................................................................17 Pinzauti, M .................................................................................................................................32, 33, 34 Pires, S .............................................................................................................................................70, 84 Plessi, M .................................................................................................................................................66 Plischuk, S ..............................................................................................................................................85 Poljansek, L ............................................................................................................................................86 Porporato, M ....................................................................................................................................67, 86 Porrini, C ...............................................................................................................................................14 Potts, S G.......................................................................................................... 15, 35, 84, 87, 92, 93, 106 Prieto, L..................................................................................................................................................38 Pywell, R F .............................................................................................................................................19
Q
Quezada-Euán, J J G..................................................................................................................68, 83, 88
R
Rademacher, E .......................................................................................................................................50 Radloff, S ................................................................................................................................................48 Radspieler, G..........................................................................................................................................88 Raine, N E ........................................................................................................................................69, 89 Rancan, M ..............................................................................................................................................66 Rasmont, P..................................................................................................................................21, 26, 90 Ratnieks, F L W ......................................................................................................................................31 Ravallec, M.............................................................................................................................................40 Redpath, N ..............................................................................................................................................90 Reynolds, A .............................................................................................................................................79 Ribière, M...................................................................................................................................12, 13, 91 Richardson, J..........................................................................................................................................91 Riedel, M ................................................................................................................................................69 Riessberger-Gallé, U ........................................................................................................ 15, 21, 108, 109 Ritter, W .................................................................................................................................................92 Roberts, S P M.................................................................................................................... 87, 92, 93, 106 Rodeia, S P .............................................................................................................................................91 Rodríguez, G...........................................................................................................................................42 Rodríguez-Rajo, F J................................................................................................................................97 Roetschi, A........................................................................................................................................19, 49 Roos, S ....................................................................................................................................................16 Rortais, A..........................................................................................................................................93, 94 Rosenkranz, P ..................................................................................................................... 36, 75, 94, 112 Rothery, P...............................................................................................................................................19
S
Sabatini, A G ..............................................................................................................................14, 66, 95 Saccares, S..............................................................................................................................................36 Salles, J-M ............................................................................................................................................106 Sánchez-Vizcaíno, J M......................................................................................................................17, 62 Santoro, D ..............................................................................................................................................44 Satta, A ...................................................................................................................................................96 Scheiner, R................................................................................................................................................7 Schluns, H...............................................................................................................................................96 Schmickl, T .......................................................................................................................................22, 88 Schoofs, L ...............................................................................................................................................31 Schurr, F.....................................................................................................................................12, 13, 91 Seeley, T ...................................................................................................................................................3 Seijo-Coello, M C .............................................................................................................................45, 97 Serrano, J ............................................................................................................................... 5, 35, 68, 72
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Settele, J .................................................................................................................................................87 Sgolastra, F ............................................................................................................................................14 Shafir, S ....................................................................................................................................................5 Sheffield, C S ..........................................................................................................................................97 Simúth, J ...........................................................................................................................................11, 95 Skerl, M I S .............................................................................................................................................47 Skowronek, W .........................................................................................................................................81 Smith, A ..................................................................................................................................................79 Sõber, V ..................................................................................................................................................84 Soci, M....................................................................................................................................................33 Solignac, M...................................................................................................................................7, 62, 98 Solórzano, E ...................................................................................................................................99, 100 Soro, A ..........................................................................................................................................100, 103 Spiewok, S.............................................................................................................................................101 Steffan-Dewenter, I.........................................................................................................................84, 106 Steidle, H ................................................................................................................................................75 Steidle, J ...............................................................................................................................................112 Stelzer, R J..............................................................................................................................................69 Stout, J C ..........................................................................................................................................30, 84 Suchail, S ................................................................................................................................................29 Szentgyörgy, H......................................................................................................................................106
T
Tautz, J ...................................................................................................................................................58 Taylor, A.................................................................................................................................................97 Termansen, M .........................................................................................................................................54 Terzo, M .................................................................................................................................................90 Tesoriero, D............................................................................................................................................14 Thenius, R...............................................................................................................................................88 Thiéry, R .....................................................................................................................................12, 13, 91 Titera, D ...............................................................................................................................................102 Tofilski, A .............................................................................................................................................102 Tognotti, D .............................................................................................................................................33 Tollasch, T ..............................................................................................................................................75 Tomás-Barberán, F A .....................................................................................................................95, 104 Tonhasca, A ............................................................................................................................................79 Topolska, G ..........................................................................................................................................103 Tournaire, M ..........................................................................................................................................40 Trasobares, Y..........................................................................................................................................97 Trew, D.................................................................................................................................................103 Truchado, P ..........................................................................................................................................104 Tscheulin1, T ..........................................................................................................................................84 Tunca, R I ......................................................................................................................... 55, 58, 105, 106
U
Uni, Z........................................................................................................................................................5
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X
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Z
Ziegelmann, B.......................................................................................................................................112 Zych, M.................................................................................................................................................112
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EurBee3 ABSTRACTS NOT INDEXED IN THE MAIN ABSTRACT BOOK Guidelines to improve local production of honey Aronne G., Buonanno M. Department of Arboriculture, Botany and Plant Pathology, University of Naples Federico II, I-80055 Portici, Naples, Italy E mail: [email protected] In Europe more than 50% of the used honey is imported from extra-community places. In Italy, as in other Mediterranean countries, although the requested amount is above the produced quantity, local honeys suffer the competition with the lower prices of those imported. To enhance internal production of honey, the European Community has economically supported beekeepers by means of two subsequent programmes: 1221/97 and 797/04. In Campania (Southern Italy), the regional council activated several measures of both programmes and funded research projects aimed to give useful information to local administration and beekeeper associations interested to produce honey of high-quality standard to be labelled with certified declaration of origin. Within this scenario, we have worked several years not only to characterize local honeys and to produce maps of distribution, flowering time of the main bee-plants but also to test new methodologies aimed to improve and optimize traditional analysis. More recently we have synthesized part of our experience defining steps and protocols to be used by local administrators or beekeeper associations to enhance honey production. They have been successfully applied to the area of the Sorrento Peninsula where beekeepers could organize their activities in order to produce, yearly, 3 different types of high-quality honey. We believe that this approach could be used as a guideline and applied to other geographical areas. Are wind pollinated species an essential source of pollen for honey bees? Aronne G., Giovanetti M., Guarracino M., De Micco V. Department of Arboriculture, Botany and Plant Pathology, University of Naples Federico II, I-80055 Portici, Naples, Italy E mail: [email protected] Literature dealing with foraging choices and behaviour of honey bees often regards single botanical species, flower colours or shape, the collection of pollen or nectar, the success in pollinating or in handling (single) flowers. Although it is well known that honey bees visit flowers to collect pollen apart from nectar, authors generally focus on reporting lists of plants as possible sources of nectar only. At the moment, no comprehensive study on pollen and nectar collection of honey bee has been directed to evince the existence of a seasonal trend inclusive of both food sources. During the season 2004 an experiment was performed in the Sorrento Peninsula (southern Italy). The hives (36) were located at 12 sites representative of the main vegetation types of the area. Samples of both pollen and honey stored in the hives were collected weekly and analysed according to melissopalynological methods. All pollen types identified from honey samples were treated as species equally interesting for bees, plants defined as nectarless and usually excluded from botanical characterization of the honey were also included. Data were analysed using apriori, an algorithm designed for learning association rules. Results indicate that nectarless species are constantly represented in honey samples and may a) convey attention to the pollen demand, b) induce a detailed inspection on those species widely accepted as nectarless also in absence of
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confirming studies and, more important, c) provide a clear trend in selected food sources during the season. Preventing bee mortality with RNA interference. A powerful tool to overcome IAPV infection associated with colony collapse disorder James D. Ellis, Wayne Hunter, Ilan Sela, Eyal Maori University of Florida, Entomology & Nematology Department, Honey Bee Research & Extension Laboratory, Gainesville, Florida, USA Email: [email protected] Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) of honeybees is threatening the world’s apiculture and consequently its agriculture. In the recent outbreaks of CCD an estimated 30% of the 2.4 million USA’s honeybee hives were lost in 2006/07 and 36% lost in 2007/08. With certain apiaries reporting up to 90% losses and others none, it seems that CCD distribution profile suggests a new infectious agent. Evidence that CCD is transmissible through the reuse of equipment from collapsed colonies and that such transmission can be eliminated by irradiation of the equipment supports this hypothesis. Recently, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus of bees (IAPV) was strongly correlated with CCD. Although other etiological agents were present in CCD colonies, they were also found in apparently healthy colonies. Moreover, most bees injected or fed with IAPV die within days. Therefore, even if certain cases of CCD are attributable to multiple factors, and even though the "Koch’s postulate" for viral disease and CCD has not yet been unequivocally demonstrated, preventing viral infection may remove the most likely causative agent responsible for CCD. A collaborative initiative to develop RNAi based technology for controlling IAPV was launched with the objective to improve bee survival. Laboratory and field trials demonstrated that feeding IAPV specific dsRNA prior to virus inoculation dramatically improved bee to brood ratio and honey yield compared with bees inoculated with IAPV only. Relationship between nutritional composition and botanical origin of dried bee pollen samples collected from São Paulo – Brazil Illana Louise Pereira de Melo, Alex da Silva Freitas, Ortrud Monika Barth Schatzmayr and Ligia Bicudo de Almeida-Muradian Food Department, Pharmaceutical Science School - University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 580, bloco 14, CEP 05508-900. São Paulo – SP, Brazil E-mail: [email protected] The botanical and nutritional compositions vary depending on collection time, climatic conditions, plant age and floral source. Thus, the composition knowledge of bee pollen is important to classify the product obtained in different regions and add value to it. The aim of this work was to correlate nutritional composition (proximal composition and vitamins C, E and β-carotene) with the botanical origin of dried bee pollen samples collected from the region of the Vale do Ribeira, São Paulo – Brazil. Six batches of dried bee pollen pellets were collected in 2007 March and April. Vitamin C was quantified by titration, β-carotene by open column chromatography and vitamin E by high performance liquid chromatography. The proximal composition was determined in accordance to recommended methods by AOAC (1995) and the botanical characterization was performed after acetolysis by microscopic observation. It was made statistical analysis of correlation among the results. Vitamin content in samples varied between 114 and 340µg/g for vitamin C; 16 and 39µg/g for
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vitamin E; 3 and 78µg/g for the β-carotene. The proximal composition of the samples studied presented results which were all in accordance to established specifications by Brazilian, Argentina and Switzerland legislations. A great variability of the pollen types was found in the samples and some of them were strongly correlated with the vitamin C (Myrtaceae), β-carotene (Arecaceae, Cecropia and Fabaceae) and lipids (Arecaceae and Fabaceae). Others one were negatively correlated, such as Mimosa caesalpineafolia and Poaceae types with β-carotene, Arecaceae type with proteins and Mimosa caesalpineafolia type with lipids. Comparison of methodologies for dried bee pollen’s moisture determination Illana Louise Pereira de Melo and Ligia Bicudo de Almeida-Muradian Food Department, Pharmaceutical Science School - University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 580, bloco 14, CEP 05508-900. São Paulo – SP, Brazil E-mail: [email protected] Bee pollen moisture value is one of the quality parameter for this product. Some countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Poland and Switzerland has bee pollen regulation with quality parameters but it is not clear regarding which method should be used for moisture determination. The aim of this paper was to compare methods of moisture determination in dried bee pollen samples. The methods were: conventional oven at 100°C, vacuum oven at 70°C, dissecator with sulfuric acid, dryness with infrared light at 85°C, lyophilization and Karl Fisher. Based on the results, the best methods for moisture determination in bee pollen were the dryness with infrared and lyophilization, since have shown fewer moisture values.
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European Association for Bee Research
awards the
Norberto-Milani-Prize 2008
to
Bettina Ziegelmann for the
best student oral presentation at the EurBee3 conference in Belfast
with the title
Sex pheromones trigger the mating behaviour of Varroa destructor
30. September 2008 Dorothea Brückner Board of EurBee
126
European Association for Bee Research
awards the
Norberto-Milani-Prize 2008
to
Thibaut De Meulemeester for the
best student poster presentation at the EurBee 3 conference in Belfast
with the title
The nest of the bumble bee Bombus (Mendacibombus)
shaposhnikovi Skorihov (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
30. September 2008 Dorothea Brückner Board of EurBee
127
Bombus shaposhnikovi Skorikov is a member of the subgenus Mendacibombus Skorikov. It is known from mountain meadows of east Anatolia, Caucasus and North Iran. The subgenus Mendacibombus shows many original characters and it is considered as the sister-group of all other bumblebees subgenera (Williams, 1985; Cameron et al., 2007). The nesting behaviour is only known for Bombus mendaxGerstaecker (Haas, 1976; Aichorn, 1976). It is highly characteristic and quite unique among bumblebees, Haas (1976) described it as a new nesting category: "Wabenbauer" (="honeycomb-builder"). Here we describe for the first time the nest of a second species of the subgenus.
A nest was discovered near a spring at 2295 m in Murgul (Turkey, Artvin region, 41°07'37"N, 41°31'03" E) on August 12th 2007 (fig. 2). The climate of this region is extremely wet. The nest was established in a rankers soil, in an abandoned rodent nest. The orifice of the nest was very small and hidden in the grass vegetation (fig. 3). The entrance tube (Ø = 1,5 cm, 35 cm long) reached the nest cavity at 12 cm underground. There was no involucrum (canopy). The nest components were crowded with dried grass filling the small spheroid cavity (Ø = 10-12 cm) (fig. 4).
Outside of the main cavity of the nest, in front of the comb entrance, three wax honey pots contained a clear and very liquid honey. The other wax honey pots (N = 8) were located near the brood close to the wax pollen pots (N = 2). No one post-emergence cell reused for honey or pollen storage was found. Two egg clusters were constructed on a single pupal cocoon. The first cluster comprised 3 individual hexagonal cells, each with a single egg (fig. 5). The second cluster comprised 2 individual cells, each also containing a single egg. The pupal cocoons were arranged in 3 clusters (of 2, 3 and 4 cocoons) and 2 single cocoons (fig. 6). Eighteen workers and six males were inhabiting the nest. Most of these males were captured when they were coming back to the nest at the evening. This shows that the flying males of B. shaposhnikovi do not sleep on flowers but come back to the nest to overnight.
Introduction
Description of the nest
The nest of the bumblebee Bombus (Mendacibombus) shaposhnikoviSkorikov (Hymenoptera: Apidae)T. De Meulemeester1*, P. Rasmont1, S. Cameron2, A.M. Aytekin3
1University of Mons-Hainaut, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
2Department of Entomology, University of
Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
3Hacettepe University Faculty of Science Department of Biology, 06800 Beytepe
(Ankara), Turkey
With the exception of the complete absence of a protecting canopy, the architecture of the studied nest closely recalls the B. mendax singularities: – The pupal cocoons are not reused as honey or pollen pots as it is the case in the other bumblebees but are torn down after the emergence of the adults as in the Meliponini (fig. 6); – The pollen and the honey pots are built de novo outside of the brood as in the Meliponini and the food reserves are very abundant; – The larvae are not laid in a common egg cup as in the other bumblebees but individually in hexagonal cells, as in the Apini and the Meliponini; – The males do not fly away of the nest forever, sleeping on thistle inflorescences as in the other bumblebees but come back to the parental nest to overnight as in the Apini and the Meliponini.
All adult individuals have yellowish bands except one worker with grey-white bands (fig. 8). From the observation of this worker, B. shaposhnikovi seems to be dimorphic in coloration. This polymorphism gives further evidence that the yellowish B. shaposhnikoviand the greyish B. handlirschianus Vogt are conspecific. This conspecific status had already been suggested by a recent molecular study based on five genes (Cameron et al., 2007).
Discussion
We wish to thank Fatih Dikmen, Erdinç Durmuş, Hüseyin and Mihriye Tural for their help on field. Financial support was granted by FRIA, FRFC-VARIGEP and Tubitak.Acknowledgements
Figure 2. Gül Dagı, on the way to Eğrisu Yaylası where the nest was found (Murgul, Artvinregion). The region is pointed on a map of Turkey.
Figure 3. A worker is entering into the nest hole. Figure 4. Front view of the entirestructure of the nesting cavity closely crowded with hay. Figure 5. Individual egg cells showing the hexagonal structure (largely altered by the extraction of the nest). Figure 6. Pupal cocoons. To the left, a cocoon has been torn down after the emergence of the adult.
Original pictures from T. De Meulemeester and P. Rasmont.
Figure 1. Bombus shaposhnikovi male, showing the enlarged eyesand the long head characteristic to the subgenus
Figure 7. Mutilla saltensis in a pupal cocoon.
Aichhorn A. 1976. Beitrag zur Hummelzucht und zur Biologie von Bombus mendax. Berichte aus dem Haus der Natur, Salzburg, 7:13-29, 2 pls.Cameron S. A., H. M. Hines, P. H. Williams. 2007. A comprehensive phylogeny of the bumble bees (Bombus Latreille). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 91: 161-188.Haas A. 1976. Paarungsverhalten und Nestbau der alpinen Hummelart Bombus mendax (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Entomologica. Germanica. 3:248-259.Williams P. H. 1985. A preliminary cladistic investigation of relationships among the bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Systematic Entomology 10: 239- 255.
References
The nest appears to suffer from a high level of parasitism: within the 11 bumblebee cocoons discovered, 2 B. shaposhnikovi male pupae and 9 Mutilla saltensisRadoszkowski were found (fig. 7). Four pupae belonging to a Cyclorrhaph family (Diptera: Muscomorpha), probably Syrphidae (J. Kindl, com. pers.), were found within the nest mass. Many acarids were located inside the cocoons and egg cells.
Parasitism
Figure 8.Yellowish and grey-white workers of B. shaposhnikovi
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