Bee Apis Florea Research Articles

Discrimination of dwarf honey bee (Apis florea, Fabricius 1876) populations in Iran using elliptic Fourier wing cell shape analysis

We investigated cell shape differentiation among Apis florea populations distributed in four states (Hormuzgan-Bushehr-Khuzestan-Ilam states) of Iran using elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA - outline-based geometric morphometric analysis) on all forewing cells. Outline-based analysis was performed on all closed cells on the forewings of 114 A. florea colonies from 13 locations in Iran. According to the statistical analysis of each cell shape, the most efficient cells to discriminate populations were 2nd cubital, 3rd submarginal and marginal cells. Discriminant Function Analysis of Fourier coefficients (FCs) for each cell resulted in two clusters: southern A. florea populations from lower latitude (Hormuzgan state); and the rest of the populations from higher latitude (Ilam, Khuzestan, Bushehr state) with different differential discrimination values (1st submarginal cell = 75.4%, 2nd submarginal cell = 86.0%, 1st medial cell and 2nd medial cell = 86.8%, marginal cell = 88.6%, 3rd submarginal cell = 90.4%, 2nd cubital cell = 92.1%). This study showed that EFA has been functional and effective for distinguishing A. florea populations based on the wing cell shapes. The outline-based geometric morphometric applied in our study has been as successful as the other morphometric approaches such as standard morphometric and landmark-based geometric morphometric in previous studies.

A cytosolic sensor, PmDDX41, mediates antiviral immune response in black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp)-box polypeptide 41 (DDX41), a receptor belonging to the DExD family, has recently been identified as an intracellular DNA sensor in vertebrates. Here, we report on the identification and functional characterization of PmDDX41, the first cytosolic DNA sensor in shrimp. By searching a Penaeus monodon expressed sequence tag (EST) database (http://pmonodon.biotec.or.th), three cDNA fragments exhibiting similarity to DDX41 in various species were identified and assembled, resulting in a complete open reading frame of PmDDX41 that contains 1863-bp and encodes a putative protein of 620 amino acids. PmDDX41 shares 83% and 79% similarity to DDX41 homolog from the bee Apis florea and fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, respectively and contains three conserved domains in the protein: DEADc domain, HELICc domain, and zinc finger domain. The transcript of PmDDX41 was detected in all tested tissues and was up-regulated upon infection with a DNA virus, white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). However, PmDDX41 mRNA expression was not significantly changed and down-regulated in response to a bacterium, Vibrio harveyi, or an RNA virus, yellow head virus (YHV), respectively, compared with the control phosphate-buffered saline-injected shrimp. Furthermore, the suppression of PmDDX41 by dsRNA-mediated gene silencing resulted in more rapid death of WSSV-infected shrimp and a significant decrease in the mRNA expression levels of several immune-related genes (PmIKKβ, PmIKKɛ, PmRelish, PmCactus, PmDorsal, PmPEN3, PmPEN5, and ALFPm6). These results suggest that PmDDX41 is involved in the antiviral response, probably via a DNA-sensing pathway that is triggered through the IκB kinase complex and leads to the activation of several immune-related genes.

Similar but not the same: insights into the evolutionary history of paralogous sex-determining genes of the dwarf honey bee Apis florea.

Studying the fate of duplicated genes provides informative insight into the evolutionary plasticity of biological pathways to which they belong. In the paralogous sex-determining genes complementary sex determiner (csd) and feminizer (fem) of honey bee species (genus Apis), only heterozygous csd initiates female development. Here, the full-length coding sequences of the genes csd and fem of the phylogenetically basal dwarf honey bee Apis florea are characterized. Compared with other Apis species, remarkable evolutionary changes in the formation and localization of a protein-interacting (coiled-coil) motif and in the amino acids coding for the csd characteristic hypervariable region (HVR) are observed. Furthermore, functionally different csd alleles were isolated as genomic fragments from a random population sample. In the predicted potential specifying domain (PSD), a high ratio of πN/πS=1.6 indicated positive selection, whereas signs of balancing selection, commonly found in other Apis species, are missing. Low nucleotide diversity on synonymous and genome-wide, non-coding sites as well as site frequency analyses indicated a strong impact of genetic drift in A. florea, likely linked to its biology. Along the evolutionary trajectory of ~30 million years of csd evolution, episodic diversifying selection seems to have acted differently among distinct Apis branches. Consistently low amino-acid differences within the PSD among pairs of functional heterozygous csd alleles indicate that the HVR is the most important region for determining allele specificity. We propose that in the early history of the lineage-specific fem duplication giving rise to csd in Apis, A. florea csd stands as a remarkable example for the plasticity of initial sex-determining signals.

Potential Use of an Essential Oil From the Flower of Swertia densifolia as a Repellent for Apis florea (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Formulations of compounds repellent to honey bees may be useful tools to keep bees away from areas recently treated with toxic insecticides. Here, we report the activity of a previously un- known honey bee repellent, an essential oil from the flower of Swertia densifolia (Gentianaceae), which has activity toward Indian honey bees Apis florea F. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and was subjected to a rotating table bioassay with foragers of the honey bee A. florea. Repellency was dose-dependent up to 12 mg/ml and remained constant thereafter. The chemical constitution of the essential oil was examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, which identified 19 constituent compounds. The major constituents (>10% of the oil) were linalool and octadecanoic acid. The constituents of intermediate concentration (5-10%) were a-terpeniol, nerol, n-octadecyl acetate, and spirostan-3-ol. Besides these, five minor constituents (1-5%) and six of the eight trace components present (<1%) have also been identified. The response of A. florea foragers to mixtures of the major and intermediate constituents was studied. Screening of formulations of linalool and a-terpeniol showed re- pellent properties toward A. florea, behavior which has already been reported by us in earlier studies. The compound n-octadecyl acetate was found to be an attractant, while octadecanoic acid and spirostan- 3-ol were neither attractants nor repellents. Nerol, however, elicited dose-dependent effects involving both attraction and repellency. The effects of the constituents of this essential oil were not merely additive, possibly due to synergistic effects. These results establish the previously unknown chemical constitution and dose-dependent repellent nature of the essential oil isolated from flower of S. densifolia towardA. florea and may be used to improve bee management.

Diversity and nesting ecology of dwarf bee Apis florea ( Fabr.) in the selected regions of Tamil Nadu, India

Diversity and nesting ecology of dwarf bee Apis florea ( Fabr.) in the selected regions of Tamil Nadu, India

A study on biochemical composition of the sting gland (poison gland) and the reservoir (poison sac) of the dwarf honey bee Apis florea F. workers

The glands associated with the sting apparatus of worker honey bee Apis florea produce Venom which is known to be composed of a wide spectrum of biomolecules ranging from biogenic amines to peptides and proteins. The Venom apparatus showed the presence of two important associated exocrine glands i.e. Venom gland and Dufors gland. The secretions of both glands are apocrine and are released into the lumen to be stored in the venom sac. The presence of some exocrine cells in the distal part of venom sac which is otherwise known to only store the component of Venom gland led to the present study. The present study that there were considerable differences in the biochemical composition of Venom gland and Venom sac secretions of Apis species The concentration of lipids (Sting gland =1.423±0.0001 and Reservoir = 1.21±0.0067), proteins (Sting gland=0.440±0.0226, Reservoir = 0.390± 0.032), activity of acid phosphatase (Sting gland=112.09±21.100, Reservoir=22.63±1.467) and hexokinase (Sting gland=20.7±4.016, Reservoir=10.66±2.465) was found to be more in case of Venom gland while cholesterol(Sting gland=0.138±0.0161 reservoir=0.324±0.00323), glucose (Sting gland=189±1.31, Reservoir=321±7.19), free amino acids, and activity of alkaline phosphatase (Sting gland=21.03±0.195 Reservoir=22.4±0.685) was more in Venom sac. Glycogen was absent in both Venom gland and Venom sac of Apis species as confirmed by the absence of glucose-6-phosphatase activity. It is established from the present study that Venom sac also secretes various biochemicals and enzymes which are added to the total Venom.

Morphometric Studies on Dwarf Honey Bee Apis Florea F. Workers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Here we performed a morphometric analysis of dwarf honey bee (Apis florea F.) workers from Saudi Arabia, and we detected morphometric variations within the species in the Jubail and Al-Ahsa provinces of this region. Between the two provinces, Jubail is further north and is closer to sea level, and data showed that during the collection period, Jubail experienced significantly higher humidity. Compared to workers from the Jubail province, workers from Al-Ahsa province showed significantly higher body weight, measured head appendage characteristics, wing characteristics (apart from hindwing width), leg characteristics, and length and width of the 3rd abdominal sternite and 1st wax mirror. Body weight as found to be significantly positively correlated with all determined characteristics, except for flagellum length, hindwing width, 3rd tergite length, and lengths of the 4th tergite and sternite. It can be concluded that body weight and morphometric characteristics of dwarf honey bee workers were significantly affected by geographic origin. The morphometric measurements were within the range reported from most previously examined countries.

Evaluation of catecholamines and amino acids from venom reservoir extract of Indian honey bee (Apis) species

SummaryCatecholamine systems play a variety of roles in animals as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, hormones, paracrine and autocrine factors. Many venoms of widely different animals have evolved to manipulate these systems for both defensive and offensive purposes. Catecholamines are sympathomimetic and comprise of a catechol group derived from the amino acid tyrosine. Physiological and anatomical evidence suggests that certain amino acids act as neurotransmitters of the major excitatory or inhibitory commands in the central nervous system, and also take part in intermediary metabolism. Catecholamines were quantified from an extract of the venom gland and reservoir of three honey bee species, Apis cerana, Apis dorsata and Apis florea using liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (ECD). The results showed species dependent variation: 1. norepinephrine and dopamine were found in all the three Apis species, with the highest quantity in A. dorsata followed by A. cerana and the least in A. florea; 2. 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic-acid was found only in A. cerana; and 3. 5 -hydroxytryptamine was present only in A. dorsata and A. florea. The other two vital bioactive components examined, 3,4 dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid and hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenylacetic acid were absent from all three bee species. Eight amino acids (aspartate, glutamate, serine, alanine, glysine, phenyl ethanolamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid and tyrosine) were analysed and compared, showing that the quantity of each amino acid in the venoms differed between bee species.

Relative Toxicity of Fenazaquin Against Two-Spotted Spider Mite on Okra

Continuous use of previous generation acaricides in okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] has increased resistance to pesticides and pest resurgence. The project was undertaken to evaluate a new acaricide, fenazaquin 10 EC, for effective control of two-spotted spider mites [Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)] in pot culture and under field conditions. Fenazaquin was used at 75, 100, 125, or 150 g·ha−1 a.i. and compared with the standard acaricide dicofol 18.5 EC at 250 g·ha−1 a.i. and an untreated control. The adulticide bioassay, ovicidal action to T. urticae and safety of Dwarf honey bees (Apis florea Fabricius), was performed under laboratory conditions. Pot culture and two field trials were conducted to evaluate efficacy. Impact on okra yield and phytotoxicity were determined. The LC50 was 1.440 mg·L−1 and LT50 at 1.50 mg·L−1 was ˜8 hours. Fenazaquin produced more than 70% egg mortality in all doses for T. urticae. Fenazaquin at 125 and 150 g·ha−1 a.i. caused the highest reduction in numbers of mites in pot culture and field experiments. Fruit yields (9.89 Mt·ha−1, 10.59 Mt·ha−1) and cost–benefit ratio (1:3.25, 1:3.48) were higher in fenazaquin-treated plants at 150 g·ha−1 a.i in field experiments. No test doses were phytotoxic and all doses were relatively safe to Dwarf honey bees.

Susceptibility of four different honey bee species to Nosema ceranae

In this study, we investigated the infectivity of Nosema ceranae and the immune response of the European honey bee, Apis mellifera and the Asian honey bee species, Apis cerana, Apis dorsata and Apis florea when inoculated with two isolates of N. ceranae isolated from different climates (Canada and Thailand), using cage experiments. The results indicated that the local isolate of N. ceranae (Thailand) had high infectivity in A. mellifera, A. cerana and A. dorsata but only a few spores were observed in A. florea. However, we found that only two honey bee species, A. mellifera and A. dorsata became infected when inoculated with N. ceranae isolated from Canada. Finally, our results showed that transcript levels of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in Asian honey bees were significantly higher than that of A. mellifera in both the control and N. ceranae inoculated bee groups. Comparing the expression of AMPs between the control and inoculated bees in each species, it was evident that N. ceranae inoculations did not affect the expression level of abaecin in all four honey bees species investigated in this experiment. Nevertheless, we found a significant up-regulation of apidaecin in A. cerana and A. florea when inoculated with N. ceranae (Canadian isolate). Also, the mRNA levels of hymenoptaecin were significantly increased in A. cerana after inoculation by N. ceranae isolated from Canada as compared with the Thai isolate.

Associative olfactory learning of the red dwarf honey bee Apis florea

Apis florea has a wide distribution in southeast Asia, where it is the dominant honey bee species. It is an excellent colonizer, suggesting advanced behavioral plasticity. Using the proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning method, we investigated A. florea associative olfactory learning ability and compared it to the learning performances of Apis mellifera. A. florea workers reacted to pure odorant (conditioned stimulus) only when it was delivered in paired associations with sucrose rewards (unconditioned stimulus), and discriminated between a rewarded and unrewarded odor. Moreover, A. florea levels of acquisition in olfactory associative learning were higher in our study than those of A. mellifera, and they showed better retention of learning after 24 h than A. mellifera. Our results show that A. florea can be studied using PER procedures, enlarging the scope for future comparative studies of associative olfactory learning ability in bees.

First evidence of hygienic behaviour in the dwarf honey bee Apis florea

The hygienic behaviour of eight A. florea honey bee colonies was investigated in Thailand. Sealed brood was deep frozen or killed using entomological pins. The pins were 0.2 or 0.7 mm in diameter. The removal of killed brood by the bees was checked in intervals ranged from 24 to 60 h after it had been presented to the colonies. Almost eighty nine (89%) of the freeze-killed brood was removed by the bees within 24 h after being introduced into the combs, while 95% of the pin-killed brood was removed within 48 h after introduction. Thus, the A. florae colonies could be recognized as hygienic honey bees.

Bioassay of the mandibular gland pheromones of Apis florea on the foraging activity of dwarf honey bees

SummaryIn this study, we tested the responses (attractiveness or repellence) of two species of dwarf honey bee (Apis andreniformis and Apis florea) foragers to the synthetic mandibular gland pheromones 1-eicosanol, eicosane, heneicosane and 2-heptanol. The pheromone concentrations were varied from 0.0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0% (v/v) in n-hexane. A. andreniformis foragers were repelled by 5.0% eicosane and 5.0 and 10.0% heptanol, while 0.5 and 1.0% 1-eicosanol, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0% eicosane, 0.5 and 1.0% heneicosane and 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0% 2-heptanol repelled A. florea foragers. A. andreniformis foragers were attracted to 0.1% 1-eicosanol, 10.0% eicosane, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0% heneicosane and 0.1% 2-heptanol. None of the pheromones were attractive to A. florea foragers.

Interspecific and conspecific colony mergers in the dwarf honey bees Apis andreniformis and A. florea

The dwarf honey bees Apis florea and A. andreniformis are sympatric in southeast Asia. We translocated eight A. florea colonies and four A. andreniformis colonies to an orchard near Sai Yoke, Thailand. After 2 days, we dequeened half of the colonies. Microsatellite genotyping showed that a queenless A. florea colony merged with a queenright A. florea colony, and a queenless A. andreniformis colony merged with a queenright A. florea colony. The inter-specific merger in particular shows that colonies can combine without direct kin benefits, and that colony mergers probably arise through strong queen attraction.

Foraging behaviour of Apis florea F., an important pollinator of Allium cepa L.

SummaryThe foraging behaviour of insect visitors to onion (Allium cepa L.) flowers was studied in relation to five environmental variables. The dwarf honey bee Apis florea L. was the most abundant flower visitor, and comprised more than 94% of the total visitors. Commencement of flight activity occurred when a minimum threshold of environmental variables was exceeded, while the cessation was governed mainly by decline in light intensity and radiation. The foraging population correlated significantly and positively with air temperature, light intensity, solar radiation and nectar-sugar concentration and negatively with relative humidity. Path coefficient analysis, revealed, however, that the direct effect of temperature was large and positive followed by light intensity and solar radiation while the direct effect of relative humidity was small and negative. The direct effect of nectar-sugar concentration was positive and negligible. Path coefficient analysis thus gave a clearer picture of the effects than did a simple correlation analysis. On average A. florea visited 1.33±0.26 and 6.17±0.58 umbels and flowers/min, during different hours of the day. The insect pollinated plots produced significantly more seeds with heavier weights than those isolated from insect visits.

Drones of the Dwarf Honey Bee Apis Florea Are Attracted to (2E)-9-Oxodecenoic Acid and (2E)-10-Hydroxydecenoic Acid

The queen mandibular gland component (2E)-9-oxodecenoic acid (9-ODA) has been suggested to function as the major sex pheromone component in all honey bee species. In contrast to this hypothesis, chemical analyses showed that in the Asian dwarf honey bee species, Apis florea, a different decenoic acid, (2E)-10-hydroxydecenoic acid (10-HDA), is the major component in the mandibular gland secretion. We show here that A. florea drones are attracted to 9-ODA as well as to 10-HDA. However, 10-HDA attracted higher numbers of drones at lower dosages than 9-ODA, and also was more attractive when directly compared to 9-ODA in a dual attraction experiment. We conclude that 10-HDA has to be viewed as the major sex pheromone in A. florea. The result that both pheromone components are capable of attracting drones when presented alone was unexpected with regard to existing sex pheromone attraction experiments in honey bees.

Wing geometry as a tool for studying the population structure of dwarf honey bees (Apis florea Fabricius 1876) in Iran

SummaryWe studied the population structure of Apis florea using geometric morphometrics of wing shape. We found that the populations from different states were significantly (P<0.001) different for both fore and hind wings. Populations from Hormuzgan State were significantly (P<0.001) different from the rest of the states for hind wings. Based on the fore wing shape, all populations were significantly (P<0.001) different. Out of 40 cartesian coordinates, 13 were significantly (P<0.05) different amongst the group. Discriminant Function Analysis resulted in clear separation of groups when fore wing shape were used, but hind wings failed to separate the groups. Only samples from Hormuzgan State were clearly separated from the other states when the hind wings were used as the discriminating variables. Wing deformations were visualized in thin plate splines and the highest deformations were seen in pairs with samples from Hormuzgan State. Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis resulted in a total of 26 significant correlograms and most of these were clinal type autocorrelograms showing gradual changes from southeast to northwest direction.

Queenless colonies of the Asian red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea) are infiltrated by workers from other queenless colonies

In all honey bee species studied thus far, 2–4% of the workers were not born in the sampled colony. These unrelated (nonnatal) workers are thought to arise via orientation errors while returning from foraging trips. Interestingly, in colonies of the red dwarf honey bee, Apis florea, the proportion of nonnatal workers increases significantly when the colonies become queenless, and these workers are more likely to have active ovaries and lay eggs than natal workers. As a result, queenless colonies are heavily parasitized with the eggs of nonnatal workers, but the origin of the parasitizing workers is currently unknown. Here we show that workers from queenless A. florea colonies are far more likely to leave their colony and join another colony compared with workers from queenright colonies. Choice experiments showed that these drifted workers are much more likely to join a queenless colony than a colony with a queen. Perhaps surprisingly, not many workers from queenright colonies joined queenless colonies despite the opportunity for direct reproduction in queenless colonies. We suggest that the inclusive fitness benefits of remaining in the natal colony in the presence of the queen exceed the benefits of direct reproduction in an unrelated queenless colony.

Fidelity of Hymenoptera and Diptera pollinators in onion (Allium cepa L.) pollination

AbstractOnion (Allium cepa L.) is protandrous in nature and requires cross‐pollination to avoid inbreeding. The pollination potential of native bees (Hymenoptera) and true flies (Diptera) was assessed in the perspective of finding the best pollinators for onion cross‐pollination and seed multiplication. The community of pollinators was composed of four bee species and twelve true fly species. Episyrphus balteatus, Eupeodes sp., Musca domestica and Eristalinus aeneus were the most abundant pollinators. The maximum pollinator activity was observed from 12 to 24 days after opening of the flowers. The pollination effectiveness of tested bees (Apis dorsata and Apis florea) was greater than true flies (E. balteatus, Eupeodes sp., M. domestica, E. aeneus and Callihoridae sp.) in terms of Spears values.

Dance precision of Apis florea—clues to the evolution of the honeybee dance language?

All honeybee species make use of the waggle dance to communicate the direction and distance to both food sources and potential new nest sites. When foraging, all species face an identical problem: conveying information about profitable floral patches. However, profound differences in nesting biology (some nest in cavities while others nest in the open, often on a branch or a cliff face) may mean that species have different requirements when dancing to advertise new nest sites. In cavity nesting species, nest sites are a precise location in the landscape: usually a small opening leading to a cavity in a hollow tree. Dances for cavities therefore need to be as precise as possible. In contrast, when the potential nest site comprises a tree or perhaps seven a patch of trees, precision is less necessary. Similarly, when a food patch is advertised, dances need not be very precise, as floral patches are often large, unless they are so far away that recruits need more precise information to be able to locate them. In this paper, we study the dance precision of the open-nesting red dwarf bee Apis florea. By comparing the precision of dances for food sources and nest sites, we show that A. florea workers dance with the same imprecision irrespective of context. This is in sharp contrast with the cavity-nesting Apis mellifera that increases the precision of its dance when advertising a potential new home. We suggest that our results are in accordance with the hypothesis that the honeybees’ dance communication initially evolved to convey information about new nest sites and was only later adapted for the context of foraging.