Dwarf Honey Bee Apis Florea Research Articles

Foraging Behavior of Apis florea F. on Wax Apple, Syzygium samarangense and their Role in Pollination of West Bengal, India

Foraging behavior of Apis florea F. on wax apple (Syzygium samarangense) was studied in arid zones of west Bengal during March 2021 to May 2022. Dwarf honey bee Apis florea F. is an important hymenopteran insect for their pollination services. Foraging behavior of Apis florea on the blooms of wax apple were assessed in different day time and in different weather conditions. Peak foraging activity of dwarf honey bee was mainly observed at 1100 hrs. and minimum foraging activity was noticed at 0600 hrs. & 1800 hrs. The present study also reported that foraging activity of Apis florea was maximum in sunny day and least in cloudy day.

First Record and Morphology Study of Red Dwarf Honey Bees Apis Florea Fabricius (1787) in Basra Province

In this study, 25 Morphometric characters of dwarf honey bees Apis florea: 15 were for the body characters and 10 for wing venation, in four geographical areas in the province of Basra. a total Samples of 360 workers, Computer program ImageJ was used to measure Morphometric characters. The results of the statistical analysis of the averages showed a clear difference in the Basra area, as the least of them were in the characters of the Head length and width, femur length, width of the end of tibia, and 1st Wax mirror Length, followed by the Al-Siba area in the characters, tibia length, 3rd tergite length, and 3rd sternite length. As for the wing venation, which are forewing width, No. hamuli, A4 angle, B4 angle, G18 angle, and K19 angle. While the cluster analysis showed the hierarchical grouping method of Basra bees with some regional countries, the Basra bees group aligned with the Iranian bee group with a degree of lineage and genetic distance more than the rest of the groups, this study is considered a preliminary registration and diagnosis of Apes florea in Basra province.

Spread of the Invasive Dwarf Honey Bee Apis florea Facilitates Winter Presence of Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus in Eilat, Israel

The seasonal presence of the Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus in Israel has changed during the last two decades. Up until the late 1990s, it occurred in Israel as a rare spring migrant, but has since been more frequently observed. In the last decade, it has established itself as a regular over-winterer in Eilat, as well as a rare summer visitor. The reasons for this change are unclear; however, this process is concurrent with the invasion of the Dwarf Honey Bee Apis florea to the southern part of Arava, the region extending from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern tip of the Dead Sea. Similar invasions of this social honey bee, native to East Asia, have been reported from East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Using standardized line transects to count Oriental Honey Buzzard, and by creating a Honeybee Invasion Index (HII) for Dwarf Honey Bee, based on data collected by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to estimate its distribution, we show that the abundance of overwintering Oriental Honey Buzzard in Eilat is significantly related to the distribution of DHB in southern Arava. We suggest that the invasion of Dwarf Honey Bee in the area facilitates the presence of Oriental Honey Buzzard outside the migration season.

Origins and invasion characteristics of the recently introduced dwarf honeybee Apis florea Fabricius, 1787 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Taiwan

Origins and invasion characteristics of the recently introduced dwarf honeybee Apis florea Fabricius, 1787 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Taiwan

Apis florea and Apis cerana workers do not discriminate between queen-laid and worker-laid Apis mellifera eggs

While honey bee workers have functional ovaries, worker reproduction is rare in colonies with a laying queen. An important mechanism by which functional worker sterility is enforced is worker policing—any behaviour of workers that prevents other workers from reproducing. In honey bees, policing workers identify worker-laid eggs and eat them. Policing workers apparently distinguish queen-laid eggs from eggs laid by workers using as yet unidentified chemical signals placed on eggs. These signals are conserved across evolutionary time because the Western hive bee Apis mellifera can distinguish queen- and worker-laid eggs of the phylogenetically distant dwarf honey bee Apis florea. However A. mellifera cannot distinguish queen- and worker-laid eggs of the more closely related species Apis cerana. Here we show that A. cerana and A. florea workers do not distinguish queen-laid from worker-laid eggs of A. mellifera, even though A. cerana (but not A. florea) tolerate A. mellifera eggs for extended periods.

Marked interspecific differences in the neuroanatomy of the male olfactory system of honey bees (genus Apis).

All honey bee species (genus Apis) display a striking mating behavior with the formation of male (drone) congregations, in which virgin queens mate with many drones. Bees' mating behavior relies on olfactory communication involving queen-but also drone pheromones. To explore the evolution of olfactory communication in Apis, we analyzed the neuroanatomical organization of the antennal lobe (primary olfactory center) in the drones of five species from the three main lineages (open-air nesting species: dwarf honey bees Apis florea and giant honey bees Apis dorsata; cavity-nesting species: Apis mellifera, Apis kochevnikovi, and Apis cerana) and from three populations of A. cerana (Borneo, Thailand, and Japan). In addition to differences in the overall number of morphological units, the glomeruli, our data reveal marked differences in the number and position of macroglomeruli, enlarged units putatively dedicated to sex pheromone processing. Dwarf and giant honey bee species possess two macroglomeruli while cavity-nesting bees present three or four macroglomeruli, suggesting an increase in the complexity of sex communication during evolution in the genus Apis. The three A. cerana populations showed differing absolute numbers of glomeruli but the same three macroglomeruli. Overall, we identified six different macroglomeruli in the genus Apis. One of these (called MGb), which is dedicated to the detection of the major queen compound 9-ODA in A. mellifera, was conserved in all species. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of sex communication in honey bees and propose a putative scenario of antennal lobe evolution in the Apis genus.

Analysis of the complete mitochondrial genomes of two dwarf honeybee species, Apis florea and Apis andreniformis (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apidae), in Thailand

The dwarf honeybees Apis florea and Apis andreniformis inhabit the bush and forests of continental Asia and north Africa and some islands of Sundaland and the Philippines. We analysed, for the first time, the complete mitochondrial genomes of two dwarf honeybee species from Thailand using next-generation sequencing. Each mitochondrial genome was a circular and approximately 17 kbp molecule that included 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes, along with one A + T-rich control region, besides three tRNA-Ser (AGN) repeats. The AT content values of the mitochondrial genomes of A. florea and A. andreniformis were 86.28% and 85.73%, respectively. The 1150 mutation sites in 13 PCGs differing between A. florea and A. andreniformis in Thailand were evenly distributed throughout their mitochondrial genomes. The phylogenetic relationship, inferred using 13 PCGs, was consistent with that reported in previous studies, which predicted a sister relationship between A. florea and A. andreniformis.

Collective decision making in the red dwarf honeybee Apis florea: do the bees simply follow the flowers?

Most studies on collective decision making in honeybees have been performed on the cavity-nesting Western honeybee, Apis mellifera. In more recent years, the open-nesting red dwarf honeybee Apis florea has been developed as a model organism of collective decision making in the context of nest-site selection. These studies have shown that the specifics of the species’ nest-site requirements affect collective decision making. In particular, when potential nesting sites are abundant, as is the case in A. florea, the process of collective decision making can be simplified. Here, we ask if A. florea simply follows the availability of floral resources in their environment when deciding on an area to move into. We determined the locations danced for by three colonies the day before, of and after reproductive swarming. Our results suggest that colonies of A. florea indeed track the availability of forage in their environment and that swarms move in the general direction of forage rather than towards a specific nest site.

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.

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.

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.

Deciding on the wing: in-flight decision making and search space sampling in the red dwarf honeybee Apis florea

During reproductive swarming and seasonal migration, a honeybee swarm needs to locate and move to a new, suitable nest site. While the nest-site selection process in cavity-nesting species such as the European honeybee Apis mellifera is very precise with the swarm carefully selecting a single site, open-nesting species, such as Apis florea, lack such precision. These differences in precision in the nest-site selection process are thought to arise from the differing nest-site requirements of open- and cavity-nesting species. While A. florea can nest on almost any tree, A. mellifera is constrained by the scarcity of suitable nest sites. Here we show that imprecision in the nest-site selection process allows swarms to quickly reach a decision when many nest sites are available. In contrast, a very precise nest-site selection process slows down the decision-making process when nest sites are abundant.

Lack of interspecific parasitism between the dwarf honeybees Apis andreniformis and Apis florea

The dwarf honeybees Apis florea and Apis andreniformis are sympatric in Southeast Asia. We examined undisturbed nests of both species finding that heterospecific workers are present in some nests at low frequency. This suggested that workers may enter heterospecific nests as a prelude to reproductive parasitism. To test this hypothesis, we created mixed-species colonies and determined the reproductive response of workers within them based on molecular markers. In queenless colonies, workers of both species activated their ovaries at equal frequency. However, the majority species, A. florea, had complete reproductive dominance over A. andreniformis, most likely because the A. florea workers recognised and removed heterospecific larvae. In queenright mixed-species colonies, workers responded to heterospecific signals of the presence of the queen and did not activate their ovaries. Thus, despite predictions from kin selection theory that workers would benefit from parasitising heterospecific nests, we find no evidence that selection has established a parasitic strategy in these sibling species.

Comparative Linkage Mapping Suggests a High Recombination Rate in All Honeybees

Meiotic recombination is required for proper chromosome assortment, and accordingly, 1-2 chiasmata per chromosome are found in most species. However, observed recombination rates deviate in some cases from neutral expectations between and within genomes and may play an important role in adaptive evolution. One potentially important argument for an adaptive evolution of recombination rates is the exceptionally high genome-wide recombination rates of social Hymenoptera, in particular the Western honeybee, Apis mellifera. It has the highest metazoan recombination rate reported so far. Proximate or ultimate causes for this elevated recombination rate have not yet been resolved. In a comparative study, we investigated meiotic recombination in the red dwarf honeybee Apis florea. Microsatellite markers developed for A. mellifera were genotyped in a natural mapping population of A. florea. From these genotypes, we calculated local recombination rates, using the physical distances from A. mellifera. In addition to a few comparisons of intervals across the genome, we particularly focused on chromosomes 3 and 12. Confirming marker synteny, we found that recombination rates in A. florea are as high as or higher than those in A. mellifera. Our results are limited to select genomic regions but suggest that A. florea also exhibits an exceptionally high genome-wide recombination rate. This trait may thus occur genus wide. Although our study cannot identify a single explanation for the high rates of recombination in Apis, it favors hypotheses that apply to the entire genus. Furthermore, we conclude that the genome structure of the 2 species has been largely conserved, at least in the parts we investigated.

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.

Invasion of the dwarf honeybee Apis florea into the near East

The dwarf honeybee, Apis florae, is an open nesting honeybee typical to Southern Asia. In the past decades it has been accidentally introduced by man to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula where the species established sustainable and expanding populations. Recently it has also been introduced to Aqaba and Eilat, where it has also established expanding populations. We here study the genetic structure of this invasive population with nine microsatellite DNA markers to reconstruct the invasion history. The population shows indications of an extreme bottleneck suggesting that it established itself very recently and may have originated from a single introduced colony only. The impact of the species for both apiculture and conservation of biodiversity is discussed.

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.