Honeybee Nest Research Articles

Don’t be Square: Why do Chemistry and Nature Build Hexagons?

This article distinguishes the role of hexagonal motifs in close-packed solid-state structures and in graphite and graphene; we then illustrate how hexagonal cells in the nests of honey bees and paper wasps minimize construction materials while optimizing space and achieving a robust architecture from delicate materials

Melissopalynology and Vegetation Analysis Surrounding Sunggau of Giant Honey Bee Apis dorsata in Belitung Regency

The forest conversion into oil palm plantations in Belitung impacts the plant source for pollen and nectar to support the honey bee Apis dorsata. This study aimed to identify the plants used by A. dorsata as pollen sources in honey and bee bread in honey bee nests and to analyze the vegetation composition and structure surrounding the sunggau (artificial nesting site) in Belitung Regency. Honey from A. dorsata was collected from bee nests in sunggau on Kampak Island and Tanjung Rusa. The pollen grains from 20 ml honey were acetolysed and counted until 1,200 grains for each honey sample. In Kampak Island, we found eight pollen types in honey dominated by Rhizophora mucronate mangrove pollen and eleven pollen types in bee bread dominated by Melaleuca cajuputi. The pollen type in honey in Tanjung Rusa was similar to those in Kampak Island, and nine pollen types were found in the bee bread dominated by Elaeis guineensis. The vegetation analysis revealed that mangrove and heath forests in Kampak Island were dominated by Lumnitzera littorea and Melaleuca cajuputi, respectively. The results of this study confirm the bees' notable use of the mangrove ecosystem, which adds conservation value, especially in supporting bee management efforts in Belitung.

DAMPAK SIKLON TROPIS SEROJA TERHADAP KETERSEDIAA N PAKAN, TEMPAT BERSARANG DAN PENDAPATAN PETANI LEBAH MADU HUTAN (Apis dorsata)

This study aims to determine the impact of the availability of forest honey bee feed, the impact of forest honey bee nesting sites and the impact of changes in the income of forest honey bee farmers in Uiasa Village, Semau District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara before and after the Tropical Cyclone Storm Seroja. This research was carried out around the Pastello Amalato Protected Forest Area, Uiasa Village, Semau District, Kupang Regency, which was carried out for 1 month, from April to May 2022. This research used purposive sampling, interview and roaming methods with data analysis using descriptive qualitative and descriptive analysis. quantitative.The impact of food availability after the Seroja Tropical Cyclone Storm consists of two factors, namely reduced forage for forest honey bees and disruption of the flowering time of forage plants. The impact of forest honey bee nesting after the Seroja tropical cyclone storm was influenced by the movement of forest honey bee hives from their original place to another and the altitude where the forest honey bee nest trees were found was mostly at an altitude of 25-45 meters above sea level compared to other elevations with the number of honey bee trees is 10 trees and 7 trees at an altitude of 0-25 meters above sea level.

PROTOTYPE DESIGN OF HONEY EXTRACTOR MACHINE USING ARDUINO MICROCONTROLLER WITH INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) MODEL

The application of appropriate technology based on the Adruino Uno R3 Microcontroller using the Android Operating System has been tested in this research. Sensor technology coupled with Arduino is applied to control the electric motor mounted on the honey bee extractor. It is proven that this can increase harvest efficiency because honey bees can produce directly without building a honeybee nest, which takes 14 days. In addition to time efficiency, the extractor processing process is also more efficient and optimal because all the honey in the hive is removed maximally without damaging the honeybee nest structure. A honey extractor is a tool used to squeeze honeycomb which has been produced by bees and has a high economic value

Hygienic behavior of bees as an element of sterility in the production of environmentally friendly products

Beekeeping in Russia has been widespread for a long time and almost everywhere, a traditional and significant branch of the country’s agriculture. In the Russian Federation, as in most countries, beekeeping is mainly practiced by amateurs. In 2019, according to government statistics, there were about 4.0 million bee colonies in the country, with more than 90% of them in the private sector. One of the factors of high productivity of bee colonies is the hygienic activity of individuals. The behavior of the bees in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in the hive is astonishing. Not only the honeycomb, but even the walls and floor of the hive are always kept neat, polished with propolis. Garbage falling to the bottom of the hive is immediately thrown out through the entrance. Moreover, large litter, for example, the corpse of a bee, is pulled out by the orderlies onto the boarding board, and, grabbing it with their legs, take off to carry it away from the hive. Worker bees sweep small debris out of the hive with their fan wings, like brooms, and even brush dust particles to the tap hole. Sterility in a honey bee nest can be compared to an operating room in a modern clinical hospital.

Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profile of Parasitic Beetles, Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae).

Simple SummarySocial insects use cuticular hydrocarbons for chemical recognition and communication. Cuticular hydrocarbons can also be exploited by parasites to their advantage for undermining host recognition systems. The small hive beetle (SHB) is a parasite of honey bee colonies but can also infest nests of other bee species. However, its chemical profile is still not known. For the first time, the present study investigated the SHB chemical profile and compared it with that of its honey bee host. The results show that the SHB has a low chemical profile that is similar to its honey bee host’s. However, while honey bees had a clear colony-specific chemical profile, SHBs did not. The generic chemical profile of the SHB is most likely linked to its free-flying behaviour in the field as these parasites are known to switch between host colonies, possibly limiting the acquisition of a colony specific chemical profile. Our findings also suggest that SHBs do not exploit any finely tuned chemical strategy to conceal their presence inside host colonies and probably rely on behavioural adaptations.Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) cover insects’ bodies and play important roles in chemical communication, including nestmate recognition, for social insects. To enter colonies of a social host species, parasites may acquire host-specific CHCs or covertly maintain their own CHC profile by lowering its quantity. However, the chemical profile of small hive beetles (SHBs), Aethina tumida, which are parasites of honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies, and other bee nests, is currently unknown. Here, adults of SHB and honey bee host workers were collected from the same field colonies and their CHC profiles were analysed using GC-MS. The chemical profiles of field-sampled SHBs were also compared with those of host-naive beetles reared in the laboratory. Laboratory-reared SHBs differed in their CHC profiles from field-sampled ones, which showed a more similar, but ten-fold lower, generic host CHC profile compared to host workers. While the data confirm colony-specific CHCs of honey bee workers, the profile of field-collected SHBs was not colony-specific. Adult SHBs often commute between different host colonies, thereby possibly preventing the acquisition of a colony-specific CHC profiles. An ester was exclusive to both groups of SHBs and might constitute an intraspecific recognition cue. Our data suggest that SHBs do not use any finely tuned chemical strategy to conceal their presence inside host colonies and instead probably rely on their hard exoskeleton and defence behaviours.

The Contribution Of Forest Honeybee As Non-Timber Forest Products To Local Communities Along The Kahayan River Basin Central Kalimantan

Field research was done to evaluate the financial benefits of forest honeybee business conducted by the local community at Kameloh Baru Village, Taruna Village, and Tumbang Nusa Village in Central Kalimantan. These villages studied are known as a natural honeybee-producing center in Central Kalimantan. The local tribe gathers forest honeybee from Apis dorsata that have done for generations. The results revealed that the income of forest honeybee gathering people in 2015 amounted to IDR six to ten million once harvest. The owner of a tree of honeybee nest has five times higher income than harvesters. However, after a forest fire in 2015, revenues in 2016 and 2017 dropped dramatically to 25% of the previous year. The depletion of natural food resources is a leading factor in honeybee production decrease. On the other hand, the farmers do not have the initiative to cultivate the host trees and reserve natural food resources. Forest honeybee cannot be harvested regularly, although the market demand for forest honeybee is still tremendous. On the other hand, a proper technique of honeybee harvesting did not conduct so that the resulting honeybee quality decreases. Neverthenless, the local tribe can develop sustainable forest honeybee gathering based on their ecological knowledge as incentives for forest conservation.

Prisoners receive food fit for a queen: honeybees feed small hive beetles protein-rich glandular secretions through trophallaxis.

The honeybee nest parasite Aethina tumida (small hive beetle) uses behavioural mimicry to induce trophallactic feeding from its honeybee hosts. Small hive beetles are able to induce honeybee workers to share the carbohydrate-rich contents of their crops, but it is not clear whether the beetles are able to induce to workers to feed them the protein-rich hypopharyngeal glandular secretions fed to the queen, larvae and other nest mates. Protein is a limiting macronutrient in an insect's diet, essential for survival, growth and fecundity. Honeybees obtain protein from pollen, which is consumed and digested by nurse bees. They then distribute the protein to the rest of the colony in the form of hypopharyngeal gland secretions. Using 14C-phenylalanine as a qualitative marker for protein transfer, we show that small hive beetles successfully induce worker bees to feed them the protein-rich secretions of their hypopharyngeal glands during trophallaxis, and that females are more successful than males in inducing the transfer of these protein-rich secretions. Furthermore, behavioural observations demonstrated that female beetles do not preferentially interact with a specific age cohort of bees when soliciting food, but males tend to be more discriminant and avoid the more aggressive and active older bees.

The bioactive contents and antioxidant activity of honey bee nest extract of Apis dorsata Binghami from the North Sulawesi

Apis dorsata Binghami is a Sulawesi endemic honey bee. Apis dorsata Binghami cannot be bred, so it still lives wildlyin the forests of Sulawesi. However, Apis dorsata Binghami produces more honey, compared to all honey bee species. Furthermore, the diversity of plants as a source of nectar, pollen and plant resin, which is used in the formation of nests and honey is more, than all types of honey bees in the world. Ethnomedically, the Minahasa community has long used honeynest for degenerative diseases such as hyperlipidemia and cancer. Nevertheless, there have been no research reports on bioactive content and bioactivity of Apis dorsataBinghami nest extract. This research wasaimed to determinethe bioactive content of honey bee nest and to obtain the inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) antioxidant activity of honey bee nest extractofApis dorsata Binghami. Honey bee nest was obtained directly from the forest of Minahasa peninsula, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Extraction of fresh honey bee nest was conductedusingmaceration method. Bioactive content analysis was carried out by the Harborne method, followed by analysis using UV Vis spectrophotometer and High performance liquid chromatography. IC50antioxidant activity of honey bee nest extract was obtained using DPPH free radical reduction method. The results showed that Apis dorsata Binghami honey bee nest extract containedalkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids and triterpenoids. Identified flavonoids displayed the highest phytochemical content. Based on the results of HPLC and UV Vis spectrophotometer analysis, there were 20 flavonoid derivatives found in honey bee nest samples in Minahasa. Ethanol extract and n-hexane extract showed high free radical reduction activity compared to vitamin C as a control treatment. However, ethanol extract produced the highest DPPH free radical reduction activity.

The temperature increase at one position in the colony can predict honey bee swarming (Apis cerana)

Although swarming is a natural biological behavior of the honey bee, it significantly influences the production of honey bee products. In this short note, we measured temperature changes of entire Eastern honey bee (Apis cerana) nests during six swarming events. We found that there was a linear heating process before swarming initiated, furthermore, a specific location with the most apparent temperature increase was identified. It lies at the bottom part of the bee space between the wall of the hive and the first frame, which was towards the nest entrance. The mean heating rates before swarming was initiated at 0.0690 ± 0.0314 °C/min until a faster speed of 0.3139 ± 0.1343 °C/min followed. A method for predicting swarming of Apis cerana was proposed.

Collective ventilation in honeybee nests.

European honey bees ( Apis mellifera) live in large congested nest cavities with a single opening that limits passive ventilation. When the local air temperature exceeds a threshold, the nests are actively ventilated by bees fanning their wings at the nest entrance. Here, we show that colonies with relatively large nest entrances use an emergent ventilation strategy where fanning bees self-organize to form groups, separating regions of continuous inflow and outflow. The observed spatio-temporal patterns correlate the air velocity and air temperature along the entrances to the distribution of fanning bees. A mathematical model that couples these variables to known fanning behaviour of individuals recapitulates their collective dynamics. Additionally, the model makes predictions about the temporal stability of the fanning group as a function of the temperature difference between the environment and the nest. Consistent with these predictions, we observe that the fanning groups drift, cling to the entrance boundaries, break-up and reform as the ambient temperature varies over a period of days. Overall, our study shows how honeybees use flow-mediated communication to self-organize into a steady state in fluctuating environments.

Differences in absconding between African and European honeybee subspecies facilitate invasion success of small hive beetles

Small hive beetle (SHB) is an invasive species in populations of European honeybee subspecies, but underlying reasons for SHB success are not well understood. African and European honeybee, Apis mellifera, subspecies differ in absconding, and small hive beetle, greater wax moth (GWM) and ants all can exploit abandoned nests. However, the impact of host absconding on SHB reproduction and the role of GWM and ants as competitors are not known. Here, we conducted a survey in South Africa, Australia and the USA to evaluate SHB and GWM reproduction and foraging by ants in abandoned honeybee colonies. While the impact of competing ants and GWM was not significant, the data show higher SHB reproduction in abandoned nests of European honeybees compared to African ones, but less for GWM. The positive correlation between abandoned protein sources (brood, pollen) on SHB reproduction suggests that the less efficient preparation for absconding by European honeybee subspecies combined with their large colony sizes is a key factor for the invasion success of SHB.

Nesting sites of giant honeybees modulated by landscape patterns

Abstract The composition of agro‐ecological landscapes is thought to have important implications for the production of major crops through its effects on pollinator abundance and behaviour. We explored the roles of land cover and land cover heterogeneity on bee nest distribution for the giant honeybee Apis dorsata, a key species for coffee pollination, in a complex agroforest landscape. We emphasized scaling and non‐uniform effects by combining two different approaches of spatial analysis, the point‐pattern analysis and surface‐pattern analysis. We found non‐exclusive, positive effects of agroforests, forest fragments and land‐cover heterogeneity on the presence and number of nests. The distribution of nests responded to habitat heterogeneity at small scale (<100 m), forest fragments at medium scale (<300 m) and to agroforest at larger scales (500 m to 2 km). Our multiple approaches highlight that the landscape effects were neither linear nor uniform within the study zone. Nests were consistently located in areas of medium agroforest density or medium to high forest density, but were absent where forest fragments are the most concentrated. The agroforest matrix was particularly important in shaping the size of nest aggregates. Nests tended to be few when there is low tree cover at broad scale, while nests were numerous when agroforest patches are abundant within the bees’ foraging range. Synthesis and applications. Our study revealed that structurally complex landscapes appear to support bee populations. The spatial arrangement of different land covers affected honeybee nest distributions by providing nesting and foraging resources across multiple scales. The results suggest that continued intensification of small forest fragments and expansion of large monospecies plantations will be deleterious to the populations of giant honeybees A. dorsata. Fragmentation of the agroforestry matrix at small scales (100s m) does not, however, appear detrimental for A. dorsata as long as sufficient diversified resources are available at the landscape scale (kms).

Small hive beetle [SHB], Aethina tumida

Small hive beetle [SHB], Aethina tumida, is a honeybee parasite native to Africa, where it is only a minor pest of the African subspecies damaging weak or stressed colonies, abandoned honeybee nests and stored bee products. In contrast, it can be a harmful parasite of European honeybee A. meìlifera. In this paper, the literature concerning morphology, biology, longevity and reproductive success of SHB, as well as host-parasite relationships, are reviewed. Distribution, potential damages to colonies, stored honey and equipment, as well as the economic importance of beede infestations, are presented. Moreover, diagnosis methods, control methods and strategies are also reviewed.

Mapping giant honey bee nests in Palawan, Philippines through a transdisciplinary approach

ABSTRACTThis article reports on a study that uses participatory mapping with indigenous Tagbanua honey hunters and gatherers to understand the spatial distribution of giant honey bees in a community forest in Palawan, Philippines. Through the use of global positioning system devices, digital cameras, and a solar home system as an electricity source, local collaborators mapped 31 bee nests from April to June 2015. This study provides a replicable long-term participatory methodology and promotes participatory learning and mutual knowledge creation. By combining applied sustainability research with local stakeholder participation, the article suggests that novel knowledge and solutions can aid sustainable rural development.

Beekeeping from Antiquity Through the Middle Ages.

Beekeeping had its origins in honey hunting-the opportunistic stealing of honey from wild honey bee nests. True beekeeping began when humans started providing artificial cavities within which the bees could build comb for the queen to lay her eggs and the workers could process honey. By 2450 BCE, the Egyptians had developed sophisticated apiculture, and, within two millennia, beekeeping with horizontal hives had spread throughout the Mediterranean. During Europe's Middle Ages, honey and wax became important commodities for trade, and beekeeping in skep, log, box, and tree hives flourished to meet the demand. Other species of honey bees contributed to the development and spread of beekeeping in Asia beginning around 300 BCE. Meanwhile, beekeeping evolved independently in Mesoamerica with the stingless bee Melipona beecheii, as documented by archaeological finds and written accounts that survived Spanish conquest.

Evidence for Ventilation through Collective Respiratory Movements in Giant Honeybee (Apis dorsata) Nests.

The Asian giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) build single-comb nests in the open, which makes this species particularly susceptible to environmental strains. Long-term infrared (IR) records documented cool nest regions (CNR) at the bee curtain (nCNR = 207, nnests > 20) distinguished by marked negative gradients (ΔTCNR/d < -3°C / 5 cm) at their margins. CNRs develop and recede within minutes, predominantly at higher ambient temperatures in the early afternoon. The differential size (ΔACNR) and temperature (ΔTCNR) values per time unit correlated mostly positively (RAT > 0) displaying the Venturi effect, which evidences funnel properties of CNRs. The air flows inwards through CNRs, which is verified by the negative spatial gradient ΔTCNR/d, by the positive grading of TCNR with Tamb and lastly by fanners which have directed their abdomens towards CNRs. Rare cases of RAT < 0 (< 3%) document closing processes (for ΔACNR/Δt < -0.4 cm2/s) but also suggest ventilation of the bee curtain (for ΔACNR/Δt > +0.4 cm2/s) displaying “inhalation” and “exhalation” cycling. “Inhalation” could be boosted by bees at the inner curtain layers, which stretch their extremities against the comb enlarging the inner nest lumen and thus causing a pressure fall which drives ambient air inwards through CNR funnels. The relaxing of the formerly “activated” bees could then trigger the “exhalation” process, which brings the bee curtain, passively by gravity, close to the comb again. That way, warm, CO2-enriched nest-borne air is pressed outwards through the leaking mesh of the bee curtain. This ventilation hypothesis is supported by IR imaging and laser vibrometry depicting CNRs in at least four aspects as low-resistance convection funnels for maintaining thermoregulation and restoring fresh air in the nest.

&lt;b&gt;Energetic feedings influence beeswax production by &lt;i&gt;Apis mellifera&lt;/i&gt; L. honeybees

The effect of different types of energy feeding (sugar syrup, inverted sugar and juice of sugar-cane) on beeswax production and its economic feasibility are evaluated. Twenty beehives of Africanized Apis mellifera were selected, and five were used for each type of feeding. The treatments were T1 (sugar-cane juice), T2 (sugar syrup) and T3 (inverted sugar). Feedings was provided by Boardman feeders and the amount was adjusted according to consumption. A layer of beeswax was manually set up into the honeybee nest and beeswax built area was measured weekly. Total reducing sugar, calorimetry, dry matter and ashes of all feedings were analyzed. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance with Tukey’s test to determine differences among averages. The average consumption of inverted sugar was significantly lower than that of other treatments. The highest beeswax production average occurred in the sugar syrup treatment. The highest average of ashes, dry matter and reducing sugar occurred, respectively, in sugar-cane juice, inverted sugar and sugar syrup. Sugar syrup may be an alternative energy source for beeswax production, although sugar-cane juice may be more profitable.

Social waves in giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) elicit nest vibrations

Giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) nest in the open and have developed a wide array of strategies for colony defence, including the Mexican wave-like shimmering behaviour. In this collective response, the colony members perform upward flipping of their abdomens in coordinated cascades across the nest surface. The time–space properties of these emergent waves are response patterns which have become of adaptive significance for repelling enemies in the visual domain. We report for the first time that the mechanical impulse patterns provoked by these social waves and measured by laser Doppler vibrometry generate vibrations at the central comb of the nest at the basic (=‘natural’) frequency of 2.156 ± 0.042 Hz which is more than double the average repetition rate of the driving shimmering waves. Analysis of the Fourier spectra of the comb vibrations under quiescence and arousal conditions provoked by mass flight activity and shimmering waves gives rise to the proposal of two possible models for the compound physical system of the bee nest: According to the elastic oscillatory plate model, the comb vibrations deliver supra-threshold cues preferentially to those colony members positioned close to the comb. The mechanical pendulum model predicts that the comb vibrations are sensed by the members of the bee curtain in general, enabling mechanoreceptive signalling across the nest, also through the comb itself. The findings show that weak and stochastic forces, such as general quiescence or diffuse mass flight activity, cause a harmonic frequency spectrum of the comb, driving the comb as an elastic plate. However, shimmering waves provide sufficiently strong forces to move the nest as a mechanical pendulum. This vibratory behaviour may support the colony-intrinsic information hypothesis herein that the mechanical vibrations of the comb provoked by shimmering do have the potential to facilitate immediate communication of the momentary defensive state of the honeybee nest to the majority of its members.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00114-013-1056-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Hexagonal comb cells of honeybees are not produced via a liquid equilibrium process

The nests of European honeybees (Apis mellifera) are organised into wax combs that contain many cells with a hexagonal structure. Many previous studies on comb-building behaviour have been made in order to understand how bees produce this geometrical structure; however, it still remains a mystery. Direct construction of hexagons by bees was suggested previously, while a recent hypothesis postulated the self-organised construction of hexagonal comb cell arrays; however, infrared and thermographic video observations of comb building in the present study failed to support the self-organisation hypothesis because bees were shown to be engaged in direct construction. Bees used their antennae, mandibles and legs in a regular sequence to manipulate the wax, while some bees supported their work by actively warming the wax. During the construction of hexagonal cells, the wax temperature was between 33.6 and 37.6°C. This is well below 40°C, i.e. the temperature at which wax is assumed to exist in the liquid equilibrium that is essential for self-organised building.