Pollinators Of Agricultural Crops Research Articles

Nosema disease is an actual problem of beekeeping

The article presents an information review on the infectious disease of bees – nosematosis. The features of the structure of the spore, the life cycle of development, transmission of infection are described, as well as methods of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention are displayed. Alternative methods of treatment and their effectiveness are shown. A decrease in the population of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) was noted. One of the reasons is an opportunistic infection of bees caused by microsporidia of the genus Nozema. Nosematosis occurs in most countries of the world. At the moment, three species of this parasite have been described in honey bees: N. aris, N. ceranae and N. neumanni. The most common are N. aris, N. ceranae. In 2011, Gisder et al. a model of tissue cell culture was developed, which made it possible to see the intracellular life cycle of these microsporidia. It is important for the preservation of the Apis mellifera population to study up-to-date information and look for new ways to combat this disease. Honey bees play an important role for humanity and are an integral part of biological diversity. Its work as a pollinator of agricultural crops and other plants cannot be overestimated.

Features of cost accounting and calculation of the cost of production of honey-pollinating direction of beekeeping

Beekeeping has a high value due to the commercial products obtained and the creation of opportunities for natural pollination of agricultural crops in order to increase their yield. Based on this, intensive farming territories have a great potential in the development of the industry. The article describes the features of calculating the products of honey-pollinating direction of beekeeping; the composition and structure of production costs, the procedure for calculating the actual cost of production of honey-pollinating direction of beekeeping are considered. The subject of the study is the system of cost accounting and calculation of the cost of production of honey-pollinating direction of beekeeping in the Stavropol Territory. The information base was the forms of specialized reporting of agricultural organizations of the Stavropol Territory. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the development of methods for calculating the cost of beekeeping products of an economy that has a honey-pollinating direction.

Impacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on the wild bee community in agricultural field margins

Wild bees support global agroecosystems via pollination of agricultural crops and maintaining diverse plant communities. However, with an increased reliance on pesticides to enhance crop production, wild bee communities may inadvertently be affected through exposure to chemical residues. Laboratory and semi-field studies have demonstrated lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids on limited genera (e.g., Apis, Bombus, Megachile), yet full field studies evaluating impacts to wild bee communities remain limited. Here, we conducted a two-year field study to assess whether neonicotinoid seed treatment and presence in environmental media (e.g., soil, flowers) influenced bee nest and diet guild abundance and richness. In 2017 and 2018, we planted 23 Missouri agricultural fields to soybeans (Glycine max) using one of three seed treatments: untreated (no insecticide), treated (imidacloprid), or previously-treated (untreated, but neonicotinoid use prior to 2017). During both years, wild bees were collected in study field margins monthly (May to September) in tandem with soil and flowers from fields and field margins that were analyzed for neonicotinoid residues. Insecticide presence in soils and flowers varied over the study with neonicotinoids infrequently detected in both years within margin flowers (0%), soybean flowers (<1%), margin soils (<8%), and field soils (~39%). Wild bee abundance and species richness were not significantly different among field treatments. In contrast, neonicotinoid presence in field soils was associated with significantly lower richness (ground- and aboveground-nesting, diet generalists) of wild bee guilds. Our findings support that soil remains an underexplored route of exposure and long-term persistence of neonicotinoids in field soils may lead to reduced diversity in regional bee communities. Future reduction or elimination of neonicotinoid seed treatment use on areas managed for wildlife may facilitate conservation goals to sustain viable, diverse wild bee populations.

Foragers of Africanized honeybee are more sensitive to fungicide pyraclostrobin than newly emerged bees

The honeybee has economic importance both for the commercial value of bee products and for its role in the pollination of agricultural crops. Despite the fact that the fungicides are widely used in agriculture, studies comparing the effects of this group of pesticides on bees are still scarce. There are many gaps preventing the understanding of bees’ responses to exposure to fungicides, including the influence of the age of the exposed workers. However, this study aimed to compare the effects of residual concentrations of pyraclostrobin on young and old bees of Africanized Apis mellifera. The parameters analyzed were the survival rates, as well as the histopathological and histochemical changes in midgut of orally exposed workers to different sublethal concentrations of this strobilurin fungicide: 0.125 ng a.i./μL (C1), 0.025 ng a.i./μL (C2) e 0.005 ng a.i./μL (C3). The results showed a significant decrease in the longevity only for old bees exposed to the three concentrations of pyraclostrobin. After the five-day exposure period, the fungicide induced sublethal effects in the midgut only from the old bees. These effects were the increase both in cytoplasmic vacuolization of digestive cells and morphological changes in the nests of regenerative cells, which reflected in the higher lesion index of organ for groups C1 and C2. Additionally, there was a reduction in total protein staining in the intestinal epithelium in C1 and C2. At the same exposure period, the midgut of young bees presented only a reduction in the staining of neutral polysaccharides in the group C1. Concluding, old workers are more sensitive to the fungicide than young workers. This study showed different responses according to worker age, which can affect the maintenance of colony health. Future studies should take into account the age of the workers to better understand the effects of fungicides on bees.

Nest architecture and life cycle of Small Carpenter bee, Ceratina binghami Cockerell (Xylocopinae: Apidae: Hymenoptera)

The small carpenter bee, Ceratina binghami (Xylocopinae:Apidae) is an important pollinator of many agricultural and horticultural crops. The nests constructed by the bee in the pruned pithy stems of Caesalpinia pulcherrima were collected to study its biology under laboratory conditions. The bee constructs its nest in the pithy stems of different plants by chewing over the pith layer. The bee is oligolectic in habit and make pollen balls and provision its broods in the cells with an interesting guarding behavior in the nest. The nests consisted of egg, larvae, prepupae, pupae and adult stages. Life cycle of the bee was completed in 41.67±3.12 days. Pupal stage consisted of different colors of eye pigmentation. Foraging activity of the bee started during morning hours approximately between 6.45 to 7.15 am and ended during the late evening hours of 4.50 to 5.15 pm. The nest architecture of the bee was studied and presented. The nesting behavior and short life cycle of C. binghami in pithy stems of C. pulcherrima helps in the in-situ conservation and utilization of the bee species in the pollination of agricultural crops.

Estimating colonies of Plebeia droryana (Friese, 1900) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): adults, brood and nest structure

Estimate of stingless bee colonies including nest structures and quantitative brood and adult individuals are scarce. Here, we describe a new approach to estimate colonial parameters from nest structure, adults and brood. We used five colonies of Plebeia droryana (Friese, 1900) to evaluate colony size and weight of adult and brood. Nest architecture in P. droryana is similar to the species of the same genus but differ to the other stingless bees. In this species, we counted a total of 9 to 12 brood combs and a total of 19 to 25 food pots in the nests. The number of individuals in the colonies is considered small and our estimate was based on individual and group weight. Our study approach may contribute to further detailed studies of the species nest and considering the stingless bees to the pollination of agricultural crops and native flora of tropical regions, it is important to add information about the biology of P. droryana.

Role of species: traits, interactions and ecosystem services

Understanding the role that species play in their environment is a fundamental goal of biodiversity research, bringing knowledge on ecosystem maintenance and in provision of ecosystem services. Different types of interaction that different species establish with their partners regulate the functioning of ecosystems (McCann 2007). Interactions between plants and pollinators (Potts et al. 2016) and between plants and seed dispersers (Wang and Smith 2002) are examples of mutualism, crucial to the maintenance of the floristic composition and overall biodiversity in different biomes. They also illustrate well the nature's contribution to people, supporting ecosystem services with key economic consequences, such as pollination of agricultural crops (Klein et al. 2007) and seed dispersal of natural or assisted restoration of degraded areas (Wunderle 1997). Interactions are mediated by different functional traits (morphological and/or behavioral characteristics of organisms that influence their performance) (Ball et al. 2015). As the zoochorous transfer of pollen grains and seeds usually involves contact, the success of pollination and seed dispersal depends to a large extend on the relationship of size and morphology between flower/fruit and their respective pollinator/seed disperser. Selected over a long history of shared evolutionary history, it is feasible to rely on the predictive potential these traits may have to determine if a certain animal is able to transfer pollen grains and/or seeds of specific plants in the landscape (Howe 2016). Biodiversity is facing constant negative impacts, especially related to climate and habitat changes. They are threatening the provision of ecosystem services, jeopardizing the basic premise of sustainable development, which is to guarantee resources for future generations. The novel landscapes that result from these impacts will certainly be dependent of these ecosystem services, but will they persist in face of extinctions and invasive competitors? Ultimately, will these services be predicable by functional traits, in landscapes where shared evolutionary history is reduced? Strategies that help our understanding of the interactions and their role in the provision of services are urgent (Corlett 2011). Given this context, our objective here is to present the type of data that, if made available, could assist in determining the role of species in terms of the interactions they make and the provision of ecosystem services. Moreover, we aimed to elucidate how this role can be associated with functional traits. The current work focuses on the following groups: plants, birds, bats and bees (Fig. 1). Of particular interest are interactions involving: pollination, which is carried out predominantly by bees, but also by nectarivorous birds and bats; and seed dispersal, mainly carried out by frugivorous birds and bats. These interactions are mediated by key traits. In plants, common flower traits are the aperture, color, odor strength and type, shape orientation, size and symmetry, nectar guide and sexual organ, and reward. Fruit or seed traits, such as fleshy nutrient, chemical attractant and clinging structures, are also relevant for seed dispersal. In animals the most common traits are the body size (for bees, the intertegular distance; for bats, forearm length; and for birds, the weight), gape-width for birds and the feeding habit (nectarivorous, frugivorous, omnivorous) for bats and birds. Providing standardized data on traits involving interactions between fauna and flora is important to fill knowledge gaps, which could help in the decision making processes aiming conservation, restoration and management programs for protecting ecosystem services based on biodiversity.

Enhancing the Biodiversity of Insects Pollinators through Flowering Grass Strips

The extensive use of plant protection products in agricultural practice and obtaining high and top quality yields results in decline of a major part of the natural regulators and the insects-pollinators. The reduction in their numbers in agricultural areas poses a threat for the pollination of entomophilous plants on global scale. The objective of this study was to establish areas of flowering varieties of grass mixes, ensuring proper habitats and food source for the pollinators of agricultural crops. The tests showed that the plant varieties in the grass mixes blossomed in the period April to June (1.5-2 months), providing varying species of pollinators, depending on the plants species. In the different-coloured layers of the grass mixtures: white, purple and yellow, the following pollinators were determined: Apis mellifera L., Megachile sp., Halictus scabiosae Rossi, Lasioglossum xanthopus Kirby, Melita leporita, Andrena flavipes Panzer., Macropis europaeae Warn., Anthidium manicatum L., Ceratina cucurbitina Rossi and Ceratina sp.

Pollen Load and Flower Constancy of Three Species of Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae).

The genera of stingless bees play an important role as pollinators of plants. These bees are actively involved in the pollination of agricultural crops and known to have preferences in selecting flowers to pollinate. The aims of this study were to analyse the pollen load and flower constancy in Tetragonula laeviceps, Lepidotrigona terminata, and Heterotrigona itama. Each individual of species stingless bees collected and was put in a 1.5 mL micro-tube contain 0.5 mL 70% ethanol:glycerol (4:1). Pollen loads on each individual of stingless bees was counted by hemocytometer. Flower constancy of stingless bees was measured based on percentage of pollen type loaded on the body. Results showed that the pollen loads of H. itama was the highest (31392 pollen grains) followed by L. terminata (23017 pollen grains) and T. laeviceps (8015 pollen grains). These species also demonstrated different flower constancy, T. laeviceps on Poaceae flowers (76.49%), L. terminata on Euphorbiaceae flowers (80.46%), and H. itama on Solanaceae flowers (83.33%).

Distribution and Ecological Characteristics of Cocoons of the Solitary Bees Osmia cornifrons and O. pedicornis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Osmia cornifrons and O. pedicornis are a cavity-nesting solitary species used mainly as an apple pollinator in Korea. To elucidate the characteristics of those bees for the efficient the pollination of agricultural crops, we investigated the distribution, the number of cocoons per straw, sex ratio, and characteristics of cocoon at different locations in 2010. We collected four species of Osmia spp. consisting of O. cornifrons, O. pedicornis, O. taurus and O. satoi in Yeongwol, Bonghwa and Yechon locations. O. pedicornis was the dominant species, which accounts for 59.6% to 76.4% in the three locations. The mean number of Osmia spp. was varied in different 3 locations. In the number of cocoons per bamboo straw, there were from 7.6 to 8.5 in O. cornifrons and from 6.8 to 7.1 in O. pedicornis at one side straw, and from 16.3 to 16.5 in O. cornifrons and from 13.3 to 13.5 in O. pedicornis at both sides straw. The sex ratio of Osmia spp. were from 1:1 to 1: 2.8 in O. cornifrons and from 1:2.8 to 1:5.5 in O. pedicornis. The sex ratio of O. cornifrons and O. pedicornis was different in 3 locations. The female and male cocoons of O. cornifrons were the long elliptical-shaped and grey-brown color. The width, length and weight of the female cocoon were 5.6±0.6㎜, 10.2±0.8㎜ and 89.5±20.0㎎, respectively. The width, length and weight of the male cocoon were 5.0±0.4㎜, 9.0±0.6㎜ and 62.1±11.3㎎, respectively. The female and male cocoons of O. pedicornis were the long elliptical-shaped and polished dark-brown color. The female cocoon had the width of 6.5±0.6㎜, length of 12.9±1.0㎜ and weight of 89.5±20.0㎎. In case of the male cocoon, the width, length and weight of were 5.0±0.4㎜, 9.0±0.6㎜ and 151.5±29.4㎎, respectively. In both species of O. cornifrons and O. pedicornis, the cocoon size of the females was significantly larger than that of the male. Between those two species, the latter had a relatively bigger size than the former.

Silencing the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Naked Cuticle Gene (nkd) Improves Host Immune Function and Reduces Nosema ceranae Infections.

Given the critical role of honey bees in the pollination of agricultural crops, it is urgent to develop strategies to prevent the colony decline induced by the infection of parasites/pathogens. Targeting parasites and pathogens directly by RNAi has been proven to be useful for controlling infections in honey bees, but little is known about the disease impacts of RNAi silencing of host factors. Here, we demonstrate that knocking down the honey bee immune repressor-encoding nkd gene can suppress the reproduction of N. ceranae and improve the overall health of honey bees, which highlights the potential role of host-derived and RNAi-based therapeutics in controlling the infections in honey bees. The information obtained from this study will have positive implications for honey bee disease management practices.

Pollination activity and floral preferences of Bombus spp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) present in a hedge

Bombus species are pollinators of agricultural crops and wild flora, contributing to food production and the maintenance of biodiversity. Thus, it is important to perform research aimed to get a better knowledge to preserve them and use them in crop pollination programs. This study was performed at U.D.C.A's campus, located in the northern part of the Sabana of Bogota, Colombia. The objectives of this study were to identify the Bombus species found visiting flowers at the University campus, to register the hours of major activity, and to report how their activity was affected by daily environmental temperature changes. Additionally, the flora visited was identified and the number of visits to the flora was recorded. Two Bombus species were found: B. robustus and B. atratus, the latest being the most abundant at the University campus. Two peaks of activity at temperatures that oscillated between 16°C and 19°C were observed. Eighteen plant species were visited being clover, Trifolium pretense (Fabaceae) the most visited one.

Population genetics of orchid bees in a fragmented tropical landscape

The prospects for persistence of bees living in fragmented landscapes is a topic of considerable interest due to bees’ importance as pollinators of agricultural crops and wild plants, coupled with the ubiquity of native habitat loss and evidence that bees may be declining worldwide. Population persistence in fragmented areas depends on dispersal potential and maintenance of gene flow among fragments of habitat. Here we used population genetic techniques to characterize, for two equally abundant orchid bee species that differ in their physiology and ecology, levels of genetic differentiation among fragments of tropical forest in southeastern Costa Rica in a ~200 km2 landscape. We measured population differentiation with ϕPT (an analogue to the traditional summary statistic Fst), as well as two measures that may more accurately reflect the level of differentiation when highly variable loci are used: G’st and Dest. We also calculated pairwise genetic distances among individuals and conducted Mantel tests to test the correlation of genetic and geographic distance, for each species. We found strong differences in genetic structure between the species. Contrary to our expectations, each measure of genetic structure revealed that the larger-bodied species, Eulaema bombiformis, had higher levels of differentiation than the smaller species, Euglossa championi. Furthermore, for Eulaema bombiformis there was a significant positive correlation of genetic and geographic distance while for Euglossa championi there was no significant positive correlation. Our results demonstrate that bee species can have strikingly different levels of gene flow in fragmented habitats, and that body size may not always act as a useful proxy for dispersal, even in closely related taxa.

Corrigendum: Determination of suitable zones for apitourism using multi-criteria evaluation in geographic information systems: a case study in the O’Higgins Region, Chile

Beekeeping, which involves honey production and pollination of agricultural crops, has become a significant production activity. Linking beekeeping with ecotourism brings greater value to the beekeeping sector, thereby attracting the development of apitourism. Multi-criteria decision analysis is a set of techniques developed through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) focused on spatial decision making, which can be used to link beekeeping and tourism for the development of priority sites for shared activity. This work is based on the definition and weighting of factors used for evaluation of apitourism suitability in Chile, considering the opinion of beekeepers and professionals associated with the sector. The result is a map of apitouristic suitability that includes vegetation, tourism, precipitation, temperature, roads, rivers and genetically modified crops (GM crops), as well as three restrictions: soil use, highways and wild areas protected by the state. The model allowed the localization of priority sites for resources and efforts pertaining to the development of apitourism.

The Feasibility of Introducing Squash Bees (Peponapis and Xenoglossa) Into the Old World

The introduction of honeybees from the Old World to the New has been of the utmost significance, for the pollination of agricultural crops as well as for honey and wax production. And in New Zealand, red clover seed crops failed until bumble bees were introduced from England. The New World, as well as the Old, is rich in native wild bees, and the present article discusses the question of introducing to the Old World from the New certain species of “squash bees”, so called because they are especially adapted for pollinating squashes and other species of Cucurbita (gourds, pumpkins and vegetable marrows).