Presence Of Honey Bees Research Articles

Is the Presence of Honeybees Having an Impact on Solitary Bee Species Abundance?

Is the Presence of Honeybees Having an Impact on Solitary Bee Species Abundance?

The structure of plant–pollinator networks is affected by crop type in a highly intensive agricultural landscape

In agricultural landscapes, bipartite networks formed by pollinators and the flowers they forage on, are characterised by the presence of honeybees (Apis mellifera) or crop plants. These managed species can affect the structural properties of these networks because of spatial and temporal variation in the availability of resources, and competition for these resources; for example, crop plants such as oilseed rape and sunflower produce a large number of flowers during a short blooming period. Here, we examined the structure of plant–pollinator networks in an intensive agricultural landscape, the Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre (West of France). We compiled a six-year monitoring dataset of plant–pollinator interactions, sampling by sweep-nets along transects in the main six crop types (811 fields in total). To describe networks, we computed six metrics: connectance, nodes number, modularity, specialisation and a nestedness measure. We found that the degree distribution (number of partners per species in the network) fitted better to Fisher’s log-series rather than Power law. Strong differences between crops were observed in nestedness and specialisation, even when accounting for the effect of sample size: in oilseed rape, networks were much more nested and much less specialised than in sunflower. In addition, the link ‘honeybee–crop flower’ differed between the two mass-flowering crops. Honeybees and sunflowers appeared as specialist species in sunflower crops, interacting strongly and almost exclusively with each other, whereas they are usually considered highly generalist species. Indeed, sunflower pollination may be almost entirely driven by honeybees, conversely to oilseed rape crops, where the presence of wild bees and other insects tended to produce a more diversified network.

Soybean yield is increased through complementary pollination by honey bees

Brazil is the major global soybean producer with ca. 40 million hectares grown annually. In recent years, there has been a growing interest by beekeepers to migrate their hives close to soybean fields, to allow honey bees, Apis mellifera L. 1758 (Hymenoptera – Apidae) to forage in. To understand the effect of honey bee pollination on the soybean yield, one experiment was set up in Londrina, Brazil, to assess the yield of soybeans and its components, whose flowers were visited by honey bees, compared to those not visited. The experiment was repeated for three consecutive years, during the 2017 to 2020 soybean growing seasons. Treatments consisted of (1) open plots, with free access by honey bees; (2) caged plots with a honey bee hive inside; and (3) caged plots with no access by honey bees or any other pollinator. Monitoring visits by honey bees to soybean flowers indicated consistent visits in open and caged plots with a beehive, and larger numbers of honey bees were observed visiting soybeans at 11 am. The average yield for the three years revealed a significant increase when honey bees had access to flowers: 5,565 kg/ha for caged plots with honey bees and 5,201 for open plots, compared to caged plots without honey bee hives, which yielded 4,926 kg/ha. The yield increase was mainly associated with the occurrence of more 3 and 4-seeded pods, a larger number of seeds/pod and seed weight, as well as a smaller number of pods with zero or one seed observed in treatments with the presence of honey bees, compared to the caged plots without beehives.

Seasonal dynamics of competition between honey bees and wild bees in a protected Mediterranean scrubland

Due to the widespread use of pesticides and the lack of floral resources in many agricultural landscapes, beekeepers have moved numerous honey bee colonies in protected areas which could shelter an important diversity of wild bees. Here, we investigated the seasonal dynamics of the competition between honey bees and wild bees through a two‐year study of plant–bee networks in a Mediterranean protected area. We recorded the visitation rates of four bee groups: honey bees, small wild bees, large wild bees and bumblebees. Our study reveals that the competition for floral resources induced by honey bees is especially strong during the early spring and then decreases along the season for all groups of wild bees. We observed a competitive exclusion of all groups of wild bees illustrated by an avoidance of well‐flowered plant species in presence of honey bees. As a consequence, we detected a rewiring of large and small bee floral preferences linked to the presence of honey bees. In presence of honey bees, Rosmarinus officinalis and Cistus albidus were significantly less visited by large bees. This study underlines the need to mitigate the establishment of numerous honey bee colonies in protected areas as honey bees could strongly affect the foraging activity of wild bees.

Diversity of bee foraging flora and floral calendar of Chandigarh region (U.T.), India during winter and summer season

The study was conducted at Chandigarh during winter and summer seasons to identify existing bee flora and to determine honey flow and dearth period. Visual observations were done to know the presence of honey bees and their foraging activities on different plants. Plants were reported as bee foraging species when at least 50% honey bee frequency was observed on them. Results concluded that winter season has 21 plant taxa of 11 families and summer has 50 plant taxa of 28 families. The identified flora was further grouped into nectar, pollen and both nectar and pollen sources. Results also revealed that winter has 7 and summer has 16 bee forage plants which provide both pollen and nectar in good quantity to honey bees. Late summer and raining seasons were identified as critical dearth period. Based on the availability of flora and their utility status the bee floral calendar was developed for Chandigarh. The result indicated that some parts of Chandigarh has rich bee flora in these seasons. By multiplying those highly preferred bee forage plants equally in all parts of different sub- divisions of Chandigarh, commercial bee keeping could be increased in future for economic purposes.

Evidence of Competition between Honey Bees and Hylaeus anthracinus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), an Endangered Hawaiian Yellow-Faced Bee

European honey bees (Apis mellifera) were first introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1800s, and are now ubiquitous across the state in both managed and feral colonies. Though they play an important role in pollination services for native plants and agricultural crops, the competitive impacts they may have on native bees are not well understood. We assessed bee interactions on the preferred floral resources of Hylaeus anthracinus at the Ka Iwi State Scenic Shoreline on O‘ahu, including Heliotropium foertherianum, Scaevola taccada, and Myoporum sandwicense. Bee visitation frequency and duration were documented and analyzed in one-hour increments from 08:00–13:00 totaling 90 hours of video recordings of the focal plants. Honey bee visitation frequency to H. foertherianum peaked at 11:00, and corresponded with a significant reduction in H. anthracinus visitation that resulted in a bimodal activity distribution for H. anthracinus. Feeding duration of H. anthracinus was significantly reduced when visiting H. foertherianum flowers following a honey bee, but unchanged when visiting after conspecifics. Honey bee feeding duration was unaltered by the species of the previous visitor, indicating that deterrence of H. anthracinus to flowers may not be the result of nectar exploitation. S. taccada and M. sandwicense received low overall bee visitation, prohibiting further analyses. We conclude that the presence of honey bees on a preferred foraging resource results in a temporal niche partitioning of H. anthracinus indicative of interference competition, possibly the result of interspecific chemical cues. Future honey bee management considerations are discussed.

The impact of lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) and cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) pollination on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colony health status.

Commercial lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) and cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) crops benefit from the presence of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) for pollination. Unfortunately, beekeepers are observing negative impacts of pollination services on honey bee colonies. In this study, we investigated three beekeeping management strategies (MS) and measured their impact on honey bee colony health and development. Experimental groups (five colonies/MS) were: A) Control farmland honey producing MS (control MS); B) Blueberry pollination MS (blueberry MS); C) Cranberry pollination MS (cranberry MS) and D) Double pollination MS, blueberry followed by cranberry (double MS). Our goals were to 1) compare floral abundance and attractiveness of foraging areas to honey bees between apiaries using a Geographic Information System, and 2) compare honey bee colony health status and population development between MS during a complete beekeeping season. Our results show significantly lower floral abundance and honey bee attractiveness of foraging areas during cranberry pollination compared to the other environments. The blueberry pollination site seemed to significantly reduce brood population in the colonies who provided those services (blueberry MS and double MS). The cranberry pollination site seemed to significantly reduce colony weight gain (cranberry MS and double MS) and induce a significantly higher winter mortality rate (cranberry MS). We also measured significantly higher levels of Black queen cell virus and Sacbrood virus in the MS providing cranberry pollination (cranberry MS and double MS).

Honey bees do not displace foraging bumble bees on nectar-rich artificial flowers

In an enclosed glasshouse with sucrose provisioned artificial flowers, we observed nectar-foraging bumble bees and honey bees under several resource conditions to determine potential for displacement. Different responses were displayed for varying resource treatments. Overall, bumble bees did not show reduced foraging in the presence of honey bees. When resources were reduced, bumble bees did not change their foraging behavior, whereas honey bees responded by decreasing their visitation rate. When a food resource of higher quality was introduced, bumble bee foragers shifted their foraging effort to the high-quality resources, whereas honey bees continued to forage on the lower quality resources they had been foraging on. We discuss these results by considering how the individual strategy of bumble bees compared with the colony-based strategy of honey bees may explain observed differences and highlight the potential advantages of each strategy in the natural environment.

The presence of honey bees in intensive pesticides use area: Case study in Pangalengan and Majalengka

Pesticide action can leave a residue in plant, including in the nectar and pollen of the flowers. Besides residues, sprays of pesticides could also make unintended possible effect to honey bee and other pollinators. Pollinators have a great impact on plant productivity, so it was important to keep the pollinators in healthy and in high diversity for sustainable of environment, food, and economy. The research was aimed to obtain valuable information regarding on pesticide use in both locations. The survey was divided into two steps. First, we did a preliminary survey to determine representative locations of study, and then followed by the second step, it was in-depth interview of pesticide use directly with 61- and 51 respondents in Pangalengan and Majalengka, respectively. Ninety six pesticide trademarks were applied by farmers in Pangalengan, meanwhile, 83 trademarks were in Majalengka with the variable bioactive compound. Neonicotinoids as bioactive of some pesticides were found only in one farmer from Pangalengan who used Alika (pesticide brand name). Besides, there were 13 active ingredients of fungicides, 15 insecticides, one herbicide, and one molluscicide found in Pangalengan. In Majalengka, there were 9 active ingredients of fungicides, 19 insecticides, and one molluscide. They usually applied herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides at least twice a week during crop cultivation. Although some farmers may be aware of pesticide hazards, adequate protection is hardly taken to minimize the risks. Sixty percent of farmers mentioned the presence of honeybees on their land. Farmers’ knowledge in the use of pesticides is appropriate and safe for both the health of pollinators and farmers when applying pesticides in the field.

Assessing blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria) propagation and pollination services in the presence of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in Utah tart cherries.

Osmia lignaria is a commercially available, native solitary bee species recognized for its propensity to forage upon and pollinate tree fruit crops such as apple, almond and cherry. This study evaluated the implementation of O. lignaria co-pollination with honey bees in central Utah commercial tart cherry orchards during 2017 and 2018 bloom. Three paired 1.2 ha sites were selected for evaluation of cherry fruit set and yield with and without managed O. lignaria releases alongside the standard honey bee hive stocking rate of 2.5 hives/ha. Osmia lignaria supplementation did not measurably increase cherry fruit set, fruit per limb cross-sectional area or fruit weight. The lack of differences in yield is likely a consequence of local saturation of pollinator services supplied by managed honey bees throughout experimental orchards, such that no additive benefit of managed O. lignaria releases were measurable. An increase in managed O. lignaria populations was achieved in 2017 but not 2018, possibly due to unknown changes to orchard management or environmental factors. While flying O.lignaria in Utah tart cherries may support sustainable in-field bee propagation, their subsequent impacts on tart cherry yield were not detected when paired with standard stocking densities of honey bees.

Genome of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida, Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), a worldwide parasite of social bee colonies, provides insights into detoxification and herbivory.

BackgroundThe small hive beetle (Aethina tumida; ATUMI) is an invasive parasite of bee colonies. ATUMI feeds on both fruits and bee nest products, facilitating its spread and increasing its impact on honey bees and other pollinators. We have sequenced and annotated the ATUMI genome, providing the first genomic resources for this species and for the Nitidulidae, a beetle family that is closely related to the extraordinarily species-rich clade of beetles known as the Phytophaga. ATUMI thus provides a contrasting view as a neighbor for one of the most successful known animal groups.ResultsWe present a robust genome assembly and a gene set possessing 97.5% of the core proteins known from the holometabolous insects. The ATUMI genome encodes fewer enzymes for plant digestion than the genomes of wood-feeding beetles but nonetheless shows signs of broad metabolic plasticity. Gustatory receptors are few in number compared to other beetles, especially receptors with known sensitivity (in other beetles) to bitter substances. In contrast, several gene families implicated in detoxification of insecticides and adaptation to diverse dietary resources show increased copy numbers. The presence and diversity of homologs involved in detoxification differ substantially from the bee hosts of ATUMI.ConclusionsOur results provide new insights into the genomic basis for local adaption and invasiveness in ATUMI and a blueprint for control strategies that target this pest without harming their honey bee hosts. A minimal set of gustatory receptors is consistent with the observation that, once a host colony is invaded, food resources are predictable. Unique detoxification pathways and pathway members can help identify which treatments might control this species even in the presence of honey bees, which are notoriously sensitive to pesticides.

Nosema ceranae disease of the honey bee (Apis mellifera)

The presence of honey bees in our landscapes has long invoked images of vitality, diligence, and cooperation. Unfortunately, the current state of bee health paints a rather different picture. The survival of honey bees, as well as the livelihoods of those who benefit from their labor, is under threat from several detractors to bee health. Exposure to pesticides, poor forage, mite parasites, and pathogens has resulted in high annual death of colonies in the USA, Europe, and other parts of the world. Among the suspects thought to contribute to bee decline, the fungal pathogen, Nosema ceranae, is found at high prevalence in both healthy and declining colonies. Since N. ceranae is thought to be a recent parasite of Apis mellifera, much remains unknown about its pathology at the individual and colony levels, as well as how infection may interact and synergize with other stressors. A review of research conducted on N. ceranae infection is provided. Attention is given to observations on detection of infection, cytopathology, viability and infectivity of spores, and caste-specific effects to survival, development, physiology, and behavior. Research findings showing effects from interactions with pesticides and viruses are also provided. Comparisons are drawn between N. ceranae and what is known about a similar, long-recognized pathogen of A. mellifera, Nosema apis. When possible, suggestions for future research that could broaden understanding of N. ceranae and ultimately improve honey bee health are offered to link observations on individual bee pathology with pathology observed at the colony level.

Enchanted Bee-ings

In the last decade there has been an increase of interest and concern for the lives and well being of honeybees. With the onset of colony collapse disorder (CCD) in 2006 where we saw the disappearance of millions of bees from North America and Europe for seemingly unknown reasons, people began to realize just how important honeybees are, not only to advanced methods of agricultural production, but also our ecological futures. This article brings to light the varied relationships that have materialized between humans and honeybees, from mid 20th century scientific discoveries, to contemporary urban beekeeping projects that seek to bring ‘nature’ into the city in order to help “save the honeybee.” It aims to articulate moments of enchantment that occur in the presence of honeybees, moments that inspire a deeper understanding of the ecological processes and spiritual dispositions that configure our place on Earth amongst the family of things. While drawing primarily from recent articles and books that sit within the emerging field of multispecies ethnography, this article also draws from, and is inspired by, recent work in philosophy, environmental sciences, and human ecology.

Honey bees are essential for pollination of Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. paradoxa (Sapotaceae) in Burkina Faso

Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) is an important fruit tree in West African parklands, and its successful pollination is a requirement for fruit production. Size-based pollinator exclusion experiments combined with visual observations showed that presence of honey bees (Apis mellifera jemenitica) was important for pollination and thereby the production of fruits and seeds. Smaller insects, mainly species of stingless bees (Hypotrigona spp. and Liotrigona cf. bottegoi) and solitary bees (Compsomelissa borneri) could partly compensate pollination in absence of honey bees, but fertilisation and fruit yield was reduced. A positive correlation between fertilisation percentage and number of honey bee colonies within radii of 900 and 1000 m was observed. The percentage of fertilisation and number of mature fruits per fascicle were higher in trees with colonies of stingless bees in the trunk when honey bees were excluded by bagging. We conclude that local beekeeping with honey bees and stingless bees is likely to have a positive influence on fruit production of shea trees in the farmed West African parklands, which speaks in favour of a pollinator friendly environment.

Effect of enhanced pollination on economic properties of self-compatible loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.), a member of the Rosaceae, carries the RNase-dependent gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) fertilization system. However, some cultivars, including the Israeli ‘Yehuda’ and ‘Akko 1’, are self-compatible (SC). Since SC cultivars are not dependent on pollen donors, they are usually planted in ‘solid blocks’. Nevertheless, in some SC Rosaceae species, such as apricot, cherry and almond, enhanced self- or cross-pollination increases fruit set. To determine whether enhanced pollination can improve ‘Yehuda’ and ‘Akko 1’ fruit set and fruit size relative to spontaneous self-pollination, the impact of introducing honey bees and the effect of cross-pollination were examined. We found that honey bees are highly attracted to ‘Yehuda’ and ‘Akko 1’ flowers, and fruit size in both cultivars was positively correlated with the number of seeds per fruit. In a net-caged tree experiment, fruit set of ‘Yehuda’ and ‘Akko 1’ benefited from the presence of honey bees. However, fruit set was also relatively high for the caged trees without honey bees which underwent spontaneous self-pollination, and commercial fruit thinning was required for all treatments. For both cultivars, seed set after spontaneous self-pollination was the same as for self-pollination in the presence of honey bees. The impact of cross-pollination between different cultivars moderately increased ‘Yehuda’ fruit set and ‘Akko 1’ seed set. Taken together, the results suggest that spontaneous self-pollination meets the pollination requirements for the SC loquat cultivars ‘Yehuda’ and ‘Akko 1’, and that the presence of pollen donors and/or honey bees confers a minor commercial advantage.

EFFICACY OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM MEDICINAL PLANTS IN CONTROL OF THE HAIRY ROSE BEETLE, <i>TROPINOTA SQUALIDA</i> (SCOPOLI) AND THEIR COMPARATIVE TOXICITY TO THE HONEY BEE, <i>APIS MELLIFERA</i> L.

The insecticidal activity of essential plants oils against an important insect pest of fruit trees, the hairy rose beetle, was evaluated in topical and feeding applications in the laboratory. Essential oils that caused more than 50% mortality were further tested against the hairy rose beetle and the honey bee using different concentrations and their relative toxicities were evaluated. Results showed that eucalyptol and fir oils outperformed other tested oils and caused 72 and 64% mortality, respectively. These mortalities were not different from the application of the commercial insecticide, Deltamethrin. Moreover, eucalyptol and fir oils were more toxic to the hairy rose beetle than the dominant pollinator during fruit trees flowering, the honey bee. However, eucalyptol was relatively safer to the honey bees than fir oil. These findings indicate that eucalyptol might be applied during fruit trees bloom to control the hairy rose beetle even in the presence of honey bees if used for the crop pollination.

The endangered Iris atropurpurea (Iridaceae) in Israel: honey-bees, night-sheltering male bees and female solitary bees as pollinators

The coastal plain of Israel hosts the last few remaining populations of the endemic Iris atropurpurea (Iridaceae), a Red List species of high conservation priority. The flowers offer no nectar reward. Here the role of night-sheltering male solitary bees, honey-bees and female solitary bees as pollinators of I. atropurpurea is documented. Breeding system, floral longevity, stigma receptivity, visitation rates, pollen loads, pollen deposition and removal and fruit- and seed-set were investigated. The main wild pollinators of this plant are male eucerine bees, and to a lesser extent, but with the potential to transfer pollen, female solitary bees. Honey-bees were found to be frequent diurnal visitors; they removed large quantities of pollen and were as effective as male sheltering bees at pollinating this species. The low density of pollen carried by male solitary bees was attributed to grooming activities, pollen displacement when bees aggregated together in flowers and pollen depletion by honey-bees. In the population free of honey-bee hives, male bees carried significantly more pollen grains on their bodies. Results from pollen analysis and pollen deposited on stigmas suggest that inadequate pollination may be an important factor limiting fruit-set. In the presence of honey-bees, eucerine bees were low removal-low deposition pollinators, whereas honey-bees were high removal-low deposition pollinators, because they removed large amounts into corbiculae and deposited relatively little onto receptive stigmas. Even though overall, both bee taxa were equally effective pollinators, we suggest that honey-bees have the potential to reduce the amount of pollen available for plant reproduction, and to reduce the amount of resources available to solitary bee communities. The results of this study have potential implications for the conservation of this highly endangered plant species if hives are permitted inside reserves, where the bulk of Oncocyclus iris species are protected.

Hybrid carrot seed crop pollination by the fly Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

AbstractMany insect species can contribute to crop pollination; however, most growers remain highly dependent on the managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) for this service. The European Blue Blow Fly Calliphora vicina Robineau‐Desvoidy, 1830 is one species with potential use as a pollinator. It occurs worldwide and is easy to rear. Caged trials conducted within a hybrid carrot (Daucus carota L.) seed crop found C. vicina to be an effective pollinator. Seed yield (number and weight) from field‐grown carrot plants caged with C. vicina, but excluding all other large flower visitors (body width > 3 mm), was similar to seed yield from uncaged plants in the presence of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) and other insects. In contrast, caged plants without C. vicina produced 10‐fold less seed. Under open field conditions, C. vicina spent an average of 71.0 s per umbel compared to 54.4 s for honey bees; however, under caged conditions, C. vicina spent more time on average per umbel (128.9 s). Counts of C. vicina and honey bees on umbels outside of cages and C. vicina inside cages found that honey bees were most abundant on days with maximum temperature > 25°C, while C. vicina was more abundant on cooler days around 20°C. C. vicina may therefore be a useful pollinator of crops grown in isolation cages for plant breeding purposes as well as in open fields when climatic conditions are less favourable for optimal honey bee activity.

Apis mellifera and Megachile rotundata: a comparison of behaviour and seed yield in a hybrid carrot seed crop

The movement of managed alfalfa leafcutting bees (Megachile rotundata (F.)) in and around carrot flowers is compared with that of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) in a field trial to assess their relative efficacy as pollinators of hybrid carrot seed crops. Seed set is measured on carrot flowers inside cages with and without alfalfa leafcutting bees and compared with seed set in open field conditions in the presence of honey bees. Non-caged alfalfa leafcutting bees spend a similar amount of time on umbels and visit a similar number of umblets per umble as honey bees. Seed yield (number and weight of seeds) for flowers pollinated by caged alfalfa leafcutting bees is similar to that of flowers pollinated mainly by honey bees. However, it is not known how effective alfalfa leafcutting bees are compared with honey bees when not confined in cages (i.e. open pollination) under a range of commercial field conditions, particularly in the absence of plant species preferred by alfalfa leafcutting bees.

HONEY BEES AS AN AID IN IMPROVING LABOUR CONDITIONS IN SWEET BELL PEPPER GREENHOUSES: REDUCTION OF POLLEN ALLERGY

Sweet bell pepper is the most important greenhouse vegetable crop in the Netherlands. It is grown on an area of 10,000 hectares, and about 8000 people are working in these greenhouses. One third of these workers sooner or later develop an occupational allergy to the sweet bell pepper pollen. The symptoms range from itching, blocking of the nose as well as a sniffling nose, to asthma. The pollen falls down from the flowers when the plants are shaken, which occurs when people are cutting fruits or when they prune or twine the plants. In a pilot study, a number of greenhouses in which honey-bee colonies were introduced were compared with greenhouses without honey-bees. In the greenhouses with honey-bees, hardly any pollen was present on the anthers of the flowers, since it was collected by the honey-bees as a food for their larvae. In flowers of plants in greenhouses without honey-bees, pollen was present most of the time. The symptoms of allergic workers in the greenhouses were significantly reduced by the presence of honey-bees, as was deduced from questionnaires in which the workers were asked to mark the intensity of the symptoms during the past two weeks on a Visual Analogue Scale. The possible beneficial impact of the application of honey-bees on a larger scale needs further research, as well as answering the question of a possible prevention of this occupational allergy in sweet bell pepper horticulturists by honey-bees. The required or optimal number of bee colonies per area greenhouse needs also to be studied