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Journal of Apicultural Science 2024 68(1)
SIZE AND SHAPE DIFFERENCES IN FORE WINGS OF HONEY BEE (APIS MELLIFERA) QUEENS, WORKERS AND DRONES
DIFFERENCES IN THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE FRONT WINGS OF HONEY BEE QUEENS, WORKERS AND DRONES (APIS MELLIFERA)
https://sciendo.com/pl/article/10.2478/jas-2023-0013
Adam Tofilski, Hardeep Kaur, Sylwia Łopuch
The three castes of honeybees – queens, workers and drones – differ in the size and shape of body parts. A large data set was used to describe how these three castes differed in their forewings. Wing measurements were based on coordinates of nineteen landmarks using geometric morphometrics methodology. Queens had larger wings than workers, but the size distributions of the two castes overlapped. In contrast, drones had distinctly larger wings. Wing shape differed significantly between queens, workers and drones. Wing shape can be used to distinguish all three castes without any error. Surprisingly, the shape of the forewings of workers was more similar to drones than to queens. Smaller queens were not more similar to workers than larger queens, and larger workers were not more similar to queens than smaller workers. Since wing size, unlike body mass, does not change throughout the life of a queen, it can be used to assess the quality of a queen throughout her life, not just in the short period after emergence from the queen cell. A large number of images of queen and drone wings have been provided that can be used as comparative data for future studies.
Keywords: Apis mellifera, drone, queen bee, wing shape, wing size, worker bee
PROXIMATE COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF HONEY BEE COLLECTED POLLEN IN THE MAIN FLOWERING SEASON, IN WEST SHEWA ZONE, CENTRAL ETHIOPIA
APPROXIMATE COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF POLLEN COLLECTED BY HONEYBEES DURING PEAK FLOW SEASON IN WESTERN SHEWA, CENTRAL ETHIOPIA
https://sciendo.com/pl/article/10.2478/jas-2024-0006
Gemechis L. Yadet, Emana G. Degaga, Admassu A. Merti
The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of botanical and geographical differences on the protein, mineral, total phenolic and antioxidant activity of bee pollen collected from five districts in the West Shewa zone of Ethiopia. Pollen Guizotia sp., Brassica sp., Trifolium sp., Eucalyptus sp., Plantago lanceolata i addictive faba were sorted based on color and subjected to chemical analysis. The results showed an average moisture content of 10,6% of fresh weight (FW), protein of 19,4% of dry weight (DW) and ash of 2,4% (DW); the most dominant minerals were K (9765,6), Ca (963,4), Mg (960,5), Fe (142,8) and P (126,5) in mg/kg DW. The average total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (DPPH radical) were 40,3 GAE mg/g FW and 13,7 AAE mg/g FW (gallic acid and ascorbic acid equivalents, respectively). Broad bean pollen had the highest protein, ash, P and Cu content. Pollen of four taxa had the highest Ca values, while multispecies pollen contained the highest Fe content. Samples from Ejere had the highest content of ash, Ca, Na and Cu. The results showed high content of the tested chemicals and strong antioxidant properties of bee pollen, depending on the botanical and geographical origin. These results will serve as input for further evaluation of the nutritional value of pollen for bee colonies and potential human consumption. However, comprehensive chemical studies of a larger number of samples representing diverse flora and locations are essential for developing a broad regional database of the nutritional profile of bee pollen.
Keywords: bee pollen, botanical and geographical origin, Ethiopia, minerals, proteins
QUALITY OF PROPOLIS COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ON PODKARPACKI BEEKEEPING MARKET
QUALITY OF PROPOLIS COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ON THE PODKARPACKIE BEEKEEPING MARKET
https://sciendo.com/pl/article/10.2478/jas-2024-0004
Michał Miłek, Ewa Ciszkowicz, Grzegorz Zaguła, Dorota Grabek-Lejko, Anna Pasternakiewicz,
Katarzyna Lecka-Szlachta, Małgorzata Dżugan
Propolis samples, commercially available on the beekeeping market in southeastern Poland, were compared in terms of quality, chemical composition and biological activity, including antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Organoleptic evaluation and examination of physicochemical parameters showed that according to the applicable standard, only 50% of the tested propolis samples could be classified as class II, while the rest were out of class. The ICP-OES method showed a large variation in mineral composition, but all samples were free of heavy metals (Pb, Cd and Ni). Although mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and moulds were present in the tested propolis (generally below 102 CFU/g), no bacteria were detected E. coli and spore-forming sulphite-reducing bacteria, as well as bacteria of the genera Salmonella i Shigella. All samples showed high antioxidant activity and total phenolic content, which were correlated with antibacterial activity against the strain E. coli ATCC 11775. In addition, the propolis sample with the highest antibacterial activity (MIC 0,33 mg/ml) inhibited biofilm formation S. aureus i S. epidermidis ATCC 35984 (MBIC 0,66 and 5,25 mg/ml, respectively). A large variation was observed in terms of antioxidant activity and polyphenolic profile determined by HPLC, and sakuranetin and pinobanksin were identified as the most effective antioxidant components of propolis. Moreover, the usefulness of ATR-FTIR spectral analysis as a rapid method for the preliminary assessment of propolis quality was confirmed.
Keywords: propolis, purity class, microbiological contamination, polyphenol profile, antibacterial activity
OFF-SEASON SWARMING IN THE JAPANESE HONEY BEE (APIS CERANA JAPONICA)
SWARMING PRODUCTIVITY OF THE EASTERN BEE COMMUNITIES (APIS CERANA JAPONICA) OUTSIDE THE BEEPING SEASON
https://sciendo.com/pl/article/10.2478/jas-2024-0005
Kiyohito Morii, Yoshiko Sakamoto
Climate change affects honeybee phenology and behavior, as confirmed by previous studies. To better understand the impact of climate change on the swarming behavior of the Japanese honeybee (Apis cerana japonica), we collected the results of the out-of-season swarming of this bee subspecies between autumn and winter. Eleven records of out-of-season swarming were collected from a survey of 311 beekeepers, ten of which were from 2020. The beekeepers who reported the out-of-season swarming phenomenon had between eight and twenty years of beekeeping experience and stated that it was the first time they had witnessed the phenomenon, suggesting its current increase. One possible factor contributing to the increase in out-of-season swarming is the increase in average autumn and winter temperatures in Japan in recent years.
Keywords: Asian honey bee, climate change, phenology, reproductive behavior, swarming cycle
OCCURRENCE OF LOTMARIA PASSIM IN AFRICANIZED AND EUROPEAN HONEY BEE, APIS MELLIFERA, LINEAGES FROM THE UNITED STATES
PARASITE PREVALENCE LOTMARIA PASSIM IN THE AFRICANIZED AND EUROPEAN HONEY BEE APIS MELLIFERA, BEE LINES FROM THE UNITED STATES
https://sciendo.com/pl/article/10.2478/jas-2024-0002
Mary-Kate Williams, Dylan Cleary, Allen Szalanski
Honeybee populations in the United States have been under stress for several decades. One cause of this may be internal parasites, including Lotmaria passim. It is not known how widespread the parasite is. L. passim in Africanized honey bee (AHB) populations in the United States. A total of 321 samples of wild honey bees that were molecularly determined to be Africanized were used in the study: from California (n=3), New Mexico (n=46), Oklahoma (n=57), Texas (n=106), and Utah (n=109). Of all samples from the first three states, a total of 15 (4,7%) tested positive for the presence of L. passim. AHB samples from Utah had the highest infection rate (11,0%), followed by Texas (1,9%) and Oklahoma (1,8%). Compared with previous studies of the prevalence L. passim in European honey bees in the same states, the infection rates of Africanized honey bees with the parasite L. passim were significantly higher only in Utah. This study confirms that wild honeybee populations have lower parasite levels than managed honeybee colonies.
Keywords: Africanized bees, parasites
HAPLOTYPE AFFILIATION OF VARROA DESTRUCTOR IN SELECTED LOCATIONS FROM POLAND AND UKRAINE
HAPLOTYPE AFFILIATION VARROA DESTRUCTOR IN SELECTED LOCATIONS IN POLAND AND UKRAINE
https://sciendo.com/pl/article/10.2478/jas-2024-0001
Piotr Dziechciarz, Marcin Domaciuk, Maria Iller, Stefan Kerek, Grzegorz Borsuk
Virulence of viruses transmitted by Varroa destructor suggested a potential relationship with the Korean haplotype of mites parasitizing bees in Poland. This hypothesis has not been directly verified. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the haplotype affiliation of mites Varroa destructor occurring in Poland and Ukraine. Adult females were collected from drone brood from the apiary of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin (Poland) and the apiary of the National Park Synevir (Ukraine). Haplotype affiliation was determined by sequencing a fragment of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (CO I; 929 bp). Based on phylogenetic comparison at 84% coefficient, the affiliation of females was confirmed Varroa destructor from both locations into three haplotypes: Korean first (AmK1-1), Korean second (AmK1-2) and Chinese fourth (AmK1-4). These are the most virulent haplotypes of the parasite Varroa destructor in the world and in Poland. At the same time, this study confirms that the Synevyr National Park in Ukraine is isolated from alien bee subspecies, but is not free from alien bee parasites.
Keywords: phylogenetic analysis, haplotyping, Varroa destructor
CASE OF WILLOW RUST SPORES (MELAMPSOR SPP.) COLLECTED BY HONEY BEES
A CASE OF COLLECTION OF WILLOW RUST SPORES (MELAMPSORA SPP.) BY HONEY BEE
https://sciendo.com/pl/article/10.2478/jas-2024-0003
Paweł Migdal, Janusz Mazurek, Agata Kaczmarek-Pieńczewska, Marta Jurga-Zotow, Agnieszka Murawska
Honeybee workers (Apis mellifera L.) collect nectar, honeydew, and pollen from plants to provide the bee colony with carbohydrates and protein, among other things. When these sources are unavailable in the environment, bees turn to alternatives. An example of this is fungal spores collected accidentally or intentionally. The latter phenomenon is the focus of this study, in which we show that worker bees can collect willow rust spores (Melampsora spp.). We observed bees collecting spores and placing them in pollen baskets. The presence of spores was demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This observation suggests that honeybees may use alternative food sources as a potential supplement. There is little research on this phenomenon and it requires further investigation.
Keywords: fungal spores, honeybee workers, SEM
