Search

ABSTRACT The potential of royal jelly production in Africanized honeybee colonies was evaluated using techniques involving two queens per colony in horizontal and vertical systems during the spring of 2019. The techniques were tested for their effect on cell acceptance (%); royal jelly production per colony (g), per harvest (g), and per position of cell bar (g) and compared with standard techniques (five and ten-frame hives) in southern Brazil. Results showed statistical significance in royal jelly production between methods. Vertical colonies produced a significantly greater amount of royal jelly per colony and per harvest (8.26 and 53.28±4.98 g) compared with single-queen colonies in ten-frame hives (4.30 and 32.76±3.57 g) and five-frame hives overlapping (2.03 and 14.45±2.48 g), but did not differ from two-queen horizontal colonies (8.09 and 46.81±4.90 g). In contrast, there was no significant difference in queen cell acceptance rate within vertical, horizontal, and ten-frame colonies. Royal jelly yield of two-queen vertical colonies increase as compared with standard colonies.

The meliponinae are important pollinators of plant species. T. weyrauchi has restricted distribution, is found only in northern Brazil. This study aimed to perform the electrophoretic characterization of esterases from T. weyrauchi and check the expression pattern of total proteins. Adult individuals were collected at the entrance of the nests located in Alto Paraíso, state of Rondônia, Brazil and stored at -20 °C. Individual extracts of head and thorax and abdomen of the workers were subjected to electrophoresis on 10% polyacrylamide gel and 5% stacking gel. Extracts from head and thorax of T. weyrauchi presented six esterase regions. In abdomen extracts it was only one esterase activity region, EST- 4. The heated samples to 52 °C and 54 °C decrease in the relative activity of esterases 1, 2, 3 and 4 and total degradation of esterases 5 and 6. At 58 °C only esterase 4 presented lower relative activity while the others were totally degraded. On the electrophoretic pattern of the proteins, 24 peptides detected, by molecular weight, their size ranged from 10 to 220 kDa. This study revealed, that number found for esterase species is greater than for other species of the same genus, as well as the number of proteins. The thermostability test showed resistance is associated with thermoregulatory capacity, an important characteristic because this species is found in regions with high temperatures.

Genetic improvement in beekeeping is mainly focused on increasing the productivity of various bee products, however, when thinking in terms of breeding, it is necessary to produce queen bees and to applicate selection in bee colonies. Even with the development of methods and technologies, there are few practical applications in the apiary. Thus, the aim of this study is to synthesize and disseminate the knowledge about the biology and behavior of queen bees, with further focus on the production of queens, as well as the instrumental insemination and selection, as tools for breeding programs. With the release of this knowledge it is expected that their application would improve the quality and quantity of bee products, keeping the colony with a selected queen, young and vigorous.

Genetic and phenotypic parameters considering the genetic effect on hygienic behavior of queen and workers from 40 Africanized honeybees colonies were estimated separately. Maternal origin of queens was controlled whereas the paternal was unknown, and different groups of workers were considered in three seasons, October 2006, April 2007 and August 2007, but with the same queen. Colonies were 21 honey producers and 19 royal jelly producers. After the method of freezing capped brood, hygienic behavior was determined by the ratio between the number of dead capped brood removed at 24, 48 and 72 hours and the total number of capped brood at zero hour. Data was submitted to single and three traits analyses using Bayesian inference. Estimates of direct heritability at 24, 48 and 72 hours (0.10, 0.11 and 0.11) were identical to the motherly ones. Estimates by three trait analysis of direct heritability were 0.28, 0.15, 0.24, and of maternal heritability were 0.23, 0.29, 0.27, at 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. Correlations between maternal and genetic effects were 0.12, 0.09 and - 0.08 at, 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. Correlation between 24 and 48 hours was 0.49; between 24 and 72 hours, 0.40; and between 48 and 72 hours, 0.47. Moderate genetic correlations with the number of capped brood removed until 48 and 72 hours indicate that after the selection of a few generations, these traits can become an efficient criterion for selection in 24 hours.

O objetivo foi avaliar a produção de geléia real em colônias de abelhas Apis mellifera, em comparação às africanizadas selecionadas para a produção de geléia real, africanizadas selecionadas para mel com cárnicas híbridas. No experimento I, foram utilizadas 10 colônias de abelhas africanizadas após seleção, para produção de geléia real; as cinco melhores rainhas foram substituídas por suas filhas e, nas restantes, foram introduzidas rainhas cárnicas, para avaliação da produção após troca da população. No experimento II, foram utilizadas 15 colônias, cinco com rainhas africanizadas selecionadas para a produção de mel (AFML), cinco selecionadas para a produção de geléia real (AFGR) e cinco cárnicas híbridas (CAHB). No experimento I, as cárnicas híbridas apresentaram maior produção de geléia real/colônia/coleta (3,95 ± 2,92 g) que as africanizadas (2,23 ± 2,13 g). As cárnicas foram superiores quanto à porcentagem de aceitação de larvas (55,4 ± 36,7%) às africanizadas (35,8 ± 28,3%). Quanto à produção de geléia real/colônia/coleta (g), no experimento II, as abelhas AFML foram significativamente superiores (4,42 ± 2,67 g) às CAHB (3,30 ± 1,85 g) e às AFGR (3,71 ± 2,13 g), que não diferiram das anteriores. Ambas as africanizadas, AFML e AFGR, produziram mais geléia real por cúpula (254,2 ± 90,7 e 253,8 ± 206,8 g, respectivamente) que as CAHB (195,8 ± 80,9 g).This study was conducted to compare royal jelly production from colonies of Apis mellifera Africanized honeybees selected for yields of royal jelly or honey with that from Carniolan hybrids. In the first trial, 10 colonies of Africanized honeybees selected for royal jelly production were used; the top five queens were replaced with their offspring and in the remaining colonies were introduced Carniolan queens in order to evaluate production after switch of population. In the second trial, 15 colonies were used as follows: five with Africanized queens selected for honey yield (AFHO), five with Africanized queens selected for royal jelly yield (AFRJ), and five with Carniolan hybrids (CAHB). In trial one, Carniolan hybrids showed greater royal jelly production/colony/collection (3.95 ± 2.92 g) when compared to Africanized honeybees (2.23 ± 2.13 g). In addition, Carniolan hybrids had higher acceptance percentage of grafted larvae (55.4 ± 36.7) than the Africanized counterparts (35.8 ± 28.3). In trial two, yield of royal jelly/colony/collection was significantly higher on AFHO compared to AFRJ and CAHB that did not differ in production. Both Africanized honeybees (AFHO = 254.2 ± 90.7 g and AFRJ = 253.8 ± 206.8 g) produced more royal jelly per cup than CAHB that yielded 195.8 ± 80.9 g.