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Nowadays, cell cultures are a standard tool in animal biotechnology, but the problem with honeybees is the constant lack of appropriate cell lines to be used in in vitro research. Until the imperfections of bee tissue cultures are resolved, researchers have to conduct experiments on bees in laboratory cage tests (LCTs).

For more than forty years, laboratory cage tests (LCTs) have been used in honeybee research. These tests facilitate the control of elements of the environment present in the laboratory, which allows the minimization of the impact of the changing environmental conditions and conditions in the bee colony nest on the studied features. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the content of the genetic component of a particular trait and to assess the impact of a specific substance or tested agent on the traits of bees.

Temperatures of worker- and drone-brood rearing in various hive locations were compared in both colonies kept on small-cell combs (4.90 mm) (SMC) and standard-cell combs (5.50 mm) (STC) in two seasons. Temperatures close to the worker-brood comb placed near the rightmost storage-comb were lower than those near the worker brood in the nest centre but equal to those near the outskirt drone-brood comb (34.37-35.24°C) regardless of the month and the comb-cell size. Temperatures of the brood rearing in the SMC did not differ from those in the STC, independently on the location (center-periphery) and the brood type (drone-worker). Occasionally, they were even higher in the STC near the peripheral drone-brood comb and in the nest centre. We concluded that the drones which are involved in colony reproduction could affect its thermoregulation. The peripheral drone brood can be heated just as well as the worker brood, if the colony is strong enough and has the proper drone-worker ratio. Therefore, it is doubtful whether a higher temperature near the worker brood in the SMC limit the development of the V. destructor population. A lower temperature may not be a factor in encouraging V. destructor females to prefer trap-drone-combs for reproduction in the SMC. Strong field colonies may be especially prone to such behaviour. Therefore, temperature cannot be considered a mechanism of effective Varroa control in SMC.

Nowadays, cell cultures are a standard tool in animal biotechnology, but the problem with honeybees is the constant lack of appropriate cell lines to be used in in vitro research. Until the imperfections of bee tissue cultures are resolved, researchers have to conduct experiments on bees in laboratory cage tests (LCTs). At the turn of the 21st century many new hazards for beekeeping appeared. An early recognized problem was the Colony Collapse Disorder and Honey Bee Depopulation Syndrome, which were associated with the harmfulness of pesticides and strictly linked with a decline in bee immunity. Such problems in LCTs were attempted to be resolved through research on the interactions between biostimulators and antiparasitic drugs. LCTs allow the relationship between the dose of a specific factor and its impact to be determined, which can be used in the establishment of reference values. Furthermore, LCTs may be a useful tool in understanding the function and role of bee gut flora. Using the honeybee as an animal model is possible thanks to knowledge of the honeybee genome and bee biology and the similarity between some physiological and biochemical processes and those occurring in humans. So far, LCTs have been used to understand better human aging, learning and gene expression regulating. This is facilitated by the advanced development of medicine and molecular genetics, and in the future the use of honeybees may become a standard in biochemical or gerontological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]