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Beehive deterrents are commonly used to mitigate human–elephant conflict and protect woody vegetation. To ensure hive activity, reduce abscondment risks, and maintain deterrent effectiveness, resident bee colonies require supplementary feeding during periods of low resource availability. However, our study found that ants frequently consume the supplementary feed in open feeders intended for bees. Anoplolepis custodiens was the most numerically dominant species that excluded bees from the feeders, followed by Camponotus and Crematogaster spp. With higher ant abundance, the predicted probability of zero bees being present at feeders increased up to 82%. This competition may undermine the efficacy of beehive deterrents as a conflict mitigation tool. We developed a simple and effective ant exclusion method that raised the overall predicted probability of bees' presence at supplementary feeding stations from 32% to 68%. Our findings suggest that innovative solutions to exclude ants from supplementary feed may improve the implementation and success of this conflict mitigation method across Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesocheira bicolor (Fabricius) is a cleptoparasite bee, widely distributed in the New World from Mexico to northern Argentina. In Argentina, this species is only documented from Formosa. In this contribution, we report new records of males and females reared from trap nests obtained from different studies about nesting biology of solitary bees in pre-existing cavities in several Argentinian provinces. Also, we studied material from Argentinean research collections, and we searched for occurrence data in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Adults of M. bicolor were reared from nests of Centris (Hemisiella) tarsata and C. (Hemisiella) nigriventris Burmeister. Here, we reported eight new provincial records that widely increase the geographical distribution of this species in Argentina, expanding its austral-most distribution record by more than 1,000 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Native stingless bees, Meliponini, are the only social bees that produce honey in addition to honeybees. These bees have been managed in meliponiculture and for crop pollination. In Ecuador, meliponiculture studies are scarce and limited by the lack of species recognition. Traditionally the taxonomic recognition of the species is based on morphological characteristics. In Hymenoptera, the wing shape has proven to be a valuable tool in combination with traditional characters. Due to this, the wing shape was evaluated for discriminating morphospecies in Ecuador’s Amazonian meliponaries. A total of 127 specimens grouped into six genera were analyzed: Melipona (Melikerria) sp., Melipona (Michmelia) sp1., Melipona (Michmelia) sp2., Tetragonisca sp., Paratrigona sp., Nannotrigona sp., Scaura sp., and Plebeia sp. The most significant differences are located at the vein intersection: cubital and cubital 1 (Cu + Cu1), posterior margin of the marginal cell (r and Rs), and basal and posterior marginal cell (M and Rs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Terminalia argentea tree, native to Brazil, is widely used in landscaping, recovering degraded areas, its wood, coal production, and the bark or leaf extracts has medicinal use. Despite of its importance, the arthropod fauna associated to this plant and its interspecific relationships still needs further studies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the arthropods, their ecological indices and the distribution in the leaf faces on T. argentea saplings. The numbers of phytophagous insects (e.g., Cephalocoema sp.), pollinators (e.g., Tetragonisca angustula), and natural enemies (e.g., Oxyopidae), and their ecological indices (e.g., species richness), were higher on the adaxial leaf faces on T. argentea saplings. Aggregated distribution of phytophagous insects (e.g., Aphis spiraecola), pollinators (e.g., Trigona spinipes), and natural enemies (e.g., Camponotus sp.) on T. argentea saplings was observed. Abundance, diversity, and species richness of natural enemies correlated, positively, with those of phytophagous and pollinators insects. Predators and tending ants followed their prey and sucking insects, respectively. Tending ants protected sucking insects against predators, and reduced chewing insects. The high number of Cephalocoema sp. on T. argentea saplings is a problem, because this insect can feed on leaves of this plant, but its preference for the adaxial leaf face favors its control. The aggregation behavior of arthropods on T. argentea saplings favors the control of potential pests of this plant. There seems to be competition between tending ants for space and food resources on T. argentea saplings.

Pollination is a fundamental ecosystem service for the natural balance. Bees are the main biological agents for carrying out this service. It is known that the excessive simplification process of the landscape through anthropic action hinders the establishment of more sensitive species and favors generalist, exotic and invasive species. Thus, urbanization is a process that threatens native species. Thus, it is essential to understand the impact of this relationship, since it can foster tools that make cities more pleasant environments for pollinators. The aim of this study was to record the predation of a eusocial stingless bee species by an invasive exotic spider. Understanding this relationship is important from an environmental and economic point of view, since the preyed species is a potential pollinator of agricultural crops, and its rational breeding is widespread in Brazil.

Researchers have been interested in honey bee, Apis mellifera L., venom for many years, but the previous studies focused mainly on its pharmacological properties and the factors affecting its production and chemical content were less well evaluated. This research aims to investigate the potential effect of the method of collecting bee venom on its chemical content. To achieve this, brass, steel, aluminium and copper wire conductors were used. This research was carried out at Van YYU Beekeeping Application and Research Centre, where the venom was collected dry on glass plates from 16 Caucasian F1 honey bee colonies. The quantity produced and its composition in terms of melittin, apamin and phospholipase A2 were determined after storage. Duncan and LSD Multiple Comparison tests on the amounts of venom collected using aluminium, copper, steel and brass wires for conducting electricity, revealed it was 21.03 ± 3.50, 15.08 ± 0.32, 22.38 ± 6.35 and 30.35 ± 3.66 mg, respectively. Although these values differed significantly (p < 0.05), the chemical content of the bee venom was the same. The colour of the venom was associated with the material of the electrical conductor used. It was concluded that it would be beneficial to carry out further studies using more colonies along with using residue analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male orchid bees are known pollinators of some vanilla species (Orchidaceae), but there is little direct evidence for the pollination of v. planifolia L., the most important source of commercial vanilla. This study was undertaken to determine if the naturalized orchid bee, Euglossa dilemma Bembé & Eltz (Hymenoptera: Apidae), is a pollinator of V. planifolia in Florida, where the orchid is currently being considered as a potential crop. The flowers of V. planifolia were determined to have no nectar. Fragrance from in situ flowers was analyzed and found to contain principally 1-8 cineole and β-ocimene, compounds known to attract some male orchid bees. Timed watches documented pollen removal by a single female orchid bee, but no male orchid bees visited the flowers. Separate applications of 1-8 cineole, that we found in the flowers, and eugenol, which does not occur in the flowers, were made to flowers and baits, but the male orchid bees came only to flowers and baits with eugenol. Eugenol is a known attractant and principal component of many of the perfumes of the orchid mutualists of male E. dilemma. The rapid and intensive visitation and pollination that male E. dilemma bees exhibit towards their mutualist orchids did not occur, indicating V. planifolia is not an orchid mutualist of E. dilemma. During a timed watch, a female worker honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), pollinated a flower by entering it, backing out with pollen on its thorax, then re-entering the flower and exiting without the pollen. Dissection of the flower found pollen on the stigma and the anther cap disarticulated. A female E. dilemma removed pollen from a flower, indicating that she was also a probable pollinator. Morphometric measurements determined there was a good match between the interior dimensions of the tubular lip of the flowers and the thickness of the bodies of both the female orchid bee and honey bee, enabling good contact between the bees and the flowers sexual organs. Season-long fruit set was 0.655%, similar to the 1% or less reported for V. planifolia in its native Mexico range. Although the visitation rates were low, the potential of both the female honey bee and E. dilemma as pollinators of V. planifolia cultivated in screen houses is considered. Managed honey bees for pollination of vanilla appears to have more potential and it could reduce the need for expensive hand pollination, if sufficient pollination rates could be achieved. Las abejas macho de las orquídeas son polinizadores conocidos de algunas especies de vanilla (Orchidaceae), pero hay poca evidencia directa de la polinización de V. planifolia L., la fuente más importante de vainilla comercial. Se realizó este estudio para determinar si la abeja de las orquídeas naturalizada, Euglossa dilemma Bembé & Eltz (Hymenoptera: Apidae), es un polinizador de V. planifolia en la Florida, donde actualmente se considera a la orquídea como un cultivo potencial. Se determinó que las flores de V. planifolia no tenían néctar. Se analizó la fragancia de las flores in situ y se encontró que contenía principalmente de 1 a 8 cineol y β-ocimeno, compuestos que se sabe atraen a algunas abejas orquídeas macho. Relojes cronometrados documentaron la eliminación de polen por parte de una sola abeja orquídea hembra, pero ningún abeja orquídea macho visitó las flores. Se hicieron aplicaciones separadas a las flores y los cebos de 1-8 cineol, que encontramos en las flores, y eugenol, que no se encuentra en las flores, pero las abejas orquídeas macho solo llegaron a flores y cebos con eugenol. El eugenol es un conocido atrayente y componente principal de muchos de los perfumes de las orquídeas mutualistas del macho E. dilemma. La ausencia de visita y polinización rápida e intensiva que las abejas macho de E. dilemma exhiben hacia sus orquídeas mutualistas no ocurrió, lo que indica que V. planifolia no es una orquídea mutualista de E. dilemma. Durante una vigilancia cronometrada, una abeja melífera, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), polinizó una flor entrando en ella, saliendo con polen en su tórax, luego volvió a entrar en la flor y salió sin polen. La disección de la flor encontró polen en el estigma y el casquete de las anteras desarticulado. Una hembra de E. dilemma eliminó el polen de una flor, lo que indica que ella también era una probable polinizadora. Las mediciones morfométricas determinaron que había una buena coincidencia entre las dimensiones interiores del labio tubular de las flores y el grosor de los cuerpos tanto de la abeja orquídea hembra como de la abeja melífera, lo que permitió un buen contacto entre las abejas y los órganos sexuales de las flores. El cuajado de frutos durante toda la temporada fue del 0,655 %, similar al 1 % o menos reportado para V. planifolia en su área de distribución nativa de México. Aunque las tasas de visitas fueron bajas, se considera el potencial de la abeja melífera y de la hembra de E. dilemma como polinizadores de V. planifolia cultivada en invernaderos. Las abejas melíferas manejadas para la polinización de la vainilla parecen tener más potencial y podrían reducir la necesidad de una costosa polinización manual, si se pudieran lograr tasas de polinización suficientes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides are one of the elements that lead to the decline in honeybee populations. Honey bee while foraging collect nectar and pollen from various crops, can be exposed to pesticide residues, which may be transported into their colonies and consumed by the larvae. The objective of this study was to evaluate acute toxicity of fipronil and lambda-cyhalothrin, two commonly detected pesticides within beehives, on the larvae of Apis mellifera. The testes chemicals were given to three-day old larvae. Treatments were administered using a micropipette at the bottom of each chosen comb cell. Each treatment included sixty larvae per dosage and the experiment was repeated three times. Larvae were given only acetone in the control treatment. Fipronil and lambda-cyhalothrin were toxic to the larvae of A. mellifera with LD50 values of 0.163 and 0.83 μg/larvae, respectively after seven days of exposure. The maximum mortality of 81.35% was recorded with a dose of 0.38 μg/larvae in Fipronil, whereas in lambda-cyhalothrin, it was 94.23% with a dose of 1.70 μg/larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild pollinators and their microbiota are sensitive to land use changes from anthropogenic activities that disrupt landscape and environmental features. As urbanization and agriculture affect bee habitats, human-led disturbances are driving changes in bee microbiomes, potentially leading to dysbiosis detrimental to bee fitness. This study examines the bacterial, fungal, and plant compositions of the small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata , and its pollen provisions across an urban–rural divide. We performed metabarcoding of C. calcarata and provisions in Toronto by targeting the 16S rRNA, ITS, and rbcL regions. Despite similar plant composition and diversity across bees and their provisions, there was a greater microbial diversity in pollen provisions than in bees. By characterizing the differences in land use, climate, and pesticide residues that differentiate urban and rural landscapes, we find that urban areas support elevated levels of microbial diversity and more complex networks between microbes and plants than rural areas. However, urban areas may lead to lower relative abundances of known beneficial symbionts and increased levels of pathogens, such as Ascosphaera and Alternaria fungi. Further, rural pollen provisions indicate elevated pesticide residues that may dysregulate symbiosis. As anthropogenic activities continue to alter land use, ever changing environments threaten microbiota crucial in maintaining bee health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Euglossa dilemma's naturalization in Florida has provided a unique opportunity to study the ecology and biology of an orchid bee distant from its native region. Prior studies have demonstrated its uniqueness as a highly specialized pollinator of invasive plants in Florida. This study documents its use of 259 plant taxa, 237 species and 22 horticultural forms in 156 genera, and 56 families that it uses for pollen, nectar, resins for its nest construction, and fragrance chemicals needed for its courtship. The presence of the bee in a geographic area distant from its native region has resulted in its use of many novel plants, but, like other studied naturalized bees, most of the plants it uses are native, or closely related to native plants in its native region. Because of the bee's very long tongue, ability to vibrate pollen out of specialized flowers, and facility in collecting fragrance and resin rewards from specialized flowers, it uses a higher proportion of these flowers than flowers with easily collected rewards. The ability of E. dilemma to use a large assemblage of plants, including those in most human habitats and natural communities, has facilitated its spread and colonization. Given E. dilemma's abundance and wide occurrence in subtropical Florida and its use of numerous plant species with flowers with both specialized and generalized pollination systems, it has become a common, and at times, an important pollinator. The Neotropical orchid bee Euglossa dilemma was found to be naturalized in southern Florida in 2003, and, by 2022, it had colonized the southern half of Florida. Observations of the bee's collection of plant resources, primarily flowers, were made from 2003 through to 2022 to document its plant usage and understand the patterns of its plant usage. The bee utilized 259 plant taxa, 237 species, and 22 horticultural forms, in 156 genera and 56 families in 263 total uses. Of 247 taxa of flowers, 120 were visited primarily for nectar, 46 for both nectar and pollen, 60 for pollen, including 42 buzz-pollinated flowers, 15 for fragrance chemicals for the males, and 5 for resin rewards by females for nesting. Fragrance chemicals were also collected by males from the leaves of 12 plant species. These extensive resource use data allowed the following predictions to be made. (1) The bee's presence in Florida, distant from its native region of Mexico and Central America and the geographical ranges of other orchid bees, would result the usage of many new taxa of plants. True, half, 74/148 (50%), of the genera and one third, 16/51(31%), of the plant families of the plants with flowers used by the bee were not previously recorded as being utilized by Euglossine bees. (2) Like other naturalized bees, it would use relatively more plants from its native range or congeners of these plants. True, 113/148 (76%) of genera with species bearing collected floral rewards are native or congeners with species native to the bee's native range. (3) Given the bee's long tongue, ability to buzz pollen from poricidal anthers, and ability to collect and use specialized rewards, it would disproportionately use plants with protected or highly specialized floral rewards. True, 180/247 (72%) utilized species bear rewards which were protected and unavailable to, or of no interest to, most other flower visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, only Apis mellifera is used in environmental regulation to evaluate the hazard of pesticides to pollinators. The low representativeness of pollinators and bee diversity in this approach may result in insufficient protection for the wild species. This scenario is intensified in tropical environments, where little is known about the effects of pesticides on solitary bees. We aimed to calculate the medium lethal dose (LD50) and medium lethal concentration (LC50) of the insecticide dimethoate in the Neotropical solitary bee Centris analis, a cavity‐nesting, oil‐collecting bee distributed from Brazil to Mexico. Males and females of C. analis were exposed orally to dimethoate for 48 h under laboratory conditions. Lethality was assessed every 24 h until 144 h after the beginning of the test. After the LD50 calculation, we compared the value with available LD50 values in the literature of other bee species using the species sensitivity distribution curve. In 48 h of exposure, males showed an LD50 value 1.33 times lower than females (32.78 and 43.84 ng active ingredient/bee, respectively). Centris analis was more sensitive to dimethoate than the model species A. mellifera and the solitary bee from temperate zones, Osmia lignaria. However, on a body weight basis, C. analis and A. mellifera had similar LD50 values. Ours is the first study that calculated an LD50 for a Neotropical solitary bee. Besides, the results are of crucial importance for a better understanding of the effects of pesticides on the tropical bee fauna and will help to improve the risk assessment of pesticides to bees under tropical conditions, giving attention to wild species, which are commonly neglected. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2758–2767. © 2023 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bees are vital to both ecosystems and humans worldwide; supplying a range of key support facilities for the successful breeding of the majority of flowering plants. The aim of this study was to assess the bee species composition in a Sudano‐Guinean savanna zone and determining the impact of a set of environmental parameters influencing this species composition in four habitat types. Sampling was carried using yellow pan traps protocol. A total of 846 bees belonging to 3 families, 25 genera and 52 species were collected. The largest number of bee individuals was found in the Apidae family. The most abundant species was Hypotrigona sp. The highest bee species and number of individuals was recorded in the shrubby savanna. Bee species diversity and abundance were found closely correlated with the plant diversity. Gaining a better understanding of the factors influencing bee community dynamics in the given landscape can provide valuable information for conservation efforts, habitat management and help identifying species which ones could be domesticated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Xicotli data is the short name given to the dataset generated within the project framework "Integration of Biodiversity Data for the Management and Conservation of Wild Bee-Plant Interactions in Mexico (2021-2023)", as xicotli is the generic word for a bee in Nahuatl. The team comprised eco-informaticians, ecologists and taxonomists of both native bees and flora. The generated dataset contains so far 4,532 curated records of the plants, which are potential hosts of species of three focal families of bees native to Mexico: Apidae, Halictidae and Megachilidae and morphological and ecological data of the plant-bee interactions. This dataset was integrated and mobilised from citizen observations available at naturalista.mx (iNat), which were compiled through the iNaturalist project. New information: The new information obtained with the Xicotli data project was: 1. Taxonomic information about bee species curated by taxonomists based on the information contained in iNaturalist; 2. Taxonomic identification of the host plants by a botanist from the photos compiled by the Xicotli Data project; 3. Data on the ecomorphological traits of bees and plants based on expert knowledge and literature. All the data were integrated into the Xicotli Data Project via the creation of new "observation fields". The visibility of the information originally contained in iNaturalist was maximized and can be consulted directly on the iNaturalist platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the northern Great Lakes region, the creation and maintenance of early-successional woody communities as wildlife habitat have increasingly become a conservation priority.The extent to which insect pollinators use these systems remains largely anecdotal. In summer (June–August) of 2021, we surveyed 49 early-successional sites in the western Great Lakes region treated with either shrub-shearing or silviculture (young forest) for bumble bees, butterflies, and habitat components (i.e., structural vegetation and floral resources). Hierarchical distance models predicted pollinator densities () to be, on average, = 84 bumble bees/ha and = 102 butterflies/ha. Although sheared shrubland and young forest communities supported comparable densities of bumble bees and butterflies, density was not equal across all sites. At the microhabitat scale, butterfly density and morphospecies richness were negatively associated with tall shrub cover and butterfly morphospecies richness (but not density) was driven by floral richness. Similarly, bumble bee density was positively associated with metrics of floral resources, underscoring the importance of blooming plants within these woody systems. Landscape covariates explained variation in butterfly density/richness but not bumble bee density. Ultimately, our results demonstrate that blooming plant abundance is an important driver of bumble bee and butterfly densities within these managed early-successional communities. Because early-successional woody communities are dynamic and their herbaceous openings are ephemeral, routine management would ensure that a variety of successional conditions exist on the landscape to meet the needs of bumble bees, butterflies, and potentially other insect pollinators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponini) are a group of highly eusocial bees with pantropic distribution. The variety of life styles among the approximately 600 species and their frequent specialization on a specific habitat type render them a promising group to study how environmental pressures shaped specific traits during evolution. The present review aimed at identifying potential ecological drivers of bee cognition. Some interesting trends emerged from the scarce literature existing on this topic. A species' investment in particular neural substrates (sensory periphery, centers of information processing and integration) is associated with its foraging and anti-predator strategies. Innate preferences are tuned to often very specific needs, including defense against nest robbers, obligatory cleptobiosis, or foraging under dim-light conditions. These sensory biases, however, can be molded through experience and learning. In addition to associations between particular features of a food source and its quality, bees evaluate feeding sites based on previous experience with signals and cues that indicate potential competition. Moreover, inexperienced foragers learn specific characteristics of an exploited resource, like its scent or profitability, through recruitment signals produced by active food collectors. However, the cognitive abilities of bees, which are key to efficient food collection, are threatened by anthropogenic stressors. Sublethal doses of agrochemicals, in particular, have been shown to provoke cell death of higher brain centers, therewith reducing learning skills of the exposed individuals. Important questions for future studies are whether and to what extent different levels of cognitive plasticity found among stingless bees may attenuate the impact of human stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The botanical origin and seasonal variation of pollen collected by Tetragonisca weyrauchi were studied by means of palynology (pollen identification). The study was carried out between August 2016 and July 2017 with a hive introduced in a house garden in an urban area (09° 56′ 38.7″ S; 67° 52′ 42.9″ W) near the campus of the Federal University of Acre (UFAC). In total, we identified 87 pollen types from 31 botanical families, with the most representative ones being: Alismataceae, Amaranthaceae, Arecaceae, Boraginaceae, Cyperaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae and Urticaceae, all displaying percentages above 10%. The pollen types Alternanthera (Amaranthaceae), Cecropia (Urticaceae) and Cordia sellowiana (Boraginaceae) obtained relative abundances above 90% and are therefore considered events of temporary specialization. The lowest diversity and evenness values were found for July (H′ = 0.127; J′ = 0.071) and August (H′ = 0.070; J′ = 0.043), and the highest values for October (H′ = 2.025; J′ = 0.715) and April (H′ = 1.941; J′ = 0.611), thus not suggesting relationships with the rainy (November–April) or dry (May–October) periods. Furthermore, there was no preference by the bees for morphological characteristics of the pollen such as size, exine texture or aperture number. However, the most representative grains are among the small and medium size, reinforcing the hypothesis that this bee species prefers small flowers available in dense inflorescences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: There is increasing evidence of declining bee populations due to anthropogenic factors. We assessed the abundance of nine wild bee species over a four-year study period, estimating changes through monthly captures. Apis mellifera, the Lasioglossum (Dialictus spp.) complex, and Macrotera sinaloana had the largest population sizes and densities. Seasonal fluctuations were seen in most species in spring (March–May) coinciding with the flowering period of the main plant species and a low abundance during the winter months (December–January). Moreover, 77.7% of the populations showed a tendency to remain constant over time, with yellow tray traps capturing a higher number of individuals. Recognizing how populations fluctuate over time is a crucial factor in determining the environmental elements affecting population persistence. However, the limited information on wild bee populations complicates the estimation of the impact of anthropogenic threats leading to changes in population size. To address this, we conducted a study capturing and monitoring nine species of wild bees through monthly samplings over four years. Tray traps were placed in permanent plots, and capture records were used to determine population size (N) and density (D). A generalized linear model (GLM) was employed to determine how the use of traps affected bee species captures. The families Apidae and Halictidae represented the most captures. Apis mellifera, the Lasioglossum (Dialictus spp.) complex, and Macrotera sinaloana exhibited the largest number of captures and highest population density. Most species (77.7%) showed a tendency to remain constant over the years and to have a higher number of captures in the spring months. Moreover, yellow traps were the most effective in capturing bee individuals. We suggest that the availability of essential resources and the reduction in environmental stressors positively affected the capture of wild bee populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticide applications are often made as tank mixes containing multiple pesticide products and may include spray adjuvants to enhance pesticidal activities. The primary aim of adjuvant products is to increase the spreading and sticking of spray droplets and to increase the penetration of active ingredients through the cuticles of leaves or targeted pests, which can reduce the amount of active ingredient needed for effective pest control. Adjuvants are made up of compounds drawn from the "inert ingredient" list maintained by EPA but are identified as "principal functioning agents" when used in adjuvant products. These inert compounds do not undergo the same testing and risk assessment process that is required of pesticide active ingredients and generally have no mitigation measures that prevent application onto crops during bloom at times of day when bees are foraging. Honey bees (Apis mellifera; Hymenoptera: Apidae) are at an increased risk of exposure to adjuvant tank mixtures while providing agricultural pollination services. Colony losses attributed to pesticide applications thought to have low risk to honey bees have been reported, highlighting the need to better understand the toxicity of adjuvants included in pesticide tank mixtures. This review summarizes current literature on the risks posed to honey bees by agricultural adjuvants and tank mix combinations of adjuvants with pesticides. Based on the current state of knowledge, we make recommendations to pesticide applicators, product manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and researchers regarding adjuvant toxicity to honey bees with the goal of reducing risks that adjuvants pose to honey bees and other beneficial insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees are essential pollinators for several economically important crops. In temperate countries, honey bee colonies face multiple threats during the overwintering period, such as food availability, diseases, and confinement. Beekeepers commonly use chemicals to improve colony health during winter, but these products can have a negative impact on bee health and pathogens can develop resistance to them. Thus, there is a need for further development of alternative treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of one endogenic bacterium (Bombella apis) and 2 commercial probiotic formulas (Bactocell and Levucell) on colony survival, spring development, and Vairimorpha (formerly Nosema) spp. spore count. Probiotic treatments were given in 1: 1 sugar syrup in October 2017 and April 2018, once a week for 2 wk. One experimental group was given Fumagilin-B, the only product approved in Canada to prevent nosemosis, once in October. The administration of 2 commercial probiotics, Bactocell (Pediococcus acidilactici) and Levucell (Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii), led to a significant increase in the number of sealed brood cells in spring. None of the probiotic treatments impacted the honey bee gut load of Vairimorpha spp. spores. The results suggest that beneficial microorganisms can improve spring development and performance of honey bee colonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nest-scavenging beetle Aethina tumida remains a persistent problem for beekeepers in parts of the Southeast United States, where warm wet soils allow beetle populations to grow rapidly and overwhelm colonies, especially during the summer dearth. Furthermore, small hive beetle infestation prevents beekeepers from easily provisioning colonies with additional pollen or protein feed (patties), preventing holistic management of honey bee health via improved nutrition, and reducing the economic potential of package and nucleus colony rearing in the Southeast. Here, we demonstrate using both in vitro laboratory trials and a small in vivo field trial that the differential specificity of anthranilic diamide insecticides (specifically, chlorantraniliprole) between bees and beetles allows for the control and prevention of small hive beetle infestation in honey bee colonies even when feeding with large patties. Honey bees show orders of magnitude higher tolerance to chlorantraniliprole compared to small hive beetles, opening new avenues for improving bee health including during spring splits and throughout the summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managed honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apis mellifera Linnaeus) hives require frequent human inputs to maintain colony health and productivity. A variety of plant natural products (PNPs) are delivered via feeding to control diseases and reduce the use of synthetic chemical treatments. However, despite their prevalent use in beekeeping, there is limited information regarding the impact of ingested PNPs on bee health. Here, we tested the effects of different essential oils and propolis extracts on honey bee life span, nutrient assimilation, xenobiotic detoxification, and gut microbiota abundance. Brazilian propolis extract lengthened worker life span, while the other PNPs (Louisiana propolis extract, lemongrass oil, spearmint oil, and thyme oil) exerted variable and dose-dependent effects on life span. Vitellogenin (vg) gene expression was reduced by Brazilian propolis extract at high doses. Expression of CYP6AS1 , a detoxification-related gene, was reduced by low doses of thyme oil. The abundances of 8 core gut microbiota taxa were largely unaffected by host consumption of PNPs. Our results suggest that in addition to propolis's structural and immunomodulatory roles in the colony, it may also exert beneficial health effects when ingested. Thyme oil, a commonly used hive treatment, was toxic at field-realistic dosages, and its use as a feed additive should be viewed with caution until its effects on bee health are more thoroughly investigated. We conclude that the tested propolis extracts, lemongrass oil, and spearmint oil are generally safe for bee consumption, with some apparent health-promoting effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxalic acid (OA) is a popular miticide used to control Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) in western honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies. Our aim was to investigate which method of OA application (dribbling, fogging, or vaporizing) was the most effective at reducing V. destructor infestations (Experiment 1) and to improve upon this method by determining the treatment interval that resulted in the greatest V. destructor control (Experiment 2). We used the product Api-Bioxal (97% OA) and maintained 40 honey bee colonies (10/treatment) in both experiments. In Experiment 1, the treatments included (i) dribbling 50 ml of 3% OA solution, (ii) vaporizing 4 g of solid OA, (iii) using an insect fogger supplied with 2.5% OA dissolved in ethyl alcohol, and (iv) an untreated control. After 3 weeks, only the vaporization method reduced V. destructor infestations (from 9.24 mites/100 bees pretreatment to 3.25 mites/100 bees posttreatment) and resulted in significantly increased brood amounts and numbers of adult bees over those of the controls. In Experiment 2, all colonies were treated with 4 applications of OA via vaporization at a constant concentration of 4 g OA/colony. In this experiment, the groups were separated by treatment intervals at either 3-, 5-, or 7-day intervals. We observed that 5- and 7-day treatment intervals significantly reduced V. destructor populations from pretreatment levels over that of the controls and 3-day intervals. Our data demonstrate the efficacy of OA in reducing V. destructor infestation, particularly vaporizing 4 g every 5–7 days as the most effective method of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman), is the leading cause of western honey bee colony, Apis mellifera (L.), mortality in the United States. Due to mounting evidence of resistance to certain approved miticides, beekeepers are struggling to keep their colonies alive. To date, there are varied but limited approved options for V. destructor control. Vaporized oxalic acid (OA) has proven to be an effective treatment against the dispersal phase of V. destructor but has its limitations since the vapor cannot penetrate the protective wax cap of honey bee pupal cells where V. destructor reproduces. In the Southeastern United States, honey bee colonies often maintain brood throughout the year, limiting the usefulness of OA. Prior studies have shown that even repeated applications of OA while brood is present are ineffective at decreasing mite populations. In the summer of 2021, we studied whether incorporating a forced brood break while vaporizing with OA would be an effective treatment against V. destructor. Ninety experimental colonies were divided into 2 blocks, one with a brood break and the other with no brood break. Within the blocks, each colony was randomly assigned 1 of 3 treatments: no OA, 2 g OA, or 3 g OA. The combination of vaporizing with OA and a forced brood break increased mite mortality by 5× and reduced mite populations significantly. These results give beekeepers in mild climates an additional integrated pest management method for controlling V. destructor during the summer season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollination is important in cashew production, thus it is important to understand the factor determining the presence of pollination in cashew habitat. The research was carried out by field surveys in cashew farms to record the insects that exhibited nectar and pollen foraging activities on wild and cashew flowers. This study recorded the similarity between flower-insect visitors on wild plants and cashews, namely families of Apidae, Halictidae, Pieridae, and Andrenidae. Apidae were the most important flower visitors, but the honey bee, Apis sp. as an important pollinator, did not show the highest abundance. Wild flowering plants in cashew fields have the potential to play a role in the conservation of cashew pollinators [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Native bees play a vital role in the pollination of different flora in an ecosystem. But the natural history of most native bee species is unknown, and knowledge about natural history helps in understanding their social evolution, and further protecting and conserving the bee species. Braunsapis mixta (Smith) is a common stem-nesting bee and a widespread endemic species of Southern Asia. This study aimed to record the nesting biology, development and natural enemies of B. mixta, which is an important pollinator of cashew. Nests of B. mixta were found in the dried sticks and pruned cut ends of cashew stems. A total of 442 nests were collected, of which 64% of the active nests were single-adult nests and 20% were of two adults. Eggs were found at the interior end, followed by larvae at varied developmental stages and pupae. The maximum number of nest occupants in a nest was 41, in which four were adults and a maximum of 11 adults were recorded in a single nest. The maximum number of females found in a nest was nine. A significant positive correlation was obtained between the number of adults and their immature stages. Egg production and brood maturation occurred throughout the year. The mean incubation period of eggs was 5.32 days. Rearing of larvae could not be achieved in the laboratory. The pupal period lasted for 11–14 days. The parasitoids recorded on B. mixta include Neochalcis breviceps and Diomorus nr. indicus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current ecological crisis stemming from the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, highlights the urgency of documenting diversity and distribution. Bees are a classical example of an ecologically and economically important group, due to their high diversity and varied ecosystem services, especially pollination. Here, two common biodiversity indices, namely species richness and phylogenetic diversity, are evaluated geographically to determine the best approach for selecting areas of conservation priority. The model organisms used in this study are the North American species belonging to the bee genus Diadasia (Apidae). Based on the results obtained by analyzing distributional records and a molecular phylogeny, we can see that species richness and phylogenetic diversity are closely linked, although phylogenetic diversity provides a more detailed assessment of the spatial distribution of diversity. Therefore, while either one of these commonly used indices are valid as far as selecting areas of conservation priority, we recommend, if possible, to include genetic information in biodiversity and conservation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees feed on flowers from which they collect nectar and pollen and their mouth parts are designed for fluid-feeding from flowers. The proboscis consists of a 'tongue' that includes a long glossa and ends in a spoon-shaped labellum, labial palp, galea and mandibles. The sensilla on the proboscis assists in nectar feeding. A study of the chemosensory hairs on the proboscis was carried out in Apis cerana indica collected from apiaries at the foot of Western Ghats, India. Light- and scanning electron microscopy were employed. In addition, silver staining was carried out to distinguish different types of chemosensilla. The glossa has 60 sensilla chaetica that stain by silver nitrate technique. The length (110 μ), width (2 μ) and spacing of microtrichia on glossa and forked hairs on the labellum are suited for the collection of nectar due to viscosity and to reduce leakiness while feeding. The length of the glossa being short suggests that A. cerana indica feeds on small-sized flowers that are not tubular. The labial palp has sensilla chaetica A and sensilla chaetica B distinguished by their length and sensilla basiconica, all of which are silver nitrate-positive and thus chemosensory in nature. Distal galea has sensilla basiconica, sensilla chaetica A and B and sensilla coeloconica. The maxillary palp is a mechanosensory structure. The bulge on the galea near the maxillary palp has chemosensory sensilla chaetica. Mandibular hairs did not stain with silver and are hence mechanosensory. The sensilla on proboscis in A. cerana indica is comparable to mouth part sensilla in Apis mellifera and Apis florea. The position of the chemosensilla at different regions suggests their role in tasting nectar, detecting the flow of nectar, and the dimensions of the flower and pollen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stingless bee honey is an important component of African ethno-medicine, used to treat a variety of health conditions. However, there is scanty information on the therapeutic properties of honeys produced by Afrotropical stingless bees. This study investigated the antimicrobial properties of honeys produced by six species of stingless bees from different vegetation zones of Tanzania. Antimicrobial activity was assessed against standard cultures of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi and Candida albicans by agar well diffusion and broth microdilution methods. Mean inhibition zones ranged from 7.0 – 26.3 mm for gram-positive bacteria, 6.9 – 26.9 mm for gram-negative bacteria and 17.0 – 30.9 mm for Fungi. On the other hand, geometric means of the minimum inhibitory concentrations ranged from 0.1 – 10% v/v for gram-positive bacteria, 0.1 – 20% v/v for gram-negative bacteria and 0.1 – 1.3% v/v for Fungi. Some honey samples exhibited stronger antibacterial activity compared to the standard antibiotic, ciprofloxacin (25 µg/mL). C. albicans displayed the highest sensitivity to stingless bee honey despite being resistant to fluconazole and terbinafine (25 µg/mL). The strongest antimicrobial effect was exhibited by honey samples produced by Dactylurina schmidti. Antimicrobial activity of stingless bee honey was largely influenced by the amount of phytochemicals. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that investigates antimicrobial activity of honeys produced by a number of Afrotropical stingless bee species. Our findings validate the use of stingless bee honey in traditional medicine and advocate for its potential for clinical management of complex wounds, candidiasis and drug resistant pathogenic microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) plays a crucial role in pollinating natural ecosystems and crops. They support global food production, maintenance of biodiversity, and generation of income from hive by-products. In modern agriculture, frequent use of chemicals, such as herbicides, exposes bees directly to their toxicity. Whereas the noxious effects of commonly used herbicides on honeybees have become an emerging concern worldwide, their toxicity on the African subspecies Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier is unknown. In this study, we exposed A. m. scutellata to field concentrations of both paraquat and glyphosate and determined their effects on bee food consumption and survival rates. We found that the mortality rates of bees upon herbicide ingestion were concentration dependent. Lethal doses of paraquat and glyphosate were 10.8 and 229.5 µg/bee, respectively. Our findings suggest that the African honeybee is susceptible to paraquat and tolerant to glyphosate than its European counterpart. This study provides a baseline to help in regulating herbicide use and/or establishing their safe concentrations to protect biodiversity, particularly the beneficial pollinator insects such as bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of animal behavior, particularly in insects, is crucial for understanding their biological and evolutionary aspects, with wide-ranging applications in agricultural science, pest management, conservation biology, and neuroscience. Investigating cognitive characteristics, specifically aversive learning, plays a pivotal role in comprehending the success of insects. This adaptive ability enables animals to efficiently cope with the stressful factors in their environment. In this study, we investigated the aversive learning capabilities of Bombus terrestris Audax workers, crucial pollinators across diverse ecosystems. Bees were trained and tested in a flight arena using artificial flowers equipped with electric shocks to simulate conditions wherebees could associate punishment alongside food resources with available cues. The result suggested that bees possess the ability to simultaneously detect potential threats and food resources, indicating a dual aversive-appetitive memory. Furthermore, comparing groups trained with aversive (electric shock) and neutral (distilled water) stimuli showed that danger cues led to faster learning and stronger memory formation. This conditioning setup aimed to simulate real-life foraging situations, exploring bee responses when confronted with potential dangers. These findings provide insights into the survival strategies of insects in challenging environments that negatively impact bee populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bumble bees are globally important pollinators, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars annually in crop pollination services. Several species are in decline, making it paramount to understand how pathogens and nutrition shape bee health. Previous work has shown that consuming sunflower pollen (Helianthus annuus) dramatically reduces infection by the trypanosomatid gut pathogen, Crithidia bombi , in the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens). Sunflower pollen may therefore be useful as a dietary supplement for reducing this pathogen in managed bumble bee colonies. Here, we assessed the efficacy of freezer-stored sunflower pollen that was collected in different years and locations for reducing pathogen infection. We tested sunflower pollen that was 1, 3, 4, or 5 yr old and from sunflowers grown in the United States or China against a control of 1-yr-old buckwheat pollen from China, since buckwheat pollen results in high infection. We hypothesized that older pollen would have weaker medicinal effects due to degradation of pollen quality. We found that all sunflower pollen treatments significantly decreased Crithidia infection compared to controls. These results suggest that sunflower pollen can be freezer-stored for up to 5 yr and sourced from a wide range of geographic areas and still maintain its medicinal effects against Crithidia in the common eastern bumble bee. This is helpful information for stakeholders who might administer sunflower pollen as a dietary supplement to manage Crithidia in commercial bumble bee colonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We intend to describe the strategies used for the control Pseudohypocera kerteszi in colonies of Scaptotrigona mexicana which help to reduce infestation during transfer, division, and harvest. Design/methodology/approach: In this research, bibliographic sources of information on the control of P. kerteszi during the management of S. mexicana were used. The selected strategies were implemented by the authors of this manuscript, so they provided the experiences that were had in the control of P. kerteszi in the colonies of S. mexicana. Results: We report six strategies applied to reduce the attack of P. kerteszi: 1) perform the transfer in a closed place, 2) minimize the damage to the offspring, 3) do not introduce food, 4) close the entrance to the nest for at least two days, 5) place vinegar traps, when necessary and in the initial stages of the infestation and 6) feed and clean bees the following days after the transfer or division. Limitations on study/implications: Any limitation was involved in this study. Findings/conclusions: The attack of P. kerteszi on S. mexicana colonies takes place during the transfer of nests, artificial division and the harvest of honey. Strategies to avoid infestation consist of using the appropriate box design, harvesting in an enclosed place, and avoiding breaking honey pots. During the critical stages of infestation, the revision must keep daily to clean the box, place vinegar traps, and make a manual control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is considered one of the major threats to biodiversity worldwide, with a special concern for native species decline, including wild bees. Through the increase of impervious surfaces, urbanization diminishes, fragments, and warms city environments, significantly reducing nesting and foraging resources for bees. Understanding the response of wildlife to urbanization in terms of reproduction, foraging efficiency, and offspring provisioning is important to species conservation in the face of continued urban development. In this study, we investigated how different levels of urbanization affect individual foraging effort, survival, brood productivity, and fitness in Ceratina calcarata. Our findings show that low urbanization levels favour larger-bodied adults, but foraging efforts (determined by wing wear) were higher at moderate disturbance levels. Larger-bodied mothers produced more numerous offspring (clutch size), mainly in medium disturbance sites. Likewise, larger-bodied mothers produced a larger-bodied offspring at low urbanization levels. Our results indicate that wild bees benefit from low and medium levels of urbanization indicated by maternal and offspring fitness in terms of body size and the number of brood, respectively. This suggests significant effects of urbanization on the fitness and stability of wild bee populations. This study provides novel insights into the impact of urban land use and highlights the importance of conserving and providing green spaces for pollinators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mounting evidence of bumble bee declines and the listing of the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis Cresson) as federally endangered in the United States in 2017 and Canada in 2012 has stimulated an interest in monitoring and conservation. Understanding the influence of land use on occupancy patterns of imperiled species is crucial to successful recovery planning. Using detection data from community surveys, we assessed land use associations for 7 bumble bee species in Minnesota, USA, including B. affinis. We used multispecies occupancy models to assess the effect of 3 major land use types (developed, agricultural, and natural) within 0.5 and 1.5 km on occupancy of 7 Bombus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species, while accounting for detection uncertainty. We found that B. affinis occupancy and detection were highest in developed landscapes and lowest in agricultural landscapes, representing an inverse relationship with the relative landcover ratios of these landscapes in Minnesota. Occupancy of 2 bumble bee species had strong positive associations with natural landscapes within 1.5 km and 2 species had strong negative associations with agricultural landscapes within 1.5 km. Our results suggest that best practices for imperiled Bombus monitoring and recovery planning depends upon the surrounding major land use patterns. We provide recommendations for urban planning to support B. affinis based on conservation success in the metropolitan areas of Minneapolis-St. Paul. We also encourage substantial survey effort be employed in agricultural and natural regions of the state historically occupied by B. affinis to determine the current occupancy state. Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Beehive deterrents are commonly used to mitigate human–elephant conflict and protect woody vegetation. To ensure hive activity, reduce abscondment risks, and maintain deterrent effectiveness, resident bee colonies require supplementary feeding during periods of low resource availability. However, our study found that ants frequently consume the supplementary feed in open feeders intended for bees. Anoplolepis custodiens was the most numerically dominant species that excluded bees from the feeders, followed by Camponotus and Crematogaster spp. With higher ant abundance, the predicted probability of zero bees being present at feeders increased up to 82%. This competition may undermine the efficacy of beehive deterrents as a conflict mitigation tool. We developed a simple and effective ant exclusion method that raised the overall predicted probability of bees' presence at supplementary feeding stations from 32% to 68%. Our findings suggest that innovative solutions to exclude ants from supplementary feed may improve the implementation and success of this conflict mitigation method across Africa.

La acelerada pérdida de diversidad de especies de abejas pone en peligro muchas de las funciones y servicios ecosistémicos en los que ellas participan. Colombia no es ajena a esta problemática, por lo cual se rea-lizó una revisión bibliográfica que analiza el estado del conocimiento de las abejas, en diferentes temas, en el país. Para ello, se revisaron, clasificaron y analizaron las publicaciones sobre abejas en Colombia en nueve bases de datos bibliográficas, entre los años 1927 y 2020, encontrándose 277 estudios. El año que mostró mayor producción de estudios fue 2016. En general, la mayoría de los artículos fueron publicados por investigadores afiliados a la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (130). Los temas más estudiados han sido taxonomía con 73 publicaciones y apicultura con 64, la mayoría realizados en la especie exótica Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758). El monitoreo de especies, biogeografía, ecología funcional y evolutiva de las abejas nativas, son áreas que sin duda requieren más estudios, permitiendo comprender las respuestas ecológicas y evolutivas de estos organismos clave, y cómo y en qué grado están siendo afectadas por diversos procesos de transformación antropogénicos. Este conocimiento además es indispensable para generar acciones que prevengan o mitiguen la pérdida de diversidad de las abejas y la disminución de funciones y servicios ecológicos claves para la humanidad como la polinización.

La acelerada pérdida de diversidad de especies de abejas pone en peligro muchas de las funciones y servicios ecosistémicos en los que ellas participan. Colombia no es ajena a esta problemática, por lo cual se realizó una revisión bibliográfica que analiza el estado del conocimiento de las abejas, en diferentes temas, en el país. Para ello, se revisaron, clasificaron y analizaron las publicaciones sobre abejas en Colombia en nueve bases de datos bibliográficas, entre los años 1927 y 2020, encontrándose 277 estudios. El año que mostró mayor producción de estudios fue 2016. En general, la mayoría de los artículos fueron publicados por investigadores afiliados a la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (130). Los temas más estudiados han sido taxonomía con 73 publicaciones y apicultura con 64, la mayoría realizados en la especie exótica Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758). El monitoreo de especies, biogeografía, ecología funcional y evolutiva de las abejas nativas, son áreas que sin duda requieren más estudios, permitiendo comprender las respuestas ecológicas y evolutivas de estos organismos clave, y cómo y en qué grado están siendo afectadas por diversos procesos de transformación antropogénicos. Este conocimiento además es indispensable para generar acciones que prevengan o mitiguen la pérdida de diversidad de las abejas y la disminución de funciones y servicios ecológicos claves para la humanidad como la polinización.

Pollen grains of Malvoideae (Malvaceae) which corbiculate bees cannot collect constitute a floral filter that excludes pollen-collecting bumble bees and honey bees from exploiting pollen resources. Although large, spiny pollen grains are in fact harder to compact for collection by corbiculate bees, pollen morphology (e.g., grain diameter, spine length) is not by itself a reliable indicator of pollen collectability. In this study, we discovered that two Malvoideae species, Anoda cristata and Malope trifida, possess large, spiny pollen grains that can be groomed and collected by corbiculate bees. To gain insight into the underlying cause of collectability of Malvoideae pollen, we tested pollen adhesion to bumble bee setae and found that significantly less of the collectable pollen grains of A. cristata and M. trifida adhere to bees’ setae compared to uncollectable pollen grains of Hibiscus trionum. As the primary mediator of pollen adhesion is pollenkitt, a viscous lipid-rich substance covering pollen of zoophilous plants, we examined the surface of uncollectable and collectable Malvoideae pollen using cryo-SEM. Fresh pollen grains were abundantly covered with pollenkitt that also coated the long spines and formed liquid bridges between the grains. Washing pollen with hexane removed all pollenkitt, whereas washing pollen with water only removed pollenkitt on the collectable pollen grains of M. trifida, but not the uncollectable pollen grains of Hibiscus syriacus. We hypothesise that pollenkitt composition differs between Malvoideae species with uncollectable and collectable pollen. Specific pollenkitt properties might elicit excessive viscidity which affects adhesion to insect visitors but prevents pollen collection by corbiculate bees.

Insecticides and climate change are among the multiple stressors that bees face, but little is known about their synergistic effects, especially for non-Apis bee species. In laboratory experiments, we tested whether the stingless bee Tetragonula hockingsi avoids insecticide in sucrose solutions and how T. hockingsi responds to insecticide and heat stress combined. We found that T. hockingsi neither preferred nor avoided sucrose solutions with either low (2.5 × 10−4 ng µl−1 imidacloprid or 1.0 × 10−4 ng µl−1 fipronil) or high (2.5 × 10−3 ng µl−1 imidacloprid or 1.0 × 10−3 ng µl−1 fipronil) insecticide concentrations when offered alongside sucrose without insecticide. In our combined stress experiment, the smallest dose of imidacloprid (7.5 × 10−4 ng) did not significantly affect thermal tolerance (CTmax). However, CTmax significantly reduced by 0.8°C (±0.16 SE) and by 0.5°C (±0.16 SE) when bees were fed as little as 7.5 × 10−3 ng of imidacloprid or 3.0 × 10−4 ng of fipronil, respectively, and as much as 1.5°C (±0.16 SE) and 1.2°C (±0.16 SE) when bees were fed 7.5 × 10−2 ng of imidacloprid or 3.0 × 10−2 ng of fipronil, respectively. Predictions of temperature increase, and increased insecticide use in the tropics suggest that T. hockingsi will be at increased risk of the effects of both stressors in the future.

Available information about bees of the genus Epeolus in Central Asia is summarized. Twenty species are currently known from this area. Two new species are described: E. albus Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. nov. and E. pesenkoi Astafurova, sp. nov. Two species are newly recorded from Central Asia: E. asiaticus Astafurova & Proshchalykin, 2022 and E. nudiventris Bischoff, 1930. The hitherto unknown male of E. mikhailovi Astafurova & Proshchalykin, 2021 is described, and lectotypes are designated for E. ruficornis Morawitz, 1875 and E. vinogradovi Popov, 1952. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weekly surveys of bee visiting plants in a mosaic landscape at Merveille, near Puducherry, Southern India were conducted from March 2018 to Feb. 2020 in order to determine a sustainable habitat for the cavity-nesting honey bee Apis cerana Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Apidae). A total of 145 species from 59 families were identified as bee-visiting plants, with 46 (31.7%) providing mainly nectar, 26 (17.9%) primarily pollen and 73 (50.4%) providing both. The Fabaceae are the most bee-visiting family, followed by Rubiaceae, Compositae and Euphorbiaceae. Although trees were the most predominant growth form, herbs and some exotics of different growth forms were also frequently visited. In regard to the colours of the pollen loads of bees, white was the dominant, followed by yellow with occasional orange and purple. The study finds the need for long-term field observations on bee-foraging plants in rapidly transforming mosaic landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggression is a common trait in almost all animals and one of the bases of animal sociality. It is closely linked to intraspecific conflicts, hunting, and defending offspring, among others. Social insects establish integrated groups and show various aggressions that link to colony defense, predation, social rank, reproductive hierarchy and so on. Thus, they represent excellent experimental model systems to investigate the mechanisms underlying aggressive behavior. The biogenic amines function as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and neurohormones in the nervous systems, and have crucial roles in the diversification and modulation of behavior in social and solitary insects. Aggressive behaviors are mediated by aminergic systems. However, many issues about the roles of biogenic amines in social insects still deserve further study. In this scenario, the present review analyzed the roles of biogenic amines on aggressive behavior in social insects. We provided insights on the biosynthesis of monoamines, we summarized current knowledge on the serotonergic, dopaminergic octopaminergic, and tyraminergic control of aggressive behavior in social insects, with a special focus on ants, bees, and termites. In the last section, we provided an updated synthesis of the role of biogenic amines in controlling aggressive behavior in social insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meloetyphlus Waterhouse is a monotypic genus of Meloidae ascribed to the tribe Tetraonycini, subfamily Meloinae. As for most blister beetles, its first-instar larvae (or triungulins) are parasites of bees, but M. fuscatus Waterhouse is the only species known to parasitize members of the tribe Euglossini (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apinae). Despite being widely distributed in Central and South America, its presence in Colombia has never been confirmed. In this article, we document the occurrence of this genus in Colombia providing the first certain record for this country. In addition, some aspects of its parasitization of Eulaema nigrita Lepeletier are reported and illustrated with macrophotographs and a video. By the means of drawings and SEM micrographs, we provide the most detailed description of the first-instar larva of M. fuscatus to date and a comparison with the triungulin of the closely related Tetraonyx fulvus (LeConte). Finally, we investigated the phylogenetic position of Meloetyphlus using molecular data, to support its attribution to the tribe Tetraonycini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: To detect floral interactions between species of family Amaryllidaceae and bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), the presence of pollen from wild and cultivated Amaryllidaceae in the nests of wild non-Apis bees collected in three Argentine eco-regions (Pampa, Pampa-Espinal and Chaco) was investigated. M&M: A total of 500 microscopic slides of pollen and honey from 369 nests of 25 bee species were analyzed. The identification was made by comparing the pollen from nests with the reference pollen obtained from the flowers collected in the studied areas. The flower phenology of the wild species and floral visitation with catching of bee individuals were also recorded. Results: A total of six pollen types belonging to Amaryllidaceae were identified in the pollen diet of only five of the 25 bee species analyzed. Among wild Amaryllidaceae, two different flowering patterns were observed: 1) in the wet periods of winter-spring and/or summer-autumn, and 2) very synchronous and ephemeral, triggered by the rains in summer-autumn. Conclusions: The five bee species presenting Amaryllidaceae pollen in their nests and most bees collected on flowers were polylectic (generalized pollen usage) from Apidae and Halictidae families. More research is needed to deeply study the floral associations between bees and Amaryllidaceae in Argentina, and it is expected that there will be a higher number of bee species with pollen specialization (oligolecty) towards particular clades of this lineage of monocots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bombus vosnesenskii Radowszkowski, 1862 is one of three bumble bee species commercially available for pollination services in North America; however, little is documented about B. vosnesenskii colony life cycle or the establishment of ex situ rearing, mating, and overwintering practices. In this study, we documented nest success, colony size, and gyne production; recorded the duration of mating events; assessed overwintering survival of mated gynes; and evaluated second-generation nest success for colonies established from low- and high-elevation wild-caught B. vosnesenskii gynes. Of the 125 gynes installed, 62.4% produced brood cells (nest initiation) and 43.2% had at least 1 worker eclose (nest establishment). High-elevation B. vosnesenskii gynes had significantly higher nest initiation and establishment success than low-elevation gynes. However, low-elevation colonies were significantly larger with queens producing more gynes on average. Mating was recorded for 200 low-elevation and 37 high-elevation gynes, resulting in a mean duration of 62 and 51 min, respectively. Mated gynes were then placed into cold storage for 54 days to simulate overwintering, which resulted in 59.1% of low-elevation gynes surviving and 91.9% of high-elevation gynes surviving. For second-generation low-elevation gynes, 26.4% initiated nesting and 14.3% established nesting. Second-generation high-elevation gynes did not initiate nesting despite CO2 narcosis treatments. Overall, these results increase our understanding of B. vosnesenskii nesting, mating, and overwintering biology from 2 elevations. Furthermore, this study provides information on successful husbandry practices that can be used by researchers and conservationists to address knowledge gaps and enhance the captive rearing of bumble bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemoglobins are mainly functional in the transport and storage of O2, and are present in aerobic, lung respiratory metazoans. Based on recent studies, it has been determined that globin-like proteins are also found in invertebrate groups which have tracheal respiratory systems. Thus, it has been claimed that the globin molecules may have housekeeping functions beyond their known functions. In this study, the presence of a hemoglobin gene was investigated in a natural pollinator, Bombus terrestris. Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombinae) is an ecologically and economically important species, it has a wide distribution in high and low altitude habitats, can live in different localities in terms of altitude and temperature. The expression of globin gene was determined using real time qPCR and RACE system, and confirmed by SRA data. The potential globin ORF sequence was 516 bp nucleotide and 171 bp amino acid long. This data was deposited in the GenBank database under accession number OP312897. On the other hand, expression profiles were investigated in different hypoxic conditions at different developmental stages (larva, pupae and adult) and in different tissue types (abdomen, thorax, head and legs). It was determined that the globin gene is transcribed in all developmental stages, but only in abdomen; and that globin expression decreases with decreasing amount of oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Cerrado, the Brazilian savanna, studies on the relationship of agroforestry systems (AFS) with the edaphic and biotic factors are still incipient. In this study, the community of bees in AFS in the Brazilian Cerrado was characterized for structural parameters and composition of these systems with respect to the richness and abundance of bees. It was determined that 56 individuals, representing 3 families, 7 subfamilies, and 21 species of bees, existed in this area, mostly exhibiting solitary behavior or shareholders agreement. A higher abundance of bee species was found in the AFS than in the grazing areas. Greater shadowing of the agroforestry environment presented greater richness of species found in the area, but the same was not observed for the abundance of bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]