Search

Honey bees are unintentionally exposed to a wide range of chemicals through various routes in their natural environment, yet research on the cumulative effects of multi-chemical and sublethal exposures on important caste members, including the queen bee and brood, is still in its infancy. The hive's social structure and food-sharing (trophallaxis) practices are important aspects to consider when identifying primary and secondary exposure pathways for residential hive members and possible chemical reservoirs within the colony. Secondary exposures may also occur through chemical transfer (maternal offloading) to the brood and by contact through possible chemical diffusion from wax cells to all hive members. The lack of research on peer-to-peer exposures to contaminants and their metabolites may be in part due to the limitations in sensitive analytical techniques for monitoring chemical fate and dispersion. Combined application of automated honey bee monitoring and modern chemical trace analysis techniques could offer rapid progress in quantifying chemical transfer and accumulation within the hive environment and developing effective mitigation strategies for toxic chemical co-exposures. To enhance the understanding of chemical fate and toxicity within the entire colony, it is crucial to consider both the intricate interactions among hive members and the potential synergistic effects arising from combinations of chemical and their metabolites.

Honey bees are often exposed to a variety of contaminants, including pesticides from agricultural use. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal entry of pesticides into the hive by examining the seasonal timing of honey bees bringing pesticide-contaminated pollen into their colonies and the subsequent accumulation of these pesticides in beeswax. Pollen and beeswax samples were collected biweekly from five colonies situated in an agricultural environment in Switzerland. In pollen, 23 pesticides (out of 50) were quantified, including 4 insecticides, 4 herbicides, 12 fungicides, a transformation product, an acaricide, and a synergist. The maximal insecticide concentration levels measured in individual pollen samples were 69.4 μg/kg (thiacloprid), 48.3 μg/kg (acetamiprid), 13.8 μg/kg (spinosad), and 11.1 μg/kg (indoxacarb), while fungicide levels ranged up to 2212.7 μg/kg (cyprodinil), and herbicides were up to 71.9 μg/kg (prosulfocarb). Eighteen of the pesticides found in pollen were also quantifiable in beeswax. Among these were 17 lipophilic pesticides with logarithmic octanol water coefficients (log Kow) equal or above 2.5, which showed similar temporal profiles and order of accumulation magnitude as in pollen. For example, maximal concentrations measured in individual beeswax samples were 12.4 μg/kg for indoxacarb (insecticide), 986.4 μg/kg for cyprodinil (fungicide), and 21.6 μg/kg for prosulfocarb (herbicide). Furthermore, pesticides with log Kow between 2.5 and 7.0 remained in the beeswax during wax purification. Our study shows that a large variety of pesticides brought into the hive through pollen potentially stay in the beeswax during recycling, thus constantly exposing honey bees to pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea), is a single-comb open-nesting member of the genus Apis with a natural distribution area stretching from the Indomalayan realm on the east to the Persian Gulf on the west. However, it is reportedly colonising new territories mainly due to anthropogenic activities. Nowadays it can be found from Taiwan on the east, to Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula and North-eastern Africa on the west. Here we present the first scientific record of a fully established colony of A. florea in Europe. The colony was found on Malta, a crossway of naval routes in the Mediterranean Sea. We documented the incident with photos, collected samples of workers and drones and sequenced the mtDNA COI gene to confirm assignment to A. florea. Also, we alert the competent authorities and the beekeeping community to be vigilant and ready to undertake effective eradication measures. In the paper, we discuss the risks and the potential consequences associated with the invasion of A. florea in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use and cover change have a high influence on bee species, where honey bees (Apis mellifera) could be affected in terms of resources, dispersal, and habitat. However, the influence of landscape context on honey productivity has been scarcely explored in comparison with population parameters, which is an essential topic for the economic development of rural communities based on apiculture. Here, we tested the hypothesis if honey production decreases with the increase of exotic forest plantations in the landscape as the cover of native forest decreases, vegetation and soils become increasingly degraded. We compiled data on honey productivity for two years (2018 and 2019) of small-scale honey production in 17 landscapes of 1 km radii (Curanilahue state in south-central Chile). Then, the landscapes were characterized by using remote sensing techniques, including biophysical and compositional landscape variables. Finally, Generalized Linear Mixed Models were implemented to explore the relationship between landscape variables and honey productivity. We identified a positive relationship between honey productivity with built cover and grassland cover. On the other hand, a negative relationship was found between honey production and net primary production, exotic forest plantations, and tree senescence index. Our results provide new insights into the landscape-scale drivers of hive productivity in rural landscapes of south-central Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The therapeutic efficacy of various concentrations and combinations of thymol, Artemisia absinthium oil and nanoparticle ozone against Nosemosis caused by Nosema ceranae in honey bees was studied. Two-hundred colonies were examined for N. ceranae positivity and negativity under light microscopy; 119 colonies were positive and 81 colonies were negative for Nosemosis. The study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of 17 different combinations against N. ceranae. Nine of the 17 combinations were applied by spray to frames and eight were applied orally (combinations added to the sugar syrup reservoir) to the hives. Each of the 17 combinations was prepared in 1,000 ml from (2%, 3% and 5%) of thymol and (2% and 3%) A. absinthium oil, and 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, and 8,000 ppm concentrations of nanoparticle ozone. N. ceranae spore counts before and after the treatment were counted on Neubauer thoma slides by the digestion method, and the efficacy of the combinations was determined by the percent reduction test. In spray form, 200 ml 2,000 ppm nanoparticle ozone + 100 ml 3% thymol + 700 ml sugar syrup (efficacy-89.47%) (Group 5) and in oral form, 250 ml 2% thymol + 200 ml 2% A. absinthium oil + 500 ml sugar syrup (efficacy-85.95%) (Group 16), were found to be more effective. In conclusion, the combination of thymol and nanoparticle ozone in spray form was more effective than other combinations in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Neonicotinoids (NNIs) are the most commonly used insecticides in the world and clothianidin, a type of NNI, is commonly found in honey bee collected pollen. Clothianidin has several negative effects on honey bee health and behaviour, but whether and how it might impact learning and memory remains unclear. Therefore, we exposed honey bee workers to a field‐realistic oral dose of clothianidin for 7 days to assess their sugar responsiveness, and olfactory learning and memory using the proboscis extension response paradigm. Sugar responsiveness impacts important colony‐level traits, such as onset of foraging, that help maintain colony homeostasis as well as impacts learning and memory. We then measured how clothianidin alters protein expression in the brain in an effort to understand the mechanism(s) of clothianidin's effects. Clothianidin‐exposed bees had impaired sugar responsiveness, but no effect was seen on learning and memory. We identified 5069 protein groups and showed that the exposed bees had fewer detectable proteins. The exposed bees also had fewer mitochondrial respiration proteins, as well as reduced levels of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 (nAChRα7) subunit (one of the targets of clothianidin) and reduced levels of acetylcholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase‐2 levels. In the exposed bees, the levels of nAChRα7 subunit positively correlated with sugar responsiveness, providing evidence for a possible mechanical explanation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonicotinoids represent over a quarter of the global pesticide market. Research on their environmental impact has revealed their adverse effect on the cognitive functions of pollinators, in particular of bees. Cognitive impairments, mostly revealed by behavioural studies, are the phenotypic expression of an alteration in the underlying neural circuits, a matter deserving greater attention. Here, we reviewed studies on the impact of field‐relevant doses of neonicotinoids on the neurophysiology and neurodevelopment of bees. In particular, we focus on their olfactory system as much knowledge has been gained on the different brain areas that participate in odour processing. Recent studies have revealed the detrimental effects of neonicotinoids at multiple levels of the olfactory system, including modulation of odorant‐induced activity in olfactory sensory neurons, diminished neural responses in the antennal lobe (the first olfactory processing centre) and abnormal development of the neural connectivity within the mushroom bodies (central neuropils involved in multisensory integration, learning and memory storage, among others). Given the importance of olfactory perception for multiple aspects of bee biology, the reported disruption of the olfactory circuit, which can occur even upon exposure to sublethal doses of neonicotinoids, has severe consequences at both individual and colony levels. Moreover, the effects reported for a multimodal structure such as the mushroom bodies indicate that neonicotinoids' impact translates to other sensory domains. Assessing the impact of field‐relevant doses of pesticides on bee neurophysiology is crucial for understanding how neonicotinoids influence their behaviour in ecological contexts and for defining effective and sustainable agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees assume a pivotal role as primary pollinators, but they are currently facing a growing crisis of colony losses on a global scale. This sector is important for generating essential products, preserving ecosystems, and crop pollination. This study includes the sampling of 179 beehives from three apiaries in the traditional beekeeping area of Extremadura (Spain) vital beekeeping sector and was carried out between 2020 and 2021 using the decision trees-based model. Some studies have tried to identify the primary causative factors of this issue. However, it is insufficient because the approach disregards potential nonlinear interactions among the various factors. For this reason, through meticulous exploration of different causative factors including Varroa destructor, Nosema ceranae, Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV), and strength factors, our study employed for first time machine learning methods to identify the most important variables generating colony loss. Our analysis underscores the importance of brood levels (operculated and open), pollen and honey, Varroa destructor infestation, virus (DWV), and honey bee populations as key determinants of colony survival. These findings hold promise for guiding efficacious colony management strategies and underscoring the latent potential of machine-learning applications in the realm of beekeeping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the quality of bee products obtained across different geographical regions and analyzing their antimicrobial activity is of significant interest to various scientific disciplines. This study focuses on comparing the antimicrobial activity of honey and propolis samples from different areas of Alba County, Romania. The quality parameters of five samples of two types of bee products (honey and propolis) were assessed. Then, the samples were tested to comparatively determine their antimicrobial properties against 12 species of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella anatum, Salmonella choleraesuis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Listeria monocytogenes) and 7 fungal strains (Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium oxysporum, and Alternaria alternata). Of the bacterial strains, the most sensitive to the action of honey samples were the two strains of Staphylococcus followed by P. fluorescens. The two strains of Pseudomonas and L. monocytogenes were the most sensitive to the activity of propolis. Of the fungal strains, F. oxysporum was the most sensitive to the actions of both honey and propolis, followed by P. chrysogenum in the case of honey samples and the two Aspergillus strains in the case of propolis. These findings indicate that bee products are rich sources of bioactive compounds exhibiting strong antimicrobial properties and significant potential for the development of new phytopharmaceutical products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees are rapidly declining, which poses a significant threat to our environment and agriculture industry. These vital insects face a disease complex believed to be caused by a combination of parasites, viruses, pesticides, and nutritional deficiencies. However, the real aetiology is still enigmatic. Due to the conventional analysis methods, we still lack complete insights into the honey bee virome and the presence of pathogenic bacteria. To fill this knowledge gap, we employed third-generation nanopore metagenomic sequencing on honey bee haemolymph to monitor the presence of pathogens over almost a year. This study provides valuable insights into the changes in bacterial and viral loads within honey bee colonies. We identified different pathogens in the honey bee haemolymph, which are not included in honey bee screenings. These pathogens comprise the Apis mellifera filamentous virus, Apis rhabdoviruses, and various bacteria such as Frischella sp. and Arsenophonus sp. Furthermore, a sharp contrast was observed between young and old bees. Our research proposes that transgenerational immune priming may play a role in shaping infection patterns in honey bees. We observed a significant increase in pathogen loads in the spring, followed by a notable decrease in pathogen presence during the summer and autumn months. However, certain pathogens seem to be able to evade this priming effect, making them particularly intriguing as potential factors contributing to mortality. In the future, we aim to expand our research on honey bee transgenerational immune priming and investigate its potential in natural settings. This knowledge will ultimately enhance honey bee health and decrease colony mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition among pollinators for floral resources is a phenomenon of both basic and applied importance. While competition is difficult to measure directly under field conditions, it can be inferred indirectly through the measurement of floral resource depletion. In this study, we conducted a pollinator exclusion experiment to calculate nectar depletion rates in summer across 16 grassland sites in the German regions of Franconia and Saxony‐Anhalt. Overall depletion rates were estimated at 95% in Franconia and 79% in Saxony‐Anhalt, indicating strong nectar limitation and likely competition among pollinators for nectar. Despite being ubiquitous in our study regions, honey bees were scarce at our sites at the time of nectar sampling. This demonstrates that wild pollinators alone are capable of massive nectar depletion, and the addition of managed honey bees to wild pollinator communities may intensify already competitive conditions. Nevertheless, the manifest diversity of the pollinator communities at our sites indicates that other factors, such as non‐trophic constraints or temporal variation in nectar limitation, can mitigate competitive exclusion despite immediate conditions of acute nectar scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees can be evaluated to study their economic, developmental and immunity aspects. Apis mellifera has important organs such as the hypopharyngeal gland, mandibular gland and brain in their heads. The hypopharyngeal glands and mandibular glands cooperate to produce royal jelly essential in feeding queen honey bees and broods. Moreover, the brain is an organ that regulates the social behaviors of honey bees such as memory and learning. Therefore, this study aimed to detect differential head protein changes in one-day-old and nine-day-old worker honey bees. 153 repeatable protein spots were identified using Melanie software and statistically analyzed. Of the total protein spots, 27 responsive spots were identified using MALDI TOF-TOF mass spectrometry, of which 14 and 8 spots showed up and down regulation, respectively and five spots were expressed just in the head capsules of nine-day-old workers. All identified proteins were divided into 16 different groups involved in various growth-related processes as well as royal jelly augmentation. Nine proteins including KMT5B, TGIF2LX, Protein mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase PARP12, TCL1B4, maph-9, Vimentin-type intermediate filament-associated coiled-coil protein, HSP68, tetratricopeptide repeat domain 36 and POC1B were also identified and introduced for the first time in A. mellifera. This study provides valuable information on proteins involved in honey bee head growth and development as well as increasing royal jelly production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect pollinators frequently forage with conspecifics in nature, thus it is important to understand their behavioral responses to the presence of conspecifics on flowers. Plant-pollinator interactions can be influenced by neighboring flowers, and these neighborhood effects can have important implications for plant fitness. Research about neighborhood effects generally tests how plant traits or different plant communities affect plant-pollinator or plant-herbivore interactions. However, neighborhood effects can also be considered from the point of view of an insect pollinator and how the presence of their own conspecifics on plants alters their perceptions of plant quality. We used the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, to test whether neighborhood effects affect honey bee foraging behavior. In this context, we refer to neighborhood effects as the relative number of bees on neighboring flowers compared to the number of bees on a focal flower. We found that in a floral neighborhood, the relative number of honey bees present on neighboring flowers has a weak effect, such that more bees on neighboring flowers increase the likelihood of visits to a focal flower. Our results suggest that high numbers of bees on neighboring flowers increase the attractiveness of the entire neighborhood and low numbers of bees on the neighboring flowers decrease the attractiveness of the neighborhood, highlighting that bee activity on neighboring flowers may have significant impacts on pollination services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) subspecies exhibit local adaptive traits that evolved in response to the different environments that characterize their native distribution ranges. An important trait is the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile, which helps to prevent desiccation and mediate communication. We compared the CHC profiles of six European subspecies (A. m. mellifera, A. m. carnica, A. m. ligustica, A. m. macedonica, A. m. iberiensis, and A. m. ruttneri) and investigated potential factors shaping their composition. We did not find evidence of adaptation of the CHC profiles of the subspecies to the climatic conditions in their distribution range. Subspecies-specific differences in CHC composition might be explained by phylogenetic constraints or genetic drift. The CHC profiles of foragers were more subspecies-specific than those of nurse bees, while the latter showed more variation in their CHC profiles, likely due to the lower desiccation stress exerted by the controlled environment inside the hive. The strongest profile differences appeared between nurse bees and foragers among all subspecies, suggesting an adaptation to social task and a role in communication. Foragers also showed an increase in the relative amount of alkanes in their profiles compared to nurses, indicating adaptation to climatic conditions.

Abstract Honey bees are rapidly declining, which poses a significant threat to our environment and agriculture industry. These vital insects face a disease complex believed to be caused by a combination of parasites, viruses, pesticides, and nutritional deficiencies. However, the real aetiology is still enigmatic. Due to the conventional analysis methods, we still lack complete insights into the honey bee virome and the presence of pathogenic bacteria. To fill this knowledge gap, we employed third-generation nanopore metagenomic sequencing on honey bee haemolymph to monitor the presence of pathogens over almost a year. This study provides valuable insights into the changes in bacterial and viral loads within honey bee colonies. We identified different pathogens in the honey bee haemolymph, which are not included in honey bee screenings. These pathogens comprise the Apis mellifera filamentous virus, Apis rhabdoviruses, and various bacteria such as Frischella sp. and Arsenophonus sp. Furthermore, a sharp contrast was observed between young and old bees. Our research proposes that transgenerational immune priming may play a role in shaping infection patterns in honey bees. We observed a significant increase in pathogen loads in the spring, followed by a notable decrease in pathogen presence during the summer and autumn months. However, certain pathogens seem to be able to evade this priming effect, making them particularly intriguing as potential factors contributing to mortality. In the future, we aim to expand our research on honey bee transgenerational immune priming and investigate its potential in natural settings. This knowledge will ultimately enhance honey bee health and decrease colony mortality.

Abstract Solar eclipse has remarkable effect on behavior of animals. South India experienced a 97% magnitude annular eclipse on December 26, 2019 during 08:04–11:04 h with the totality phase appeared during 09:25–09:30 h. We investigated whether the foraging activity of the bees was limited by the eclipse, what bees are affected most, and which part of the eclipse was critical for bee activities to understand how a group of insects that rely the Sun, the sunlight, and the sun rays for their navigation and vision behaves to the eclipse. We opted to watch the bees in their foraging ground, and selected the natural flower populations of Cleome rutidosperma, Hygrophila schulli, Mimosa pudica, and Urena sinuata—some of the bee-friendly plants—to record the visitor richness and visitation rate on the flowers on eclipse and non-eclipse days and during the hour of totality phase and partial phase of the eclipse. Fewer flower-visiting species were recorded on the eclipse day than on the non-eclipse days, but in the period of totality, very few bee species were active, and limited their activity to only one population of C. rutidosperma. Visits of honey bees and stingless bees were affected most, but not that badly of solitary bees and carpenter bees. Bees, particularly the social bees use Sun for navigation and deciphering information on forage sources to fellow workers. The eclipse, like for many other animals, might hamper bees’ orientation, vision, and flight.

Honey bees are vital to human well-being and are under multiple stresses. We need to be able to assess the viability and productivity of honey bee colonies in different landscapes and under different management and climate-change scenarios. We have developed a prototype digital twin, HONEYBEE-pDT, based on the BEEHAVE model, which simulates foraging, population dynamics and Varroa mite infestation of a single honey bee colony. The main input data are land-cover maps and daily weather data. We have developed the pDT for simulating large areas and have tested it for the whole of Germany. We have also developed a web-based GUI that users can use to run the pDT for specific sites. Hive weight data from hundreds of hives will be used for calibration and validation.

Abstract Honey got its significance, both as medical and non-medical purposes. Honey is a complex matrix of several carbohydrates, amino acids, minerals and many more. Honey's carbohydrate components include a variety of mono- and disaccharide forms such as fructose, glucose, sucrose and other reducing sugars. Proline, lysine, phenylalanine, β-alanine, arginine, serine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid are the main amino acids that are present in honey. Immense nutritional benefits make honey a high demanding item in food and in medical. It is a multivitamin tonic enriched with the antimicrobial, antioxidant, cough preventing, hepato-protective, wound healing and immune modulating properties. Being a high demand item, most of the honeys available in market are adulterated by several means. Eventually, human practices developed a number of ways for detection of adulteration in honey. Even modern instrumentation like NMR is becoming a powerful and reliable tool in detection of high-rising adulteration. The present article aims to highlight a thorough of review of medicinal applications of honey with special emphasis on the traditional practices along with an overview of the history, composition, physical and nutritional properties and testing of adulteration.

Biofilm formation is a common adaptation enabling bacteria to thrive in various environments and withstand external pressures. In the context of host-microbe interactions, biofilms play vital roles in establishing microbiomes associated with animals and plants and are used by opportunistic microbes to facilitate survival within hosts. Investigating biofilm dynamics, composition, and responses to environmental stressors is crucial for understanding microbial community assembly and biofilm regulation in health and disease. In this study, we explore in vivo colonization and in vitro biofilm formation abilities of core members of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) gut microbiota. Additionally, we assess the impact of glyphosate, a widely used herbicide with antimicrobial properties, and a glyphosate-based herbicide formulation on growth and biofilm formation in bee gut symbionts as well as in other biofilm-forming bacteria associated with diverse animals and plants. Our results demonstrate that several strains of core bee gut bacterial species can colonize the bee gut, which probably depends on their ability to form biofilms. Furthermore, glyphosate exposure elicits variable effects on bacterial growth and biofilm formation. In some instances, the effects correlate with the bacteria's ability to encode a susceptible or tolerant version of the enzyme inhibited by glyphosate in the shikimate pathway. However, in other instances, no such correlation is observed. Testing the herbicide formulation further complicates comparisons, as results often diverge from glyphosate exposure alone, suggesting that co-formulants influence bacterial growth and biofilm formation. These findings highlight the nuanced impacts of environmental stressors on microbial biofilms, with both ecological and host health-related implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are one of the most crucial pollinators, providing vital ecosystem services. Their development and functioning depend on essential nutrients and substances found in the environment. While collecting nectar as a vital carbohydrate source, bees routinely encounter low doses of ethanol from yeast fermentation. Yet, the effects of repeated ethanol exposure on bees' survival and physiology remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the impacts of constant and occasional consumption of food spiked with 1% ethanol on honey bee mortality and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity. This ethanol concentration might be tentatively judged close to that in natural conditions. We conducted an experiment in which bees were exposed to three types of long-term diets: constant sugar solution (control group that simulated conditions of no access to ethanol), sugar solution spiked with ethanol every third day (that simulated occasional, infrequent exposure to ethanol) and daily ethanol consumption (simulating constant, routine exposure to ethanol). The results revealed that both constant and occasional ethanol consumption increased the mortality of bees, but only after several days. These mortality rates rose with the frequency of ethanol intake. The ADH activity remained similar in bees from all groups. Our findings indicate that exposure of bees to ethanol carries harmful effects that accumulate over time. Further research is needed to pinpoint the exact ethanol doses ingested with food and exposure frequency in bees in natural conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments are commonly used in rice (Oryza sativa) production to control rice water weevil (Lisorhoptrus oryzophilus). With the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments, there is potential that honey bees (Apis mellifera) could be exposed to neonicotinoids through translocation to the pollen. Studies were conducted in 2015 and 2016 to determine the level of neonicotinoids present in flag leaves, pollen, and grain of rice. Thiamethoxam was applied as a seed treatment and foliar prior to flooding. Clothianidin was applied as a seed treatment and as a foliar at a preflood and postflood timing. Subsamples of flag leaves, pollen, and grain were analyzed for positive neonicotinoid detections and abundance. Thiamethoxam was detected in 8.9% of samples and clothianidin was detected in 1.4% of samples. For both thiamethoxam and clothianidin, more positive samples were observed in flag leaf samples than in pollen or grain. An average of 4.30 ng/g of thiamethoxam was detected in flag leaves from seed-applied thiamethoxam. An average of 1.25 ng/g of clothianidin was found in flag leaves from a preflood application of clothianidin. A survey of honey bees present in rice fields was conducted in Mississippi and Arkansas to determine the abundance of honey bees present in rice fields based on the time of day. Honey bee densities were low in rice, with less than 5% and 3% positive detections observed in Mississippi and Arkansas, respectively. More positive detections and higher densities of honey bees were observed for mid-day sampling than for morning or evening sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highbush blueberry pollination depends on managed honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) for adequate fruit sets; however, beekeepers have raised concerns about the poor health of colonies after pollinating this crop. Postulated causes include agrochemical exposure, nutritional deficits, and interactions with parasites and pathogens, particularly Melisococcus plutonius [(ex. White) Bailey and Collins, Lactobacillales: Enterococcaceae], the causal agent of European foulbrood disease, but other pathogens could be involved. To broadly investigate common honey bee pathogens in relation to blueberry pollination, we sampled adult honey bees from colonies at time points corresponding to before (t1), during (t2), at the end (t3), and after (t4) highbush blueberry pollination in British Columbia, Canada, across 2 years (2020 and 2021). Nine viruses, as well as M. plutonius , Vairimorpha ceranae, and V. apis [Tokarev et al. Microsporidia: Nosematidae; formerly Nosema ceranae (Fries et al.) and N. apis (Zander)], were detected by PCR and compared among colonies located near and far from blueberry fields. We found a significant interactive effect of time and blueberry proximity on the multivariate pathogen community, mainly due to differences at t4 (corresponding to ~6 wk after the beginning of the pollination period). Post hoc comparisons of pathogens in near and far groups at t4 showed that detections of sacbrood virus (SBV), which was significantly higher in the near group, not M. plutonius , was the primary driver. Further research is needed to determine if the association of SBV with highbush blueberry pollination is contributing to the health decline that beekeepers observe after pollinating this crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar eclipse has remarkable effect on behavior of animals. South India experienced a 97% magnitude annular eclipse on December 26, 2019 during 08:04–11:04 h with the totality phase appeared during 09:25–09:30 h. We investigated whether the foraging activity of the bees was limited by the eclipse, what bees are affected most, and which part of the eclipse was critical for bee activities to understand how a group of insects that rely the Sun, the sunlight, and the sun rays for their navigation and vision behaves to the eclipse. We opted to watch the bees in their foraging ground, and selected the natural flower populations of Cleome rutidosperma, Hygrophila schulli, Mimosa pudica, and Urena sinuata—some of the bee-friendly plants—to record the visitor richness and visitation rate on the flowers on eclipse and non-eclipse days and during the hour of totality phase and partial phase of the eclipse. Fewer flower-visiting species were recorded on the eclipse day than on the non-eclipse days, but in the period of totality, very few bee species were active, and limited their activity to only one population of C. rutidosperma. Visits of honey bees and stingless bees were affected most, but not that badly of solitary bees and carpenter bees. Bees, particularly the social bees use Sun for navigation and deciphering information on forage sources to fellow workers. The eclipse, like for many other animals, might hamper bees' orientation, vision, and flight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The honey bee Apis mellifera plays a significant role as a pollinator of native and cultivated plants, by increasing the productivity of several cultures, preserving the flora, and producing forest seeds. However, bee populations are declining worldwide, including A. mellifera, due to Colony Collapse Disorder, mainly resulting from the constant use of pesticides in the crops. Teflubenzuron is a physiological insecticide that belongs to the benzoylurea group, which inhibits chitin synthesis, the main component of the insect integument classified as safe for non-target insects, including bees. However, its effect on non-target organs of insects remains unknown. The midgut is the main organ of the digestive tract, which works in digestion and absorption and may be exposed to pesticides that contaminate food resources. The present work aimed to verify if the insecticide teflubenzuron is toxic and has histopathological effects on the midgut of A. mellifera adult workers. Workers exposed orally and chronically to the field-realistic concentration of teflubenzuron present 81.54% mortality. The epithelium of the midgut of these bees presents high vacuolization, spherocrystals, cell fragments released to the organ lumen, apocrine secretion, nuclear pyknosis, loss of cell–cell contact, and damage to regenerative cell nests and to the peritrophic matrix. These results indicate that the chitin synthesis-inhibiting insecticide teflubenzuron is toxic to A. mellifera after chronic oral exposure, at realistic field concentration, although it is classified as non-toxic to adult and non-target insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was carried out on the effects of using sugar syrup inverted with commercially available confectionery invertase as a supplement bee feed on the quality of bee honey. The results revealed an increased level of absorption; an increased level of HMF (2-hydroxymethyl-2-fufuraldehide), as well as high levels of Cu. The blue colour, which was revealed when adding Carraz I (K4Fe(CN)6.3H2O) and Carraz II (Zn(CH3COO)2.2H2O) solutions was associated with high levels of Fe, contained in the beet sugar syrup, inverted with confectionery invertase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim In this study, we investigated culturable yeast community, present in grape must sampled from vineyards with apiaries on the borders, and in honey bees collected in these apiaries. Methods and results To this aim, yeasts isolated from spontaneously fermented grapes randomly collected in two vineyards (P1 and P2) with apiaries on the borders (A1 and A2) were compared to those isolated from spontaneously fermented grapes collected from a vineyard without apiary (P4). At the same time, yeast community was analyzed on bees collected in each apiary placed in the vineyards, in comparison to yeasts isolated from an apiary (A3) located far from the vineyards. The analysis was performed for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022). The isolated yeasts were identified by restriction analysis of amplified ITS region, followed by sequencing of ITS fragment. Our research showed that the presence of apiaries seems to increase yeast counts of grape must, in particular of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; furthermore, the permanence of apiaries in the vineyards allowed the recovering of these yeasts also from bees. Conclusions Our findings seem to corroborate the role of bees as vectors and reservoirs of oenologically relevant yeasts, such as a source of non-conventional yeasts with potential biotechnological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is an important crop pollinator threatened by multiple stressors, including exposure to contaminants. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a persistent global contaminant that accumulates and biomagnifies in food chains and is detected in honey. Even sublethal exposure to PFOS is detrimental to bee health, but exposure routes are unclear and nothing is known about bee response (detection, avoidance, or attraction) to PFOS. Using Y‐mazes, we studied the response of individual bees to PFOS‐spiked sugar syrup at four concentrations, 0.02, 30, 61 and 103 µg L−1. Bee activity, choice behavior, and drink duration for unspiked and spiked sugar syrup was recorded for 10 min in the Y‐maze system. Most bees (≥80%) tasted and then drank the sugar syrup solutions, including the PFOS‐contaminated syrup. Only at 61 and 103 µg L−1 did bees significantly avoid drinking PFOS‐spiked syrup, and only when given a choice with unspiked syrup. When the choice of consuming unspiked syrup was removed, the bees drank PFOS‐spiked syrup at all the PFOS concentrations tested, and avoidance was not evident. Avoidance was not observed in any treatment at 0.02 or 30 µg L−1 PFOS, concentrations that are frequently reported in environmental waters in contaminated areas. These findings confirm that bees will access PFOS‐contaminated resources at concentrations detrimental to the colony health, and provide evidence of potential exposure pathways that may threaten crop pollination services and also human health via food chain transfer in PFOS‐contaminated areas. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:1638–1647. © 2024 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline of honey bee populations significantly impacts the human food supply due to poor pollination and yield decreases of essential crop species. Given the reduction of pollinators, research into critical landscape components, such as floral resource availability and land use change, might provide valuable information about the nutritional status and health of honey bee colonies. To address this issue, we examine the effects of landscape factors like agricultural area, urban area, and climatic factors, including maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation, on honey bee hive populations and nutritional health of 326 honey bee colonies across varying landscapes in Mexico. DNA metabarcoding facilitated the precise identification of pollen from 267 plant species, encompassing 243 genera and 80 families, revealing a primary herb‐based diet. Areas characterized by high landscape diversity exhibited greater pollen diversity within the colony. Conversely, colonies situated in regions with higher proportions of agricultural and urban landscapes demonstrated lower bee density. The maximum ambient temperature outside hives positively correlated with pollen diversity, aligning with a simultaneous decrease in bee density. Conversely, higher relative humidity positively influenced both the bee density of the colony and the diversity of foraged pollen. Our national‐level study investigated pollen dietary availability and colony size in different habitat types, latitudes, climatic conditions, and varied levels and types of disturbances. This effort was taken to gain a better insight into the mechanisms driving declines in honey bee populations. This study illustrates the need for more biodiverse agricultural landscapes, the preservation of diverse habitats, and the conservation of natural and semi‐natural spaces. These measures can help to improve the habitat quality of other bee species, as well as restore essential ecosystem processes, such as pollination and pest control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees are vital to human well-being and are under multiple stresses. We need to be able to assess the viability and productivity of honey bee colonies in different landscapes and under different management and climate-change scenarios. We have developed a prototype digital twin, HONEYBEE-pDT, based on the BEEHAVE model, which simulates foraging, population dynamics and Varroa mite infestation of a single honey bee colony. The main input data are land-cover maps and daily weather data. We have developed the pDT for simulating large areas and have tested it for the whole of Germany. We have also developed a web-based GUI that users can use to run the pDT for specific sites. Hive weight data from hundreds of hives will be used for calibration and validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey got its significance, both as medical and non-medical purposes. Honey is a complex matrix of several carbohydrates, amino acids, minerals and many more. Honey's carbohydrate components include a variety of mono- and disaccharide forms such as fructose, glucose, sucrose and other reducing sugars. Proline, lysine, phenylalanine, β-alanine, arginine, serine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid are the main amino acids that are present in honey. Immense nutritional benefits make honey a high demanding item in food and in medical. It is a multivitamin tonic enriched with the antimicrobial, antioxidant, cough preventing, hepato-protective, wound healing and immune modulating properties. Being a high demand item, most of the honeys available in market are adulterated by several means. Eventually, human practices developed a number of ways for detection of adulteration in honey. Even modern instrumentation like NMR is becoming a powerful and reliable tool in detection of high-rising adulteration. The present article aims to highlight a thorough of review of medicinal applications of honey with special emphasis on the traditional practices along with an overview of the history, composition, physical and nutritional properties and testing of adulteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Addressing challenges of controlled breeding in honey bees at natural mating stations is important in controlling and maintaining valuable traits of biological and economic interest. Basically, artificial insemination and natural mating are the two reproductive techniques used by beekeepers in maintaining honey bees' genetic resources. However, little is known on the various sources of variation affecting breeding success at different mating stations. Our study provides an insight, addressing key questions to improve mating success rate of controlled breeding. Selecting mating stations with the maximum cost benefit return is a motivating tool in maintaining valuable genetic materials of honey bees. Our results demonstrated that breeding success of natural mating at controlled mating stations is influenced by the environmental conditions of the area. Mating success rate was high in mating stations with a high percentage of bare land, coniferous forests, deciduous forests, fields, and mixed forests. We suggest that mating stations with mixed forest and fields are potential sites for successful breeding and maintenance of honey bees' genetic resources. Honey bee reproductive behavior involves a complicated mating system that embodies a number of factors, including environmental and human-induced factors. Controlled breeding in isolated mating stations is a prerequisite to maintain the genetic resources of honey bees through natural mating. The concept of controlled mating is a challenge in most beekeeping operations due to its low mating success rate. Therefore, a detailed investigation into the suitability of isolated mating stations is of interest. Thus, we bred two subspecies of honey bees (Apis cerana koreana and Apis mellifera L.) in isolated mating stations (island) from 2021 to 2023 and in an open breeding station in 2023. Our results demonstrate that the highest percentage of the mating success rate in isolated mating stations was recorded in the Wido Island, which had the highest percentage of bare land, coniferous forests, deciduous forests, fields, and mixed forests. The mating success rate was higher in the summer and spring for A. cerana and A. mellifera, respectively. The mating success rate was higher in open mating compared to controlled mating (Island) and did not vary between pure-breeding and cross-breeding lines. Our findings suggested that mating stations with mixed forest and fields are potential sites for the successful breeding of honey bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesian people's interest in honey, the product from honey bees, is quite high. It caused many cases of honey fraud such as mislabelling the entomological origin of honey. The Major Royal Jelly Protein 2 (mrjp2) gene, which encodes MRJP, can be used to determine the entomological origin of honey. The mrjp2 gene, for example, can be detected in honey from A. mellifera and A. cerana using species-specific primers for A. mellifera (MF-MR) and A. cerana (CF-CR). This study aims to detect the mrjp2 gene in several honey bee species native to Indonesia, namely A. dorsata, A. dorsata binghami, A. florea, A. nigrocincta, A. mellifera, and A. cerana as well as analyse the feasibility of MF-MR and CF-CR primers in determining the entomological origin of honey. The results showed that the MF-MR primers can amplify the DNA of A. dorsata binghami, A. florea, and A. mellifera, while CF-CR primers can amplify the DNA of both A. nigrocincta and A. cerana. The amplicons were subsequently sequenced. The phylogenetic tree and the genetic distance showed that there were differences and variation between each species of honey bee samples with the honey bee database. The data obtained from this research indicated that both primers could not determine the entomological origin of honey directly up to species level. The species level determination will only be possible using sequences information. However, in certain situations, the MF-MR and CFCR primers were able to differentiate the honey bee species by including the information of the geographical origin of honey sample and the distribution area of each species of honey bees in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), and leafhopper, Amrasca biguttulla biguttulla, Ishida, are the major biotic constraints in cultivation of okra, causing considerable economic damage. The present study aims to evaluate the laboratory and field efficacy of butenolide insecticide, flupyradifurone 200 SL against these key sucking pests, its phytotoxicity, safety to natural enemies as well as pollinators and cost-efficiency in okra. Dose probit mortality assays indicated flupyradifurone to be the most toxic and thiamethoxam least toxic to leafhopper and whitefly. Based on the LC50 values for whitefly and leafhopper, flupyradifurone exhibited 11.07 and 2.98-fold difference, respectively, when compared to thiamethoxam. Laboratory bioassays confirmed that the maximum dose of flupyradifurone (250 g a.i. ha−1) had a high level of toxicity to whitefly adults and leafhopper nymphs. Of the three field rates (150, 200, 250 g a.i. ha−1) of flupyradifurone evaluated under open field conditions, application at 250 g a.i. ha−1 was most effective for the control of whitefly and leafhopper population with a high marketable fruit yield in okra. Flupyradifurone reduced the population of whitefly by 71.80 & 76.68 per cent and leafhopper by 82.19 and 80.21 per cent during first and second season, respectively, as compared to untreated control. Furthermore, it was superior and more economical, giving the highest benefit: cost ratio (2.77) than other test insecticides included for comparison. Flupyradifurone application showed no phytotoxic symptoms on the okra crop. Additionally, it was found to be safer to natural enemies i.e. spiders and rove beetles that are prevalent in the okra ecosystem. The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that flupyradifurone was apparently less toxic to honey bees in short-term and long-term exposure assays. These findings will aid in utilizing the flupyradifurone in insecticide window spray schedules and IPM programs for the management of sucking pests in okra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many viruses first isolated in honey bees can also infect and circulate in wild bee species. While most common bee viruses are generally less prevalent in wild bees than honey bees, they are occasionally locally common. However, most studies have not assessed prevalence of viruses in honey bees and wild bees at the same sites, making it difficult to determine how viruses may spread across species. We addressed this by surveying the prevalence of six viruses in honey bees and bumble bees at sites across the Pacific Northwest, USA. These data were used to assess covariance in virus prevalence between bee groups across multiple ecotypes and to assess how virus prevalence in bumble bees correlated with prevalence in honey bees. We show deformed wing virus (DWV) and black queen cell virus (BQCV) were more common in honey bees than bumble bees, while Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) was found at similar levels. Prevalence of DWV and IAPV were correlated with landscape context, with both most common at urban sites. However, BQCV prevalence in bumble bees was best predicted by BQCV prevalence in honey bees and by apiary density. Our study provides evidence that several viruses are found in both honey bees and wild bumble bees at the same sites, although prevalence was not necessarily correlated among the two groups. Understanding the prevalence and impacts of bee viruses on both managed and wild bees is key for disease mitigation and pollinator conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honeydew is a sugar-rich sweet substance excreted by the phloem-feeding herbivorous insects like aphids, leafhoppers, mealybugs and scales of the Order Hemiptera. The honeydew is generally deposited on the surface of leaves and other plant parts and serves as a food source to other nectar feeders including honey bees. There is a possibility that the presence of honeydew might distract honey bees from visiting flowers, leading to depriving them of adequate pollination services. In order to establish this hypothesis, field studies were conducted for two consecutive flowering seasons (2017 and 2018) in a mango orchard at Bengaluru, India to assess the effect of honeydew excreted by leafhoppers (Idioscopus spp.), a serious sap-sucking pest of mango (Mangifera indica L.), on honey bee visitation to mango flowers. The number of bees foraging on the inflorescence of mango trees which were allowed to have hopper infestation and subsequent honeydew on foliage was compared with those on trees which were maintained free from leafhoppers incidence and honeydew. The mean number of bees of all three species of Apis foraging on mango flowers on trees maintained free from hopper infestation was significantly higher (4.58/10 panicles/5 min) compared to that on trees with leafhopper infestation and subsequent honeydew deposits on leaves (1.98), which translates to a very considerable 55.53% reduction. Since mango is a cross-pollinated crop, the fruit set is directly proportional to the extent of pollinator activity. This study highlights a different ecological implication of honeydew excreted by a sucking pest of a fruit crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees are crucial for ecosystem pollination and honey production, yet the Varroa destructor mite hinders their productivity and health. Efforts to manage Varroa mites with synthetic pesticides have had limited success, highlighting the need for naturally derived acaricides as a primary option. However, the acaricidal efficacy of essential oils from Salvia officinalis L. (sage), Cannabis sativa (hemp), and Laurus nobilis (laurel) remains to be fully understood. This study aims to investigate the acaricidal efficacy of these three essential oils at varying concentrations and their impact on honey production, focusing on the efficient reduction in Varroa mites. The sugar roll method was employed to assess Varroa mite infestation levels, while GC-MS analysis was utilized to verify the composition of the essential oils. Honey production measurements were also performed. The efficacy rates (%) at concentrations of 15%, 10%, and 5% for hemp oil were 95.4% ± 0.30%, 85.71% ± 0.85%, and 64.48% ± 0.26%, respectively; for sage oil, they were 81.08% ± 0.57%, 69.42% ± 1.72%, and 50.35% ± 0.70%; and for laurel oil, they were 68.96% ± 0.34%, 54.66% ± 0.37%, and 33.58% ± 0.30%, respectively. Key compounds identified include trans-caryophyllene, α-pinene, and viridiflorol in hemp oil; myrcene, limonene, and β-caryophyllene in sage oil; and phytol, β-myrcene, and n-heneicosane in laurel oil. The overall findings indicate that hemp oil is highly effective in controlling Varroa mites. However, further research is needed to evaluate its potential side effects on bees to ensure its sustainability and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beekeepers play a crucial role in the survival of honey bee populations, so it is essential to understand the drivers behind their activities. This qualitative study aims to explore the factors influencing beekeepers' decision-making and to assess the relationship between beekeepers and their bees, to identify the relationship between them by building a theoretical model, and to assess the perception of pollination services as a potential source of income diversification among Hungarian beekeepers. Based on the grounded theory method, we created a paradigm model of beekeeping management based on semi-structured interviews with beekeepers in Hungary. In the analysis of the interviews, we first used open coding to develop categories according to the concepts used by the beekeepers, and then structured and linked these categories (axial coding). Finally, we identified the most relevant main categories (selective coding) and outlined the conceptual framework for beekeeping management. We mapped the strategies and beekeeping practices beekeepers use and the consequences they generate. The results show that several causal conditions influence beekeeping decisions and strategies. In an environment where beekeepers' costs are increasing and their incomes are decreasing while implementing adaptation strategies, more targeted measures are needed to protect bees and increase beekeepers' profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most flowering plants require animal pollination and are visited by multiple pollinator species. Historically, the effects of pollinators on plant fitness have been compared using the number of pollen grains they deposit, and the number of seeds or fruits produced following a visit to a virgin flower. While useful, these methods fail to consider differences in pollen quality and the fitness of zygotes resulting from pollination by different floral visitors. Here we show that, for three common native self-compatible plants in Southern California, super-abundant, non-native honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) visit more flowers on an individual before moving to the next plant compared with the suite of native insect visitors. This probably increases the transfer of self-pollen. Offspring produced after honeybee pollination have similar fitness to those resulting from hand self-pollination and both are far less fit than those produced after pollination by native insects or by cross-pollination. Because honeybees often forage methodically, visiting many flowers on each plant, low offspring fitness may commonly result from honeybee pollination of self-compatible plants. To our knowledge, this is the first study to directly compare the fitness of offspring resulting from honeybee pollination to that of other floral visitors.

We tested the expression of the multi-functional gene Vitellogenin (Vg) in four commercially available stocks of honey bees (Apis mellifera: L) under three different treatments: caged bees fed only 50% sucrose solution, caged bees fed sucrose solution and pollen paste, and free-roaming bees in a colony setting. We found that seven-day old bees fed pollen and sucrose in the lab as well as those in the colony had higher Vg expression than those fed only sucrose. There were strong differences in how the stocks responded to the treatments. This ranged from the Italian bees where expression was different between all treatment groups to the Saskatraz where there were no effects of treatment on Vg expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, native bee fauna has been observed utilising anthropogenic materials as nesting substrates. Here we report the novel observation of a native solitary cavity-nesting bee, Megachile (Hackeriapis) oblonga (Smith, 1879) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Megachilinae) nesting in man-made, but honey bee drawn waxed frames. This represents a unique indirect interaction between the introduced Apis mellifera and native wild bees and adds to growing evidence of how human activities are altering the behaviour of wild bees, with unknown consequences. Our observations here add to knowledge about the flexibility in nesting habits of wild bees and the potential for bees to adopt novel materials to nest in. This may represent adaptive or maladaptive behaviour; it remains to be determined whether humans are presenting wild bees with an increasing number of "ecological traps" as anthropogenic activities limit the availability of natural nesting substrates in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The productivity of bee colonies mostly depends on the influence of exogenous factors. The most significant ones include: the presence of a honey base, climatic conditions, environmental temperature, etc. The stability of microclimate indicators in the nest significantly affect the growth of families and nest. The vital temperature range in the post-embryonic period ranges from 30–38 °С. For normal brood development, the incubation temperature should be 34–35 °С. The intensity of growth during this period is largely determined by the influence of climatic conditions, including temperature. As a result of decrease in temperature, there is a densification of the placement of bees, which are more concentrated in the central, breeding part of the nest. Under these conditions, hypothermia of individual areas of the brood, located on the peripheral parts of the honeycombs, beyond the healthy temperature range, is sometimes noted. This is manifested by a sharp drop in the ambient temperature, when there is a numerous brood in the family, or if the nest is not expanded properly. In order to study the influence of cold stress on the development of offspring, two groups were formed. The group incubated at a temperature of 35 ºС was considered the control group. The experimental group was a group which was grown at a temperature of 32 ºС. After the brood was sealed, pupae were selected every 2 days. At the same time, their mass, the content of total lipids and the ratio of their individual classes were determined. It was found that under the influence of cold stress during brood development, the duration of the incubation period increases by 35–42 hours. It has been established that the adaptation of bees to cold includes a complex of physiological and biochemical processes, among which changes in the mass and composition of lipids play a significant role. The dynamics of triacylglycerides under optimal and stressful conditions of incubation were studied. Taking into account their functional purpose as the main element of energy supply of metabolic pathways, such dynamics indicate profound changes in the processes of energy exchange. When studying the mechanisms of adaptation to cold, a change in the ratio of phospholipid classes, the expression of which is induced by the effect of cold, was revealed. The results of this study bring a deeper understanding of the adaptation mechanisms of honeybees' response to changes in brood incubation temperature. They expand data on the biology of bees during critical periods of growth and development.

Simple Summary: Assessing the environmental quality of specific geographical areas, particularly those in proximity to industrial zones or the sites of waste-to-energy plant constructions, emerges as a critical concern in contemporary environmental science. The use of biological indicators, such as bees, represents a noninvasive methodology for environmental monitoring. By taking advantage of the extension of their foraging radius and evaluating the quality of the hive's products, it is possible to obtain an in-depth snapshot of the environmental state of the surrounding area. In the context of our study, the vicinity of the Acerra waste-to-energy plant was first evaluated using bees as bioindicators, thereby aiming to detect the potential presence of hazardous waste combustion byproducts. Following promising initial results, it was decided to look for additional pollutants (such as pesticides, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and establish a second apiary in the Caivano area to further affirm the bees' efficacy in pinpointing specific geographic zones impacted by anthropogenic activities. Research focusing on bees and apiary products underscored the heightened sensitivity of this bioindicator to various environmental pollutants, whose presence delineated the anthropogenic utilization of the studied area. In recent years, biomonitoring has gained more attention, particularly when assessing the environmental health of significant areas, such as those near waste-to-energy facilities. These requirements coincide with the chance to detect environmental pollutants using sensitive organisms. Bees were shown to be quite effective in evaluating the presence of certain compounds by analyzing their associated matrices, such as pollen, honey, or wax. In our study, we employed the honey bee (Apis mellifera) as an indicator to initially monitor the vicinity of the waste-to-energy plant in Acerra, which is situated in the Campania region of Italy. The primary aim was to determine whether the facility was accountable for any environmental releases of dioxins or dioxin-like compounds. Then, we assessed the presence of additional pollutants in the same area, including trace elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides, released by human activities. To obtain further information about environmental quality, a second biomonitoring station was installed near the Caivano S.T.I.R. (Waste Shredding, Sifting, and Packaging Plant). The results showed the dioxin levels did not exceed predetermined limitations at the Acerra site, thus demonstrating the efficacy of the waste-to-energy facility and the bees' ability to detect the presence of other pollutants. Additionally, this biomonitoring system exhibited sensitivity to environmental variations, thereby enabling the evaluation of xenobiotic flux between two proximate zones and across temporal scales. This pioneering study suggests the advantages of utilizing bees to detect a wide range of contaminants, thereby providing valuable insights into environmental quality and potential health risks for both ecosystems and human populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronaviruses (CoVs), a subfamily of Orthocoronavirinae, are viruses that sometimes present a zoonotic character. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the recent outbreak of COVID-19, which, since its outbreak in 2019, has caused about 774,593,066 confirmed cases and 7,028,881 deaths. Aereosols are the main route of transmission among people; however, viral droplets can contaminate surfaces and fomites as well as particulate matter (PM) in suspensions of natural and human origin. Honey bees are well known bioindicators of the presence of pollutants and PMs in the environment as they can collect a great variety of substances during their foraging activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible role of honey bees as bioindicators of the prevalence SARS-CoV-2. In this regard, 91 samples of honey bees and 6 of honey were collected from different apiaries of Campania region (Southern Italy) in four time periods from September 2020 to June 2022 and were analyzed with Droplet Digital RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 target genes Orf1b and N. The screening revealed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in 12/91 in honey bee samples and in 2/6 honey samples. These results suggest that honey bees could also be used as indicators of outbreaks of airborne pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]