Studies on wings symmetry and honey bee races discrimination by using standard and geometric morphometrics

Abstract: Morphometric is an essential tool for honey bee races discrimination and characterization. Such vital tool has been applied widely in honey bee researches. Unfortunately there is no available literature for confirming honey bee wings symmetry. Therefore, standard and geometric morphometric analyses were employed for investigating wings symmetry as well as for discriminating between Carniolan and Yemeni honey bees. Moreover, three angles of hind wings (H1, H2 and H3) were evaluated in the discrimination between the two races. Results of morphometric analyses strongly confirmed the symmetry of honey bee wings. Standard and geometric morphometric analyses successfully discriminate between the two races. Hind wing length and angle H3 could be incorporated in honey bee races discrimination

İzolasyon koşullarının bal arılarının morfolojisi ve performansına etkileri

Keeping honey bee colonies in isolated areas can cause inbreeding. The inbreeding over a long period is good for the purity of bee subspecies but also has some negative effects including the low performance of colonies. This study was performed on hybrid honey bee colonies placed in an isolated location for about five years to check the effects of inbreeding on them. The bees were able to mate with each other during this period of time without introducing new bee queens or bee packages. Some morphological characteristics and parameters were studied to test the purity of the bees and the presence of any negative effects due to inbreeding. The results showed the presence of variations between studied colonies without any negative effects on bee morphology, hygienic behavior, bee larvae development, brood rearing activity, and food storing activity. The study highlighted the absence of deleterious effects on honey bees due to inbreeding under isolation conditions.Bal arısı kolonilerinin izole alanlarda tutulması akrabalı üremeye neden olabilir. Akrabalı yetiştirmenin uzun bir süre boyunca yapılması, arı alt türlerinin saflığı için iyidir ancak aynı zamanda kolonilerin düşük performansı da dahil olmak üzere bazı olumsuz etkileri de vardır. Bu çalışma, akrabalı yetiştirmenin etkilerini kontrol etmek için yaklaşık beş yıl boyunca izole bir yere yerleştirilen hibrit bal arısı kolonileri üzerinde yapıldı. Arılar, bu süre zarfında yeni ana arılar veya arı paketleri sunmadan birbirleriyle çiftleşebildiler. Arıların saflığını ve akrabalı yetiştirmeden kaynaklanan olumsuz etkilerin varlığını test etmek için bazı morfolojik özellikler ve parametreler incelenmiştir. Sonuçlar, arı morfolojisi, hijyenik davranış, arı larva gelişimi, yavru yetiştirme aktivitesi ve gıda depolama aktivitesi üzerinde herhangi bir olumsuz etki olmaksızın çalışılan koloniler arasında varyasyonların varlığını göstermiştir. Çalışma, izolasyon koşulları altında akrabalı yetiştirme nedeniyle bal arıları üzerinde zararlı etkilerin olmadığını vurguladı

Modeling the Potential Global Distribution of Honeybee Pest, <i>Galleria mellonella</i> under Changing Climate

Beekeeping is essential for the global food supply, yet honeybee health and hive numbers are increasingly threatened by habitat alteration, climate change, agrochemical overuse, pathogens, diseases, and insect pests. However, pests and diseases that have unknown spatial distribution and influences are blamed for diminishing honeybee colonies over the world. The greater wax moth (GWM), Galleria mellonella, is a pervasive pest of the honeybee, Apis mellifera. It has an international distribution that causes severe loss to the beekeeping industry. The GWM larvae burrow into the edge of unsealed cells that have pollen, bee brood, and honey through to the midrib of the wax comb. Burrowing larvae leave behind masses of webs that cause honey to leak out and entangle emerging bees, resulting in death by starvation, a phenomenon called galleriasis. In this study, the maximum entropy algorithm implemented in (Maxent) model was used to predict the global spatial distribution of GWM throughout the world. Two representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 2.6 and 8.5 of three global climate models (GCMs), were used to forecast the global distribution of GWM in 2050 and 2070. The Maxent models for GWM provided a high value of the Area Under Curve equal to 0.8 ± 0.001, which was a satisfactory result. Furthermore, True Skilled Statistics assured the perfection of the resultant models with a value equal to 0.7. These values indicated a significant correlation between the models and the ecology of the pest species. The models also showed a very high habitat suitability for the GWM in hot-spot honey exporting and importing countries. Furthermore, we extrapolated the economic impact of such pests in both feral and wild honeybee populations and consequently the global market of the honeybee industry