NOTES ON THE NEST HABITS AND HOST RANGE OF CLEPTOBIOTIC LESTRIMELITTA NIITKIB (AYALA 1999) (HYMENOPTERA: MELIPONINI) FROM THE YUCATAN PENINSULA, MEXICO

Lestrimelitta niitkib is the only cleptobiotic stingless bee species reported for the Yucatán Peninsula. Very little is known about its biology and host range although it is recognised that its role may be crucial in the ecology of stingless bee populations. In this note we present preliminary information on the nest characteristics of this species, its host range and behaviour during nest raids

Stock composition of northern neotropical honey bees: mitotype and morphotype diversity in Mexico (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

International audienceAbstractThe stock of honey bees in the northern neotropics is likely a composite of European and African lineages, but the genetic makeup of most populations in this region has remained unstudied. We analyzed the genetic composition of honey bees across temperate and tropical regions of Mexico using mitochondrial and morphometric analyses. The results showed that honey bees from Mexico are descendent almost in similar proportion from matrilines of African and European origins. However, morphometrics indicate that most colonies are the result of extensive introgressive hybridization with Africanized bees. While large-scale displacement of European honey bees seems to have occurred in the tropical regions, higher frequencies of colonies with a mixed range of African-European markers were identified in the temperate areas. Our results suggest that the outcome of the hybridization between Africanized and European honey bees in Mexico has been significantly associated with climate

Biocultural approaches to pollinator conservation

Pollinators underpin sustainable livelihoods that link ecosystems, spiritual and cultural values, and customary governance systems with indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) across the world. Biocultural diversity is a short-hand term for this great variety of people-nature interlinkages that have developed over time in specific ecosystems. Biocultural approaches to conservation explicitly build on the conservation practices inherent in sustaining these livelihoods. We used the Conceptual Framework of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services to analyse the biocultural approaches to pollinator conservation by indigenous peoples and local communities globally. The analysis identified biocultural approaches to pollinators across all six elements of the Conceptual Framework, with conservation-related practices occurring in sixty countries, in all continents except Antarctica. Practices of IPLC that are significant for biocultural approaches to pollinator conservation can be grouped into three categories: the practice of valuing diversity and fostering biocultural diversity; landscape management practices; and diversified farming systems. Particular IPLCs may use some or all of these practices. Policies that recognise customary tenure over traditional lands, strengthen Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas, promote heritage listing and support diversified farming within a food sovereignty approach, are among several identified that strengthen biocultural approaches to pollinator conservation, and thereby deliver mutual benefits for pollinators and people

Cuantificación de la emergencia y distribución de individuos en Melipona colimana (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) en clima templado

Melipona colimana es una abeja sin aguijón endémica de México que habita las regiones de clima templado del sur del estado de Jalisco. Se hicieron observaciones durante el otoño para contabilizar la emergencia de los individuos e inferir la posible participación de las obreras en la producción de machos. Se analizó el comportamiento de las obreras y la reina en el proceso de aprovisionamiento y oviposición (POP), se obtuvo la proporción de individuos en los panales de cría y su distribución espacial para detectar aglomeraciones de machos. En los análisis de los POP no se observaron evidencias de la actividad de obreras reproductivas. En los panales, el 65.9 % de los individuos que emergieron fueron obreras, el 22.4 % machos (sin registrarse aglomeraciones) y el 11.5 % resultaron reinas vírgenes. Se observó que la producción de individuos sexuados (machos y reinas) fue más alta que las especies tropicales, lo que pudiera ser una estrategia de esta especie para garantizar su reproducción en climas templados. El no tener evidencias visuales de la actividad de obreras reproductivas, junto con el hecho de que no se registraron aglomeraciones de machos en los panales de cría, sugiere que en esta especie y en esta temporada del año todos los huevos que se desarrollaron como machos provienen de la reina. Con los resultados de este trabajo se amplía el conocimiento de la biología particular de esta especie de clima templado y se hace una comparación con las especies de distribución tropical

Frequency of European and African-derived morphotypes and haplotypes in colonies of honey bees (Apis mellifera) from NW Mexico

Africanized honey bees (AHBs Apis mellifera) have been reported in NW Mexico since the mid 90s, but no study on the process of admixture with local European honey bees has been conducted. Morphometrics and haplotype analyses were used to investigate the frequency of African markers in honey bees from Sonora (SON), the north and south of Baja California (BCN and BCS). Morphometrics identified 42% of the samples from SON, 44% from BCN and 15% of BCS as Africanized. Honey bees from BCS had larger body size and formed a separate cluster from BCN and SON which were similar to each other. The molecular analysis revealed a higher frequency of African-derived haplotypes in SON (48%) and BCN (50%) compared to BCS (21%). The morphometric and molecular evidence suggests that the colonization of BCS by AHBs may be recent. Nest and food availability in desert areas and beekeeping practices are evoked to explain the reduced introgression of African genes into honey bee populations from this region of Mexico

Dispersal ability of male orchid bees and direct evidence for long-range flights

International audienceAbstractMale Neotropical orchid bees collect volatile chemicals from various sources in the environment in order to compose their characteristic perfume bouquets. Amongst other plants, over 600 species of orchids are exclusively pollinated by the bees during their quest for volatiles. Since the plants usually have a scattered distribution, it is assumed that orchid bees can transport the pollinaria across several kilometres due to their flight capabilities and a high dispersal potential. Until now, very long-range flight distances (up to 45 km) of male orchid bees have only been indirectly inferred from habitat requirements of orchids whose pollinaria were carried by captured males, whereas the distances established by direct measures (mark and recapture, radio telemetry) only span distances of up to around 6 km. The discrepancy between inferred and proven distances led us to readdress the question of dispersal ability of male orchid bees. In this study, we used tag, scratch and chemical marking of large numbers of bees to clarify two aspects: (1) the effect of moderate natural obstacles on dispersal and (2) the possibility of very long-range movements across a terrain lacking such obstacles. Our results suggest that a moderate natural obstacle (a valley separating opposite ridges) does not restrain orchid bee movements. Individual bees achieved extraordinary flight distances of more than 50 km across even terrain, extending the directly proven flight distances of male bees by more than an order of magnitude

Hybridization between European and African-derived honeybee populations (Apis mellifera) at different altitudes in Perú

The current status of admixture between Apis mellifera of African and European origin was studied in populations from different altitudinal regions of Perú. Worker bees from 7 altitudinal regions were analysed by morphometrics and mtDNA RFLPs. Our results showed that the rates of admixture between African-derived and resident European populations have depended on the altitude of the region. Our finding of hybrid colonies at elevations above 2 500 m supports the hypothesis that climate alone may not restrain the northern limit of the distribution of African-derived honeybees in the Americas. We conclude that introgressive hybridization between African and European derived honeybees best explains the current patterns of distribution of morphotypes and mitotypes across the different regions of Peru

The Insecticide Imidacloprid Decreases Nannotrigona Stingless Bee Survival and Food Consumption and Modulates the Expression of Detoxification and Immune-Related Genes

Stingless bees are ecologically and economically important species in the tropics and subtropics, but there has been little research on the characterization of detoxification systems and immune responses within them. This is critical for understanding their responses to, and defenses against, a variety of environmental stresses, including agrochemicals. Therefore, we studied the detoxification and immune responses of a stingless bee, Nanotrigona perilampoides, which is an important stingless bee that is widely distributed throughout Mexico, including urban areas, and has the potential to be used in commercial pollination. We first determined the LC50 of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid for foragers of N. perilampoides, then chronically exposed bees for 10 days to imidacloprid at two field-realistic concentrations, LC10 (0.45 ng/µL) or LC20 (0.74 ng/µL), which are respectively 2.7 and 1.3-fold lower than the residues of imidacloprid that have been found in honey (6 ng/g) in central Mexico. We found that exposing N. perilampoides stingless bees to imidacloprid at these concentrations markedly reduced bee survival and food consumption, revealing the great sensitivity of this stingless bee to the insecticide in comparison to honey bees. The expression of detoxification (GSTD1) and immune-related genes (abaecin, defensin1, and hymenopteacin) in N. perilampoides also changed over time in response to imidacloprid. Gene expression was always lower in bees after 8 days of exposure to imidacloprid (LC10 or LC20) than it was after 4 days. Our results demonstrate that N. perilampoides stingless bees are extremely sensitive to imidacloprid, even at low concentrations, and provide greater insight into how stingless bees respond to pesticide toxicity. This is the first study of its kind to look at detoxification systems and immune responses in Mexican stingless bees, an ecologically and economically important taxon

Phenotypic correlations of field and laboratory tests with honey production in Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera; AHB) are predominant in tropical Mexico. A selection program using local AHBs colonies is a good alternative to provide beekeepers with good quality queens. We evaluated the application of field and laboratory tests to predict the production of honey in AHBs from Yucatan, Mexico. Five variables were measured in worker bees in the laboratory: longevity, amount of syrup removed, hoarding, weight of pupae and corbicular area. Three additional variables were measured in the field: rate of foraging activity, volume of honey sac contents and colony weight gain per week. Our results showed that weekly colony weight gain had the highest correlation with honey production in AHBs. Only the corbicular area and worker longevity were not correlated with honey production ($r = 0.256$ and $r = 0.074$, respectively $P > 0.05$). Thus, short term colony weight gain can be recommended as a good estimate of honey production in AHBs and lab tests can be included as selection aids