Evaluation of Cage Designs and Feeding Regimes for Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Laboratory Experiments

The aim of this study was to improve cage systems for maintaining adult honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers under in vitro laboratory conditions. To achieve this goal, we experimentally evaluated the impact of different cages, developed by scientists of the international research network COLOSS (Prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes), on the physiology and survival of honey bees. We identified three cages that promoted good survival of honey bees. The bees from cages that exhibited greater survival had relatively lower titers of deformed wing virus, suggesting that deformed wing virus is a significant marker reflecting stress level and health status of the host. We also determined that a leak- and drip-proof feeder was an integral part of a cage system and a feeder modified from a 20-ml plastic syringe displayed the best result in providing steady food supply to bees. Finally, we also demonstrated that the addition of protein to the bees' diet could significantly increase the level of vitellogenin gene expression and improve bees' survival. This international collaborative study represents a critical step toward improvement of cage designs and feeding regimes for honey bee laboratory experiment

CSI pollen: diversity of honey bee collected pollen studied by citizen scientists

A diverse supply of pollen is an important factor for honey bee health, but information about the pollen diversity available to colonies at the landscape scale is largely missing. In this COLOSS study, beekeeper citizen scientists sampled and analyzed the diversity of pollen collected by honey bee colonies. As a simple measure of diversity, beekeepers determined the number of colors found in pollen samples that were collected in a coordinated and standardized way. Altogether, 750 beekeepers from 28 different regions from 24 countries participated in the two-year study and collected and analyzed almost 18,000 pollen samples. Pollen samples contained approximately six different colors in total throughout the sampling period, of which four colors were abundant. We ran generalized linear mixed models to test for possible effects of diverse factors such as collection, i.e., whether a minimum amount of pollen was collected or not, and habitat type on the number of colors found in pollen samples. To identify habitat effects on pollen diversity, beekeepers’ descriptions of the surrounding landscape and CORINE land cover classes were investigated in two different models, which both showed that both the total number and the rare number of colors in pollen samples were positively affected by ‘urban’ habitats or ‘artificial surfaces’, respectively. This citizen science study underlines the importance of the habitat for pollen diversity for bees and suggests higher diversity in urban areas

Türkiye'deki Paenibacillus Larvae Genotiplerinin Tespit Edilmesi ve Farklı Propolislerin Bu Genotipler Üzerine Antimikrobiyal Etkisi

The European honey bee Apis mellifera L. is the most commonly managed useful insect in the world. Products of the honey bee and pollination with honey bees have great share within global economy. According to FAO stats global value of honey production was 679,12 million USD in 2012. Also, fruit or seed set of many plants depend on honey bee pollination. The total number of managed honey bee colonies worldwide was estimated to be 79,9 million in 2012. Decline in colonies all over the world cause serious economic loss. There are several factors affecting the managed honey bee populations like pests, pathogens, pesticides, climate and poor beekeeping techniques.One of the most lethal of these factors is Paenibacillus larvae, the agent of American Foulbrood disease. Paenibacillus larvae is a gram positive and spore forming bacteria that affects honey bee larvae. Due to increase of resistant AFB strains and residue problem in honey, it is restricted to use antibiotics for treatment. ThDünyada insanlar tarafından en çok yetiştirilen faydalı böcek, Avrupa bal arısı Apis mellifera L. dir. Bal arısı ürünlerinin ve arılar tarafından sağlanan polinasyonun dünya ekonomisindeki payı oldukça büyüktür. FAO istatistiklerine göre 2012 yılındaki bal üretiminin değeri 679,12 milyon dolardır. Ayrıca, birçok bitkinin meyve ve tohum oluşturması, arılarla polinasyona bağlıdır. Dünya çapındaki koloni sayısının, 2012 yılında 79,9 milyon olduğu tahmin edilmektedir. Dünya çapında, koloni sayısında meydana gelen düşüş, ciddi ekonomik kayba neden olmaktadır. Yetiştirilen arı populasyonlarını etkileyen; zararlılar, patojenler, pestisitler, iklim ve yetersiz arıcılık uygulamaları gibi birçok faktör bulunmaktadır. Bu faktörlerden en öldürücü olanlarından biri Amerikan Yavru Çürüklüğü (AFB) Hastalığı etkeni Paenibacillus larvae dir. Paenibacillus larvae, bal arılarını etkileyen gram pozitif ve spor oluşturan bir bakteridir. Dirençli AFB suşlarının artması ve balda kalıntı oluşturması nede

Dynamics of Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae Co-Infection Seasonally in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies

Nosema apis is a pathogen spesific for the European honeybee, Apis mellifera L., while Nosema ceranae is specific for the Asian honeybee, Apis cerana. Turkey provides different environmental and host conditions for both Nosema species. The aim of the study is to determine the dynamic of N. cerenae and N. apis seasonal infection. A number of samples were collected from different apiaries between 2009-2016 years. The samples were kept at −20°C in the laboratory. Light microscopy was used for spore counting and molecular techniques were used to identify the Nosema species. The results showed that winter season had an impact on the type of Nosema as well as on infection rates. The number of N. ceranae spores decreases significantly at low temperatures (≤ 5°C). The winter period was found to be the main factor affecting nosema infection level and dominancy of Nosema ceranae. Furthermore, co-infection of both species is an indicator of the dynamics of N. apis and N. ceranae. This study suggests, that there is a dynamic prevalence among the Nosema species depending of the average winter temperature and not a replacement of N. apis by N. ceranae

A Comparison of the Activities of Greek and Turkish Propolis Against Paenibacillus Larvae

Propolis has a long history of use in traditional medicine dating back to at least 300 BC, and has been reported to have a broad spectrum of biological activities. Since most studies have to date focused on medical uses of propolis, its antimicrobial activity against honey bee diseases has been little studied. One of the aims of this study was therefore to investigate the potential use of propolis in honey bee health, especially against American foulbrood, which causes much damage in the beekeeping industry. The second aim was to reveal the different antimicrobial activities of propolis collected from different geographical areas from the neighbouring countries of Greece and Turkey. Propolis samples collected from several regions of Greece and Turkey were investigated for their in vitro antimicrobial activities against Paenibacillus larvae. Eighteen ethanol extracts of propolis (EEP), (nine from Greece and nine from Turkey) were tested for antimicrobial activities against ten P. larvae isolates. The results showed that all P. larvae strains were susceptible to propolis extracts from both Greece and Turkey Furthermore 50 % concentrations of EEP caused significantdy wider inhibition zones (P <= 0.05) around the discs. Comparisons of the content, and locations and botanical origins of EEPs from Greece and Turkey showed that the kind of vegetation is more important factor than geographic location for their antimicrobial activity. This is the first comprehensive study concerning the antimicrobial activity of propolis samples collected from a wide area around the Aegean Sea.WoSScopu