Killam, Sophie M. Daisley, Brendan A. Kleiber, Morgan L. Lacika, Julia F. Thompson, Graham J.
Published in
Frontiers in Bee Science
The holobiont theory of evolution explains how individuals are deeply symbiotic with their gut microbes, such that microbes are adapted to influence host metabolism, immunity and behaviour, as signalled from the gut to the brain. For eusocial taxa like the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera), this brain-gut axis may scale up from the individual to a...
Singh, Preetpal Rajamohan, Arun Waybright, Sarah A. Dillon, Michael E. Ferrenberg, Scott M. Rinehart, Joseph P. Bowsher, Julia H.
Published in
Frontiers in Bee Science
Introduction Warming summer temperatures have the potential to harm managed pollinators, impacting both summer performance and overwintering success. The alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata, is a solitary bee used for commercial pollination of alfalfa. M. rotundata undergoes facultative diapause in the prepupal stage. Prepupae that diapaus...
Lamas, Zachary S. Evans, Jay D.
Published in
Frontiers in Bee Science
Honey bees are managed by humans on all continents except Antarctica, leading to an exceptional database of colony growth and survival. Honey bee colony losses in the United States are approximately 50% annually, and losses in other countries range from 10% to 60%. These losses reflect chemical, climatic, and nutritional stresses alongside immense ...
Sultana, Naznin Reza, Md Elmur Alam, Md Noor Siddiquee, Md Nuray Alam Islam, Md Shafiqul Rahman, Md Ataur Sayed, Md Abu Rahman, Md Mashiur
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Frontiers in Bee Science
Sustaining honeybee colonies is challenging during dearth periods as their metabolic functions are reduced due to limited foraging activities. The experiment used honeybee colonies of Apis mellifera, and five different low-cost supplementary foods—sugar, banana, pumpkin, maize flour, and rice flour syrups—were introduced as treatments. Every box fo...
Shelley, Erica Brown, Tasmin Karthikeyan, Aparna Kevan, Peter
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Frontiers in Bee Science
Apivectoring, or bee vectoring, employs managed bees to distribute powders containing disease and pest-fighting biocontrol agents during pollination flights to crops. Our research introduces a novel application of this concept, termed inspensing, which leverages bee vectoring for hive-based benefits. In inspensing, bees traverse through a carrier p...
Tellarini Prieto, Emilio Enrique Pietropaoli, Marco Camus, Ylona Polizel Camilli, Marcelo Raza, Muhammad Fahim Jose, Midhun Sebastian Obshta, Oleksii Bezerra da Silva, Marina Carla Kozii, Ivanna Moshynskyy, Igor
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Published in
Frontiers in Bee Science
Introduction The honey bee ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is one of the main causes of honey bee colony loss worldwide. Synthetic acaricides are the most commonly used strategy for varroa control, however, resistance to these acaricides has emerged. Consequently, the use of organic acids for varroa control is gaining more interest among bee...
Maia-Silva, Camila Hrncir, Michael Giannini, Tereza Cristina Toledo-Hernández, Manuel Imperatriz-Fonseca, Vera L.
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Frontiers in Bee Science
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a multi-billion-dollar business. This tropical crop strongly depends on animal pollination for fruit development and seed production. The lack or inefficiency of natural pollinators in cocoa plantations has driven farmers to search for alternatives, such as laborious pollination by hand. A so far untested alternative, whi...
Escobedo-Kenefic, Natalia Cardona, Edson Arizmendi, María del Coro Domínguez, César A.
Published in
Frontiers in Bee Science
Introduction Habitat loss and fragmentation have negative impacts on pollinator populations and thus on the pollination services they provide. Negative effects can be lessened by the presence of forest remnants that serve as refuges and sources of food for pollinators. However, few studies have analyzed the influence of highly heterogeneous agricul...
Kitnya, Nyaton Brockmann, Axel Otis, Gard W.
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Frontiers in Bee Science
Introduction The taxonomy and phylogeny of the giant honey bees (Apis; subgenus Megapis) remain controversial and unresolved. The species boundaries within the subgenus are unclear, and some species that are recognized on the basis of genetic differences lack supporting morphological characteristics. Two species are now well accepted: Apis dorsata ...
Otis, Gard W. Huang, Man-Juan Kitnya, Nyaton Sheikh, Umer Ayyaz Aslam Faiz, Abu ul Hassan Phung, Chinh H. Warrit, Natapot Peng, Yan-Qiong Zhou, Xin Oo, Hlaing Min
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Published in
Frontiers in Bee Science
Introduction Apis laboriosa, the Himalayan giant honeybee, inhabits the foothills of Himalaya and neighboring mountainous regions. Here we revise its distribution in light of recent reports and discoveries, review the ecozones it inhabits, and reassess its likely distribution through species distribution modeling. Methods We revised the range map f...