Length of tongue in a honey bee in relation to the pollination of red clover

SummaryRed clover florets are generally longer than a honey bee's tongue. Original data are submitted showing that honey bees can reach to a depth of 7 mm into the corolla tube of a red clover floret. The importance of this figure is discussed in relation to breeding bees with longer tongues and the breeding of red clover with shorter corolla tubes. Breeding a variety of red clover with more nectar so that honey bees can reach it is considered to be the best solution and would produce an increase in yield of both seed and honey.

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Corolla Tube Length and Nectar Height of Fl Red Clover Plants (Trifolium pratense) and Their Seed Yield Following Honey-Bee Pollination

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600017111 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 5-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

D. A. Bond ◽

J. L. Fyfe

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Seed Yield ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Trifolium Pratense ◽

Red Clover ◽

Corolla Tube ◽

Inbred Lines ◽

Tube Length ◽

Bee Pollination ◽

Continental Origin

SummaryCrosses between nine inbred lines of diploid doublecut red clover were measured for corolla tube length and nectar height, caged with honey-bees, and observations made on the number of bee visits and seed yield. There was evidence of additive genetic variation in nectar height, corolla tube length, bee visits and seed yield. The possibilities for improvement in these characters by selection are discussed. Attention is drawn to a remarkable discriminating behaviour of honey-bees, in that they could apparently recognize plants which had only one parent in common. A cage with a strong colony of honey-bees produced more than twice as much seed as a cage with a weak colony, and plants near to hives gave significantly more seed than plants distant from hives. Plants of English origin tended to have higher and more accessible nectar, more bee visits and greater seed yield than plants of continental origin.

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Variation between tetraploid red clover plants in corolla tube length and height of nectar

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600065667 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 113-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

D. A. Bond

Keyword(s):

Honey Bees ◽

Red Clover ◽

Corolla Tube ◽

Tube Length ◽

Residual Variance

SummaryCrosses between eelworm-resistant tetraploid red clover plants varied significantly in corolla tube length and in the distance between the top of the nectar and mouth of the corolla tube. Variability between plants in height of nectar above the base of the corolla was positively correlated with corolla tube length but a significant residual variance in nectar height was independent of corolla tube length.Tetraploids had higher nectar but longer corolla tubes and greater distances for bees to reach than those in related diploids which were previously reported.The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to the improvement by breeding of the attractiveness of tetraploid red clover to honey-bees.

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Selection for height of nectar in the corolla tube of English singlecut Red Clover

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s002185960006439x ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

pp. 347-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

R. P. Hawkins

Keyword(s):

Honey Bees ◽

Red Clover ◽

Corolla Tube ◽

Bumble Bees ◽

Selection For ◽

Selection Of

SUMMARYPollination of red clover by honey bees would be expected to increase if varieties could be produced in which the nectar is within 7 mm of the mouth of the corolla tube and so within the bee's reach.Pollination by honey bees in a small glasshouse increased the height of nectar in the resulting stock of red clover but when this was again pollinated by honey bees there was no further increase.Selection of plants with above average nectar height ultimately produced a stock in which the nectar height was 0·76 mm higher than in the original; a difference which was significant. There was also a considerable and significant increase in the proportion of florets with nectar within 7 mm of the mouth of the corolla tube.It was concluded that the height of nectar can be increased by selection; this would be of particular value for the pollination of red clover varieties with long corolla tubes grown for seed where there are insufficient numbers of bumble bees.

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Survey of feral honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies for Nosema apis in Western Australia

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea04222 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 47 (7) ◽

pp. 883 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Rob Manning ◽

Kate Lancaster ◽

April Rutkay ◽

Linda Eaton

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Western Australia ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Nosema Apis ◽

The South ◽

South West ◽

Feral Populations ◽

Significant Difference

The parasite, Nosema apis, was found to be widespread among feral populations of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the south-west of Western Australia. The location, month of collection and whether the feral colony was enclosed in an object or exposed to the environment, all affected the presence and severity of infection. There was no significant difference in the probability of infection between managed and feral bees. However, when infected by N. apis, managed bees appeared to have a greater severity of the infection.

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The Honey Bee: An Active Biosampler of Environmental Pollution and a Possible Warning Biomarker for Human Health

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11146481 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (14) ◽

pp. 6481

Author(s):

Marianna Martinello ◽

Chiara Manzinello ◽

Nicoletta Dainese ◽

Ilenia Giuliato ◽

Albino Gallina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Animal Health ◽

Close Correlation ◽

The European Union ◽

National Guidelines ◽

Pesticide Pollution ◽

Tandem Mass Spectrometric ◽

Active Substances

Member states of the European Union are required to ensure the initiation of monitoring programs to verify honey bee exposure to pesticides, where and as appropriate. Based on 620 samples of dead honey bees—42 of pollen, 183 of honey and 32 of vegetables—we highlighted the presence, as analyzed by liquid and gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection, of many active substances, mainly tau-fluvalinate, piperonyl butoxide, chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl, permethrin and imidacloprid. Among the active substances found in analyzed matrices linked to honey bee killing incidents, 38 belong to hazard classes I and II, as methiocarb, methomyl, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin and permethrin, thus representing a potential risk for human health. We have shown that, at different times between 2015 and 2020, during implementation of the Italian national guidelines for managing reports of bee colony mortality or depopulation associated with pesticide use, pesticide pollution events occurred that could raise concern for human health. Competent authorities could, as part of a One Health approach, exploit the information provided by existing reporting programs on honey bees and their products, in view of the close correlation to human health, animal health and ecosystem health.

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Exploring Two Honey Bee Traits for Improving Resistance Against Varroa destructor: Development and Genetic Evaluation

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12030216 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 216

Author(s):

Matthieu Guichard ◽

Benoît Droz ◽

Evert W. Brascamp ◽

Adrien von Virag ◽

Markus Neuditschko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Varroa Destructor ◽

Field Trial ◽

Genetic Evaluation ◽

Phenotypic Correlation ◽

Apis Mellifera Mellifera ◽

Novel Traits ◽

Resistance Traits

For the development of novel selection traits in honey bees, applicability under field conditions is crucial. We thus evaluated two novel traits intended to provide resistance against the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and to allow for their straightforward implementation in honey bee selection. These traits are new field estimates of already-described colony traits: brood recapping rate (‘Recapping’) and solidness (‘Solidness’). ‘Recapping’ refers to a specific worker characteristic wherein they reseal a capped and partly opened cell containing a pupa, whilst ‘Solidness’ assesses the percentage of capped brood in a predefined area. According to the literature and beekeepers’ experiences, a higher recapping rate and higher solidness could be related to resistance to V. destructor. During a four-year field trial in Switzerland, the two resistance traits were assessed in a total of 121 colonies of Apis mellifera mellifera. We estimated the repeatability and the heritability of the two traits and determined their phenotypic correlations with commonly applied selection traits, including other putative resistance traits. Both traits showed low repeatability between different measurements within each year. ‘Recapping’ had a low heritability (h2 = 0.04 to 0.05, depending on the selected model) and a negative phenotypic correlation to non-removal of pin-killed brood (r = −0.23). The heritability of ‘Solidness’ was moderate (h2 = 0.24 to 0.25) and did not significantly correlate with resistance traits. The two traits did not show an association with V. destructor infestation levels. Further research is needed to confirm the results, as only a small number of colonies was evaluated.

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Comparing Survival of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus Infection among Stocks of U.S. Honey Bees

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12010060 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 60

Author(s):

Shilpi Bhatia ◽

Saman S. Baral ◽

Carlos Vega Melendez ◽

Esmaeil Amiri ◽

Olav Rueppell

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Virus Infections ◽

Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus ◽

Immune Genes ◽

Starting Point ◽

Bee Health ◽

Honey Bee Health ◽

Survival Differences ◽

Paralysis Virus

Among numerous viruses that infect honey bees (Apis mellifera), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) can be linked to severe honey bee health problems. Breeding for virus resistance may improve honey bee health. To evaluate the potential for this approach, we compared the survival of IAPV infection among stocks from the U.S. We complemented the survival analysis with a survey of existing viruses in these stocks and assessing constitutive and induced expression of immune genes. Worker offspring from selected queens in a common apiary were inoculated with IAPV by topical applications after emergence to assess subsequent survival. Differences among stocks were small compared to variation within stocks, indicating the potential for improving honey bee survival of virus infections in all stocks. A positive relation between worker survival and virus load among stocks further suggested that honey bees may be able to adapt to better cope with viruses, while our molecular studies indicate that toll-6 may be related to survival differences among virus-infected worker bees. Together, these findings highlight the importance of viruses in queen breeding operations and provide a promising starting point for the quest to improve honey bee health by selectively breeding stock to be better able to survive virus infections.

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Identification of long noncoding RNAs reveals the effects of dinotefuran on the brain in Apis mellifera (Hymenopptera: Apidae)

BMC Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12864-021-07811-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Minjie Huang ◽

Jie Dong ◽

Haikun Guo ◽

Minghui Xiao ◽

Deqian Wang

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Sublethal Effects ◽

Inflammatory Responses ◽

Noncoding Rnas ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Long Noncoding Rnas ◽

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis

Abstract Background Dinotefuran (CAS No. 165252–70-0), a neonicotinoid insecticide, has been used to protect various crops against invertebrate pests and has been associated with numerous negative sublethal effects on honey bees. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in mediating various biological and pathological processes, involving transcriptional and gene regulation. The effects of dinotefuran on lncRNA expression and lncRNA function in the honey bee brain are still obscure. Results Through RNA sequencing, a comprehensive analysis of lncRNAs and mRNAs was performed following exposure to 0.01 mg/L dinotefuran for 1, 5, and 10 d. In total, 312 lncRNAs and 1341 mRNAs, 347 lncRNAs and 1458 mRNAs, and 345 lncRNAs and 1155 mRNAs were found to be differentially expressed (DE) on days 1, 5 and 10, respectively. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated that the dinotefuran-treated group showed enrichment in carbohydrate and protein metabolism and immune-inflammatory responses such as glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversion, and Hippo and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathways. Moreover, the DE lncRNA TCONS_00086519 was shown by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to be distributed mainly in the cytoplasm, suggesting that it may serve as a competing endogenous RNA and a regulatory factor in the immune response to dinotefuran. Conclusion This study characterized the expression profile of lncRNAs upon exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides in young adult honey bees and provided a framework for further study of the role of lncRNAs in honey bee growth and the immune response.

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Are Non-Target Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Exposed to Dinotefuran From Spotted Lanternfly (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) Trap Trees?

Journal of Economic Entomology ◽

10.1093/jee/toz176 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 112 (6) ◽

pp. 2993-2996 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robyn Underwood ◽

Brian Breeman ◽

Joseph Benton ◽

Jason Bielski ◽

Julie Palkendo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

High Performance ◽

Host Plants ◽

The United States ◽

Quechers Method ◽

Significant Damage ◽

Lycorma Delicatula ◽

Bee Colonies ◽

Worker Bee

Abstract The spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, is an introduced plant hopper that causes significant damage to host plants in the United States. Because of its affinity for tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, control efforts have focused on the use of the systemic insecticide, dinotefuran, in designated trap trees. There is concern about exposure to this pesticide by non-target species, especially honey bees, Apis mellifera, via lanternfly honeydew. Therefore, honey bee colonies were established in areas of high densities of trap trees and samples of honey, bees, and beeswax were collected in May, July, and October of 2017 for analysis. Samples were extracted by the QuEChERS method and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to determine the presence and quantity of dinotefuran. Additionally, honeydew from lanternflies was analyzed for dinotefuran and informal observations of trap tree visitors were made. None of the worker bee, wax, or honey samples indicated detectable levels of dinotefuran; however, honeydew samples collected did contain dinotefuran above the detection limit with amounts ranging from 3 to 100 ng per sample. The lack of dinotefuran in honey bee products matches the general absence of honey bees at trap trees in informal observations.

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