Academic literature on the topic 'Apidologie'

The honey bee, Apis mellifera, is one of very few insects for which artificial insemination is possible, and preservation of semen has been attempted. Honey bee queens normally mate with 7–20 males early in life, store the semen in the spermatheca and release approximately 30 sperm to fertilize each egg. Fertilized eggs are females (queens or workers) and unfertilized eggs are males (drones). The queen controls release of spermatozoa, laying only worker eggs across large areas of comb, and drone eggs in small separate groups. As stored spermatozoa are depleted, a queen will begin to lay mixed groups of workers and drones. Semen cryopreserved following existing protocols (Harbo JR 1983 Annals Entomol. Soc. Amer. 76, 890–891) has less than 20–25% live spermatozoa (based on percentage of workers reared). This viability level is insufficient to successfully fertilize all of the 1000–1500 eggs per day from an active queen, and the colony slowly dwindles and dies. Using dual fluorescent staining (Collins AM and Donoglye AM 1999 Theriogenology 51, 1513–1523). I have determined that semen with 46% live spermatozoa (50% fresh and 50% freeze-killed semen v/v) or more, produces consistent laying patterns with all fertilized eggs (workers) from inseminated queens (Collins AM 2000 Apidologie 31, 421–429). The current study was done to determine how long queens inseminated with mixed fresh:frozen semen would continue to produce normal brood (collective term for all eggs, larvae and pupae), as compared to those inseminated with all fresh semen, or naturally mated in flight. In spring, sister queens were reared and inseminated with [1] all fresh semen, [2] half fresh and half freeze-killed semen, or [3] ¼ fresh and ¾ freeze-killed semen, or [4] were allowed to mate naturally. The queens were evaluated monthly in individual colonies for percentage of worker offspring v. drone offspring and area of comb with eggs, larvae and pupae, until the queen failed. As expected, the inseminated queens produced less brood than did the naturally mated [4] queens. All of the queens with only fresh semen [1] produced normal brood with 100% workers, and lived well into the winter. Eighty-eight percent of the queens inseminated with half freeze-killed semen [2] performed as well, although some of those failed within a few months. The remaining 22% began laying with mixed worker and drone brood. In treatment [3], 60% of the queens produced variable but high levels of drones in reduced areas of egg laying. Those queens in this group that did lay well (40%) also survived into the winter. These results mean that preserved semen that has 50% or better viable sperm has a good probability of producing inseminated queens that will lay normally for a complete beekeeping season. This is sufficient time for breeders to rear daughter queens from such matings, and incorporate desirable genotypes into a breeding program.

Mohelno serpentine steppe (Mohelenská hadcová step) is a unique natural habitat of European importance. Since its last apidologic proper survey passed about 70 years. The objective of this work was to summarize the results of the apidological survey performed in the national nature reserve Mohelno Serpentine Steppe in a period of 2010–2011, characterize current changes in the composition of bee populations and propose recommendations for the management of this nature reserve.The survey was performed within 20 days and includes a total of 91 hours of observations in the field with exact records of survey localization and weather. A total of 2705 bee individuals were caught using an insect net and examined. 71 to 276 bee individuals were identified on individual days of monitoring. The bee density varied in a range of 18.4–87.1 bees per hour of the pure time of sampling. A total of 176 bee species were identified. 115 bee species from the original list of 232 bee species were confirmed by this survey (50 %). Species that were not confirmed could disappear as a result of changes which have occurred in the Steppe biotope over the past 40 years or their disappearance is generally associated with changes in the population of a particular species in Moravia. The disappearance of 17 % of unconfirmed species (20 species) from the Steppe is very likely to occur but it is not associated with general changes in the population of these species in southern Moravia. 61 out of 176 bee species were recorded in the Steppe for the first time. Pyrobombus lapidarius was eudominant. The highest dominance was observed for Halictus simplex as a representative of the solitary species and for Nomada succincta as a representative of cleptoparasites. However, the major part of cleptoparasites (66 %) was not confirmed. The Shannon’s index (H’ = 3.97), Equitability (e = 0.77) and the Simpson’s index (c = 0.04) were determined for bee populations. The following species occurred on the Steppe: a) ubiquitous species with an abnormally small population (49 species) and b) steppe specialists (xerothermophile) with abnormally abundant populations and strongly competitive to ubiquitous species (9 species). The survey revealed a significant decrease in the diversity of apidofauna on the Steppe, showing that the degradation change took place only partially and that some rare xerothermophile species on the Steppe were preserved. The composition of apidofauna still maintains its predominant xerothermophile character. The results of the survey were used to propose recommendations for managing the maintenance of the national nature reserve Mohelno Serpentine Steppe.

AbstractReflections about the historical roots of our current scientific endeavors are useful from time to time as they help us to acknowledge the ideas, concepts, methodological approaches, and idiosyncrasies of the researchers that paved the ground we stand on right now. The 50-year anniversary of Apidologie offers the opportunity to refresh our knowledge about the history of bee research. I take the liberty of putting the founding year of Apidologie in the middle of the period I cover here. The nascent period of behavioral biology around the late 19th to the early twentieth century was intimately connected with a loss of concepts related to the mental functions of the brain, concepts that were rooted in Darwin’s theory of gradualism in the living world including cognition in animals. This loss was celebrated both in ethology and behaviorism as the gateway to scientific impartiality. Using this apparently strict scientific approach, impressive discoveries were made by observing and strictly quantifying the behavior of bees. The first forays into the brain, however, uncovered a richness of structure and function that reached far beyond stereotypical input/output connections and opened the way to compensating the conceptual restrictions imposed on us by traditional ethology. Honeybee research provides us with a particularly exciting story in this context. The cognitive turn in behavioral biology is intimately connected to the increasing knowledge of how the brain works, also in honeybee research. What has been achieved so far is just the beginning, but it gives us a glimpse of a promising future. Teamwork between neuroscientists and behavioral biologists is needed to elucidate brain functions such as the expectation of future outcomes and intentionality as an entry to animal intelligence reflecting the flexibility and adaptability in behavior also seen in honeybees.

Nous apportons, dans le présent travail, la preuve expérimentale que, lorsque des ouvrières d'abeille âgées de moins de 24 heures sont mises en présence, pendant 24 ou 72 heures, de l'odeur ou du goût d'une partie ou d'un extrait d'une espèce végétale mellifère, elles montrent, deux semaines plus tard, une préférence significative pour un sirop contenant le même élément végétal. Les études ont été effectuées avec 3 espèces végétales : le robinier (Robinia pseudacacia L. ), l'eucalyptus (Eucalyptus robustus Sm. ) et l'oranger (Citrus aurantium Risso). Deux types d'expériences ont été réalisés : 1. Deux semaines après avoir été familiarisées à l'odeur (seule l'odeur de l'élément végétal peut diffuser à travers une grille de séparation) ou au goût (il peut y avoir locomotion sur l'élément végétal et/ou consommation de celui-ci) de fleurs séchées, de feuilles séchées ou d'un extrait aqueux de l'une ou l'autre des 3 espèces végétales, les ouvrières ont le choix, dans la ruchette où elles ont été introduites, entre un sirop de sucre à 50 % et ce même sirop contenant 3 % de l'élément végétal de familiarisation. On montre ainsi : a. Pour le robinier, on observe des effets significatifs d'une familiarisation à des fleurs séchées ou des extraits aqueux de fleurs séchées (les abeilles choisissent préférentiellement un sirop contenant ces éléments végétaux). Ils sont plus nets lorsque la familiarisation s'est faite en contact direct avec ces éléments végétaux. On n'observe pas de familiarisation aux feuilles séchées ou à des extraits aqueux de feuilles séchées. B. Pour l'eucalyptus, on observe aussi des effets significatifs d'une familiarisation à des fleurs séchées ou des extraits aqueux de fleurs séchées. Mais, elle apparaît auss efficace lorsque la familiarisation s'est faite à la seule odeur de ces éléments végétaux qu'à leur contact direct. Par ailleurs, des effets significatis de familiarisation existent également pour les feuilles séchées, à condition que la durée de la phase de familiarisation soit de 72 heures. Les résultats obtenus avec des extraits aqueux de feuilles séchées sont peu significatifs. C. Pour l'oranger, on n'observe pas d'effets significatifs d'une familiarisation aux fleurs séchées ou à des extraits aqueux de fleurs séchées de même concentration (10 %) que pour les deux autres espèces végatales. En revanche, l'augmentation de la concentration de l'extrait aqueux (15 %) de familiarisation se traduit par des effets significatifs, à condition que la familiarisation se soit faite au contact direct de l'extrait aqueux et pendant une durée brève (24 heures). Il n'y a pas d'effets significatifs à une familiarisation à des feuilles ou des extraits aqueux de feuilles d'oranger. 2. Deux semaines plus tard, les ouvrières ont le choix, en situation "d'open field" entre un sirop de sucre à 50% et des sirops contenant différents éléments de l'une ou l'autre des trois espèces végétales, les deux sirops étant présentés dans des coupelles distinctes à 120 mètres de la ruchette d'accueil des abeilles des groupes expérimentaux. Ces expériences confortent globalement les résultats des précédentes : les abeilles familiarisées pendant 24 ou 72 heures à des fleurs ou feuilles séchées d'un végétal, sont beaucoup plus attirées, deux semaines plus tard, par un sirop contenant l'élément végétal de familiarisation que par un autre sirop. Certaines conduisent à des résultats similaires : ainsi, le sirop contenant des fleurs séchées de robinier est plus attractif pour des abeilles familiarisées au contact direct de cet élément végétal que pour des abeilles familiarisées à sa seule odeur. En revanche, d'autres résultats sont différents : une familiarisation au contact direct de fleurs d'oranger se traduit par une nette préférence d'un sirop contenant cet élément végétal, ce qui n'était pas le cas dans les expériences précédentes. Les résultats obtenus avec les feuilles d'eucalyptus sont plus variables. La dernière partie porte sur des expériences de familiarisation de plusieurs ruches à l'odeur et au goût de fleurs de robinier. Les résultats sont très nets : par rapport à des ruches témoins, ces ruches produisent une quantité de miel significativement plus élevée. Les analyses des miels, notamment les analyses polliniques, montrent qu'ils proviennet essentiellement des récoltes de nectar d'acacia. Nous montrons ainsi l'intérêt économique de notre méthode pour l'apiculture
In the present work, we give experimental evidence that when worker bees aged less than 24 hours are put for 24 or 72 hours in the presence of the odor or taste of a part or an extract of a melliferous plant species, they exhibit, tvo weeks later, a significant preference for a syrup containing the same vegetal element. The studies were carried out using 3 plant species : the robinia (Robinia pseudacadia L. ), the eucalyptus (Eucalyptus robustus Sm. ) and the orange tree (Citrus aurantium Risso. ) Two sets of experiments were carried out : 1. Two weeks after their familiarization with the odor or taste of a part (flowers, leaves) or an extract of one of the three plant species, bee workers can choose within the hive between a 50% sugar syrup and the same syrup with 3% of the vegetal element used for familiarization. It can be thus shown that : a. With regard to the robinia, significant effects of familiarization with dried flowers or with water extracts from dried flowers can be noted : worker bees significantly choose a syrup containing these vegetal elements. These effects are more often significant when the familiarization has been achieved through direct contact with these vegetal elements. No familiarization can be noted with dried leaves or water extracts from dried leaves. B. With regard to the eucalyptus, significant effects of familiarization with dried flowers or water extracts from dried flowers can also be noted. However, it appears as effective when the familiarization has been achieved only through the odor of these vegetal elements as when achieved through direct contact with them. There are also significant effects of familiarization with dried leaves, on condition that the familiarization phase last 72 hours. The results obtained with water extracts of dried leaves are not very significant. C. With regard to the orange tree, no significant effect of familiarization with dried flowers or water extracts from dried flowers with the same concentration (10%) as with other plant species, can be noted. On the contrary, an increase in the concentration of the water extract used for the familiarization entails significant effects on condition that the familiarization be achieved through direct contact with the water extract for a short time (24 hours). No significant effect can be noted for a familiarization with leaves or water extract of leaves from the orange tree. 2. Two weeks later, the worker bees which are in a open-field situation, can choose between a 50% sugar syrup and syrups containing different vegetal elements from one or two of the three plant species. Syrups are available on a table at about 120 meters from the hive which received the experimental groups of bee workers. This seconde set of experiments lead to the same general conclusion than the previous ones : when bees were familiarized for 24 or 72 hours with dried flowers or dried leaves or a water extract from theses vegetal elements, they visited more often two weeks later the sugar syrup containing the element used for familiarization. In some experiments, the results were quite similar : for example, the syrup containing dried flowers from the robinia was more attractive to the bee workers familiarized with this vegetal element through direct contact than to worker bees familiarized with it only through its odor. On the contrary, some other results are quite different : a familiarization with flowers from the orange tree through direct contact resulted in a marked difference for a syrup containing this vegetal element, what was not the case in previous experiments. The results obtained with eucalyptus were more variable. The last set of experiments deals with the familiarization of several hives with the odor and taste of flowers from the robinia. The results are clear-cut : when compared to control hives, these hives produced a significantly larger amount of honey. The analyses carried out on these honeys, and especially pollinic analyses, show that they came essentially from the bees' foraging behaviour on robinia trees. Thus, we bring about evidence that this method is actually pertinent to improve the production of honey and especially that made from only one plant species