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Groeneveld J, Odemer R, Requier F. Brood indicators are an early warning signal of honey bee colony loss-a simulation-based study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302907. [PMID: 38753826 PMCID: PMC11098398 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are exposed to multiple stressors such as pesticides, lack of forage, and diseases. It is therefore a long-standing aim to develop robust and meaningful indicators of bee vitality to assist beekeepers While established indicators often focus on expected colony winter mortality based on adult bee abundance and honey reserves at the beginning of the winter, it would be useful to have indicators that allow detection of stress effects earlier in the year to allow for adaptive management. We used the established honey bee simulation model BEEHAVE to explore the potential of different indicators such as population size, number of capped brood cells, flight activity, abundance of Varroa mites, honey stores and a brood-bee ratio. We implemented two types of stressors in our simulations: 1) parasite pressure, i.e. sub-optimal Varroa treatment by the beekeeper (hereafter referred as Biotic stress) and 2) temporal forage gaps in spring and autumn (hereafter referred as Environmental stress). Neither stressor type could be detected by bee abundance or honey reserves at the end of the first year. However, all response variables used in this study did reveal early warning signals during the course of the year. The most reliable and useful measures seem to be related to brood and the abundance of Varroa mites at the end of the year. However, while in the model we have full access to time series of variables from stressed and unstressed colonies, knowledge of these variables in the field is challenging. We discuss how our findings can nevertheless be used to develop practical early warning indicators. As a next step in the interactive development of such indicators we suggest empirical studies on the importance of the number of capped brood cells at certain times of the year on bee population vitality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Groeneveld
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Richard Odemer
- Institute for Bee Protection, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)–Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Fabrice Requier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Nguyen TT, Yoo MS, Lee HS, Youn SY, Lee SJ, Seo SK, Kim J, Cho YS. Molecular Identification and Prevalence of the Mite Carpoglyphus lactis (Acarina: Carpoglyphidae) in Apis mellifera in the Republic of Korea. INSECTS 2024; 15:271. [PMID: 38667401 PMCID: PMC11050302 DOI: 10.3390/insects15040271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Apis mellifera, especially weak ones, are highly vulnerable to Carpoglyphus lactis mites, which can rapidly infest and consume stored pollen, leading to weakened colonies and potential colony collapse. This study aimed to ascertain and investigate the prevalence of this mite in honeybee colonies across nine provinces in the Republic of Korea (ROK). A total of 615 honeybee colony samples were collected from 66 apiaries during the spring and 58 apiaries during the summer of 2023. A 1242 bp segment of the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The detection levels of C. lactis in the honeybees were compared between winter and summer. Based on the COI sequence analysis, the nucleotide sequence similarity of C. lactis mites isolated in the ROK with those from China (NC048990.1) was found to be 99.5%, and with those from the United Kingdom (KY922482.1) was 99.3%. This study is the first report of C. lactis in Korean apiaries. The findings of this study demonstrate a significantly higher detection rate in winter, which is 4.1 times greater than that in summer (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the results underscore the usefulness of molecular diagnostic techniques for detecting C. lactis mites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi-Thu Nguyen
- Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal and Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea; (T.-T.N.); (M.-S.Y.); (H.-S.L.); (S.-Y.Y.); (S.-J.L.); (S.-K.S.); (J.K.)
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology, Ha Noi 11300, Vietnam
| | - Mi-Sun Yoo
- Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal and Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea; (T.-T.N.); (M.-S.Y.); (H.-S.L.); (S.-Y.Y.); (S.-J.L.); (S.-K.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Hyang-Sim Lee
- Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal and Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea; (T.-T.N.); (M.-S.Y.); (H.-S.L.); (S.-Y.Y.); (S.-J.L.); (S.-K.S.); (J.K.)
| | - So-Youn Youn
- Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal and Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea; (T.-T.N.); (M.-S.Y.); (H.-S.L.); (S.-Y.Y.); (S.-J.L.); (S.-K.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Se-Ji Lee
- Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal and Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea; (T.-T.N.); (M.-S.Y.); (H.-S.L.); (S.-Y.Y.); (S.-J.L.); (S.-K.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Su-Kyoung Seo
- Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal and Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea; (T.-T.N.); (M.-S.Y.); (H.-S.L.); (S.-Y.Y.); (S.-J.L.); (S.-K.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Jaemyung Kim
- Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal and Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea; (T.-T.N.); (M.-S.Y.); (H.-S.L.); (S.-Y.Y.); (S.-J.L.); (S.-K.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Yun-Sang Cho
- Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal and Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea; (T.-T.N.); (M.-S.Y.); (H.-S.L.); (S.-Y.Y.); (S.-J.L.); (S.-K.S.); (J.K.)
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Kohl PL, Rutschmann B, Sikora LG, Wimmer N, Zahner V, D'Alvise P, Hasselmann M, Steffan-Dewenter I. Parasites, depredators, and limited resources as potential drivers of winter mortality of feral honeybee colonies in German forests. Oecologia 2023:10.1007/s00442-023-05399-6. [PMID: 37365409 PMCID: PMC10386939 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05399-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Wild honeybees (Apis mellifera) are considered extinct in most parts of Europe. The likely causes of their decline include increased parasite burden, lack of high-quality nesting sites and associated depredation pressure, and food scarcity. In Germany, feral honeybees still colonize managed forests, but their survival rate is too low to maintain viable populations. Based on colony observations collected during a monitoring study, data on parasite prevalence, experiments on nest depredation, and analyses of land cover maps, we explored whether parasite pressure, depredation or expected landscape-level food availability explain feral colony winter mortality. Considering the colony-level occurrence of 18 microparasites in the previous summer, colonies that died did not have a higher parasite burden than colonies that survived. Camera traps installed at cavity trees revealed that four woodpecker species, great tits, and pine martens act as nest depredators. In a depredator exclusion experiment, the winter survival rate of colonies in cavities with protected entrances was 50% higher than that of colonies with unmanipulated entrances. Landscapes surrounding surviving colonies contained on average 6.4 percentage points more cropland than landscapes surrounding dying colonies, with cropland being known to disproportionately provide forage for bees in our study system. We conclude that the lack of spacious but well-protected nesting cavities and the shortage of food are currently more important than parasites in limiting populations of wild-living honeybees in German forests. Increasing the density and diversity of large tree cavities and promoting bee forage plants in forests will probably promote wild-living honeybees despite parasite pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick L Kohl
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Benjamin Rutschmann
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| | | | - Norbert Wimmer
- Bayerische Landesanstalt Für Wald Und Forstwirtschaft, Freising, Germany
| | - Volker Zahner
- Forest Ecology and Management, University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf, Freising, Germany
| | - Paul D'Alvise
- Department of Livestock Population Genomics, Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Hasselmann
- Department of Livestock Population Genomics, Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Tang J, Ji C, Shi W, Su S, Xue Y, Xu J, Chen X, Zhao Y, Chen C. Survey Results of Honey Bee Colony Losses in Winter in China (2009-2021). INSECTS 2023; 14:554. [PMID: 37367370 DOI: 10.3390/insects14060554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
There is growing concern that massive loss of honey bees can cause serious negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystems. Surveys of colony losses have been performed worldwide to monitor the dynamic changes and health status of honey bee colonies. Here, we present the results of surveys regarding winter colony losses from 21 provinces in China from 2009 to 2021, with a total of 1,744,324 colonies managed by 13,704 beekeepers. The total colony losses were low (9.84%; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 9.60-10.08%) but varied among years, provinces, and scales of apiaries. As little is known about the overwintering mortality of Apis cerana, in this study, we surveyed and compared the loss rates between Apis mellifera and A. cerana in China. We found colonies of A. mellifera suffered significantly lower losses than A. cerana in China. Larger apiaries resulted in higher losses in A. mellifera, whereas the opposite was observed in A. cerana. Furthermore, we used generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) to evaluate the effects of potential risk factors on winter colony losses and found that the operation size, species, migration, migration×species interaction, and queen problems were significantly related to the loss rates. New queens can increase their colony overwintering survival. Migratory beekeepers and large operations reported lower loss rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Congcong Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Wei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Songkun Su
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yunbo Xue
- Jilin Province Institute of Apicultural Science, Jilin 132000, China
| | - Jinshan Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yazhou Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Chao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
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Mutinelli F, Pinto A, Barzon L, Toson M. Some Considerations about Winter Colony Losses in Italy According to the Coloss Questionnaire. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13111059. [PMID: 36421962 PMCID: PMC9693309 DOI: 10.3390/insects13111059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The Italian beekeeping industry has grown steadily during the last decade, according to data from the national beekeeping registry, which came into existence in February 2015. Winter colony losses remain a matter of concern for beekeepers in Italy, and administration of the questionnaire defined by the Coloss Association could contribute to a better understanding of this phenomenon. To evaluate the percentage trends over time in honeybee colony losses arising from various causes, we used the quasi-binomial generalized linear modelling (GzLM) approach, taking the year as an independent variable. We set our level of significance at 5% and performed the data analysis only for the seven regions that sent data continuously from 2014 to 2020. We considered the percentage of losses due to queen-related problems, natural disasters, and dead or empty colonies, given that these questions remained unchanged over the years. The survey also revealed that the percentage trend for respondents using drone brood removal showed a significant increase. In general, the percentage of colony losses due to queen-related problems remained lower than 8%, and the percentage of colony losses associated with natural disasters was very low (<2%). The mean percentages of losses due to dead or empty colonies ranged from 6 to 17% in the considered period. In addition, we took account of the responses relating to treatments against Varroa mite infestation, given the importance attributed to this honeybee parasite. Unlike the other variables, we calculated the percentages related to the types of beekeeper treatments against Varroa destructor based on the respondents, not on the colonies. What emerged was that almost every beekeeper used at least one type of treatment against V. destructor. In general, the trend of respondents appeared stable at 0.3% during the last four years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franco Mutinelli
- NRL for Honey Bee Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
| | - Anna Pinto
- Communication Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
| | - Luciana Barzon
- NRL for Honey Bee Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
| | - Marica Toson
- Epidemiology Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
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