Apis mellifera

Africanized honey bees more efficiently convert protein diets into hemolymph protein than do Carniolan bees (Apis mellifera carnica)

F. A. Cappelari, Turcatto, A. P., Morais, M. M., and De Jong, D., “Africanized honey bees more efficiently convert protein diets into hemolymph protein than do Carniolan bees (Apis mellifera carnica)”, vol. 8, pp. 1245-1249, 2009.

The superiority of Africanized over European honey bees in tropical and subtropical regions of the New World is both well documented and poorly understood. As part of an effort to try to understand the process by which the displacement of European bees occurred, we examined the ability of these two types of bees and of hybrids between the two to convert natural and artificial diets into usable protein.

Morphology and protein patterns of honey bee drone accessory glands

Cda Cruz Landim and Dallacqua, R. Pires, “Morphology and protein patterns of honey bee drone accessory glands”, vol. 4, pp. 473-481, 2005.

We used light and transmission electron microscopy to examine the morphology of the accessory glands of immature and mature adult males of Apis mellifera L. We also made an electrophoretic analysis of the protein content of the mature gland. The glands of the immature male actively secrete a mucous substance that can be seen in the lumen of the gland of the mature male. This secretion stains with mercury bromophenol blue and with periodic acid-Schiff reaction, which stain glyconjugates.

Communal use of integumental wounds in honey bee (Apis mellifera) pupae multiply infested by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor

G. Kanbar and Engels, W., “Communal use of integumental wounds in honey bee (Apis mellifera) pupae multiply infested by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor”, vol. 4, pp. 465-472, 2005.

The ectoparasitic bee mite, Varroa destructor, is highly adapted to its natural and adopted honey bee hosts, Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Adult females perforate the integument of bee pupae in such a way that they and their progeny can feed. We examined the wounds that founder females made, and usually found one, and rarely up to three, integumental wounds on pupae of A. mellifera multiply infested by V. destructor. The punctures were mainly on the 2nd abdominal sternite of the host.

Evaluation of the time of uncapping and removing dead brood from cells by hygienic and non-hygienic honey bees

M. Alejandra Palacio, Flores, J. Manuel, Figini, E., Ruffinengo, S., Escande, A., Bedascarrasbure, E., Rodriguez, E., and Gonçalves, L. Segui, “Evaluation of the time of uncapping and removing dead brood from cells by hygienic and non-hygienic honey bees”, vol. 4, pp. 105-114, 2005.

Most research on hygienic behavior has recorded the time taken by the colony to remove an experimental amount of dead brood, usually after one or two days. We evaluated the time that hygienic (H) and non-hygienic (NH) honey bees take to uncap and remove dead brood in observation hives after the brood was killed using the pin-killing assay. Four experimental colonies were selected as the extreme cases among 108 original colonies. Thirty brood cells were perforated with a pin in two H and two NH colonies and observations were made after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 24 h.

Characters that differ between diploid and haploid honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones

M. Herrmann, Trenzcek, T., Fahrenhorst, H., and Engels, W., “Characters that differ between diploid and haploid honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones”, vol. 4, pp. 624-641, 2005.

Diploid males have long been considered a curiosity contradictory to the haplo-diploid mode of sex determination in the Hymenoptera. In Apis mellifera, ‘false’ diploid male larvae are eliminated by worker cannibalism immediately after hatching. A ‘cannibalism substance’ produced by diploid drone larvae to induce worker-assisted suicide has been hypothesized, but it has never been detected. Diploid drones are only removed some hours after hatching.

A comparative analysis of highly conserved sex-determining genes between Apis mellifera and Drosophila melanogaster

A. S. Cristino, Nascimento, A. Mendes do, Costa, Lda Fontour, and Simões, Z. Luz Paulin, “A comparative analysis of highly conserved sex-determining genes between Apis mellifera and Drosophila melanogaster”, vol. 5, pp. 154-168, 2006.

A comparison of the most conserved sex-determining genes between the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and the honey bee, Apis mellifera, was performed with bioinformatics tools developed for computational molecular biology.

Comparing data on the reproduction of Varroa destructor

M. H. Corrêa-Marques, Medina, L. Medina, Martin, S. J., and De Jong, D., “Comparing data on the reproduction of Varroa destructor”, vol. 2, pp. 1-6, 2003.

Varroa destructor reproductive success is considered an important character for determining the resistance of honey bees to this mite parasite. However, most of the published data are not comparable due to the different methods of ascertaining and reporting reproduction. A recently published technique that involves reconstructing mite families in older worker brood gives repeatable and reliable parameters. This methodology was used to compare various categories of reproduction of approximately 1,000 V.

Decreased flight performance and sperm production in drones of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) slightly infested by Varroa destructor mites during pupal development

P. Duay, De Jong, D., and Engels, W., “Decreased flight performance and sperm production in drones of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) slightly infested by Varroa destructor mites during pupal development”, vol. 1, pp. 227-232, 2002.

We developed a bioassay to measure the flying power of drone, in order to determine which drones could reach a drone congregation area. A wind tunnel was used to test unparasitized drones and drones slightly parasitized by one or two mites during pupal development, and counts were made of the number of spermatozoa that they produced.

Cell nucleus activity during post-embryonic development of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Intranuclear acid phosphatase

Cda Cruz Landim, Reginato, R. Daniele, de Moraes, R. Lucia More, and Cavalcante, V. Melo, “Cell nucleus activity during post-embryonic development of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Intranuclear acid phosphatase”, vol. 1, pp. 131-138, 2002.

We report nuclear acid phosphatase activity in the somatic (intra-ovariolar and stromatic) and germ cells of differentiating honey bee worker ovaries, as well as in the midgut cells of metamorphosing bees. There was heterogeneity in the intensity and distribution of electron dense deposits of lead phosphate, indicative of acid phosphatase activity in the nuclei of these tissues, during different phases of post-embryonic bee development. This heterogeneity was interpreted as a variation of the nuclear functional state, related to the cell functions in these tissues.

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