Mitochondria are intracellular organelles responsible for cellular respiration with one of their major roles in the production energy form ATP. Activities increased energetic demand especially dependent on efficient ATP production, hence sufficient mitochondrial function is fundamental. In bees, flight muscle and brain have particularly high densities mitochondria to facilitate substantial requ...

To investigate the possible consequences of brood-temperature regulation in honey bee colonies on the quality of behavioral performance of adults, we placed honey bee pupae in incubators and allowed them to develop at temperatures held constant at 32 degrees C, 34.5 degrees C, and 36 degrees C. This temperature range occurs naturally within hives. On emergence, the young adult bees were marked ...

BACKGROUND Recent elevated winter loss of honey bee colonies is a major concern. The presence of the mite Varroa destructor in colonies places an important pressure on bee health. V. destructor shortens the lifespan of individual bees, while long lifespan during winter is a primary requirement to survive until the next spring. We investigated in two subsequent years the effects of different lev...

Bee species interactions can benefit plant pollination through synergistic effects and complementary effects, or can be of detriment to plant pollination through competition effects by reducing visitation by effective pollinators. Since specific bee interactions influence the foraging performance of bees on flowers, they also act as drivers to regulate the assemblage of flower visitors. We sele...

A caste system in which females develop into morphologically distinct queens or workers has evolved independently in ants, wasps and bees. Although such reproductive division of labour may benefit the colony it is also a source of conflict because individual immature females can benefit from developing into a queen in order to gain greater direct reproduction. Here we present a formal inclusive...

a r t i c l e i n f o Keywords: Apis mellifera biodiversity-ecosystem function ecosystem services native bee pollinator valuation ecosystem service valuation wild bee Crop pollination by animal pollinators is an important ecosystem service for which there is no generally accepted valuation method. Here, we show that two existing valuation methods, previously thought to be unrelated , are each a...

Varroa destructor is a worldwide ectoparasite of serious economic importance for beekeeping. Severe colony mortality is routine in parasitized European honey bees (EHB) colonies in Europe, Asia and North America. This study was carried out in Heredia, Costa Rica. The reproductive ability of varroa mites was determined approximately 240 h after cell sealing in worker brood from four Africanized ...

Hygienic behaviour, an intranidal task performed by middle-aged worker bees is an important behavioural mechanism of resistance to disease and to attack by Varroa destructor, an ectoparasitic mite. We studied the effect of a colony’s genotypic composition on the expression of this behaviour among worker bees by creating normal age-structured colonies with different proportions of bees belonging...

Honey bees are a highly valued resource around the world. They are prized for their honey and wax production and depended upon for pollination of many important crops. While globally honey bee populations have been increasing, the rate of increase is not keeping pace with demand. Further, honey bee populations have not been increasing in all parts of the world, and have declined in many nations...

Using precise pollen species determination by conventional microscopic methods, accompanied by molecular genetic markers, we found bees collect GMO (genetically modified) soybean pollen and incorporate it in Yucatan honey. Honey comb samples from Las Flores, Campeche, Mexico, often contained soybean pollen. Pollen in honey was analyzed in nine samples; six contained substantial soy pollen and t...