This paper presents the findings of two studies - one conducted on foraging behaviour of Himalayan honeybee (Apis cerana F.) on flowering buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) in November 2001 to 2002 and another on its impact on the grain quality and yield increment of this crop conducted during 2000-2002 under different pollination treatments at Kirtipur, Kathmandu valley. Apis cerana bees started their foraging activities early in the morning (06.14 ± 0.004) and ceased late in the evening (17.28 ± 0.011). Total duration of foraging activity was 10:00 h and the average duration of foraging trip was 4.5 ± 0.14 min. Two peaks of foraging activities were observed between 08.30 to 10.30 (Peak I) and 11.30 to 13.30 O' clock (Peak II). The peak I period was the main foraging period and peak II was the second foraging period, both were very useful from the pollination point of view. After this, Apis cerana activity slowly diminished to a stand still at 17.30 pm. The time spent by Apis cerana on the buckwheat inflorescence at different hours of the day 09.00, 12.00, 15.00 O' clock showed longest (24 ± 3 min) in the morning and it decreased as the afternoon approached. This study revealed that Apis cerana bee pollination increased grain set in terms of the total number of grains per plant (169.76 ± 4.10), grain weight (33.03 ± 0.26 g) and grain yield (4.40 ± 0.12 g). It also increased the value of fertility (16.08 ± 0.21) and harvest index (35.32 ± 0.35) when compared with Control pollination/excluding all the insects (CP) and Open pollination (OP) treatment. This is mainly due to greater number of pollinators in the Bee pollination (BP) treatment, their longer duration of foraging and also due to superior pollinating efficiency of Apis cerana bees. Key words: Apis cerana, F. beekeeping, buckwheat, fertility, foraging, harvest index, pollination, Kathmandu valley.   doi: 10.3126/eco.v15i0.1940   ECOPRINT 15: 37-46, 2008

The mites Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman and Tropilaelaps mercedesae Anderson and Morgan are both serious threats to the Apis mellifera beekeeping industry. A trait frequently used in selection programs for V. destructor resistance is hygienic behavior, the selective removal of diseased/damaged brood. Here, we measured the level of association of the expression of hygienic behavior against both mites in A. mellifera, by observing whether the same individual bees would carry out the opening and removal of brood infested by the two parasites. The groups of bees showing these behaviors on cells artificially infested by either parasite showed a large overlap, making it appear likely that the two traits are at least closely coupled. Therefore, breeding for V. destructor resistance based on hygienic behavior could prepare A. mellifera populations for dealing with Tropilaelaps sp. mites, and vice versa. Using the same bioassay, we also compared the hygienic behavior of A. mellifera towards T. mercedesae to that of the Asiatic honey bee, Apis cerana. A. cerana workers eliminated a greater proportion of infested cells, which may in part explain the resistance of this bee to Tropilaelaps and the observation that Tropilaelaps reproduction on brood of this species is extremely rare.

Giant honeybees (Apis dorsata F.) build open nests far off the ground. As a consequence of their open nesting behaviour giant honeybees seem to be an easy target for predators, such as wasps or birds. However, they have evolved several strategies for defence. Shimmering waves are a defence behaviour, which keep predators far off, by showing visual cues. In the occurrence of shimmering, thousands of colony members, predominantly curtain bees, flip their abdomens in a fraction of a second up to 90 degrees in a rhythmic wave. This effect is comparable to human Mexican waves in the football stadiums. This study gives new insights about how individual bees experience during three dimensional deflections on its bee curtain, before during and after a shimmering wave and how they might decide to participate.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/eco.v18i0.9393Ecoprint An International Journal of EcologyVol. 18, 2011 Page: 8-15 Uploaded date: 12/20/2013