Comb age significantly influences the emergency queen rearing, morphometric and reproductive characteristics of the queens

Taha, El-Kazafy A.; Shawer, Mohamed B.; Taha, Reda; Elashmawy, Amr; Gaber, Sahar; Mousa, Kareem

doi:10.1080/00218839.2024.2336376

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 29 publications

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“…The queens' ovaries have a rapid metabolism, allowing them to lay more eggs in 24 h than their own body weight. However, in the practice of beekeeping, the queen's egg-laying ability is influenced by various factors, including rearing methods [4,5], rearing season [6], and comb age [7,8], with the primary factor being the queens themselves, their genome [9,10], age [11], health [11,12], etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing Changes in Ovarian and Hemolymphatic Metabolites Using Widely Targeted Metabolomics between Newly Emerged and Laying Queens of Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Zhong,

Pan,

Wang

et al. 2024

Insects

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The queen bee is a central and pivotal figure within the colony, serving as the sole fertile female responsible for its reproduction. The queen possesses an open circulatory system, with her ovaries immersed in hemolymph. A continuous and intricate transportation and interchange of substances exist between the ovaries and hemolymph of queen bees. To determine the characteristic metabolites in the hemolymph and ovary, as well as understand how their rapid metabolism contributes to the process of egg-laying by queens, we reared Apis mellifera queens from three different age groups: newly emerged queen (NEQ), newly laying queen (NLQ), and old laying queen (OLQ). Using widely targeted metabolomics, our study revealed that the laying queen (NLQ and OLQ) exhibited faster fatty acid metabolism, up-regulated expression of antioxidants, and significant depletion of amino acids compared to the NEQ. This study revealed that the levels of carnitine and antioxidants (GSH, 2-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid, L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, etc.) in the NLQ and OLQ were significantly higher compared to NEQ. However, most of the differentially expressed amino acids, such as L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, L-aspartic acid, etc., detected in NLQ and OLQ were down-regulated compared to the NEQ. Following egg-laying, pathways in the queens change significantly, e.g., Tryptophan metabolism, Tyrosine metabolism, cAMP signaling pathway, etc. Our results suggest that carnitine and antioxidants work together to maintain the redox balance of the queen. Additionally, various amino acids are responsible for maintaining the queen’s egg production.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing Changes in Ovarian and Hemolymphatic Metabolites Using Widely Targeted Metabolomics between Newly Emerged and Laying Queens of Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Zhong,

Pan,

Wang

et al. 2024

Insects

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Safety assessment of high doses of vaporized oxalic acid on honey bee worker health and queen quality

Tellarini Prieto,

Pietropaoli,

Camus

et al. 2024

Front. Bee Sci.

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IntroductionThe honey bee ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is one of the main causes of honey bee colony loss worldwide. Synthetic acaricides are the most commonly used strategy for varroa control, however, resistance to these acaricides has emerged. Consequently, the use of organic acids for varroa control is gaining more interest among beekeepers. For example, oxalic acid (OA) is a natural compound that has been shown to be an effective acaricide against varroa mites, however, the potential toxicity of OA to adult bees and queens is poorly understood. The objective of the study was to evaluate the toxicity of incremental doses of vaporized OA on honey bee workers and queens.MethodsWe exposed 32 colonies to incremental doses (0, 5, 10 or 20 g per colony) of vaporized OA once per week over four consecutive weeks and we monitored the acute and long-term toxicity. We investigated the short-term effects of OA administration by evaluating adult bee mortality, brood production, and population size. Next, we evaluated the long-term effects of OA application on both worker bees and queens. Regarding workers, we investigated their ability to rear new queens. As for queens, we measured acceptance, performance, and sperm quality.ResultsWe found that colonies treated with 20 g OA (20 times the label dose) had a statistically significant increase in worker bee mortality, with a non-significant, 23% decrease in brood relative to controls. No significant differences were observed in queen performance nor sperm quality.DiscussionWe found that repeated application of vaporized OA, at up to 20 times the label dose, had no significant short-term nor long-term, negative effects on colony or queen health, with the exception of a short-term increase in adult bee mortality in the 20 g OA-treated group. The results of this study support the safety of higher-than-label doses of OA for honey bee colonies. The observed increase in adult bee mortality in the 20 g OA dose group in this study suggests that OA doses should be maintained below 20 g per brood chamber.

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Comb age significantly influences the emergency queen rearing, morphometric and reproductive characteristics of the queens

Cited by 2 publications

References 29 publications

Revealing Changes in Ovarian and Hemolymphatic Metabolites Using Widely Targeted Metabolomics between Newly Emerged and Laying Queens of Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Revealing Changes in Ovarian and Hemolymphatic Metabolites Using Widely Targeted Metabolomics between Newly Emerged and Laying Queens of Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Safety assessment of high doses of vaporized oxalic acid on honey bee worker health and queen quality

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