Differential Foraging of Indigenous and Exotic Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Races on Nectar-Rich Flow in a Subtropical Ecosystem

Abstract

In the subtropics, agricultural activities such as beekeeping are greatly influenced by environmental challenges. In the desert of Central Arabia, honeybees forage on limited prairies that are affected by adverse weather conditions. Bee colonies reduce their field activities during extremely hot-dry-windy weather. This study investigated whether nectar-rich melliferous flora enhance the field activities of two honeybee subspecies, Apis mellifera jemenitica (indigenous) and A. m. carnica (exotic), despite the presence of severe weather conditions. The foraging and pollen-gathering activities of the two subspecies were evaluated on Acacia trees (Acacia gerrardii Benth.), a common subtropical, summery endemic bee plant, in the central desert of the Arabian Peninsula. The native colonies were significantly (p < 0.001) more active foragers than the exotic colonies (109 ± 4 and 49 ± 2 workers/colony/3 min, respectively). Similarly, the native colonies recruited significantly (p ˂ 0.01) more active pollen-gathering bees than the imported colonies (22 ± 1 and 7 ± 1 workers/colony/3 min, respectively). Furthermore, far more food was collected by the indigenous colonies than by the exotic colonies, and a higher portion of all field trips was allocated to pollen gathering by the indigenous bees than by the imported bees. The nectar-rich Acacia trees reduced the negative effects of hot-dry-windy weather. More research on honeybee colonies operating in the subtropical conditions of Central Arabia is needed, especially regarding heat tolerance mechanisms and effects on queen and drone fertility.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of adult worker bees under short-term heat stress

“…Of these upregulated DEGs, there were 15 HSPs, including HSP40, HSP70, HSP90, L (2) efl, and so on (Supplementary Figure 2). HSPs, as highly conserved molecular chaperones, can influence the folding and functional conformation of proteins (Purschke et al, 2017;Alqarni, 2020). Both GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were associated with the protein processes, which confirmed that heat stress could induce a rapid response by the organism to synthesize resistance proteins and protect against damage (Scheffer et al, 2022).…”

Urban ecosystem services and climate change: a dynamic interplay

“…This stress not only affects pollination services, foraging behavior, and the overall growth of pollinators but also triggers observable changes in these areas (Zhao et al, 2021). These negative effects are projected to be even more pronounced as climate change progresses, with significant shifts expected in tropical, cold, and mountainous regions, as previously noted by Medina et al (2018), Alqarni (2020), andSoroye et al (2020). The primary driving force behind these changes is the heightened frequency and duration of heat waves, which have become a prominent characteristic of climate change (Xu et al, 2018).…”

Surveying, identification and characterization for the potential honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) pollen sources in the arid region of Riyadh-Saudi Arabia

“…The current results showed that rape, date palm and the Acacia trees are the main pollen sources in the harshest environmental region of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh). In the same area Alqarni (2020), recorded notable foraging behaviour for the A. m. jemenitica (indigenous) and A. m. carnica (exotic) on the Acacia trees (Acacia gerrardii Benth.). In eastern province of Saudi Arabia in Al-hasa region (semi-arid), Al-Jabr and Nour (2001), stated that rape, date palm and the Acacia trees considered main pollen sources for honey bees.…”