Low temperature exposure (20 °C) during the sealed brood stage induces abnormal venation of honey bee wings

Er-Rguibi

et al. 2022

Insects

In Morocco, there are two well-recognised honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) subspecies: A. m. intermissa in the north and A. m. sahariensis in the south-east. The latter subspecies is found in the arid and semiarid climates of the Sahara Desert. In this study, we used honey bees from four areas of south-eastern Morocco which are, to some degree, isolated by arid zones. We analysed the shape and size of the forewings, using the method of geometric morphometrics. The bees from the four areas of south-eastern Morocco differed significantly in terms of wing shape. Moreover, bees from traditional hives were smaller than those from modern hives. The bees from south-eastern Morocco were clearly different from the reference samples obtained from the Morphometric Bee Data Bank in Oberursel, Germany, representing most of the global variation in honey bees. Surprisingly, the bees were also different from A. m. sahariensis, which should occur in the study area, according to earlier studies. This difference could have been caused by introgression with non-native subspecies imported by beekeepers. The distinct honey bees from south-eastern Morocco deserve to be protected. We provide a method for identifying them, which can help protect them.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographical Variation of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L. 1758) Populations in South-Eastern Morocco: A Geometric Morphometric Analysis

Aglagane

Er-Rguibi

et al. 2022

Insects

“…Geometric morphometrics provides the same (Tofilski, 2008) or even better (Rafie et al, 2014) discrimination in comparison to standard morphometry based on angles and the cubital index. Most differences among honey bee subspecies are determined genetically (Węgrzynowicz et al, 2019), but honey bee wing venation is also known to be affected by multiple environmental factors including Varroa destructor infestation (Belaïd, 2010), temperature (Zhu et al, 2018), cell size (McMullan & Brown, 2006) and food availability (Szentgyörgyi et al, 2016). There are also some small differences between the left and the right wing (Smith et al, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monthly Changes in Honey Bee Forewings Estimated Using Geometric Morphometrics

Janczyk

Journal of Apicultural Science

2021

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) wing measurements are often used to discriminate lineages and subspecies. The precision and repeatability of the measurements depends on various factors, including seasonal variation, and differences between left and right wings. The seasonal variation of the cubital index, which is the proportion of two vein lengths, has been investigated, but subspecies can be identified through geometric morphometrics. This method allows both wing size and shape to be determined and analyzed separately. We studied changes in the wing size and shape in consecutive months between June and September as well as the differences between the left and right wings. We found that wing size differed significantly among colonies, months and body sides, but shape differed significantly only among colonies and months but not among body sides. There was also a complicated pattern of interactions between various factors. The seasonal differences in wing shape were much smaller than the differences among colonies and their influence on identification of honey bee lineages was relatively small.

“…Worker brood at the post-capping stage is particularly sensitive to suboptimal temperatures (Tautz et al 2003;Groh et al 2004;Becher et al 2009). Suboptimal temperature during development can affect the morphology, physiology, and behavior of adult bees (Tautz et al 2003;Groh et al 2004;Jones et al 2005;Becher et al 2009;Wang et al 2016;Zhu et al 2018). Workers developing in lower temperatures have deformations of their wings and other body parts, their memory and learning is impaired (Jones et al 2005), and they suffer higher mortality during the larva and adult stages (Wang et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also not clear how changes of the temperatures during the post-capping period affect the drones. In earlier studies, it was demonstrated that during the first four days of the post-capping period, the honey bees are particularly susceptible to suboptimal temperatures (Wang et al 2016;Zhu et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body mass of honey bee drones developing in constant and in changing temperatures

Czekońska

2020

Apidologie

The body mass of honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones was investigated during a post-capping development under four temperature regimes: constant low temperature (32°C), constant high temperature (35°C), low temperature in the early stage followed by high temperature in the later stage, and high temperature in the early stage followed by low temperature in the later stage. The temperature regimes had significant influence on the drones' body mass. The heaviest drones were obtained when the temperature was high at the early stage and low at the later stage of the post-capping period. The most lightweight drones occurred at constant high temperature. The body mass of drones was changing significantly over their adult life and was highest at the age of five days. After this age, the body mass tended to decrease until the end of life. These results suggest that the highest body mass of drones can be obtained by keeping them during the post-capping development in changing and not constant temperatures.