Production of bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) for pollination and research

Rowe, Genevieve; Hagadorn, Mallory A.; Lindsay, Thuy-Tien T.; Malfi, Rosemary; Williams, Neal M.; Strange, James P.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-822106-8.00004-x

Cited by 12 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…A healthy honey bee colony can produce over 35 kg of pollen a year (Gary 1992). Currently there are no commercially available methods for collecting pollen from flowers or other types of bees, and thus honey bee-collected pollen remains the primary source of protein for bee diets in laboratories and commercial bumble bee rearing facilities (Rowe et al 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far, artificial diets have not provided sufficient protein for bumble bee colony development and require supplementation with pollen (Bortolotti et al 2020, Gekière et al 2022). Restricting pollen to bumble bee colonies can lead to negative impacts on colony health and growth, creating a great need for honey bee-collected pollen in production (Rothman et al 2019, Rowe et al 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative analysis of 3 pollen sterilization methods for feeding bumble bees

Strange

Tripodi²,

Huntzinger³

et al. 2023

Journal of Economic Entomology

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Pollen is an essential component of bee diets, and rearing bumble bees (Bombus spp.) for commercial use necessitates feeding pollen in mass quantities. This pollen is collected from honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies because neither an artificial diet nor an economical, large-scale pollen collection process from flowers is available. The provenance of honey bee-collected pollen is often unknown, and in some cases has crossed international borders. Both deformed wing virus (DWV) and the fungal pathogen Ascosphaera apis (Claussen) Olive & Spiltoir (cause of chalkbrood disease); occur in honey bee-collected pollen, and infections have been observed in bumble bees. We used these pathogens as general surrogates for viruses and spore-forming fungal diseases to test the efficacy of 3 sterilization methods, and assessed whether treatment altered pollen quality for the bumble bee. Using honey bee-collected pollen spiked with known doses of DWV and A. apis, we compared gamma irradiation (GI), ozone fumigation (OZ), and ethylene oxide fumigation (EO) against an untreated positive control and a negative control. Following sterilization treatments, we tested A. apis spore viability, detected viral presence with PCR, and tested palatability to the bumble bee Bombus impatiens Cresson. We also measured bacterial growth from pollens treated with EO and GI. GI and EO outperformed OZ treatment in pathogen suppression. EO had the highest sterilizing properties under commercial conditions and retained palatability and supported bee development better than other treatments. These results suggest that EO sterilization reduces pathogen risks while retaining pollen quality as a food source for rearing bumble bees.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative analysis of 3 pollen sterilization methods for feeding bumble bees

Strange

Tripodi²,

Huntzinger³

et al. 2023

Journal of Economic Entomology

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“…A total of 3,355 gynes from 19 Bombus species were net-collected while foraging after emerging from winter dormancy in the western United States from 2009 to 2019. The captured gynes were transferred from nets to individual 7 × 3 cm plastic vials (W. W. Grainger Inc., Lake Forest, IL) modified to have ventilation holes ( Rowe et al 2023 ). The gynes were then transported in chilled, insulated containers to the United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insect–Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit in Logan, UT.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The gynes were then transported in chilled, insulated containers to the United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insect–Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit in Logan, UT. Once at the laboratory, colonies were initiated following methodology outlined in Rowe et al (2023) . Briefly, the gynes were moved into 15 cm × 15 cm × 10 cm plastic rearing chambers (Biobest Canada, Leamington, ON, Canada) in a designated rearing space maintained at 28 ± 2 °C and 65 ± 2% relative humidity in complete darkness.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent efforts toward rearing bumble bees in captivity have improved techniques available to conservationists and researchers, which can be used to assess the commercial viability of nondomesticated Bombus species and to establish conservation techniques for imperiled species ( Macfarlane et al 1994 , Strange et al 2011 , Christman et al 2022 , Rowe et al 2023 ). For example, conservation propagation methods (i.e., assisted reintroductions) have been proposed as a recovery action to augment wild populations ( Smith et al 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in North American bumble bee nest success and colony sizes under captive rearing conditions

Strange

Tripodi

Lindsay

et al. 2023

Journal of Insect Science

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Of the 265 known bumble bee (Bombus) species, knowledge of colony lifecycle is derived from relatively few species. As interest in Bombus commercialization and conservation grows, it is becoming increasingly important to understand colony growth dynamics across a variety of species since variation exists in nest success, colony growth, and reproductive output. In this study, we reported successful nest initiation and establishment rates of colonies and generated a timeline of colony development for 15 western North American Bombus species, which were captively reared from wild-caught gynes from 2009 to 2019. Additionally, we assessed variation in colony size among 5 western North American Bombus species from 2015 to 2018. Nest initiation and establishment rates varied greatly among species, ranging from 5–76.1% and 0–54.6%, respectively. Bombus griseocollis had the highest rates of nest success across the 11-yr period, followed by B. occidentalis, B. vosnesenskii, and B. huntii. Furthermore, days to nest initiation and days to nest establishment varied among species, ranging from 8.4 to 27.7 days and 32.7 to 47 days. Colony size also differed significantly among species with B. huntii and B. vosnesenskii producing more worker/drone cells than B. griseocollis, B. occidentalis, and B. vancouverensis. Additionally, gyne production differed significantly among species with B. huntii colonies producing more gynes than B. vosnesenskii. Results from this study increase knowledge of systematic nesting biology for numerous western North American Bombus species under captive rearing conditions, which can further improve rearing techniques available to conservationists and researchers.

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Metabolic Rate Suppression and Maintenance of Flight Muscle Metabolic Capacity during Diapause in Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) Queens

Rondot,

Darveau

2024

Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology

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Production of bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) for pollination and research

Cited by 12 publications

References 95 publications

Comparative analysis of 3 pollen sterilization methods for feeding bumble bees

Comparative analysis of 3 pollen sterilization methods for feeding bumble bees

Variation in North American bumble bee nest success and colony sizes under captive rearing conditions

Metabolic Rate Suppression and Maintenance of Flight Muscle Metabolic Capacity during Diapause in Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) Queens

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