Water homeostasis in bees, with the emphasis on sociality

Nicolson, Susan W.

doi:10.1242/jeb.022343

Cited by 94 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…In the Caatinga, additional abiotic factors may be the elevated temperatures and the concomitant lack of water during dry periods (disturbance-induced absconding) (Winston 1992;Freitas et al 2007). Elevated temperatures increase the necessity of brood thermoregulation, accomplished by honey bees either through ventilation (elevated use of energy reserves) or evaporation (water collection necessary) (Lindauer 1954;Nicolson 2009). However, the lack of water in the environment and the reduced energy supply render the vital, active down-regulation of the nest temperature difficult.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival strategies of stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) in an unpredictable environment, the Brazilian tropical dry forest

et al. 2015

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-Unpredictable environments are a challenge to highly eusocial bees because unreliable food availability, owing mainly to seasonally unpredictable precipitation rates, renders the maintenance of permanent colonies difficult. Here, we investigated the strategy of the stingless bee Melipona subnitida to cope with elevated temperatures and extended, irregular periods of drought in the Brazilian tropical dry forest. We found a high association between colony behaviour (pollen foraging and brood production) and environmental parameters (abiotic factors and availability of pollen sources), suggesting that colonies tightly adjust their activities to the respective environmental conditions. This minimises unnecessary costs related to foraging and brood rearing when forage availability is low. Additionally, M. subnitida selectively foraged at the most lucrative pollen-sources (massflowering trees, plants with poricidal flowers), which indicates that the colonies maximise their food intake as soon as resources are available.Caatinga / floral resources / pollen foraging / brood-cell construction

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival strategies of stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) in an unpredictable environment, the Brazilian tropical dry forest

et al. 2015

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“…Large bees require concentrated nectar at low to moderate ambient temperature because of their very high metabolic water production in flight and bumble bees have been observed to evaporate water on their tongues when provided with 30% rather than 50% sucrose whereas desert bees use dilute nectar for rehydration purposes (Nicolson, 2009).…”

Section: Water Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Guttation fluid is unlikely to be identified by honeybees as a source of sugar due to the low levels present. Bees are less subject to dessication than most terrestrial insects due to their nectar diet and high metabolic water production ( (Nicolson, 2009).…”

Section: Water Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction between pesticides and other factors in effects on bees

Thompson

2012

EFS3

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Bees are important pollinators of both managed crops and wild flora. An overview of the interactions between pesticides and other factors in effects on bees considered: 1) The importance of the different exposure routes in relation to the overall exposure of bees to pesticides; 2) Multiple exposure to pesticides (including substances used in bee medication) and potential additive and cumulative effects; and 3) Interactions between diseases and susceptibility of bees to pesticides. Nectar foraging bees are likely to experienced highest exposure to both sprayed and systemic seed and soil treatments compounds followed by nurse and brood-attending bees. In both cases the major contribution to exposure was contaminated nectar with direct overspray playing a significant role in exposure. However, there are a variety of other routes (and other bee species) where there is currently insufficient data to fully total exposure: There are a large number of studies that have investigated the interactions between pesticides in bees. By far the majority have related to the interactions involving EBI fungicides and can be related to their inhibition of P450. The scale of the synergy is shown to be dose and season-dependent in acute exposures but there are few data relating to the effect of time between exposures, the effect of route of exposure or on chronic exposure effects at realistic exposure levels. There are a wide range of factors which affect the immunocompetence of bees including diet quality, pest and diseases. Although there are a limited number of laboratory based studies which suggest effects of a pesticide on disease susceptibility there is no clear evidence from field-based studies that exposure of colonies to pesticides results in increased susceptibility to disease or that there is a link between colony loss due to disease and pesticide residues in monitoring studies. KEY WORDSHoneybees, bumble bees, pesticides, disease, mixtures, synergism DISCLAIMERThe present document has been produced and adopted by the bodies identified above as author. This task has been carried out exclusively by the author(s) in the context of a contract between the European Food Safety Authority and the author, awarded following a tender procedure. The present document is published complying with the transparency principle to which the Authority is subject. It may not be considered as an output adopted by the Authority. The European food Safety Authority reserves its rights, view and position as regards the issues addressed and the conclusions reached in the present document, without prejudice to the rights of the authors. The present document has been produced and adopted by the bodies identified above as author. This task has been carried out exclusively by the author in the context of a contract between the European Food Safety Authority and the author awarded following a tender procedure. The present document is published complying with the transparency principle to which the Authority is subject. It may not be considered as...

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“…These workers held under the tongue a relatively large drop of juice and repeatedly sucked it in and out. Such behavior is common among different bee species and serves to eliminate excess of water and compensate for less than ideal nectar concentration (Michener 1974, Nicolson 2009.Trigona amazonensis workers were aggressive toward other frugivorous insects at the fruits. With their mandibles open they chased wasps (different species of Polybia and Polistes) (Hymenoptera: Polistinae) and butterflies (Lepidopitera: Nymphalidae) out of the fruits.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Frugivory by a stingless bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Peruquetti¹,

Costa²,

Silva³

et al. 2010

Neotrop. entomol.

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-Frugivory is not frequent among bees. Although stingless bees visit aged fruits for pulp, the use of fresh fruits is recorded only for Trigona hypogea Silvestri, a species that does not visit fl owers. Here we report the occurrence of frugivory in Trigona amazonensis (Ducke), a fl owervisiting stingless bee.KEY WORDS: Eusocial bee, Amazon, Neotropical bee, trophic interaction Although stingless bee of the genus Trigona are important pollinators (Heard 1999, Slaa et al 2006, they may in some cases damage non-domesticated and domesticated plants and be considered pests (Schwarz 1948, Boiça Jr et al 2004, Renner 2004. Trigona bees bite into the soft, growing plant tissue or perforate fruits for resin, which is mixed with mud and bees' wax to form what is named cerumen, a nest construction material (Nogueira-Neto 1997). Besides fl owers, Trigona bees may visit a wide variety of sweet food sources to obtain carbohydrates (Schwarz 1948, Baumgartner & Roubik 1989. Trigona hypogea Silvestri, T. necrophaga Camargo & Roubik and T. crassipes (Fabricius) are obligate necrophages and use fl esh as protein source in lieu of pollen (Roubik 1989, Noll 1997. Trigona hypogea stores in its nest a honey-like and tasteful substance composed of juices collected from extra-fl oral nectarines and from medium-ripe and ripe fruits . The use of fruits of Eugenia jambolana by T. hypogea as reported by Noll et al (1997) represents a case of frugivory, an uncommon behavior among bees (review in Kevan et al 2005). In spite of this, rotting fruit pulp collection by different species of stingless bees is welldocumented (Schwarz 1948, Baumgartner & Roubik 1989, Roubik 1989). Here we report that frugivory in stingless bees is not confi ned to T. hypogea group.Trigona amazonensis Silvestri is a common Amazonic stingless bee that constructs nests externally attached to large trees or other vertical surfaces, as house walls or boulders (Schwarz 1948, Roubik 1989, Camargo & Pedro 2008. In Rio Branco region (Acre, Brazil), the cerumen of T. amazonensis may have small pieces of grass, which workers collect mainly on cattle feces (RCP pers. observ.).Between 17 February and 06 March 2009, we observed large numbers of workers of T. amazonensis visiting noncultivated guava trees (Psidium guajava, Myrtaceae) bearing fruits located at a pasture near Rio Branco city. Closer inspection revealed that bees were using their mandibles to dig fruit rind out in order to have access to the sweet, red pulp.Attacked fruits possessed holes with around 1cm in diameter from where bees came in and out. The activity around and within the fruits were intense, with up to 10 bees (mean 2.9 ± 2.22 SD; n = 26) being counted at one time in a single fruit. Bees landed and took off directly from the fruit surface. They visited both medium-ripe and ripe fruits and spent from 08 to 280 s (mean 124.0 ± 73.34 SD; n = 27) on them.We observed bee activity on fruits daily from 02 to 06 March in different hours, from morning to evening. The bees actively visited the fruits at all...

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Water homeostasis in bees, with the emphasis on sociality

Cited by 94 publications

References 65 publications

Survival strategies of stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) in an unpredictable environment, the Brazilian tropical dry forest

Survival strategies of stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) in an unpredictable environment, the Brazilian tropical dry forest

Interaction between pesticides and other factors in effects on bees

Frugivory by a stingless bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

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