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Nest Usurpation, Supersedure And Colony Failure Contribute To Africanization Of Commercially Managed European Honey Bees In Venezuela, Robert G. Danka, Richard L. Hellmich, Thomas E. Rinderer

Richard L Hellmich

The fates of 58 colonies in 4 apiaries managed commercially for honey production in northwest Venezuela were determined during 15 months. All colonies had been previously requeened with marked European queens. Heritage of new queens (European daughter replacements versus Africanized usurpers) was traced by mitochondrial DNA and morphological characteristics of worker progeny. Three usurpations (5% of colony fates, at a rate of 4.7% of colonies per year) occurred. These colonies showed congruent African-derived mitochondrial DNA and Africanized morphology. Supersedures accounted for much of the introgression of African genes into the test apiaries. Twenty-eight colonies (48%) superseded their queens once, three …

Flight Times Of Africanized And European Honey Bee Drones (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Thomas E. Rinderer, Robert G. Danka, Anita M. Collins, D. L. Boykin

Richard L Hellmich

Flight activities of Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) drones were compared with those of two color morphs of European drones in Venezuela. European drones departed from colonies 19 +/- (mean +/- SEM) min earlier, and flight times were more variable than those of Africanized drones. Mean flight time differences decreased as the drones aged and were similar whether drones were flying from Africanized or European colonies. Overlap of their flight distributions was > 70%, which suggests that interbreeding of the two types of bees will be substantial under most natural conditions. Black and yellow European drones flew at similar times …

Response Of Africanized And European Honey Bees To Lactose In Sucrose Syrup, H. Allen Sylvester, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Anita M. Collins

Richard L Hellmich

Application of biotechnology to control Africanized honey bees may be possible by genetically engineering domestic honey bee stocks to be resistant to some agent which is toxic or debilitating to Africanized bees. The agent could then be made available to forages in an area, and susceptible wild colonies, including Africanized honey bees, would be controlled.

Preparing For Africanized Honey Bees: Evaluating Control In Mating Apiaries, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Gordon D. Waller

Richard L Hellmich

A measure of queen mating control at an apiary is the number of matings with managed drones expressed as a percentage of total matings (managed and feral drones). In Texas, USA, using cordovan queens and drones for tests in July, it was found that at a commercial apiary near other apiaries 93% of all matings were with managed drones. At an isolated (outlying) apiary, the figure was 83%. It is estimated that in April-May, when most queens are produced in this area, mating control would be 96-98% and 93-96% respectively. It is concluded that 90-95% is a realistic level for …

Flight Characteristics Of Foraging Africanized And European Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Robert G. Danka, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Anita M. Collins, Thomas E. Rinderer, Vernon L. Wright

Richard L Hellmich

Interfloral movement and visitation parameters were quantified for individual Africanized and European honey bees (Apis mellifera) foraging in a field of sesame in Venezuela. The 2 bee types showed nearly identical movement and visitation characteristics for most of the parameters measured. Africanized bees spent slightly less time per flower visit (mean ± SD; 10±4 s vs. 12±6 s) and tended to travel at a slightly faster rate (210±150 cm/min vs. 180±120 cm/min.) The frequencies of visits for various resources differed; Africanized bees collected only pollen on 51% of visits and only nectar on 22% of visits, whereas for European bees, …

Biochemical And Immunochemical Comparison Of Africanized And European Honeybee Venoms, D. R. Nelson, Anita M. Collins, Richard L. Hellmich, R. T. Jones, R. M. Helm, D. L. Squillace, J. W. Yunginger

Richard L Hellmich

Africanized honeybees (HBs) pose a hazard to both normal and sting-sensitive subjects in certain areas of Central and South America, and it is predicted that they will soon be present in the southern United States as well. Using an electrical stimulation device, we collected Africanized HB venom (AHV) in Venezuela and European HB venom (EHV) in Louisiana. These venoms, along with commercial European HB venom (CHV), were compared by thin-layer isoelectric focusing and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The Coomassie brilliant blue and silver-stained banding patterns of AHV and EHV were essentially identical to CHV. Western blots were prepared …

Comparative Rates Of Recruitment To Pollen Sources By Africanized And European Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera L.), Robert G. Danka, Anita M. Collins, Thomas E. Rinderer, Richard L. Hellmich Ii

Richard L Hellmich

The use of recruitment by Africanized and European honey bee pollen foragers was studied. Comparisons were made of rate of initiation, duration, and tempo of recruitment dances, the number of recruits following dancers, and number of pollen sources visited. Rate of recruitment (the product of rate of dance initiation and number of followers per dancer) to pollen sources was higher in European colonies, due mostly to a higher rate of dance initiation in European colonies. Dance tempo was faster for Africanized foragers. Duration of dances and number of resources used were each similar for the two bee types.

Influencing Matings Of European Honey Bee Queens In Areas With Africanized Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Anita M. Collins, Robert G. Danka, Thomas E. Rinderer

Richard L Hellmich

Manipulation of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) drone population near a mating apiary was investigated as a method for increasing the frequency of European drones that mate with European queens in an area of Africanized honey bees. Thirty percent of the matings were controlled with only four European drone source colonies, and 40% were controlled with seven colonies. If queen producers can tolerate low levels of mismating, they may not have to drastically alter their management practices.

Diet-Selection Ecology Of Tropically And Temperately Adapted Honey Bees, Robert G. Danka, Richard L. Hellmich, Thomas E. Rinderer, Anita M. Collins

Richard L Hellmich

Colonies of tropically adapted (Africanized) honey bees had greater numbers and higher percentages of pollen foragers than did temperately adapted (European) honey bees. European colonies had greater overall foraging activity. The number of pollen gatherers in Africanized nests was greater throughout the daily foraging cycle, and was especially high early in the morning when pollen was most abundant. Africanized colonies fielded more pollen collectors even when levels of stimuli which are known to regulate pollen foraging were altered experimentally. Collectively, the foraging patterns resulted in larger stores of pollen in Africanized honey bee nests, while European bee nests typically had …

Responses Of Africanized Honey Bees Hymenoptera Apidae To Pollination Management Stress, Robert G. Danka, Thomas E. Rinderer, Anita M. Collins, Richard L. Hellmich Ii

Richard L Hellmich

Fifteen Africanized (AHB) and 15 European (EHB) honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies were moved to six different crop sites during a 2-mo test in Venezuela. Several problems with AHB suggested that these bees may be difficult to use commerically for pollination. Debilitating reductions of adult populations occurred more frequently among AHB colonies (n = 12) than among EHB colonies (n = 5). In 6 of 11 tests of defensive response, targets were stung more by AHB colonies than by EHB colonies; no differences were found in the five other stinging comparisons. Also during defense tests, AHB colonies typically had …

Differential Drone Production By Africanized And European Honey Bee Colonies, Thomas E. Rinderer, Anita M. Collins, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Robert G. Danka

Richard L Hellmich

The numbers of mature drones leaving colonies of Africanized and European honey bees were counted after they had been trapped at colony entrances. Two apiaries, each with 10 European and 10 Africanized colonies, were trapped for drones exiting individual colonies on 3 separate days at two week intervals. Africanized colonies maintained far more drones and far more Africanized drones parasitized European colonies than vice versa. These two factors resulted in 91% of the drones leaving colonies in the apiaries being Africanized.

Improved Simple Techniques For Identifying Africanized And European Honey Bees, Thomas E. Rinderer, H. Allen Sylvester, Steven M. Buco, Vicki A. Lancaster, Elton W. Herbert, Anita M. Collins, Richard L. Hellmich Ii

Richard L Hellmich

Eight simple techniques based on discriminant statistical procedures are presented to identify Africanized and European bees in the Americas. These techniques arc based on measurements of forewing lengths, the wet and dry weights of degastered bees, and femur lengths. Improved methodologies and statistical procedures result in many more correct identifications at high probabilities of class membership.

Laying-Worker Production Of Drones In Mixed Colonies Of Africanized And European Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Robert G. Danka, Anita M. Collins, Thomas E. Rinderer

Richard L Hellmich

Queenless honey-bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) with mixed populations of Africanized and European workers produced 15-fold more Africanized drones than European drones. Drones developed from eggs laid by previously nonreproductive workers. First eclosion of Africanized drones preceded that of European drones by 2.4 days. Laying workers of both bee types developed more rapidly when colonies had Africanized queens and brood before queenlessness than when colonies had European queens and brood. The percentage of European drones of the total number of drones that eclosed each day changed significantly in a curvilinear manner over 15 days, starting near 0, increasing to a …

Corbicular Size In Workers From Honeybee Lines Selected For High Or Low Pollen Hoarding, Charles P. Milne Jr., Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Karen J. Pries

Richard L Hellmich

Measurements were made of corbicular areas (of a total of 1025 corbiculae) in 2 lines of honeybees (Apis mellifera) selected for high and low pollen hoarding respectively. The sample from each line comprised about 30 newly emerged workers from each of 9 queens representing 3 sublines. Analyses of variance revealed highly significant differences among the 18 queens (P « 0.0001) and between the lines (P « 0.0001). Mean corbicular area for the high pollen-hoarding line (1.909 ± 0.004 mm2) was greater than for the low hoarding line (1.874 ± 0.003 mm2), Of the 9 queens whose worker progeny had the …

Comparative Toxicities Of Four Topically Applied Insecticides To Africanized And European Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Robert G. Danka, Thomas E. Rinderer, Richard L. Hellmich, Anita M. Collins

Richard L Hellmich

Contact toxicities were established for acetone formulations of azinphosmethyl, carbaryl, methyl parathion, and permethrin applied to workers of Africanized and European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) types. For each insecticide, 95% fiducial limits at the LC50 levels for the two bee types did not overlap. Africanized bees showed greater tolerance to all the chemicals except carbaryl; differences in tolerance to each of the four chemicals were all about 2-fold. The order of toxicity of the compounds on the Africanized bees was permethrin > carbaryl > azinphosmethyl > methyl parathion; on the European honey bees, the order of toxicity was permethrin > azinphosmethyl > carbaryl> methyl …

Pollen Hoarding And Use By High And Low Pollen-Hoarding Honeybees During The Course Of Brood Rearing, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Walter C. Rothenbuhler

Richard L Hellmich

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) from a line which had been selected for high pollen-hoarding behaviour (HPH) hoarded more pollen than bees from a low pollen-hoarding line (LPH) when they were kept in observation colonies with known amounts of brood. These differences were not found when brood was in the egg stage and pollen stores were small, but were large and significant when brood was in the larval stage and pollen stores was more abundant. Differences in amounts of stored pollen that were established between the lines during the larval stage were maintained after brood cells were capped, but amounts of pollen …

Foraging Population Sizes Of Africanized And European Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera L.) Colonies, Thomas E. Rinderer, Robert G. Danka, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Anita M. Collins

Richard L Hellmich

Foraging population sizes in Africanized (A) and European (E) honey-bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies were determined by trapping returning foragers at the hive. E colonies fielded

significantly larger foraging populations than A colonies. E colonies showed much larger variability in sizes of foraging populations than A colonies, responding with more foragers as colony size was increased and especially when nectar was more abundant.

The percentage of colony members foraging was similar for both sizes (1 and 3 kg of adult bees) of E colonies ; 1 kg A colonies had a greater percentage of foragers than 3 kg A colonies.E …

Comparison Of Africanized And European Queen-Mating Colonies In Venezuela, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Robert G. Danka, Thomas E. Rinderer, Anita M. Collins

Richard L Hellmich

Africanized queen-mating colonies produced fewer mated queens (P < 0.05), absconded more (P < 0.001) and had more population dwindling (P < 0.03) when compared to European queenmating colonies. Africanized colonies most affected by these factors were 5-1 nuclei, the type of mating nuclei most commonly used by U.S. queen producers. Efficiency of queen production was increased by doubling bee populations and hive volume and by adding brood.

Regulation Of The Hoarding Efficiency Of Africanized And European Honey Bees, Anita M. Collins, Thomas E. Rinderer, Richard L. Hellmich, Robert G. Danka

Richard L Hellmich

In laboratory cages, European bees hoarded more sucrose solution, and did so with greater efficiency than Africanized bees. Additional empty comb caused both Africanized and European bees to increase both their hoarding intensities and efficiencies. The proportional increase in hoarding intensity was somewhat less for the Africanized bees but the proportional increase in efficiency was similar for Africanized and European bees.

Relationship Between Different Amounts Of Brood And The Collection And Use Of Pollen By The Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera), Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Walter C. Rothenbuhler

Richard L Hellmich

Observation colonies each with approximately 1000 bees were given three levels of brood (0, 100 and 400 cells). Foraging was restricted to artificial sources in flight cages. Collection, storage and use of pollen increased with brood level. Eggs and larvae stimulated pollen foraging, and larvae, particularly older larvae, stimulated pollen use.

Male Reproductive Parasitism: A Factor In The Africanization Of European Honey-Bee Populations, Thomas E. Rinderer, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Anita M. Collins, Robert G. Danka

Richard L Hellmich

Africanized drone honey bees (Apis mellifera) migrate into European honey-bee colonies in large numbers, but Africanized colonies only rarely host drones from other colonies. This migration leads to a strong mating advantage for Africanized bees since it both inhibits European drone production and enhances Africanized drone production

Selection For High And Low Pollenhoarding Honey Bees, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Jovan M. Kulincevic, Walter C. Rothenbuhler

Richard L Hellmich

Pollen hoarding by the honey bee can be modified by selection. Two-way selection for honey bees that hoarded high and low levels of pollen in nucleus colonies was made for four generations. Two different lines of bees were produced in which high-line colonies hoarded significantly more pollen than low-line colonies. Rapid separation exhibited by the two lines suggests that the heritability of this trait is high (divergence h2 = 49.5 percent ± 20.3 percent). Genetic gains of the lines were asymmetrical in which substantial progress was made during high-line selection, while little, if any progress was made during low-line selection. …