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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Preparing For Africanized Honey Bees: Evaluating Control In Mating Apiaries, Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Gordon D. Waller Aug 1990

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 Jan 1990

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 Jan 1990

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 …