In cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) cultivation, farmers typically rent colonies of honey bee (Apis mellifera) for pollination. However, the efficiency of this bee at pollinating cranberries in Oregon, as in other regions, is questionable. Bumble bees (Bombus sp.) are reportedly effective in other regions, but their impact in Oregon is...
For the past six years in which overwintering mortality of honey bee colonies has been surveyed in the USA, estimates of colony loss have
fluctuated around one-third of the national population. Here we report on the losses for the 2012-2013 seasons. We collected data from 6,482
US beekeepers (6,114 backyard,...
Native, wild bee populations play an important functional role in terrestrial ecosystems through pollination services. In recent years, increased attention has been paid to the importance of bumble bee species and their contribution to the agricultural economy, in large part because of the widespread losses of populations across landscapes, both...
Mating flight records are presented for males (drones) of the Asian dwarf honeybee species
Apis florea. These include observations on longevity, mortality and inclusive flight records for a cohort of
known-aged males. Averages for flight performance show the flights/lifetime to be 15.3 (± 11.8 SD); the
number of flight days,...
The fermentation of honey-based musts has been a feature of civilization for millennia. Typically comprised of 75-90% (w/w) simple (i.e. fermentable) sugars, the glucose and fructose present are readily fermented by either pitched or adventitious micro-organisms. Nevertheless, despite its venerable heritage, honey-based fermentations are prone to inconsistency, and it is...
Aspects concerning the bionomics of the parasitic honey bee brood mite, Varroa
jacobsoni Oudemans were investigated. Mite mortality is great during the winter season
when the host colony is not rearing brood, appearing to be independent of the mortality of
its host. In winter period, no significant association between the...
Bees provide critical pollination services to diverse agricultural crops, native plants and trees. Globally, there are reports of bee declines which have been attributed to diseases, exposure to pesticides and changes in land use that are believed to have led to a reduction in foraging resources and nesting habitats for...
Behavioral responses of Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, and Apis mellifera to the ectoparasitic mite, Tropilaelaps mercedesae, were compared using two laboratory bioassays: cohorts of 50 caged worker bees and individual-caged worker bees, all of unknown ages. For the group bioassays, ten T. mercedesae were placed on the bodies of bees...
Early seral forests regenerating from stand-replacing disturbances provide unique habitat for many species in productive, temperate forest landscapes and contribute to supporting biodiversity. Population declines in some species associated with early seral forests have prompted concerns about the conservation of these habitats, particularly the characteristic structural and compositional complexity associated...