Honeybees use propolis as a natural pesticide against their major ectoparasite.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Pusceddu M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8670950 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Honey bees harvest resins from various plant species and use them in the hive as propolis. While there have been a number of studies concerning the chemical composition of this antimicrobial product, little is known about selective behavior and bee preference when different potential plant sources of resin are available. The main objective of this paper was to investigate some aspects of behavioral patterns of honeybees in the context of resin acquisition. Samples of propolis originating from temperate zones of Europe and the supposed botanical precursors of the product were analyzed. Taxonomical markers of bud resins of two white birch species, aspen, black poplar, horse-chestnut, black alder, and Scots pine were determined through GC-MS analysis. All these trees have been reported as sources of propolis, but comparisons of the chemical composition of their bud resins with the compositions of propolis samples from seven European countries have demonstrated the presence of taxonomical markers only from black poplar, aspen, and one species of birch. This suggests selective behavior during the collection of bud resins by honeybees. To examine the causes of such selectivity, the antimicrobial properties of bud resins were determined. Horse-chestnut resins had lower antimicrobial activity than the other resins which did not differ significantly.
| S-EPMC4947481 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Honeybee colonies are under the threat of many stressors, biotic and abiotic factors that strongly affect their survival. Recently, great attention has been directed at chemical pesticides, including their effects at sub-lethal doses on bee behaviour and colony success; whereas the potential side effects of natural biocides largely used in agriculture, such as entomopathogenic fungi, have received only marginal attention. Here, we report the impact of the fungus Beauveria bassiana on honeybee nestmate recognition ability, a crucial feature at the basis of colony integrity. We performed both behavioural assays by recording bee guards' response towards foragers (nestmate or non-nestmate) either exposed to B. bassiana or unexposed presented at the hive entrance, and GC-MS analyses of the cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of fungus-exposed versus unexposed bees. Our results demonstrated that exposed bees have altered cuticular hydrocarbons and are more easily accepted into foreign colonies than controls. Since CHCs are the main recognition cues in social insects, changes in their composition appear to affect nestmate recognition ability at the colony level. The acceptance of chemically unrecognizable fungus-exposed foragers could therefore favour forager drift and disease spread across colonies.
| S-EPMC6395671 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study was performed to evaluate the total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activities of twenty-four propolis samples from different regions of Morocco. In addition, two samples were screened regarding the antibacterial effect against four Staphylococcus aureus strains. Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectra (GC-MS) analysis was done for propolis samples used in antibacterial tests. The minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentration (MIC, MBC) were determined. The potential to acquire the resistance after sequential exposure of bacterial strains and the impact of adaptation to propolis on virulence using the Galleria mellonella were evaluated. Additionally, the effects of propolis extract on the bacterial adherence ability and its ability to inhibit the quorum sensing activity were also examined. Among the twenty-four extracts studied, the samples from Sefrou, Outat el Haj, and the two samples marketed in Morocco were the best for scavenging DPPH, ABTS, NO, peroxyl, and superoxide radicals as well as in scavenging of hydrogen peroxide. A strong correlation was found between the amounts of phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activities. Propolis extract at the MIC value (0.36 mg/mL) significantly reduced (p < 0.001) the virulence potential of S. aureus ATCC 6538 and the MRSA strains without leading to the development of resistance in the sequence of continuous exposure. It was able to impair the bacterial biofilm formation. The results have revealed that sample 1 reduces violacein production in a concentration dependent manner, indicating inhibition of quorum sensing. This extract has as main group of secondary metabolites flavonoids (31.9%), diterpenes (21.5%), and phenolic acid esters (16.5%).
| S-EPMC6260532 | biostudies-other
Project description:Learning and memory are crucial functions which enable insect pollinators to efficiently locate and extract floral rewards. Exposure to pesticides or infection by parasites may cause subtle but ecologically important changes in cognitive functions of pollinators. The potential interactive effects of these stressors on learning and memory have not yet been explored. Furthermore, sensitivity to stressors may differ between species, but few studies have compared responses in different species. Here, we show that chronic exposure to field-realistic levels of the neonicotinoid clothianidin impaired olfactory learning acquisition in honeybees, leading to potential impacts on colony fitness, but not in bumblebees. Infection by the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae slightly impaired learning in honeybees, but no interactive effects were observed. Nosema did not infect bumblebees (3% infection success). Nevertheless, Nosema-treated bumblebees had a slightly lower rate of learning than controls, but faster learning in combination with neonicotinoid exposure. This highlights the potential for complex interactive effects of stressors on learning. Our results underline that one cannot readily extrapolate findings from one bee species to others. This has important implications for regulatory risk assessments which generally use honeybees as a model for all bees.
| S-EPMC4843659 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Transforming modern agriculture towards both higher yields and greater sustainability is critical for preserving biodiversity in an increasingly populous and variable world. However, the intensity of agricultural practices varies strongly between crop systems. Given limited research capacity, it is crucial to focus efforts to increase sustainability in the crop systems that need it most. In this study, we investigate the match (or mismatch) between the intensity of pesticide use and the availability of knowledge on the ecosystem service of natural pest control across various crop systems. Using a systematic literature search on pest control and publicly available pesticide data, we find that pest control literature is not more abundant in crops where insecticide input per hectare is highest. Instead, pest control literature is most abundant, with the highest number of studies published, in crops with comparatively low insecticide input per hectare but with high world harvested area. These results suggest that a major increase of interest in agroecological research towards crops with high insecticide input, particularly cotton and horticultural crops such as citrus and high value-added vegetables, would help meet knowledge needs for a timely ecointensification of agriculture.
| S-EPMC5872267 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In 2017 and 2018, a field survey was initiated on Greek olive orchards to investigate the attractiveness of bait spray applications and the impact of cover and bait sprays applied against the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae), on the honeybee, Apis mellifera L. and bumblebees Bombus terrestris, by investigating the pesticides' residual prevalence. Bee colonies were evenly distributed in three sites located on coastal areas of Western Crete and visited almost weekly between July and October. Samples collected, were analyzed using existing or developed-optimized liquid and gas chromatographic methods. In bee samples, concentrations varied from 0.0013 to 2.3 mg/kg for dimethoate, from 0.0013-0.059 mg/kg for its metabolite omethoate, and from 0.0035 to 0.63 mg/kg regarding the pyrethroids, ?-cyfluthrin and ?-cyhalothrin. In one bee sample dimethoate concentration exceeded both acute oral and contact median lethal dose (LD50). Residue findings in bees, along with verified olive oil residues corroborated that those insecticides had been applied in the olive orchards and transferred to bees. The possibility of non-target effects of the bait sprays to the bees, as well as the impact of the contaminated olive to the bees are discussed.
| S-EPMC7760811 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND: Apiculture has been practiced in North Africa and the Middle-East from antiquity. Several thousand years of selective breeding have left a mosaic of Apis mellifera subspecies in the Middle-East, many uniquely adapted and survived to local environmental conditions. In this study we explore the genetic diversity of A. mellifera from Syria (n?=?1258), Lebanon (n?=?169) and Iraq (n?=?35) based on 14 short tandem repeat (STR) loci in the context of reference populations from throughout the Old World (n?=?732). RESULTS: Our data suggest that the Syrian honeybee Apis mellifera syriaca occurs in both Syrian and Lebanese territories, with no significant genetic variability between respective populations from Syria and Lebanon. All studied populations clustered within a new fifth independent nuclear cluster, congruent with an mtDNA Z haplotype identified in a previous study. Syrian honeybee populations are not associated with Oriental lineage O, except for sporadic introgression into some populations close to the Turkish and Iraqi borders. Southern Syrian and Lebanese populations demonstrated high levels of genetic diversity compared to the northern populations. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the effects of foreign queen importations on Syrian bee populations, especially for the region of Tartus, where extensive introgression of A. m. anatolica and/or A. m. caucasica alleles were identified. The policy of creating genetic conservation centers for the Syrian subspecies should take into consideration the influence of the oriental lineage O from the northern Syrian border and the large population of genetically divergent indigenous honeybees located in southern Syria.
| S-EPMC4029286 | biostudies-other
Project description:Neonicotinoids are pesticides used to protect crops but with known secondary influences at sublethal doses on bees. Honeybees use their sense of smell to identify the queen and nestmates, to signal danger and to distinguish flowers during foraging. Few behavioural studies to date have examined how neonicotinoid pesticides affect the ability of bees to distinguish odours. Here, we used a differential learning task to test how neonicotinoid exposure affects learning, memory and olfactory perception in foraging-age honeybees. Bees fed with thiamethoxam could not perform differential learning and could not distinguish odours during short- and long-term memory tests. Our data indicate that thiamethoxam directly impacts the cognitive processes involved in working memory required during differential olfactory learning. Using a combination of behavioural assays, we also identified that thiamethoxam has a direct impact on the olfactory perception of similar odours. Honeybees fed with other neonicotinoids (clothianidin, imidacloprid, dinotefuran) performed the differential learning task, but at a slower rate than the control. These bees could also distinguish the odours. Our data are the first to show that neonicotinoids have compound specific effects on the ability of bees to perform a complex olfactory learning task. Deficits in decision making caused by thiamethoxam exposure could mean that this is more harmful than other neonicotinoids, leading to inefficient foraging and a reduced ability to identify nestmates.
| S-EPMC7075050 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe majority of farmers in Malawi use pesticides to protect their crops from pests. Without the use of pesticides, farmers would not be able to harvest significant yields. However, several studies worldwide have shown that some pesticides used by farmers are harmful to human health. Despite these studies, there remains a lack of proper documentation of the use and nature of harmful pesticides.ObjectivesThis retrospective study aimed to explore agricultural pesticides used in Malawi, to investigate factors that make Malawi vulnerable to illegal pesticide use, and to assess the extent that farmers in Malawi have adopted integrated pest management (IPM).MethodsWe reviewed the literature and empirical studies relating to the effects of pesticides on human health. Three databases were searched: EBSCOhost, JSTOR and Africa Journals Online (AJOL). Secondary data were used in the present study, such as case studies, reports and published research studies prior to 2010. We used three search terms: "pesticides causing death in Malawi", "effect of integrated pest management plan", and "pesticides that cause harm to humans in Malawi".DiscussionThe studies revealed that farmers in Malawi use insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, fumigants, nematicides, acaricide, and rodenticides. These chemicals are mainly used on tobacco, tea, sugarcane, coffee, cotton, and maize crops. Furthermore, the study revealed that farmers in Malawi obtain illegal pesticides from vendors from neighboring countries and that the integrated pest management plan has not been successful in Malawi.ConclusionsThe present study recommends that the agricultural department should devise strategies to increase understanding of the effects of pesticides, restrict illegal pesticides and implement procedures curbing illegal pesticides and policies to support integrated pest management.Competing interestsThe authors report no competing financial interests.
| S-EPMC6285677 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Honeybees display a unique biolocomotion strategy at the air-water interface. When water's adhesive force traps them on the surface, their wetted wings lose ability to generate aerodynamic thrust. However, they adequately locomote, reaching a speed up to 3 body lengths·s-1 Honeybees use their wetted wings as hydrofoils for their water surface propulsion. Their locomotion imparts hydrodynamic momentum to the surrounding water in the form of asymmetric waves and a deeper water jet stream, generating ∼20-μN average thrust. The wing kinematics show that the wing's stroke plane is skewed, and the wing supinates and pronates during its power and recovery strokes, respectively. The flow under a mechanical model wing mimicking the motion of a bee's wing further shows that nonzero net horizontal momentum is imparted to the water, demonstrating net thrust. Moreover, a periodic acceleration and deceleration of water are observed, which provides additional forward movement by "recoil locomotion." Their water surface locomotion by hydrofoiling is kinematically and dynamically distinct from surface skimming [J. H. Marden, M. G. Kramer, Science 266, 427-430 (1994)], water walking [J. W. M. Bush, D. L. Hu, Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 38, 339-369 (2006)], and drag-based propulsion [J. Voise, J. Casas, J. R. Soc. Interface 7, 343-352 (2010)]. It is postulated that the ability to self-propel on a water surface may increase the water-foraging honeybee's survival chances when they fall on the water.
| S-EPMC6900504 | biostudies-literature