The Honey Bee Apis mellifera: An Insect at the Interface between Human and Ecosystem Health

Biology, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 11(2), P. 233 - 233

Published: Feb. 1, 2022

The concept of ecosystem services is widely understood as the and benefits thatecosystems provide to humans, they have been categorised into provisioning, regulating, supporting, cultural services. This article aims an updated overview that honey bee Apis mellifera provides humans well ecosystems. We revised role bees pollinators in natural ecosystems preserve restore local biodiversity wild plants; agro-ecosystems, this species used enhance crop yield quality, meeting increasing food demand. Beekeeping activity not only with high-quality but also substances raw materials pharmaceuticals, polluted areas, convey valuable information on environmental presence pollutants their impact human health. Finally, symbolic tradition, mysticism, values habitats are presented. Overall, we suggest value most important played by insect species, it may help revitalise strengthen intimate reciprocal relationship between world, avoiding inaccuracy considering mere providers humans.

Language: Английский

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Mounting evidence that managed and introduced bees have negative impacts on wild bees: an updated review

Current Research in Insect Science, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 2, P. 100043 - 100043

Published: Jan. 1, 2022

Worldwide, the use of managed bees for crop pollination and honey production has increased dramatically. Concerns about pressures these increases on native ecosystems resulted in a recent expansion literature this subject. To collate update current knowledge, we performed systematic review effects introduced ecosystems, focusing wild bees. enable comparison over time, used same search terms focused impacts as earlier reviews. This covers: (a) interference resource competition between or bees; (b) plants weeds; (c) transmission infectivity pathogens; classifies into positive, negative, neutral. Compared to 2017 review, found that number papers issue by 47%. The highest increase was seen pathogen spill-over, but last five years considerable additional information also become available. Records negative have from 53% reporting 66% at present. majority studies investigated visitation foraging behaviour. While only few experimentally assessed bee reproductive output, 78% demonstrated effects. Plant composition negatively affected 7% studies, 79% pathogens reported potential Taken together, evidence increasingly suggests affect bees, knowledge should inform actions prevent further harm ecosystems.

Language: Английский

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Beekeeping as a Tool for Sustainable Rural Development

Journal of Agronomy Technology and Engineering Management (JATEM), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 7(2), P. 1054 - 1066

Published: March 25, 2024

The symbiotic relationship between bees and the environment underscores potential of apiculture as a sustainable practice. Bees, pollinators, play crucial role in ecosystem health biodiversity conservation. Their pollination services are essential for reproduction numerous plant species, including many crops that constitute backbone agricultural economies. Beekeeping can diversify income sources, reducing dependence on single enhancing household resilience to economic shocks. aim this paper is explore multifaceted tool rural development. In conclusion, holds immense promise development, offering pathway towards prosperity, social inclusion, environmental stewardship. By harnessing synergies bees, biodiversity, community beekeeping has transform landscapes livelihoods. However, realizing requires concerted efforts address challenges barriers hinder widespread adoption practices. Through collaborative action integrated approaches, it unlock transformative power build resilient, vibrant, communities generations come.

Language: Английский

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Potential of Beekeeping to Support the Livelihood, Economy, Society, and Environment of Indonesia

Forests, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 14(2), P. 321 - 321

Published: Feb. 6, 2023

The management of natural resources based on socio-economic and ecology development has led to a focus the bioeconomy in policy discourse non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Honey is an important NTFP with high value, its production involves millions Indonesians. This article reviews current status honey-producing bee management, cultivation harvesting system, marketing values, industry’s environmental function Indonesia. research utilized meta-narrative review method collect data information from Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, ResearchGate, Sinta, Garuda. study showed that four species, namely Apis mellifera, cerana, dorsata, stingless bee, are most common species honey have specific characteristics habitat, capacity, derivative products, intervention meet product standards, sustainable livelihoods. value chain bees’ major such as honey, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, wax, other distribution all involved communities, including beekeepers, gatherers/hunters, intermediate traders, processing industry. also found significant association between sustainability statutes affects functional economic function. finding parallels global trends put forward forest-based approach resource management. must be strengthened managing relationships among supporting actors for production.

Language: Английский

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Monitoring free-living honeybee colonies in Germany: Insights into habitat preferences, survival rates, and Citizen Science reliability

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Aug. 6, 2024

ABSTRACT Our understanding of the western honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) predominantly stems from studies conducted within beekeeping environments, leaving presence and characteristics honeybees outside managed settings largely unexplored. This study examined habitats, nesting sites, survival rates free-living colonies through personal monitoring nest sites in Munich (N=107) coordination Citizen Science across Germany (N=423). Within seven years we collected 2,555 observations on 530 311 participants. Nesting preferences differed between urban, rural, forested areas. Overall, found that 31% occupied were buildings 63% mature trees, with clear for specific tree species. On average, only 12% monitored survived annually, a figure aligns well other published but contrasts sharply significantly higher reported by (29%). We yielded fewer updates per colony, underreported abandoned 46% overwintering reports overlapped swarming season had to be excluded. To gain reliable data projects, consistency timing need particular attention regional should too. enhances our ecological dynamics, liminal state, conservation needs cohorts, addresses potential biases, suggests standardized collection protocols future projects.

Language: Английский

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Thermotolerance to Heat and Cold by Feral Scutellata Hybrids and Managed European Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera Ligustica) in Southern California

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Climate change significantly impacts animal health and survival, with extreme temperatures posing challenges. While managed honey bees (A. mellifera ligustica) are well-studied, less is known about feral bees, particularly those genetically admixed A. scutellata, a subspecies adapted to warmer climates. In San Diego, California, where abundant, we investigated thermotolerance differences between bees. We measured survival after heat or cold shock, critical thermal maxima minima, chill coma recovery time, sucrose consumption following stress. Feral consistently exhibited greater under shock compared even when reared in identical environments at common apiary, indicating strong genetic basis for tolerance derived from their scutellata ancestry. contrast, responses varied: showed higher mortality separate apiaries but no difference the suggesting environmental influences on resilience. Critical maxima, times did not differ bee types, consumed more potentially reflecting metabolic costs of These results highlight superior adaptation hybrids climates suggest trade-offs tolerance, emphasizing need consider factors assessing resilience climate change.

Language: Английский

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Evaluation of ecosystem functions across three ecosystem types in afromontane forest in Kenya

International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 16, 2025

Language: Английский

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Emotions, connectedness to nature and sustainable behaviour: investigating the effects of students’ engagement in extracurricular activities with living animals

Journal of Biological Education, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 1 - 18

Published: Jan. 28, 2025

Language: Английский

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Honeybee presence restructures pollination networks more than landscape context by reducing foraging breadths of wild bees

Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 257, P. 105305 - 105305

Published: Jan. 29, 2025

Language: Английский

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Identification of potential insect ecological interactions using a metabarcoding approach

PeerJ, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 13, P. e18906 - e18906

Published: Feb. 17, 2025

Species interactions are challenging to quantify, particularly when they happen cryptically. Molecular methods have become a key tool uncover these leave behind DNA trace from the interacting organism (e.g., pollen on bee) or taxa still present but morphologically identify microbial fungal interactions). The decreasing costs of sequencing makes mass analysis thousands target species possible. However, challenge has shifted selecting molecular markers which maximize information recovery while analyzing data at broad biological scales. In this manuscript we use model arthropod groups compare and their across life stages. We develop protocols for two ecologically economically devastating pests, spongy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), group pollinators including bees wasps regularly deposit eggs in "bee hotels" where larvae develop. Using Illumina MiSeq Oxford Nanopore MinION platforms evaluate seven primer pairs five plants, fungi, microbes, insects, parasitic phyla nematodes). Our reveals hundreds potential ecological establishes generalized can be applied host with recommendations appropriate different systems. also discuss differentiating co-occurring signals true interactions, problem only starting recognized as eDNA environment accumulates living organisms.

Language: Английский

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