Book of Abstracts
1
About two years ago the San Marino Beekeepers Cooperative asked Apimondia about our interest in co-organizing a symposium on the relationships between bees,
their food plants and the environment (or ApiEcoFlora as they referred to it). This idea was immediately received very positively by the Apimondia Executive
Committee and we began forming ideas on possible topics. Shortly after that we mentioned the idea to the FAO pollinator and pollination team and decided to join
forces. The booklet you see in front of you is the culmination of this joint effort combined with the contributions of many researchers that have presented their work
st
during the 1 ApiEcoFlora Symposium in San Marino.
The issues discussed in the abstracts are very diverse, but have in common that they all touch upon aspects of the broad topic of bees interacting with plants and
both interacting with the environment. On the one hand, they include current pressures on bees and their food plants such as human-induced climate change and
modern agricultural and land management practices (GMOs, pesticide use, organic agriculture and beekeeping). On the other hand, however, they include the
benefits of bees, their products and services for human well-being such as crop pollination services benefitting two-thirds of the food plants used by humans, honey
production and apitourism.
Pollinators and pollination are receiving a lot of attention these days in relation to honeybee colony losses and pollinator declines and the possible negative impacts
on our food security. The abstracts in this booklet together read as a summary of the current state of the art and of the main research and issues on the horizon. We
hope you will be inspired by the content use the knowledge to make steps towards a more sustainable future for bees, plants, humans and our environment.
Koos Biesmeijer – President of the Apimondia Scientific Commission for pollination and bee flora
Barbara Herren – Focal Point, International Pollinator Initiative at FAO
Riccardo Jannoni-Sebastianini - Apimondia Secretary-General
st
This first edition of the Book of Abstracts of the 1 ApiEcoFlora Symposium is presented as a complementary tool to delegates who will find all the abstracts of oral and poster
presentations.
The final edition of this book will be issued after the Symposium and made available on ApiEcoFlora website at www.apiecoflora.com
San Marino, 2
nd
October 2012
2
Index of authors
Oral presentations ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
1*
2
2
Fabrice Allier , Jean-Christophe Conjeaud and Philippe Rogani ........................................................................................................................................................ 8
1*
1
1
2
3
Courage Besah-Adanu , Peter Kofi Kwapong , Kwame Aidoo , Charles Annoh , Barbara Gemmill-Herren ....................................................................................... 9
1
2*
3
1
1
2
1
3
Witter, S. ; Blochtein, B. ; Lanzer, R. ; Tirelli, F. ; Bremm, C. ; Nunes-Silva, P. ; Lisboa, B. B. ; Agra, G. ....................................................................................... 10
*
Deodoro Brighenti , Carla Brighenti, Guilherme Bassi, Everton de Paula............................................................................................................................................. 11
*
Lorena Canuti, Stefania Impei, Gabriele Di Marco, Donatella Leonardi and Antonella Canini ............................................................................................................ 12
*
Luísa G. Carvalheiro , Colleen L. Seymour, Susan W. Nicolson and Ruan Veldtman ......................................................................................................................... 13
Raffaele Cirone ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
1
2
3
2
Arnon Dag , Ohad Afik , Raphael A. Stern and Sharoni Shafir .......................................................................................................................................................... 15
1
1
2
2
Alessandro del Dotto , Mario Andreini , Antonio Felicioli , Mauro Pinzauti ......................................................................................................................................... 16
1*
2
Dan Eisikowitch , Arnon Dag ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Antonio Felicioli ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Paola Ferrazzi ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 19
1*
1
2
1
Paola Ferrazzi , Davide Cuttini , Paolo Detoma , Roberta Ferrero .................................................................................................................................................... 20
1
1
2
2
3
4
4
5
1*
Fisogni A. , Rossi M. , Bortolotti L. , Bogo G. , Mossetti U. , Quaranta M. , Porrini C. , Guerra M. , Galloni M. .............................................................................. 21
1*
2
2
3
3
1
I. Floris , S. Bagella , M.C. Caria , G. Velis , M. Eguaras , A. Satta .................................................................................................................................................. 22
1
1
2
1
1
Fratini F. , Turchi B., Bertelloni F. , Antonelli R. , Biondi C. , Giusti M. ............................................................................................................................................... 23
Michael Garratt ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
*
Matteo Giusti , Cesare Biondi, Antonio Felicioli ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 25
1*
2
3
4
5
6
7
Santina Grisanti , Eugenia Oliveri , Carlo Amodeo , Maria Concetta Catalano , Fabiola Schicchi , Maurizio Zisa , Pellegrino Conte ............................................. 26
Walter Haefeker ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Walter Haefeker ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29
1*
1
2
1
Brad Howlett , Ruth Butler , Barry Donovan , Warrick Nelson ........................................................................................................................................................... 30
James P. Hutton-Squire
1,2*
1,2
2
3
, Ruan Veldtman , Jonathan Colville , and Mike Allsopp ........................................................................................................................ 31
*
Rufus Isaacs and Neal Williams ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
1*
2
3
1
4
D.I. Jarvis , B.R. Sthapit , M. Turdieva , P. De Santis and B. Gemmill-Herren ................................................................................................................................. 33
1,2
1
2
2
3*
Masiga R. , E. Kairu , C. Odhiambo , W. Kinuthia and M. Kasina .................................................................................................................................................. 34
3
1
2
Marwan Keshlaf , Albert Basta, Robert Spooher-Hart ......................................................................................................................................................................... 35
*
Daniela Laurino , Aulo Manino, Marco Porporato.................................................................................................................................................................................. 36
1
2
3
4
5*
6
7
Heikki Hokkanen (coordinator) , Otto Böcking , Eken Cafer , Andrej Cokl , Bettina Maccagnani , Marika Mänd , Guy Smagghe ................................................... 37
Eric Mader ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 39
*
Manino A. , Balzola L., Patetta A., Porporato M. ................................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Dino Martins ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41
T.S. Masehela
Melin, A.
1,2*
1,2*
1,2
2
3
, R.Veldtman , J.F. Colville , M.H. Allsopp ............................................................................................................................................................. 42
3
, Rouget, M. and Donaldson, J.
(1)
Andrea Mengassini , Mirko Pacioni
1*
(1)
1,2
...................................................................................................................................................................................... 43
.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 44
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
Marcella Milito , Antonella Cersini , Giampiero Ciaschetti , Alessandra Giacomelli , Marco Di Santo , Teodoro Andrisano , Valeria Antognetti , Silvia Puccica ,
1
1
1
1
1
1
Marco Pietropaoli , Martina Pizzariello , Carla Gobbi , Ugo Marchesi , Francesco Scholl , Giovanni Formato ................................................................................. 45
Coralie Mouret ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 47
1*
1
1
2
1
Nepi M. , Nocentini D. , Guarnieri M. , Galloni M. , Pacini E. ............................................................................................................................................................. 48
Bernadette Oehen ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 49
1
2
3
3
1
Oliveri E. , Catalano M. , Costa C. , Dall‘Olio R. , Alonzo.G. .............................................................................................................................................................. 51
(1)
Mirko Pacioni , Andrea Mengassini
(1)
1
.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 52
1
2*
Sebastiani Bartolomeo , Mariucci Sara , Palmieri Nicola ................................................................................................................................................................... 53
Ms. Bidya Pandey, MSc......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 54
Francesco Panella ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 55
1
1
2
Allison L. Pappas , Madison Vangorp , Reid G. Palmer ...................................................................................................................................................................... 56
*
David Pattemore , Lisa Evans, Arnon Dag, Heather McBrydie, Mark Goodwin .................................................................................................................................... 57
1*
2
3
Maria Lucia Piana , Ermanno Giordanengo , Mariassunta Stefano ................................................................................................................................................... 58
*
Valentina Solla, Maria Lucia Piana ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59
1*
2
2
Maria Lucia Piana , Roberto Barbero , Carlo Olivero ......................................................................................................................................................................... 60
1*
1,2
3
4
Chiara Polce , Jacobus Biesmeijer , Mette Termansen and Simon G. Potts .................................................................................................................................. 61
*
Marco Porporato , Peter Iohn Mazzoglio, Augusto Patetta, Aulo Manino ............................................................................................................................................. 62
Claudio Porrini ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 63
Marino Quaranta .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 64
*
Romina Rader and Regina Lindborg .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 65
4
Muhammad Khalid Rafique ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 66
1*
2
1
3
2
3
1
Ranbeer S. Rawal , Kishor Kumar , Ravindra Joshi , Kailash Gaira , Sher S. Samant , Kaushal K. Singh and Lok Man S. Palni ................................................. 67
David W. Roubik .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 68
*
Shafqat Saeed , Muhammad Imran, Asif Sajjad and Assad Masood .................................................................................................................................................... 69
Fabio Sgolastra ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 70
Sharoni Shafir ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 71
Cory Sheffield ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 72
Franc Sivic ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 73
1*
2
María José Suso and Salvador Nadal ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 74
1
Bernard E. Vaissière ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 75
*
Monica Vercelli , Federica Larcher, Marco Devecchi, Aulo Manino ...................................................................................................................................................... 76
1*
2
2
2
Vercelli M. , Monterastelli E. , Romagnoli F. , Porrini C. .................................................................................................................................................................... 77
1
2
1*
3
Cristiano Badalamenti , Luca Gorreri , Paolo Vernieri , Antonio Felicioli ........................................................................................................................................... 78
1*
1
1
1
2
Blandina Felipe Viana , Jeferson Gabriel Coutinho , Antonio da Costa Diakos , Fabiana Oliveira da Silva , Kátia Peres Gramacho , Guido Laercio Bragança
1
Castanino ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 79
Dr. Christoph Wambach ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 80
Poster presentations ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 81
Leo Aerts ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 82
*
Bertha Baldi Coronel , Omar Vallejos, Nadia López Müller ................................................................................................................................................................... 85
*
Danilo Bevk , Špela Zaplotnik, Andrej Čokl ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 86
*
Janko Bozic , Gordana Glavan, Anka Terglav....................................................................................................................................................................................... 87
Madeleine Chagnon............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 88
Jacques Fabry ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 89
1
2*
1
2*
1
Ferreira, P.A. , Boscolo, D. and Viana, B.F. ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 90
3
3
1
Ferreira, P.A. , Boscolo, D. , Carvalheiro, L.G. , Biesmeijer, J.C. and Viana, B.F. ........................................................................................................................... 91
1*
2
Urbelinda Ferrufino Arnez , Teodoro González Saucedo .................................................................................................................................................................. 92
*
Jaroslav Havlik , Ivo Doskocil, Dalibor Titera, Zuzana Hroncova, Vojtech Rada .................................................................................................................................. 93
Luke Herman ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 94
Chuleui Jung .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 95
5
*
Jeong Joon Ahn, Suna Jeong, Chuleui Jung ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 96
Rainer Krell ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 97
Peter Kwapong and Kwame Aidoo ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 98
Seunghwan Lee ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 99
Daphne Mayes ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 100
1*
3
2
2
4
Nunes-Silva, P. ; Shipp, L. ; Hrncir, M. ; Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L. ; Kevan, P.G. ......................................................................................................................... 101
*
Paola Riolo, Sara Ruschioni , Roxana L. Minuz, Simona Casavecchia, Nunzio Isidoro ..................................................................................................................... 102
1*
2
3
Manu E. Saunders , Gary W. Luck , Margie M. Mayfield .................................................................................................................................................................. 103
Biljana Stamenkovic ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 104
6
Oral presentations
7
*
, Towards sustainable pollination service for the seed production of oilseed rape and sunflower in France: A survey of current practices and the
development of new tools
1*
2
Fabrice Allier , Jean-Christophe Conjeaud and Philippe Rogani
2
1
ITSAP - Institut de l‘abeille UMT PrADE: Protection des Abeilles Dans l‘Environnement INRA - UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement Site Agroparc, 84914 Avignon
cedex 9, France
2
ANAMSO, France
*
[email protected]
Hybrid seed production of oilseed crops relies heavily on insect pollination so that the interaction between the beekeepers and the farmers who produce these crops
is nothing new. However, the hazards for honey bee colonies during the flowering of these crops and the competition with concurrent honey flows have led to a
reduced interest for beekeepers to move their colonies for pollination. The result is that colonies for pollination can be scarce in some areas for seed producers of
oilseed rape and sunflower. Both beekeeping to provide large numbers of colonies for pollination and producing hybrid seed of good quality require a high level of
technical expertise and rigor. On one hand, honey bee colonies must be ready and strong at the onset of flowering of the target crop while the target crop must have
a good stand with high yield potential and good flowering synchrony between the male and female lines. The introduction of colonies to optimize pollination brings
the two activities together and raises a lot of questions that the technical structures are attempting to solve by providing technical advice to the actors and improving
their joined organization with the clear goal of sustainable pollination. To this end, ANAMSO (http://www.anamso.fr/), mandated by the national seed association
(GNIS; http://www.gnis.fr), and ITSAP-Institut de l‘abeille (http://www.itsap.asso.fr) with three regional beekeeper organizations in Midi-Pyrénées (ADAM), Aquitaine
(ADAAQ), and Rhône-Alpes (ADARA) conducted a study to improve knowledge around this pollination service in the southeast and southwest of France. Two
surveys were conducted in 2011 on around thirty beekeepers and thirty seed growers, in order to better understand their practices and their needs, as well as their
vision of the future so as to guide new technical and economic activities to better take into account sustainability of honeybee colony development and insure
profitability for both parties. Following the results of these surveys, we suggested to beekeepers and seed producers of oilseed crops different tools to improve their
interaction, such as (1) drafting of a nationally recognized charter called "Good agricultural and beekeeping practices for sustainable pollination services", (2)
organizing small local meetings in seed production fields between farmers and beekeepers that includes the opening of beehives, and (3) the development of an
internet platform to better match the supply and demand of colonies by beekeepers and farmers ahead of the flowering period (Beewapi http://www.beewapi.com/).
These tools should help the actors in their choices and provide new data for the next research axes in the field of sustainable pollination services, including the
following four points on which actors base the negotiation of the rental fee for the colonies and possibly the signing of a pollination contract, such as: the stocking
rate of quality colonies per unit area of target crop, the location of hives around and in the fields, the timing of colony introduction and withdrawal, and, last but not
least, crop management practices, including pest management, on the target crop prior to and during the presence of honey bee colonies for all operations that may
affect the bees or the pollination service.
8
Pollination deficit assessment within mango orchards in Ghana
1*
1
1
2
3
Courage Besah-Adanu , Peter Kofi Kwapong , Kwame Aidoo , Charles Annoh , Barbara Gemmill-Herren
1
Department of Entomology and Wildlife, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
2
3
Department of Natural Science, Central University Collage, Accra, Ghana
Sustainable Agriculture, Plant production Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 00153 Rome, Italy
*
[email protected]
Various factors can result in pollination deficit in crops. Pollination deficit was investigated in mango (Manginifera indica L.) orchards in the Dangme West and Yilo
Krobo districts (intensive mango growing areas) in Ghana. Measurements were made of the density and diversity of mango flower visitors during the minor growing
seasons (September to December 2010). Data collections followed the pollination deficit protocol developed by FAO (Vaissiere et al. 2011). Two cropping
landscapes were considered based on the farming systems in the area. One cropping system showing some agricultural intensification without adjacent natural
vegetation (forest) front. The other system had natural vegetation (forest) adjacent to it. The main fauna of mango flower visitors were found to include: Apis melifera
L, Stingless bees (Meliponula sp. and Dactylurina sp.) other solitary bees (Halictus sp., Pseudapis sp., Lipotriches sp.) and Flies (6 species). The study indicated that
flower visitor abundance, diversity and fruit yield were significantly higher (P <0.05), in cropping systems within agricultural intensive areas (AIA) than farms near
natural vegetation fronts (NNVF). This finding is the response of small plantation sizes and multiple cropping systems which characterize farming landscapes in
Ghana. Flower visitors were attracted to stronger odour emitting from dense diversity of flowers resulting in higher fruit set and yield as observed in agricultural
intensive area of mango plantations.
Key words: Pollination deficit, natural vegetation front, agricultural intensive area, flower visitors, mango fruit yield, bees, flies.
9
Insect pollinators’ assemblage and canola productivity in the landscape context in South of Brazil
1
2*
3
1
1
2
1
Witter, S. ; Blochtein, B. ; Lanzer, R. ; Tirelli, F. ; Bremm, C. ; Nunes-Silva, P. ; Lisboa, B. B. ; Agra, G.
3
1
Fundação Estadual de pesquisa Agropecuária, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
3
Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
2
*
[email protected]
Introduction - Canola is an oilseed of high interest for the production of biofuel and food oil. Although it is considered a self-fertile crop, many studies show that bees
increase pollination and consequently grain productivity. Agricultural landscape heterogeneity interferes in the pollinator assemblage and can influence the crop
productivity and pollination economic value. Currently there is a significant reduction in the abundance and diversity of pollinators, constituting a threat to the global
pollination services. Quantification of pollination services provided by different guilds of insects is an important requirement for establishing management practices
and conservation of pollinators in natural and agricultural systems. In this context our aim was to comprehend the role of the relationship between the landscape and
pollinators assemblage in the crop yield of canola.
Material and methods - The study was conducted in seven crops of Brassica napus Hyola 61, in family farming systems in Guarani das Missões (28°08'27"S and
54°33'29"W), RS, Brazil. The methodology was adapted from the Protocol to Detect and Assess Pollination Deficit in Crops - FAO, using ―Landscape Context‖. The
measurements were conducted on experimental plots (50m x 25m) in each field study. We registered the abundance and diversity of bees and insect density on
flowers during nine evaluations during flowering. The yield was calculated on the basis of four plots of five plants, in each study fields. For analysis of landscape
®
images from Landsat TM 5 were georeferenced and processed (ENVI ) and we produced thematic maps of land cover and use (ArcGIS) adopting the CORINE
program and using three categories for the areas: agricultural, semi natural and forestry. The effects of the surrounding landscape of crops were analyzed in a radius
of 1,000 and 2,000 meters. Pearson correlation indexes were calculated and Path analyzes were used for verifying the relationship among pollinator density, bee
richness and crop yield.
Results - The results show that the landscape surrounding the crops‘ fields are homogenous and dominated by agricultural areas: 86% to 94% in a 1,000 m radius
and 81% to 88% within a 2,000 m radius. We collected 2,539 bees and Apis mellifera is the dominant species (97%) followed by Meliponini species (2.5%) and
solitary and subsocial bees (0.5%). There was a significant correlation (R = -0.75, p <0.05) between solitary and subsocial bee richness and the proportion of seminatural environments within 1,000 m of the surrounding crops. The reduced presence of native bees (3%), possibly related to the low proportion of friendly areas
(forest and semi natural areas), represents less pollinator potential in canola crops. In contrast, the high abundance of A. mellifera was negatively affected by forest
areas surrounding the farms within a radius of 2,000 m (R = -0.86, p <0.01). These individuals come from wild nests and apiculture. There was a linear regression
between
pod
production
and
pollinators
density
2
2
(y= -324.51 + 3042.96x; R =0.6743, EP=80.09, P=0.0235). The density and richness of pollinator bees explained 71% of the production of pods per plant (R = 0.71)
and there was also a significant correlation between pollinator density and production of pods per plant (R = 0.89, p <0.05). The effect of variables that were not
included in the model (residual effect) corresponds to 29%, with a correlation of 0.54. The residual effect (variables not included in the model) corresponded to 29%
(R = 0.54).
Conclusions - Studies in several countries have demonstrated the high efficiency of native bees in promoting canola yield. This study shows the influence of the
landscape on the assemblage of bees and the positive impact of insects in the productivity of canola. However the low occurrence of native bees in canola fields
indicates the need of planning agricultural areas for the maintenance of native bee populations and consequently the expansion of pollination services.
10
Effect of glyphosate on the behavior of Africanized bees
*
Deodoro Brighenti , Carla Brighenti, Guilherme Bassi, Everton de Paula
Department of Animal Science - Federal University of São João Del Rei , UFSJ Campus CTAN - Prédio da Zootecnia/Ciências da Computação - sala 2.07, Avenida
Visconde do Rio Preto s/nº, São João del Rei - MG 36301-360, Brazil
*
[email protected]
Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine, C3H8NO5P) is a systemic non-selective herbicide which is absorbed by the plants leaves. Many cultural plants are
genetically modified to resist glyphosate, such as soybeans and sunflowers. However, these honeybees normally forage plants and can suffer damage due to the
herbicide residues. The objective of this study was to evaluate survival and behavior of workers of A. mellifera fed a diet supplemented with different doses of
glyphosate. The doses of 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 or 100 mL per liter of glyphosate in the preparation of aqueous sucrose 1:1. Ten replicates were used for each treatment,
each consisting of ten bees. We counted the number of surviving bees every 6 hours until 120 hours by adjusting the survival curve and the Weibull model by
calculating the time to death and the lethal dose. It was found that diets plus at least 30 ml of glyphosate begin to affect the behavior of the insects after 72 hours.
11
Honey bee quality: from the environment to nutraceutical contents
Lorena Canuti, Stefania Impei, Gabriele Di Marco, Donatella Leonardi and Antonella Canini
*
Dept. of Biology, Honey Research Centre, University of Rome ―Tor Vergata‖
Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 1 - 00133 Rome, Italy
*
[email protected]
Honey is a natural complex produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) from the nectar of flowers as well as from honeydew, usually produced by plant-striking
insects. Honey components like carbohydrates, water, traces of organic acids, enzymes, amino acids, pigments, pollen and wax derive from the maturation of the
nectar, while some others are added by the bees.
Honey may be considered a ‗functional‘ food, also coming under the category of ‗nutraceuticals‘ or ‗therapeutic‘ food. In fact it satisfies both the classical concept of
‗nutritionally adequate food‘, which is a food that provides nutrients in sufficient quantities to satisfy particular organic needs, and the concept of ‗optimal nutritional
food‘, which includes, besides the above, potential of food to promote health, improve general well-being, and reduce the risk of developing certain illnesses. An
important property of honey is its antioxidant capacity; this is mainly due to the presence of flavonoids and phenolic acids, although the exact action mechanism is
unknown. Among the mechanisms proposed are free radical sequestration, hydrogen donation, or a combination of these acting as substrates for radicals such as
superoxide and hydroxyl. The antioxidant activity of honey is linked to the observed anticancer and antiatherosclerosis effects of honey.
Moreover, beehive study can give us also information about the floral composition of the space covered by bees through melissopalynological analysis that can
identify botanical species present in these areas. The good quality of honey, due to high nutritional levels and optimal values of physicochemical parameters. Is
directly associated to the healthiness of the place where the beehive is situated (i.e. populated areas versus protected areas and natural parks). In fact, bees are
highly sensitive to the quality of the areas in which they live: agricultural pesticides, human and livestock antibiotics, fungicides, heavy metals, radionuclides and
other pollutants present in the environment can induce high mortality in the beehive. Unfortunately, some contaminants result directly from bad beekeeping practices:
acaricides to prevent varroasis and antibiotics to control bee brood diseases, in particular tetracycline, sulfonamides and tylosin are used to treat bee pest. All these
environmental contaminants can be detected in bee products, by scientific methods, and used to individuate polluted geographical areas.
Honey and pollen production can certainly be identified through a dedicated supply chain that ensures their high organoleptic, nutritional and nutraceutical quality. It
remains to suggest the use of beehives in agricultural systems to develop local economic growth and the implementation of yield through the natural pollination
service.
12
Patches of native flowers facilitate crop pollination in large agricultural fields - mango as a study case
*
Luísa G. Carvalheiro , Colleen L. Seymour, Susan W. Nicolson and Ruan Veldtman
*
[email protected]
As cropland increases, fields become progressively isolated from pollinators, leading to declines in pollinator-dependent crop productivity. With the rise of the
demand for pollinator-dependent foods, such productivity losses may accelerate conversion of natural areas to cropland. Pollination-compensation measures
involving managed pollinators or hand pollination are not always optimal or are too costly. Introducing areas of native vegetation within cropland has been proposed
as a way to supplement crop pollinators, but this measure is perceived by farmers to carry costs that outweigh benefits to agricultural production. Studies quantifying
benefits of small patches of native flowers to crop pollination are, therefore, necessary to encourage such practices.
To ascertain whether provision of floral resources within farmlands can facilitate pollination services and hence crop yields, small experimental patches of perennial
native plants (native flower compensation areas, NFCAs) were created in non-productive areas of large commercial fields of several cultivars of mango (Mangifera
indica).
Our results suggest that the presence of small patches of native flowers within large farms can increase pollinator-dependent crop production, if combined with
preservation of remaining fragments of natural habitat and judicious use of pesticides. NFCAs could represent a profitable management measure for farmers, whilst
indirectly contributing to preservation of natural habitat.
13
The bee tourism: an Italian project to be worldwide promoted
Raffaele Cirone
FAI - Italian Beekeepers‘ Federation
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 101, 00186 Rome - RM, Italy
[email protected]
Since many years, during the several Congresses organized by the International Federation APIMONDIA, we could see the birth of a new word: ―bee tourism‖. This
word defines a phenomenon still quite unknown, but surely more and more known among the beekeepers, that is to find in the bee and its world, the main reason
that animates the choice and the building of a tourist itinerary of high cultural and environmental interest.
This phenomenon was born and developed thanks to the rural tourism that, during the last years, gave way to a new kind of tourism, also due to the holidays in the
agricultural firms. This tourism enriched the tourists‘ sensibility towards ethic values and responsible behaviours.
The rural and the bee tourism represent in this way a phenomenon well spread all over the territory, it respects the rural activities and traditions; it is really a virtuous
example of sustainable hospitality, perfectly integrated together with the economy and the local resources.
Last week (27 September 2012) we celebrated the 33rd Worldwide Tourism Day, during the celebration Italy and other Countries adopted the worldwide code of the
ethic tourism. Meanwhile the two main National beekeeping organizations, FAI - Italian Beekeepers‘ Federation and UNAAPI - The Italian Beekeepers‘ National
Union, members of Apimondia, launched the idea of a common project to promote the FAD, the Didactic Beekeepers‘ Farms.
The aim of the Didactic Beekeepers‘ Farms is to spread the bee and the environment culture improving the quality of life. Their role should be placed in the area of a
multi-function beekeeping firm and it is oriented towards the aspects that see the beekeeping as an environmental bioindicator, a zootechnical chief who can offer
several products to be used as diet-therapeutic integrators, presidium for the safeguard of the environment, the biodiversity, the countryside preservation, the
conservation of the recreational tourist development of rural traditions, of didactic and social initiatives. This is how we want to catch the attention of the beekeepers:
it is more and more appropriate, in fact, to move towards the realization of a project through which we can deepen the pedagogic-didactic area, arousing a conscious
interest towards the rural area and consequently towards the beekeeping area.
It is in this way that we could better spread the activities practised in the farm, the profiles of the people working in it and, last but not least, the value of the bee which
characterizes the wholeness of our commitment as guardians of this insect.
Furthermore even the organizers of ApiEcoFlora 2012 can see the particular circumstance for which, not by chance, this International Beekeeping Symposium takes
place in San Marino and thanks to the Patronage of the Tourism, Culture and Territory Departments of the State. The same ―3 calls-up‖ underlined by the didactic
beekeepers‘ farms to state their success.
14
Selection and breeding of honey bee strains for pollination of tree crops
1
2
3
Arnon Dag , Ohad Afik , Raphael A. Stern and Sharoni Shafir
2
1
Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Gilat Research Center, 85280, Israel
B. Triwaks Bee Research Center, Department of Entomology, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Rehovot, Israel
3
Migal, Galilee Technology Center, P.O.B. 831, Kiryat Shmona 11016, Israel
2
The value of increased agricultural production attributable to honeybee pollination is much higher than the direct value of hive products. Still, most of the selection
and breeding effort is aimed for better honey production and better resistance to bee diseases and pests and not for better pollination performance. We study the
genetic background for bee preference for two important bee-pollinated crops in which competition is a severe limiting factor for their production.
In apple, pollen collectors are the main pollinators. We tested various genetic strains and found significant differences among them in the proportion of apple pollen
that they collected. We also found that colonies that were progenies of colonies with high preference for apple pollen in the previous year ('High strain') tended to
collect a higher proportion of apple pollen compared to colonies from 'Low strain'.
In avocado, nectar collectors are the main pollinators. We were able to compare the level of foraging on avocado of tested colonies by using the 7-carbon sugar,
perseitol as a unique marker for avocado nectar / honey. Using this marker, we found large differences between bee genetic lines in their tendency to collect nectar
from avocado bloom. Furthermore, using artificial insemination we were able to breed genetic lines with high and low preference for avocado bloom.
The genetic component for preference to the target crop attests the possibility of breeding honeybee strains with high pollination effectiveness under competition
conditions.
15
Bee-watching in a bee garden: the Bee - School - Environment Project
1
1
2
Alessandro del Dotto , Mario Andreini , Antonio Felicioli , Mauro Pinzauti
1
Comune di Camaiore - LU, Italy
2
2
Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56100 Pisa - PI, Italy
Introduction - This study provides scientific elements to create a Bee Garden easily accessible to the general public. The accessibility of the Bee Garden also means
that it can be enjoyed by the disabled and easily understood by all visitors. The project was conducted in the park of Villa Borbone delle Pianore (five hectares by the
sea).
The work in the Pianore park has environmental education aims and we explain its history through national and international documents, providing a description of
the bee superfamily and, in particular, solitary bees. The natural and artificial nests made at the University of Pisa are described, along with the techniques for
studying the life of solitary bees and increasing this population.
We discuss the relationship between humans and bees, and the role of this species of bees within several ecosystems. In particular, we address the utility of bees
for pollinating plants and maintaining biodiversity.
Materials and Methods - We created the Bee Garden with natural and artificial bees‘ nests, providing simple information and helpful instruments to understand their
importance in the life of bees. In the park we catalogued the natural flora and planted new species with flowers richer in nectar and pollen that would also thrive in
summer. We presented the definition of our project for the ―Bee Course‖, ―Bee Path‖, ―Bee Oasis‖ and ―Bee Park‖.
When we began the study in the Bee Garden we also introduced 2,000 bee cocoons (Osmia cornuta, Osmia rufa, Osmia caerulescens, Megachile rotundata) reared
at the University of Pisa.
Results - The survey of Apoidea insects in the Bee Garden (Dafni transect technique [1992] and cocoons collected in the artificial nest) permitted classification,
according to the species (checklist) of the bees in this particular environment. The surveys of nesting success, the effective bee increase in the Pianore environment
and their preferred diet investigated through nesting pollen analysis have been satisfactory.
The students visiting the Bee Garden and other visitors (naturalists, in particular) have shown positive feedback to this environmental education.
Conclusions - The project completed at Villa Pianore (Capezzano - Lucca) proved to be a significant initiative marked by high ecological and educational value.
Today the Bee Garden in Villa Pianore is an important protected area illustrating the behaviour of all Apoidea insects visiting flowers, collecting food and nesting.
16
Forty years of nectar plants research
1*
Dan Eisikowitch , Arnon Dag
2
1
Department of Molecular Biology & Ecology of Plants, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
2
Gilat Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Ministry of Agriculture, Mobile Post Negev 85280, Israel
*
[email protected]
The main native and citrus blooming season in Israel is short, between March and May, and accordingly, the factors controlling the biological activities of the local
honeybee Apis mellifera. However, the season between July and February is very poor in terms of bloom, and thus nectar and pollen supply are meager, constituting
what beekeepers refer to as the "dearth period" (Fig. 1). During this part of the year, beekeepers usually feed their bees sugar and some time pollen supplements. In
the last 60 years, Israel has undergone rapid development which has had a negative effect on the wild flora. This phenomenon, together with the decline of the local
citrus industry, has brought beekeeping in Israel to severe crisis.
In order to meet the shortage in nectar and pollen we began in 1976 screening hundreds of exotic plants that might compensate for both the loss of the natural bloom
and the citrus decline. We found that eucalypts among other Australian plants might be able to endure the Israeli drought and supply enough pollen and nectar for
the long dearth period. We have since selected several species of eucalypts that bloom almost all year-round, are attractive to honeybees, are durable, and above all
do not germinate spontaneously (to reduce the chances of being invasive plants). For the sake of creating a new source of nectar and pollen, we convinced several
national nurseries to produce hundreds of thousands of trees and distribute them among beekeepers all over the country. The trees were planted for commercial
nectar plantations. In this paper we present several eucalyptus species that performed high level of desired features as nectar and pollen plants, among them are E.
torquata, E. woodwardii, their hybrid E. torwood and E. erythrocoris.
A special attention was made to E. erythrocoris which blooms in the mid the harsh summer in various places in Israel its blooming period and its attractiveness to
honeybees was exceptional and lead us to make detailed calculation for a possibility to create a special plantation for beekeepers.
Calculations showed that under conditions of annual precipitation of 450 mm, one hectare with 620 trees bearing 2,000 flowers can produce ca 500 kg honey.
17
Managing wild bees for pollination in Italy
Antonio Felicioli
Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa - PI, Italy
[email protected]
In Italy the pollination service is performed mainly by managing honeybees and bumblebees and the use of wild bees to pollinate both crops and orchards is still very
much unknown by farmers. Since 1988 at University of Pisa and in the last ten years also at University of Bologna several studies on the biology, physiology and
management of some wild bees for pollination purposes have been performed. The studies have been concentrated on O. cornuta, O. rufa, O. caerulescens, M.
rotundata and H. truncorum. Efforts have been made to direct the bee rearing strategy from nest-trapping (NT) to the releasing-and-rearing (RR), and from the latter
to more controlled conditions (captivity), whilst optimising the wild bees management for pollinating crops and orchards in both open field and confined environments.
Up to now the releasing-and-rearing strategy has been the most common method to develop a wild bee population obtained by nest-trapping. The RR strategy is
based on the SWOT system (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) and focalises on the critical phases of a process. The strong points of the RR strategy
are gregarism, the ease of acceptance of artificial nests and the presence of a diapause period. The weak points are the biotic and abiotic limiting factors on the
populations, dispersion after release and the lack of available technology. The opportunity points include the diapause plasticity, availability of rearing sites, nest
handling and management of food sources. The threat points are represented by pesticides and parasite proliferation.
A good multiplication of the reared wild bees involves the male-female relationship and depends on the number of tunnels available for nesting as well as controlling
the multitude of enemies. Reared wild bees are used in both open field and confined environments, and the success in increasing yield is due to both the
crop/orchard and bee management as well as to the optimisation of the bee-plant syndrome. Results on the biology and the control of the most dangerous wild bees
enemies that affect bees multiplication are hereby summarised and discussed, together with the results obtained through the use of wild bees in the pollination of
watermelons, raspberries, brambles, strawberries, blueberries, seed-cabbage, lucerne and white clover in a confined environment, and those from apricot, plum,
rape-oil, kiwi and pear in open field environment.
18
The impact of humans on the floral resources of domestic and wild Apoidea and their effect on survival and honey production
Paola Ferrazzi
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Università di Torino, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco - TO, Italy
[email protected]
Over the past two centuries, Italian and European territories have suffered upheavals that have made the honey bee particularly vulnerable and resulted in a serious
decline of wild Apoidea.
This study builds upon personal investigations started in the 70s and the work of international specialists to examine the causes of this state of affairs, and the effects
of these changes on the most important sources of bee food and honey production.
Human impacts on honey bees generally relate to the broad categories of agricultural and wild land use or increased urbanization. Habitats can be impacted by an
array of events: 1) abandonment of hilly and mountainous areas leading to increased shrub and forest lands and a consequent reduction in meadow and pasture
lands, 2) intensive farming expansion, 3) indiscriminate weeding, 4) reduction or disappearance of untouched lands, 5) global CO2 and temperature increases, and
6) fires. Furthermore, territories that were once rural or wild and that contained vegetation attractive to the honey bee have suffered from globalization-linked
phenomena, such as the massive spread of alien plants that become antagonistic to native species and the arrival of insects and other exotic pests that can severely
affect native or allochthonous plants that are now part of European landscapes.
While Apis mellifera is highly plastic and has adapted to many plant population changes, its flexibility has limits. Its existence is now jeopardized by scarce natural
resources, nectar and pollen, and propolis, which result from high urbanization and wild plant destruction to make way for total crop coverage (mainly grasses and
soybeans). These crops contribute little or nothing to pollinators, and may even become sources of heavy bee damage when plants rich in nectar and pollen, such as
fruit trees and sunflowers, pose a risk from the pesticides applied to them.
Similarly, a sharp decline in biodiversity also carries serious repercussions because beneficial insects such as the Apoidea are closely tied to species pollinated
through evolutionary relationships get reduced. Biodiversity loss also impedes the survival of the honey bees already burdened by pathogens and parasites (primarily
Varroa destructor). In fact, A. mellifera cannot find enough resources to both meet its supply demands and maintain its health to cope with the various adversities
that strike it.
19
Sustainable beekeeping in Biella (Piemonte, Italy): an area with flora not threatened by human impacts
1*
1
2
Paola Ferrazzi , Davide Cuttini , Paolo Detoma , Roberta Ferrero
1
1
Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Via Leonardo da Vinci, 44, 10095 Grugliasco - TO, Italy
2
Associazione Apicoltori Biellesi, Biella, Italy
*
[email protected]
The Piedmont province of Biella, sandwiched between the Western Alps and the Po River valley, is unusual and diverse. Nearly 2% of its area is comprised of
protected areas: Baragge are a relict heathland; Bessa is formed from debris of an ancient Roman gold mine; and Burcina Park is known for its rhododendrons.
Historically, Biella was known for its rich textile industry. It has retained a wealth of natural forests and grasslands since ancient times and has proved to be suitable
for beekeeping due to its mild climate and frequent precipitation that ensures continuous vegetative development. Beekeeping in the area, according to the Biella
Beekeepers Association, includes 55 professional beekeepers and 3,579 bee hives, which are located mainly in the plains and low hills. An additional 199 amateurs
and 1,127 registered hives exist mostly in the hills and low mountains.
Interest from the local government and beekeepers themselves allowed Ferrazzi and Ferrero to research the area‘s bee flora and the Biella honeys. The work has
led the most typical honeys of the area to be distinguished by the Agriqualità label of the Piemonte Region, featuring PAT (Traditional Food Products).
The bee flora analysis was conducted through direct observations of honey bee foraging activity from 2006 to 2011. The honeys were evaluated from 140 samples
submitted to melissopalynological, organoleptic, and physico-chemical (colour and moisture) analyses.
The spring blooms of Taraxacum officinale, Salix and many genera of wild and cultivated Rosaceae (Prunus, Pyrus and Sorbus) were found especially important.
The most relevant flowering is represented by Robinia pseudoacacia; Acer pseudoplatanus is also a strong contributor. Herbaceous Leguminosae, such as Trifolium
repens and Lotus corniculatus were always attended by honey bees. Widespread Castanea sativa was also found to be an important crop as was simultaneousflowering Rubus. High altitude Rhododendron ferrugineum and Epilobium angustifolium are also excellent resources, the latter also present at low altitudes. A rare
wild melliferous species, Erica cinerea, is located at Curino. Special crops such as Polygonum fagopyrum can also provide honey. Finally, Solidago and Centaurea
jacea are important during the summer, while the later-flowering Calluna vulgaris, typical to Baragge, and Reynoutria japonica, found along roads and waterways,
represented sources particularly useful to overwintering. The most common honeys of Biella Province are black locust, chestnut, decreased by gall wasp
(Dryocosmus kuriphilus) damage, honeydew from Metcalfa pruinosa, and wildflowers. The quality of Biella honey is high, rooted in the care beekeepers extend to
their colonies and the use of environmental friendly control methods, sanctioned by the Association, to reduce Varroa. As testament to the environmental health of
the land, never has the area reported a neonicotinoid poisoning or registered a Biella bee or bee product critical situation. Due to integration of the pristine
environment, rich floristic resources, and sustainable management of beekeeping, the Biella province is a privileged setting. From this emerges a mutual benefit
between bees, beekeepers, and the territory that ensures a fundamental contribution of pollination and biodiversity by the insect to crop and wild plants.
20
Integrated conservation of a rare threatened plant and the community of its natural pollinators: the Life+ PP-ICON project (LIFE09/NAT/IT000212)
1
1
2
2
3
4
4
5
Fisogni A. , Rossi M. , Bortolotti L. , Bogo G. , Mossetti U. , Quaranta M. , Porrini C. , Guerra M. , Galloni M.
1*
1
Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, Bologna, Italy
2
Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura - Unità di Ricerca di Apicoltura e Bachicoltura, Via di Saliceto 80, Bologna, Italy
3
Orto Botanico - Sistema Museale d‘Ateneo, Università di Bologna, Via
Irnerio 42, Bologna, Italy
4
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroambientali, Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 42, Bologna, Italy
5
Fondazione Villa Ghigi, Via San Mamolo 105, Bologna, Italy
*
[email protected]
About 90% of angiosperms profit from animal pollination for reproduction. The mutualistic pollination interactions are beneficial to plants and animals but also benefit
humanity, through crop productivity and ecosystem health. Pollination systems are under increasing threat from anthropogenic sources, including habitat
fragmentation, changes in land use, modern agricultural practices, use of pesticides and herbicides. Rare plants are commonly more sensitive to habitat loss and
fragmentation and often occur in small populations, which may decrease the attractiveness to pollinators and reduce pollinator service. The PP-ICON project (Plant
Pollinator Integrated CONservation approach: a demonstrative proposal, http://www.pp-icon.eu) focuses on the conservation of a locally rare plant (Dictamnus albus
L.) and the community of its natural pollinators. At present, European wild populations of dittany are declining because of scarcity of pollination service; in addition,
suitable habitats (woodland fringes and clearings) are becoming rare due to land-use changes resulting from the abandonment of traditional agro-silvo-pastoral
activities. Wild pollinators are facing a widespread decline, mainly due to climatic changes, soil use changes, habitat fragmentation and pollution, which cause a
scarcity of floral resources and nesting sites. The main objectives of this 4-year project are to ensure the persistence of an isolated population of D. albus, located in
a protected area (Parco Regionale dei Gessi Bolognesi e Calanchi dell‘Abbadessa) included in the Natura2000 network (SIC-SPA IT4050001), and to restore the
community of its natural pollinators. These integrated techniques could be applied for the conservation of other plant species and respective pollinators. Actions
focus on habitat management, pollinators safeguard, stakeholders‘ awareness and dissemination. Habitat has been managed in order to establish the best
environmental condition for the persistence of the target population. At the same time effective pollinators of dittany have been identified, in order to artificially rear
and introduce them in the area, and suitable nesting sites have been provided. The maintenance of introduced pollinators will be assured by the growing of
autochthonous nectariferous plant species, which are planted in the area. The fitness of the plant and the pollinating fauna are monitored every year, in order to
assess the success of conservation actions, and check for the need of eventual redirections. After one year of implementation, preliminary project results show a
positive output of the intervention on the wood, with an increase of flowering in the newly created clearings. Despite being visited by many insect species, belonging
to different orders, data indicate that only medium-large bee species (Habropoda tarsata, Xylocopa violacea, Bombus spp., Eucera spp.) effectively pollinate the
flowers of D. albus. By contrast, small halictid bees frequently visit the flowers without touching the stigmatic surface, behaving as nectar or pollen thieves. Based on
these results, conservation actions have been redirected. Small nesting holes have been excluded in the artificial nests placed in the area, and species visited
exclusively by large bees (e.g. Lathyrus latifolius) have been added to the list of nectariferous plants with scalar flowering period to be planted in the area: collected
seeds will be germinated in the Botanic Garden for following plantation.
21
Relationship between flowerings, honeybee colony development and honey production in a Mediterranean sylvo-pastoral system
1*
2
2
3
3
I. Floris , S. Bagella , M.C. Caria , G. Velis , M. Eguaras , A. Satta
1
1
Dipartimento di Agraria, Sezione di Patologia Vegetale ed Entomologia, Università di Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
2
Department of Science for Nature and Environmental Resources, Sassari University, 07100 Sassari, Italy
3
Arthropods Laboratory, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes, 3350, 7600 Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
*
[email protected]
Mediterranean agro-sylvo-pastoral system represents an example of semi-natural ecosystems that provide diverse ecosystem services to human societies (MEA,
2005). In central and southern Italy and its islands these systems are widely disseminated and they are based on integration of forests, tree plantations and
herbaceous crops in which livestock becomes part of a wider production system based on their degree of diversification, as well as on the degree of integration of the
different productive factors. Due to the higher resource diversity and lower degree of specialization, complex and integrated systems are more stable than
conventional ones when it comes to ecological condition (more biodiversity), productivity level (produce availability is distributed over several months and the
presence of different species compensates for climatic variability) and social relationships (labour opportunities are better spread through the whole year) (Pardini
and Nori, 2011). In this context, honey production represents a traditional resource compatible with agro-pastoral activities which may contribute to the system
conservation.
In this work we evaluated several different vegetation types in a typical agro-sylvo-pastoral system located in north Sardinia (Italy) in order to find out the most
effective one for honey production. For the same environment, we report additional results of a simultaneous investigation aimed at monitoring sanitary (American
foulbrood and varroa infestation), biological (dynamic development of the colony) and productive (amount of honey produced and identification of major nectar and
pollen sources) of a group of beehives, to test the aptitude of the Mediterranean sylvo-pastoral systems to allow the development and production of bee colonies by
adopting best management‐practice of hive conduction.
22
Effect of thawing and re-freezing on microbial load in fresh frozen organic bee pollen
1
1
2
1
Fratini F. , Turchi B., Bertelloni F. , Antonelli R. , Biondi C. , Giusti M.
1
1
Dipartimento Scienze Veterinarie, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56100 Pisa - PI, Italy
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-ambientali, Via del Borghetto, 56100 Pisa - PI, Italy
2
Growing interest on commercial bee pollen for human feeding incentives to investigate about its quality and food safety. Bee pollen is a bee product of great interest
for scientific, medical and economic point of view. It is important also for its psychological implications that evoke both organic food and natural way of life. The bee
pollen traditionally is sold dried, but in the last years have been developed the market of fresh frozen bee pollen. In this form, the bee pollen is collected from the
pollen trap on the hive and lightly dehumidified, then frozen. For food safety it could be interesting know what happen after thawing. Aim of this preliminary work is
investigated the microbiological profile of fresh frozen organic bee pollen at different periods after thawing at room temperature. More is investigated the effect of
several freezing and thawing of the same sample of be pollen to evaluate the importance of the cold chain in the bee pollen storage and commercialization.
23
Sustainable Pollination for UK Crops
Michael Garratt
University of Reading, United Kingdom
[email protected]
Crop pollination is a vital ecosystem service and essential for maintaining agricultural and horticultural productivity. This service is worth at least €153 billion a year to
global agriculture. Pollination services are provided by wild pollinators such as bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies and managed bee species including the honey
bee. Evidence shows that many wild and managed pollinators are in widespread decline and this could have serious implications for the productivity of insect
pollinated crops. This talk presents research carried out at Reading and Leeds Universities as part of the Insect Pollinator Initiative, a ‗Biotechnology and Biological
Science Research Council‘ led programme to investigate the causes and consequences of pollinator decline.
Fieldwork focussing on three important UK insect pollinated crops (apples, field beans and strawberries) has shown that a diverse community of insect species
pollinate these crops, but in some cases substantial potential pollination deficits exist, indicating inadequate pollination services are being delivered. The composition
of the landscape surrounding target crops has been characterised and its effect on pollinator community composition and levels of pollination service has been
investigated. These findings have important implications for crop productivity and food security in the UK.
24
Lythrum salicaria: a possible good forage for pollinators in Mediterranean areas
*
Matteo Giusti , Cesare Biondi, Antonio Felicioli
Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa - PI, Italy
*
[email protected]
Lythrum salicaria L. is an herbaceous perennial plant, cosmopolitan, native of central and southern Europe and spread throughout the world except of arctic regions.
Lythrum salicaria grows in as individual clumps as high as 2 meters with purple-magenta spike-like inflorescences of hundreds of flowers. This species prefers very
moist soil and wetland but can withstand prolonged periods of water logging. The reproductive strategy is based on seeds production although it can use vegetative
reproduction by perennial roots. This specie is a self-incompatible plant and it has an important advantage in cross-pollination. It is also very attractive for many
pollinators, as butterflies, flies, beetles and bees which find supply of nectar and pollen. Due to its power of attracting pollinators Lythrum salicaria became an
invasive species in America since it first appeared less than a century ago, it is almost replacing the native species Lythrum alatum Pursh.
In the Mediterranean area, where Lythrum salicaria is native and doesn‘t produce problems to ecological balance, it could be considered an important forage for local
pollinators, especially during the dry season. Following this hypothesis, we carried out some observations on Lythrum salicaria in natural and agricultural ecosystems
in North-Western Tuscany. Our study was aimed to monitoring the number and species of pollinators, mostly bees, visiting Lythrum salicaria, describing their
foraging behavior, and suggesting management strategies of this plant benefitting pollinators.
25
The types of winter honey produced by Apis mellifera subsp. siciliana in Sicily
1*
2
3
4
5
6
Santina Grisanti , Eugenia Oliveri , Carlo Amodeo , Maria Concetta Catalano , Fabiola Schicchi , Maurizio Zisa , Pellegrino Conte
7
1
Via Polizzi, 44, 90016 Collesano - PA, Italy
2
Dipartimento di Sistemi Agro-Ambientali, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo - PA, Italy
3
Apicoltura Amodeo, C. da M. Diana s.n.c., Termini Imerese - PA, Italy
4
Distretto Madonie, U.O. SOAT di Collesano dell‘Ass. delle Risorse Agricole e Alimentari, Dip. Regionale degli Interventi Infrastrutturali per l‘Agricoltura, Via Imera 2,
90016 Collesano - PA, Italy
5
Via Archirafi 13, 90127 Palermo - PA, Italy
6
Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Ragusa, Via Mongibello 72, 97100 Ragusa - RG, Italy
7
Dipartimento di Sistemi Agro-Ambientali, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo - PA, Italy
*
[email protected]
Introduction - The purpose of this research is to verify the production performance of two Sicilian honeys obtained from the Japanese loquat tree (Eryobotrya
japonica Lindley) and the almond tree [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb] and the reproductive cycle of the Sicilian black bee (Apis mellifera subsp. siciliana Dalla
Torre) closely related to the two fruit trees present in traditional Sicilian agriculture system.
The Japanese loquat tree in specialized cultivation is widespread between Trabia and Palermo, a town about 30 kilometres from the Sicilian regional capital.
The almond tree orchard, however, has an area of wider distribution: there is, in fact, in almost all of Sicily a mixed cultivation while the specialized are present in the
provinces of Siracusa, Ragusa, Agrigento and Enna.
Materials and methods - The observations were conducted over a five-year period from 2007 to 2011. The data collected are from apiaries of different Sicilian
beekeepers. All placements studied were nomad, consisting of Blat Dadant hives and their families have not been artificially fed. For the consideration of data
families with more abundant bees and brood were selected following the criteria for assessing the strength of the family mentioned in the national project ―Beenet‖.
The data relating to honey and bees relates only to the content of the super bee hives, leaving intact hives and not including the bees leaving during manual
operations leave. The average quantity of honey produced per family was calculated at the end of honey extraction. The kilograms of bees each hive produced for
were calculated by weighing the bees in standard containers in the field.
26
The data on cultivation of Japanese loquat trees and almond trees and different flowering periods of the same have been taken from field studies and interviews with
farmers and beekeepers.
The data relating to the cultivated area were gathered by ISTAT and PSR Sicily 2007-2013 (Annex 4 - Analysis of regional supply chains).
Results - From the observations conducted and data collected demonstrate that the areas relating to the cultivation of specialized Japanese loquat trees fell in the
last decade. The average production for each honey comb hive varies between 10 and 15 kg of honey per year. The average production of bees for each family is
5.1 kg.
With regard to the cultivation of the almond trees, it is clear that few beekeepers lead bees in almond, orchard despite the extensive distribution area. The average
production for each honey comb hive varies between 10 and 12 kg of honey per year. The average production of bees for family is 6.8 kg.
Conclusions - The reduction in the area used for growing specialized Japanese loquat trees, due to the increasing urbanization, results in a lower availability of
flowers on which the bees can forage, loss of biodiversity, the increase in concentration of beekeepers in the same areas, and the decrease in production of honey
that fails to meet market demands. The potential nectariferous and polliniferous varieties of Japanese loquat trees favour development of the Sicilian black bee brood
and an increase of the superfamily of individuals in November and December.
With regard to the production of almond honey the quantities produced are not sufficient to meet the market demands. The potential polliniferous and nectariferous
varieties of the different cultivations allow a precocious development of the Sicilian black bee brood and growth of individuals of the superfamily as early as January
and February.
27
GM crop cultivation and beekeeping: coexistence measures and monitoring requirements
Walter Haefeker
European Professional Beekeepers‘ Association, Seeshaupt, Germany
[email protected]
Since the foraging range of bees encompasses several kilometers, bees and bee products are uniquely susceptible to be exposed to GMO crops. For the same
reasons, bees are very well suited for monitoring the presence of GMOs in the environment.
After an extensive debate on which measures are necessary to facilitate the coexistence between different farming methods, many countries now have some
regulations in place. However, the promises of coexistence, freedom of choice and zero-tolerance remain often largely unfulfilled for beekeepers and their
customers.
The potential exists for bee keeping to contribute to the GMO monitoring required for all coexistence regimes. The post-market monitoring of GMOs by the industry
has proven to be woefully inadequate. A global database of gene flow could be established and maintained in partnership between the scientific community and the
honey sector, which already analyzes honey on a regular basis for GMO content and has a vested interest in having access to maps indicating high or low risk of
contamination.
28
Coexistence of GMO cultivation and beekeeping: Socio-economical impacts
Walter Haefeker
European Professional Beekeepers‘ Association, Seeshaupt, Germany
[email protected]
Beekeeping is an exceptionally open production system, which is highly dependent on the farming systems in use within the area covered by the foraging activity of
the honey bees. The impact of the GMO culture on the honey sector is complex and depends on the properties of the GM crop in question and the target market for
the bee products. The supply chain from the beekeepers to the consumers is subject to numerous market forces and regulations. The cultivation of GM crops can
become a major factor for the viability of beekeeping operations.
When trying to assess the impact of a GM crop on beekeeping, it is not enough to simply consider honey bees as just another non-target species, which may be
included in the environmental risk analysis required in the approval process in some parts of the world.
The large scale adoption of GMO-enabled farming methods has lead to the displacement of beekeeping from traditional production areas, due to an elimination of
most foraging opportunities.
GMO-contamination can make it all but impossible to market the bee products in certain markets, because they no longer meet regulatory standards or are rejected
by retailers and consumers.
The introduction of GMO-cultivation creates additional cost for analysis and careful separation of GM and non-GM products in the logistics of the food, feed and seed
business. The honey sector is no exception, but the open production system presents many significant additional challenges beyond the control of the individual
beekeeper. The economic impact extends, beyond beekeepers, also to farmers relying on the essential pollination services. The cultivation of GM crops further
complicates the relationship between beekeeping and farming as well as the image of the bee products in the eyes of consumers.
As a consequence of these complex impacts, the livelihoods of beekeepers can be in danger. Governments need to take this into account, when weighing the pros
and cons of GMO-cultivation and when deciding on the appropriate regulatory framework.
29
The Influence of Climate on pollinator activity
1*
1
2
Brad Howlett , Ruth Butler , Barry Donovan , Warrick Nelson
1
1
The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
2
Donovan Scientific Insect Research
*
[email protected]
Insect crop pollinators, especially bees and flies, are active under specific climatic conditions during the day. With predicted climate change, the length and intensity
of pollinator activity are likely to change. To assess the influence of climate on pollinator activity, we utilised a 5-year data set containing more than 50,000 records of
pollinator-flower interactions within pak choi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) and Onion (Alium cepa) commercial seed and trial crops. This data was collected from 83
fields located across North and South Islands. We then compared pollinator abundance with climatic data (collected at hourly intervals) from meteorology stations
located within 10 km of field sites. Temperature was found to influence abundance of pollinator species differently. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) were most abundant
when air temperature reached 25°- 30°C, while Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) and some fly species were most abundant when temperature was less than 25°C.
Key cropping areas in New Zealand are expected to receive close to, or more than double the number of days where maximum temperatures exceed 25°C by year
2100. We therefore predict that the activity of some key pollinating species will become more restricted on flowering crops during crop flowering. In contrast, honey
bee activity may be enhanced.
30
Historical patterns of forage use supporting the South African honeybee industry - from 1900 till present
James P. Hutton-Squire
1,2*
1,2
2
, Ruan Veldtman , Jonathan Colville , and Mike Allsopp
3
1
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, P/BAG X1, Matieland 7602, Stellenbosch, South Africa
2
Kirstenbosch Research Centre, SANBI, P/BAG X7, Claremont 7735, Cape Town, South Africa
3
Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Council, P/BAG X5017, Stellenbosch 7600, Stellenbosch, South Africa
*
[email protected]
South African beekeepers have a strong relationship to a variety of plant forage sources, many of which are exotic plant species. Pressure is currently mounting on
South African beekeepers to find alternative forage for their colonies due to the loss and threat of forage removal through general habitat loss and alien plant
eradication programs. Honeybees are critical to global agriculture and food security; however, at present there are global problems in the form of drastic declines in
honeybee populations. Declines in honeybee populations have been linked to several factors with deteriorating forage resources (quality and quantity) being one of
the major contributors. This study aims to review the historical relationship between beekeepers and forage usage in South Africa; assuming that with strong
honeybee forage knowledge, beekeeping and the pollination services it offers can be better managed and secured. For example, it is important to determine if forage
species use remains constant over time or shows turnover in species use. This will be achieved through literature reviews, where all forage related literature from the
1900‘s until present will be reviewed and analysed. Additionally, historical accounts of forage usage in South Africa, combined with current forage data collected
through a national beekeeper questionnaire, will be used to create a comprehensive and up-to-date national honeybee forage list, listing the top forage species
within South Africa and their general characteristics (e.g. flowering times, and relative pollen and nectar quality). The national forage species list will be freely
available as an interactive map to beekeepers and land-managers throughout South Africa, through the South African National Biodiversity Institute's biodiversity
information portals. The availability of this list will thus allow land use decision making to incorporate safeguarding of key honeybee forage species.
31
Integrated Crop Pollination in concept and practice
*
Rufus Isaacs and Neal Williams
Michigan State University & University of California, Davis, USA
*
[email protected]
Crops that require bee pollination to produce marketable fruit have varying dependence on these insects for yield. They also vary in their dependence on honey bees
and other managed or wild bee species, and in the relative effectiveness of different pollinator groups for pollination. Both landscape and local scale factors
determine the degree to which farms need supplemental managed pollinators, such as honey bees, but the influence of these aspects varies among cropping
systems and regions s. Rather than one strategy being best for all situations, it is increasingly evident that a diversity of pollinators and a combination of strategies
involving honey bees, managed non-Apis bees and wild native bees can help sustain more consistent yields across pollinator-dependent agriculture. Integrated Crop
Pollination (ICP) is a framework for approaching this topic from the perspective of minimizing the risk that crops will be sub-optimally pollinated and compromise the
farmer's realized yield. ICP combines assessment of the contributions of different bees to crop pollination among farm and landscape contexts, testing of the
functioning of pollinator habitat enhancements, economic analysis of alternative practices, and comprehensive engagement and outreach to develop successful
farm-relevant strategies. These will help growers decide when, where, and how to make management decisions to enhance native pollinators, or to augment native
pollinators with managed pollinators. In this presentation, we will highlight ongoing studies in our research programs to explore this topic, and we will provide an
overview of a new project aimed at developing ICP strategies for fruit, vegetable, and nut growers in the United States.
32
Assessing the utility of fruit tree varietal diversity in enhancing levels of pollination service to promote cross hybridization and better fruit production in
temperate and tropical agricultural ecosystems
1*
2
3
1
4
D.I. Jarvis , B.R. Sthapit , M. Turdieva , P. De Santis and B. Gemmill-Herren
1
Bioversity International (formerly IPGRI), Rome, Italy
2
Bioversity International, South Asia Sub-Regional Office, New Delhi, India
3
Bioversity International, Central Asia Sub-Regional Office, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
4
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy
*
[email protected]
Most fruit temperate and tropical fruit trees are obligatory out-crossers relying on insects or small animals for pollination. Although there are well-documented cases
where low fruit set of crops—and the resulting reduction in yield—has been clearly attributed to pollinator impoverishment, little work has been carried out to
investigate the role of varietal diversity of the fruit trees themselves in promoting cross hybridization and better fruit production. A comparative review was carried
based on data collected from small holder farmers in areas of high traditional fruit tree varietal diversity of apple (Malus sp.), apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), pear
(Pyrus sp.), and pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) in temperate Central Asia in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, and in mango
(Mangifera indica), rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.), and citrus (Citrus sp.) in tropical South and Southeast Asia in Thailand, Indonesia, India and Malaysia
farmers‘ communities. The review revealed that farmers actively encourage varietal diversity in their fruit tree orchards and homegardens to increase cross
hybridization and better fruit tree production. To quantify this information participatory diagnostic guidelines that combine farmer‘s knowledge and practices and field
and laboratory measures has been designed to compare fruit tree varietal diversity, pollination service levels and fruit tree yields.
33
Uplifting the value of pollination management in Kenya through pollination deficit assessment
1,2
1
2
2
Masiga R. , E. Kairu , C. Odhiambo , W. Kinuthia and M. Kasina
3*
1
Department of Zoological Sciences, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844, Nairobi, Kenya
2
National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
3
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, NARL, P.O. Box 14733, Westlands 00800 Nairobi, Kenya
*
[email protected]
In Kenya, managing pollination in agriculture is a new concept particularly in small scale farming systems that form the backbone of agricultural producers in the
country. This is probably due to lack of evidence on the value of such practices to the farmer, and, lack of previous extension efforts to promote pollination as an
essential component of crop production. In contrast, large scale producers of high value crops often keep honey bees for pollination of their crops, even where there
is no evidence of honey bees being the efficient pollinator. The aim of this study was to assess pollination deficit for French beans (Phaseoulus vulgaris L.) in farms
close and further away from the Mt. Kenya forest reserve, traversing Meru and Laikipia counties. This is one of the most important crops grown for export particularly
in European markets. It is intensively grown, with farmers using high amounts of inputs such as water, fertilizer and plant protection products. The crop has quite
serious pests such as bean fly, aphids, thrips, whiteflies, mites and bollworm, which farmers control with synthetic pesticides. The high use and abuse of pesticides
may have negative effects on the crop pollination and thus the choice of this crop for this study. Five farms within 200m and another five farms located more than
one km from the forest edge was selected for this study. Data were recorded for flower visitors, local habitat characteristics, farm inputs, yields and monetary gains
after selling the French bean pods following the pollination deficit protocol prepared by FAO. The preliminary results show that honey bees comprised 89% of the
total French bean flower visitors, the rest included carpenter bees and leaf cutter bees. More honey bees were recorded in farms near the forest edge while both
carpenter and leaf cutter bees were higher on farms located far from the forest edge. French bean yields and economic returns per unit area were higher (more than
50%) on farms located further compared with those located close to the forest edge. This study discusses these and more findings on farm characteristics and
practices that might have influenced the bee presence and crop yields. It expounds on the pollination deficit already experienced by French beans in the study area
and suggests measures that are in place to manage the deficits.
Key words: French beans, honey bees, carpenter bees, leaf cutter bees, Mt Kenya
34
Assessment of toxicity of Fipronil and its residues to honeybees
1
Marwan Keshlaf , Albert Basta, Robert Spooher-Hart
2
1
Tripoli University, University street, Tripoli, Libya
[email protected]
2
University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797 Penrith South DC 1797, Australia
[email protected]
Beekeepers have historically avoided renting their honeybee colonies for cotton pollination because of the high bee mortality associated with multiple applications of
pesticides. The introduction of transgenic Bt cotton reduced the use of pesticides against lepidopterous pests, and appeared to provide a mutual benefit for both
cotton producers and beekeepers. However, in Australia, the highly toxic pesticide, fipronil, is currently used in Bt cotton during the flowering period to control
secondary insect pests which have recently become a problem. Laboratory bioassays were conducted to assess the toxicity of fipronil to seven-day-old worker
honeybees, using topical and oral applications duplicating likely field exposure. In addition, residual effects of fipronil were assessed after potted cotton plants were
sprayed with full and half recommended field rates, exposed to field conditions, and bees were exposed to different age residues. The acute dermal LD50 was 1.9 ng
/ bee, and acute oral LC50 was 0.4 ng / bee. The residual toxicity of fipronil on cotton leaves remained high for an extended period of 25 d and 20 d for full and half
recommended
rates of fipronil, respectively.. These studies show that fipronil is highly toxic to honeybees via direct spray contact, ingestion, and contact with residues. The
application of fipronil in flowering cotton is, therefore, unlikely to be compatible with use of managed honeybees.
35
Neonicotinoids toxicity towards bees
*
Daniela Laurino , Aulo Manino, Marco Porporato
Università di Torino - Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Via Leonardo da Vinci, 44, I-10095 Grugliasco - TO, Italy
*
[email protected]
The neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides of relatively recent concept, have systemic and long lasting activity. However they manifested also a high toxicity to
pollinating insects, particularly against the honey bee, causing numerous secondary effects, often not easily identifiable, such as behavioural disturbances, impaired
orientation, impairment of social activities, etc. In recent years there have been alarming phenomena of bee mortality, due, in some cases, to the use of
neonicotinoids both as seed dressing and crop spray.
It was therefore considered appropriate to test in the laboratory the toxicity of Thiametoxam, Clothianidin, and Imidacloprid. Commercial products were tested in the
laboratory, using the method developed at the DI.VA.P.R.A., on Apis mellifera ligustica, A. m. mellifera, and A. m. carnica to verify a greater or lesser sensitivity to
the three active ingredients and research the presence and quantity of a.i. poisoning used.
They were tested initially at the concentrations recommended for field treatments. Oral and indirect contact trials were carried out for each pesticide, dispersed in
sugar syrup and water respectively, at the highest dose level reported on the label. The three a.i. caused higher mortality than the untreated controls and were
therefore tested at decreasing concentrations until the mortality was statistically insignificant in comparison with that of the control; the acute oral LD50 - and the
related HQ - and the acute indirect contact LC50, were calculated for them. In cases of poisoning incidents, the standard procedures consider the sampling of dead
honeybees to define the active ingredients (a.i.) involved and to determine the amount of residues in the honey bee to verify if a.i. can be considered responsible of
the death. However one should verify the loss of residues in the period from them discovery of the dead honeybees and their analysis and in former times the
determination of the Subsequent Residue Level (SRL) was proposed considering these losses.
Since honey bee mortalities due to neonicotinoid insecticides were recently reported, it seemed appropriate to verify if also for this class of active ingredients the
phenomena were similar. Honey bees that died during the trials were stored at -18 °C and analyzed through a LC-MS/MS analytical procedure adapted from
A.O.A.C. methods; the quantity of insecticide residues detected was much lower than the administered one. On the basis of these results the determination of the
SRL or of a similar index should be required during the normal procedures of authorization for the use of pesticides.
36
Ecological Infrastructure Management for enhanced pollination and targeted precision biocontrol: the BICOPOLL project
1
2
3
4
5*
6
7
Heikki Hokkanen (coordinator) , Otto Böcking , Eken Cafer , Andrej Cokl , Bettina Maccagnani , Marika Mänd , Guy Smagghe
1
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 5, Box 27, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
2
Lower Saxony State Institute for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Herzogin-Eleonore-Allee 5, DE-29221 Celle, Germany
3
Ardahan University, Atatürk Street No: 74 Centre/Ardahan, Turkey
4
National Institute of Biology, Vecna pot 111, p.p. 141, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
5
Agriculture and Environment Center Association, Via Argini Nord 3351, I-40014 Crevalcore - BO, Italy
6
Department of Plant Protection, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5,
EE-51014 Tartu, Estonia
7
Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, University of Ghent, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
*
[email protected]
BICOPOLL: targeted precision biocontrol and enhanced pollination is an EU-ERA-NET activity of the CORE-ORGANIC 2 programme, www.core-organic.org. Our
main hypothesis is that organic berry and fruit production suffers heavily from the lack of effective disease and pest management tools, as well as from inadequate
insect pollination at times, and that these limitations can be overcome via development of targeted precision bio-control involving honey bees, bumble bees, and
solitary bees.
The general objective of the project is to significantly improve yield and quality of organic berry and fruit production via efficient, innovative plant protection and
improved pollination, and thus, the economics of organic production.
The necessary pre-requisite to achieve these objectives is to maximize crop pollination, which entails to select the best pollinator species and:
To manage vegetation in and around the target crop to steer foraging bees to the target crop, evaluating the effect of vegetation management on the
success of targeted BCA vectoring and pollination; if a solitary bee species has been recognized as the optimal pollinator species, wild and cultivated
vegetation management is necessary to allow pollinators‘ establishment and survival until crop flowering initiation,
To optimise the required pollinator density either for vectoring or pollination,
To determine the practical needs for managing beehives used to disseminate BCA.
37
Specific objectives are: i) to provide a strong, convincing pan-European case study on protecting organic strawberry cultivations from its most important disease, the
grey mould, Botrytis cinerea, using bees to disperse its antagonist Gliocladium catenulatum; ii) to improve the efficiency of the entomovector technology by
innovative research on bee management, bee behaviour, components of the cropping system, and on the plant-pathogen-vector-antagonist -system; iii) to develop
reliable, user- and bee-friendly inoculum dispensers and carrier materials; iv) to investigate possibilities of expanding the use of the entomovector concept into other
organic berry and fruit growing systems.
The first fruit crop-pathogen system included in BICOPOLL is constituted by pear (Pyrus communis) cultivation with its bacterial fireblight caused by Erwinia
amylovora, that could be efficiently biocontrolled by the antagonist Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, carried to flowers by Osmia cornuta, a highly efficient pear pollinator.
A practical guide/handbook to the biocontrol/pollination service for berry growers and beekeepers will be developed.
38
Farm-Level Pollinator Conservation in the USA: Policy and Practice
Eric Mader
Assistant Pollinator Program Director
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
628 Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR, 97232, USA
[email protected]
In 2008 the United States enacted federal regulations that provide financial incentives and technical support for farmers to establish flowering pollinator habitat within
or around farms. The implementation of this mandate has presented challenges for both farmers and government agencies alike. The commercial availability of
wildflower seed, planting technology, and long-term management strategies to ensure wildflower persistence have all presented potential barriers to adoption. To
overcome these challenges the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a USA-based NGO, has developed a nationwide technical support program for
pollinator habitat restoration. The Xerces model focuses on providing pollinator ecology training to government agency staff and partners, direct habitat enhancement
services for farmers, and strategic partnerships with wildflower seed producers to ensure accessible supplies and pricing. This model is currently supporting US
government efforts to enroll more than 30,000 Hectares of farmland as designated pollinator habitat. Supporting this program, Xerces has developed field and
classroom training curriculum, educational publications, a Pollinator Habitat Assessment Tool for conservation planning at the farm-level, and nationwide field trials
that test and demonstrate habitat restoration practices. Lessons learned to date include human barriers to conservation adoption, the economic costs and benefits of
habitat restoration, and novel approaches to establishing flower-rich landscapes. From these lessons, the Xerces Society and agency partners have been able to
refine the process of pollinator habitat restoration and increase motivation by farmers to take action. Concomitantly, we have seen an increase in farmers‘ interest in
how pollinator conservation can enhance other ecosystem services, such conservation biological control.
39
Filth-test assessment of honey quality
*
Manino A. , Balzola L., Patetta A., Porporato M.
Università di Torino - Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari
Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco - TO, Italy
*
[email protected]
Wax, pollen and propolis are usually present in honey, but also completely extraneous materials - like animals or their parts, plant, wood, glass, plastic, soil particles,
textile fibres, hair and coal residues - can be found in it. Foreign substances can be incorporated into the honey during the production process for different reasons ,
often as a result of beekeeper improper procedures: excessive use of smoke in the terminal stage of super removal in the apiary, inappropriate clothes, poor hygiene
of vehicles and honey processing and packaging.
Cleanliness and hygiene of Italian honeys, which were extracted by centrifugation and packaged in glass jars, and of African honeys, which were extracted with
traditional techniques and packaged in various containers, were investigated.
Honeys were sampled at local markets in North West Italy and West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger). The filth-test was performed on 73 honey samples
which were diluted in deionized water, filtered through an Advantech membrane filter (45 mm diameter and 0.45 μm porosity), dried at 105 °C, weighed after cooling
in a crystallizer, and observed under a dissecting microscope. Moisture and water-insoluble contents were also determined for each sample.
Italian honey samples had moisture content above 18%, but none exceeded the limit of 20% fixed by the EU Council Directive 2001/110/EC of 20 December 2001
relating to honey. Only one sample, with 0.16 g/100 g, had a water-insoluble content above the 0.1 g/100 g limit as indicated in the same directive. Several samples,
although falling within the law limits, were found to contain foreign substances which are considered normally unacceptable under the existing legislation: impurities
of animal origin (rodent hair, mites, insect fragments), textile fibres, plastic material fragments, coal residues. Moreover fragments of wax and resin droplets, material
intrinsic to the hive were also present.
African honey samples had moisture content between 13.0% and 19.8%. Insoluble substances ranged between 0.03 and 0.35 g/100 g, with 7 samples with a content
exceeding the limit of 0.1 g/100 g, but below the limit 0.5 g/100 g for pressed honey fixed by the EU Council Directive 2001/110/EC. Observations of membrane
filters made it possible to detect a consistent presence of wax due to the extraction systems, large quantities of pollen, also as a consequence of extraction, and
some charred residues probably due to the use of smokers. Fibres of various origins (filter bags, clothing workers) were almost entirely absent, and there were no
insects or foreign hairs.
The analysis performed by filth-test yielded good or satisfactory results in most cases, but it has also highlighted the need of improving the process of honey
extraction/packaging in order to substantially reduce or completely eliminate the presence of foreign substances in it.
40
Pesticides and Pollinators: farmer awareness, perceptions and practice in Kenya in relation to crop pollinators
Dino Martins
Nature Kenya - Turkana Basin Foundation, Kenya
[email protected]
The use of pesticides in intensive small-holder and commercial agriculture is growing in sub-Saharan Africa as farmers access more technologies and farming
systems change and intensify. However, misuse of pesticides has potentially negative impacts on crop yields through reduced pollinator activity for pollinatordependent crop species. We surveyed farms at > 350 different sites in Kenya on different crops (coffee, curcubits, French beans, tomatoes) as well as a few
traditional vegetables. Our results indicate that many rural farmers are aware of flower-visiting insects, but less aware of the role of pollinators. Farmers often
confuse flower-visitors with pest species. Farmer awareness of the need to apply pesticides carefully in relation to pollinators were mixed: on average up to 50 % of
farmers interviewed per crop species did not take measures to protect pollinators from exposure to pesticides. A majority of farmers indicated that they would like to
understand the role of pollinators in cropping systems better. As pesticide usage increases our results suggest that there is pressing need for broader public
awareness around their impact on bees and other pollinators in small-holder mixed farming systems in Africa. Opportunities for improved bee/pollinator conservation
include labelling that specifies effects and limiting effects on pollinators, education of small-scale distributors and traders as well as farmers and developing a policy
framework for pesticides that incorporates the biology and ecosystem services provided by pollinators.
41
Taking the first steps in assessing, documenting and managing honeybee forage resources in South Africa
T.S. Masehela
1,2*
1,2
2
, R.Veldtman , J.F. Colville , M.H. Allsopp
3
1
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, P/BAG X1, Matieland 7602, Stellenbosch, South Africa
2
Kirstenbosch Research Centre, SANBI, P/BAG X7, Claremont 7735, Cape Town, South Africa
3
Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Council, P/BAG X5017, Stellenbosch 7600, Stellenbosch, South Africa
*
[email protected]
Where honeybees are native, they are important in the pollination processes that sustain numerous native plants and as managed pollinators of pollinator-dependent
agricultural crops. Currently, South Africa has limited honeybee forage resources, with beekeepers not capable of providing the ecological infrastructure to sustain
their honeybee populations themselves. Although beekeepers have good knowledge of where important forage resources occur, they generally do not own the land
and thus may not have access. Hence, it is important to identify important forage resources, their location and scale of availability.
The Honeybee Forage Project is the first project in South Africa to create a platform to assess, document and suggest management measures for forage resources.
Here we present preliminary findings from a nation-wide questionnaire survey of beekeepers, circulated through various media outlets.
Collated data focuses on ecosystem services of forage use and swarm trapping that beekeepers are dependent on for their managed honeybees. Obtaining
completed questionnaires from beekeepers proved challenging as individuals were cautious about revealing their forage sites (to avoid competition), which was
further hampered by poor communication and mistrust at regional/provincial beekeeper association levels.
Thus far, 108 questionnaires have been returned, representing 13,841 hives. Initial findings indicated that managed honeybee colonies depend on a mixture of
natural vegetation, sub-urban garden flora, various exotic and invasive species, and agricultural crops, depending on their availability at various times of the year.
Also, large- scale beekeepers are more involved and benefit substantially from commercial pollination in comparison to small-scale beekeepers.
Swarm trapping was a more effective method in replenishing lost colonies compared to hive splitting, removal of problem colonies and buying swarms. It was also
interesting to learn that beekeepers preferred specific vegetation/crops types on which to put out their catch hives.
Obtaining such results will help identify and better manage key forage resources supporting the South African managed honeybee industry.
42
Understanding the landscape requirements for pollination services derived from managed honeybees
Melin, A.
1
1,2*
3
, Rouget, M. and Donaldson, J.
1,2
Applied Biodiversity Research Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute, South Africa
2
Botany Department, University of Cape Town, South Africa
3
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
*
[email protected]
The decline in managed honeybees in Europe and America has resulted in a shift in focus towards promotion of the use of other indigenous pollinators offering a
potential win-win situation where conservation of indigenous pollinators and their habitats within farmlands is required to safeguard pollination ecosystem services. In
South Africa, managed honeybees have not experienced the same dramatic declines, but the sustainability of pollination services requires an understanding of how
managed honeybees utilise resources across landscapes. Here we propose to collect and model baseline socio-economic and resource use data in order to better
understand the links between farmers, beekeepers and different landscape elements that provide resources for honeybees and the implications for sustaining
pollination services. We do this by using a combination of structured interviews with Western Cape apple farmers and beekeepers, analysis of beekeeping data, and
ground-truthing to identify how beekeepers use the landscape to maintain hives and provide pollination services. Results of the first round of structured interviews
and the initial parameters for a model of pollination dependence on key landscape elements are presented. We discuss the development of the project and the
implications of this study for the conservation and management of pollination services and the possible benefits for biodiversity conservation in general.
Keywords: ecosystem services, pollination, landscape
43
Ecological fragmentation by Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. used as beekeeping resource: critical points and perspectives
(1)
Andrea Mengassini , Mirko Pacioni
(1)
(1)
Lubriano Natural History Museum ―C.D. Michener School of Beekeeping‖,
Piazza Col di Lana 12, I-01020 Lubriano - VT, Italy
[email protected]
INTRODUCTION. Phacelia tanacetifolia - also called facelia - is a nectar-providing plant from North America where it grows spontaneously, largely used also in
Europe for Beekeeping, and it is recognized as one of the best melliferous plants in nature. It offers prolonged flowering for 4-8 weeks after the seeding and it is
appreciated for the high potential in nectar production and the pollen of high nutritional quality. This work aims to highlight some agronomic problems associated with
this plant and its extensive use in field and at the same time we want to suggest some guidelines for its use as an innovative tool in IPS Integrated Pest Management
strategies.
MATERIAL AND METHODS. Our trials were conducted in two locations with phytosociological and climatic differences, sampling insects before and after sowing
facelia, along transects with traps and ―grab-and-go‖; these methods allowed us to collect specimens of entomopopulations attracted by the action of colours and
secondary metabolites of the plant in bloom (during April). Samples collected in field were cataloged by systematic studies, in collaboration with a network of
Entomologists.
RESULTS. The systematic study showed an increase of pollinators such as honey bees and bumble bees and also predators, such as hoverflies which are important
natural enemies of agricultural pests, not found in the area previous to facelia cultivation. Among the detected entomological species, however, we collected several
pests attracted by blooming of facelia, suggesting a possible notable impact of this plant on crops and wild flora in the neighborhood or a possible increase of
agronomic and forest damages.
CONCLUSIONS. Facelia offers excellent food for foraging bees, providing them with pollen and nectar of high biological quality but at the same time it causes an
ecological land fragmentation through an action of calling pest harmful to agriculture and conservation of forestry. Is therefore not escaped our attention to the
possibility of using facelia crops as an innovative tool to keep pests in a well-defined area, subsequently managed according to methods of Precision Agriculture.
44
Characterization botanical and geographical origin of honeys of the Majella National Park
1*
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
Marcella Milito , Antonella Cersini , Giampiero Ciaschetti , Alessandra Giacomelli , Marco Di Santo , Teodoro Andrisano , Valeria Antognetti , Silvia Puccica ,
1
1
1
1
1
1
Marco Pietropaoli , Martina Pizzariello , Carla Gobbi , Ugo Marchesi , Francesco Scholl , Giovanni Formato
1
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana,
Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178 Rome, Italy
2
Ente Parco Nazionale della Majella, Sulmona, Italy
*
[email protected]
Introduction
The Majella National Park offers a wide and distinctive landscape flora reflected botanical and geographical origin of honey which is produced in its territory. In the
years 2010-2011 the Division of Beekeeping Institute Zooprofilattico of Lazio and Tuscany, in a study in collaboration with the Majella Park Authority, analyzed 58
samples of comb honey and 17 samples of honey in the jar, to characterize them in terms of botanical and geographical.
Materials and methods
Of all samples was performed the analysis melissopalynological qualitative (according to Louveaux et al 1978) and, on the honeys in jar, also the analysis of the
organoleptic characteristics. The analysis provides qualitative melissopalynological the concentration of microscopic elements of honey by centrifugation, followed by
analysis of the sediment under a microscope for the identification and enumeration of types pollen. Moreover, the honeys have been characterized by molecular
analysis: the setup of an appropriate protocol for the extraction of DNA from pollens was required. Hence, different extraction methods, including commercial kits,
have been checked and compared. Both yield and amplifiability of extracted DNA have been verified by Real Time PCR targeting two sequences, of the actin gene
and of the leucine transfer RNA (tRNA-Leu) respectively, that are considered as highly preserved within Plant Kingdom. All DNA samples resulting as positive for
actin and for the tRNA-Leu have subsequently been tested, by duly designed taxon-specific end point PCR, for the presence of the following Plant genera: Hedera,
Onobrichis, Hedysarum, Taraxacum, Satureja, Robinia, Trifolium, Eucalyptus.
Results
The results showed botanical origin of honey in general strongly oriented towards the family Fabaceae, with genres Onobrichis, Melilotus, Trifolium and Vicia
particularly represented, with Lotus and Hedysarum. Some samples showed a prevalence of Araliaceae (Hedera) and a strong component of Lamiaceae and, at
times, of Rosaceae. Currently underway to refine this study by means of a preparation of collecting pollen reference including the many plant species characteristics
of the territory of the Park. Storing light microscopy of pollen morphology and genetic identification of these species will result in further deepen the identification of
pollen, allowing you to move within the family, gender identification to identification of species.
45
For this purpose the sequencing of PCR products are still ongoing in order to pinpoint relevant polymorphisms to be exploited for the geographical characterization of
plant species growing in the Majella National Park.
Conclusions
Overall, we can say that with the help of both microscopic and molecular analysis by PCR on pollen is preparing an extremely interesting for the characterization of
botanical and geographical origin of honeys of the Majella National Park.
46
GMOs, bees and beekeeping
Coralie Mouret
Project Manager
European Beekeeping Coordination
Place Croix du Sud 4, B-1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
[email protected]
From all the available techniques practiced in modern agriculture, transgenomics (genetically modified organisms or GMOs) is maybe the most controversial one.
Many questions rise from their cropping: are GMOs safe for the environment? safe for humans ? Is it possible to make non-GM agriculture coexist with GM one in
the fields without any of these activities to suffer from the existence of the other? Especially on an agricultural activity as beekeeping, the one that interests us today,
the possibility to develop in parallel the beekeeping sector and the GMOs culture poses many uncertainties. Is GM agriculture safe for bees and the beekeeping
sector? Is coexistence possible? If yes, how is this achievable in practice?
Recently, this issue was put again on the foreground, after a decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which clarified the regulatory obligations of the
beekeeping products containing GM products. All beekeeping and GMO issues arise therefore again, and even more at the international level since the EU now
differs clearly from the other countries of the world. Is the global trade of beekeeping products still possible and profitable? How to consider and undertake the future
of the international beekeeping sector, now facing these new challenges?
Through several quality presentations, scientific and beekeeping experts will present the current situation of GMOs in the world, with special attention to the
European Union. Some of the subjects we will hear about are the potential dangers posed by these modern cultures for the bees, the human beings and the
beekeeping activity and the day-to-day management of the coexistence between GMOs and beekeeping.
47
Beyond nectar sweetness: are amino acid complements related to pollinator guilds
1*
1
1
2
Nepi M. , Nocentini D. , Guarnieri M. , Galloni M. , Pacini E.
1
1
Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Università di Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena - SI, Italy
2
Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, Bologna - BO, Italy
*
[email protected]
Floral nectar is undoubtedly a source of sugars, being these substances its most abundant components. Pollinator‘s guild visiting flower is related to the composition
of nectar sugar. In fact, species sharing the same type of pollinator show a convergence in the nectar sugar profile. Although amino acids are the second most
abundant compounds in nectar after sugars, a relationship between amino acid complements and type of pollinators has been not yet investigated. Amino acids are
firstly important nitrogen integrators and more than sugars contribute to the taste of nectar. Nectar protein-amino acids can be distinguished into four classes basing
on their effect on insect‘s labellar chemoreceptors. Proline is very frequently the most abundant amino acid in nectar, and it seems to have a special importance for
insect. Proline not only contributes a taste preferred by insects but it stimulates their salt cell (class III), a labellar chemosensory receptor, resulting in increased
feeding behaviour. In honeybees, proline is the most abundant amino acid in the haemolymph and is required for egg laying. Moreover proline can be metabolised
very rapidly and its degradation provides an efficient, short burst of energy.
Nectar contains also non protein-amino acids being sometimes more abundant then protein-amino acids. GABA, taurine and β-alanine are non protein-amino acids
more frequently reported in floral nectar. They are all abundant in the nervous systems of insects where they function as inhibitory neurotransmitters. GABA acts in
synergy with taurine, limiting excessive, potentially disruptive excitation states during stressful conditions. Non protein-amino acids are poorly investigated and, due
to their multi-functional biological activities, may contribute to shape the complex ecological interactions between nectar and animals. We had analyzed nectar sugar
and amino acid profile from 32 species of Boraginaceae (tribe Lithospermeae) and from 3 other unrelated species (Cucurbita pepo, Helleborus foetidus and Gentiana
lutea). Most of the species studied are pollinated by large Apoidea (mainly bees and bumblebees) and their floral nectar is generally sucrose dominant with a large
amount of non-protein amino acids. The only two exceptions are Buglossoides purpurocaerulea and Buglossoides calabra: their floral nectar is exose dominant with
low amount of non-protein amino acids. Correspondingly the main pollinators of these two species are the dipterans Bombylius major and Empis pennipes. These
results push us to widen the number of species investigated trying to unravelling the importance of non protein-amino acids in shaping the pollinator guild. Until now
non protein-amino acids has been documented in nectar of few species and their ecological role was still awaiting further investigations. Most probably, being
involved in the regulation of nervous system activity, they may affect insect's foraging behaviour during flower visits.
48
The Ignored Challenge of GMOs for Bees and Bee Keepers
Bernadette Oehen
Angelika Hilbeck, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Integrative Biology IBZ, Universitätstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
FiBL, Ackerstrasse, 5070 Frick
[email protected]
There are four biotech crops that make up over 95% of all globally produced, commercial genetically modified (gm) crop: soybean, maize, cotton, and oilseed rape.
In the U.S. also gm- sugar beet, -alfalfa, -squash, -potato and papaya are grown. Besides papaya and squash, all other gm-crops are modified for insect tolerance
(Bt) and/or herbicide tolerance (HT) (Glyphosate, Glufosinate). Except for maize, all of the gm-crops depend on pollination but all crops are visited by honey bees.
Bees are not only looking for nectar and pollen but also for water (guttation), resin and honeydew.
The introduction of gm-crops in agriculture remains controversial regarding their adverse effects on human health, nontarget organisms, biodiversity and on non-gm
food production. On these grounds, it was important to claim, that gm-technologies reduce pesticide use in arable crop production (e.g. Bt crops) or at least allow for
the use of less malign herbicides (e.g. HR crops).
Benbrook (2012) concludes, that after 16 year of gm-crops, the HR technology has led to ~239 million kilogram increase in herbicide use across the US while Bt corn
and Bt cotton has reduced insecticide applications by 56 million kilograms (seed treatments not included!). But the reduction in insecticide use associated with Btcorn and -cotton is compensated by the in-planta production of Bt toxins, ranging from 0.5 kg/ha to 4.2 kg/ha in the case of SmartStax Bt corn. Overall, pesticide use
increased in the US by an estimated 183 million kilograms, or about 7%, between 1996 and 2011 (Benbrook 2012).
There is some research done on direct effects of gm-plants on honey bees. Available information from feeding studies with Bt maize suggest that they do not harm
bees directly. However, current information is incomplete and safety claims are often based on arguments rather than on research data. For instance, transgenic
cotton is increasingly planted but the effects on honeybees, as most important pollinator in cotton, is hardly investigated. During a 7-day oral exposure to the various
treatments (CpTI/cry1Ac transgenic and Imidacloprid- treated and control), honey bee feeding behaviour was disturbed and bees consumed significantly less cotton
pollen than in the control group (Han et al. 2010).
Further under-studied fields concern indirect effects. For example, effects on bee colonies confounded by other factors? Combinatorial effect in stacked plants
expressing multiple Bt toxins. Combinatorial effects of Bt toxins with pesticide residues in nectar and pollen?
From the current adoption history of gm-crop we can learn that gm-crops fit in an intensive, industrial production system with mono cropping and a high input of
agrochemicals (seed treatments, herbicides, insecticides, fungicide). In such environments, bees and other pollinators, if there are any left (!), are under enormous
pressure. A reduced vegetation due to the application of broad spectrum herbicides or combinatorial, non-additive effects, where one sub-lethal driver increases the
severity of another driver, add to the on going declines of wild and managed pollinators (Potts et al. 2010).
49
Beekeepers and consumers expect bee products to be healthy. Bee products are susceptible to exposure from gm-crops. The current controversy on gm-crops and
honey is a challenge for beekeepers because the issue of coexistence is still largely neglected in science and policy making.
Benbrook, Ch. (2012): Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the U.S. – The first sixteen years Charles Benbrook,
http://www.mapserver.univechta.de
50
Land management under the project “APESLOW: Reintroduction and conservation of the endangered subspecies Apis mellifera siciliana (Dalla Torre,
1896): a tribute to Prof. P. Genduso”
1
2
3
3
Oliveri E. , Catalano M. , Costa C. , Dall‘Olio R. , Alonzo.G.
1
1
Dip. di Sistemi Agro Ambientali (SAGA), Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo - PA, Italy
2
Distretto Madonie, U.O. SOAT di Collesano Ass. delle Risorse Agricole e Alimentari, Dip. Regionale degli Interventi Onfrastrutturali per l‘Agricoltura, Via Imera, 2,
90016 Collesano - PA, Italy
3
CRA-Api Unità di Ricerca di Apicoltura e Bachicoltura, Via di Saliceto 80, 40128 Bologna - BO, Italy
Introduction - The subspecies Apis mellifera siciliana (Dalla Torre 1896), originally present throughout Sicily, is threatened with extinction due to hybridization with the
subspecies A. m. ligustica, introduced onto the island by beekeepers when the use of modern hive boxes was adopted (1970s). Today a small population survives
on the Eolian islands, thanks to the will and determination of a single beekeeper who has been breeding this race for the past 20 years.
At the end of 2011, a three-year project funded by the Regione Siciliana for the preservation and conservation of this subspecies was initiated. The project is
coordinated by the Honey bee and Silkworm Research Unit of the Agricultural Research Council (CRA-API) and involves several Sicilian institutions: the Universities
of Palermo and Catania, the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sicily, the Operative Section of Technical Assistance (SOAT) of Collesano and the association
Slow Food.
Materials and methods - The main goal of the project is the reintroduction of the subspecies on the main island by creating protected mating stations for the pure
breeding of this race. Other expected results are beekeeper training and technology transfer from CRA-API to local authorities and institutions.
Results - Ongoing activities relating to the management of the involved areas are presented here , including a preliminary study of the area in terms of geography
and vegetation for the identification of potential protected areas, the georeferencing of the apiaries involved in the project and relationships with local institutions for
the establishment and use of mating stations.
Conclusions - The creation of new mating stations will allow a larger number of beekeepers to breed the subspecies A. m. siciliana without risk of hybridisation.
Currently, pure breed mating, is relegated to small islands and therefore very limited. The repopulation of the territory with a native subspecies represents a
remarkable achievement in view of the proper management of the fauna and the protection of biodiversity: given the importance of the bee as a pollinator, this
involves not only animal but also plant biodiversity.
51
Lubriano Natural History Museum and “C.D. Michener School of Beekeeping”: training, research and “BeeTourism”
(1)
Mirko Pacioni , Andrea Mengassini
(1)
(1)
Lubriano Natural History Museum ―C.D. Michener School of Beekeeping‖,
Piazza Col di Lana 12, I-01020 Lubriano - VT, Italy
[email protected]
INTRODUCTION. The Lubriano Natural History Museum (www.museolubriano.com), in the district of Calanchi Valley, starts its activities since 2009 and aims to
enhance the centuries-old traditions related to the collection and use of herbs and wild fruits. The Museum supports and promotes scientific studies at regional level
in the field of Botany, Zoology, Hydrobiology and Demo-Ethno-Anthropology. Since autumn 2011, Museum‘s scientific proposal has been implemented with the
creation of the ―C.D. Michener School of Beekeeping‖ which aims to establish itself as a reference point for the Teaching in Beekeeping through a complete
proposal, basic and specialization (courses, seminars, trainings, workshops, conferences), also carrying out research programs in Apidology and Land Ecology
applied to Apiculture.
MATERIALS & METHODS. Bees and pollinators have a key role both in agricultural plants pollination and wild plants. In addition, they are biomarkers can indicate
changes in the environment caused by negative impacts due to human activities. In the Museum, then, was established an experimental and educational apiary to
breed Apis mellifera ligustica colonies in order to investigate the ecological relationships between the Italian Honeybee and environment, especially to the SIC/ZPS
"Calanchi di Civita di Bagnoregio" cod. IT6010009 Natura 2000. The daily activity of the worker bees (in a range of 3 km) allows us to collect pollen of hundreds of
plant species, building up patterns of specific floristic sampling, and also providing data about the dynamics of phytopopulations. At the same time the flying
honeybees in landscape may report adverse environmental impacts through two parameters: (a) high mortality from exposure to pesticides, (b) residues of other
pollutants (heavy metals, radionuclides) detected by laboratory analysis of their bodies and hive products. The results of research will be disseminated through
activities for students and interested people, promoting the territory of the Calanchi Valley as a real ―bee-touristic path‖. Such scientific results, in more detail, will
become the core curriculum of a training program that will guide students from the first steps in Beekeeping to the technical high specializations.
RESULTS. In 2011, winter, the Museum hosted the ―Information Days for Beekeepers‖; in the spring of 2012 was realized the first course of Organic Beekeeping:
several students, mostly coming from Lazio, Umbria and Marche, attended both initiatives. In the last period was also built the experimental apiary.
CONCLUSIONS. The first checks were made at the hives and the insertion of the honeybee colonies in the ―new‖ environment: their state of activity was so
successful. We are currently managing of the colonies according to organic disciplinary, preparatory to winter cold season for the bees. In the period September
2012-February 2013, are scheduled four different courses: basic, second level, rearing queen bees and tasting honey.
52
Foraging honeybees (Apis mellifera L) as bioindicators of environmental pollution in areas affected by cement industry emissions
1
1
Sebastiani Bartolomeo , Mariucci Sara , Palmieri Nicola
2*
1
Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche e Sanità Pubblica - Sezione di Epidemiologia Molecolare e Igiene Ambientale - Università degli Studi di Perugia,
Perugia, Italy
2
Studio Naturalistico il Pianeta Naturale, Loc. San Benedetto Basso Valfabbrica, 06029 Perugia - PG, Italy (www.ilpianetanaturale.org)
*
[email protected]
The aim of this work was to investigate the environmental pollution of two areas affected by cement industry emissions compared to a ‗not contaminated‘ reference
green area, using as bioindicators only foraging honeybees (Apis mellifera ligustica Spin.) on the return to hives. The attempt of identifying the contributions to the
environmental pollution general profile from different and specific sources by anthropic activities was carried out by the study of aliphatic linear hydrocarbons
investigated together with the polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), especially the family of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and of polycyclic aromatic
sulfur eterocycles (PASHs) released into environment. Samples coming from a biomonitoring campaign in the district of Gubbio town (Umbria, Italy), performed from
2001 to 2004, have been analysed in 2011 in order to detect the above mentioned compounds. Only three sampling stations were used in this study. Each apiarystation consisted of three hives.
The foraging honeybees were captured without the use of fumigator, to avoid external contamination of samples and cold-killed at 4°C into refrigerator and kept at 20°C. Before the analysis the samples were freeze-dried under vacuum and pounded. The powdered samples were extracted twice by sonication with
dichloromethane. The organic extracts were cleaned up and the resulting fractions were separated by absorption chromatoghaphy on deactivated silica gel. Each
fraction were analysed by a gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometry ion trap detector (GC-ITD-MS).
Forty-four homologues of non polar aliphatic fraction and one hundred seventy-six compounds belonging to the class of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) were
positively detected. The presence of several and unusual compounds, in foraging honeybee samples, were found for the first time. Among these are included the
[1]
polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs), compounds that, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were found to be carcinogenic and/or mutagenic .
One foraging bee sample also showed the presence of the highest molecular weight PAHs, belonging from benzofluorentenes (MW 252) to isomers of
[2]
dibenzopyrene (MW 302). In this sample the benzo(a)pyrene, the most potentially carcinogenic PAH (class 2A, IARC 1984) , amounts to 24.9 ng/g dry weight of
honeybee. The simultaneous presence in the analyzed samples of not negligible amounts of alkylated derivatives both of PAHs and PASHs results to be connotative
of petrogenic inputs to the general profile of environmental pollution.
[1]
J. Jacob, Sulfur analogues of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Thiaarenes), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990;
[2]
IARC, Polynuclear Aromatic Compounds, Part 1. Chemical, Environmental and Experimental data. Monograph 32, International Agency for Research on Cancer,
Lyon, 1984.
53
Role of pollinators in mustard (Brassica campestris Lin.) yield improvement
Ms. Bidya Pandey, MSc
Senior Horticulture Development Officer
Gender Equity and Environment Division, Ministry of Agriculture Development, Nepal
[email protected]
This is a conclusive paper based upon the outcomes of the various studies performed by the Global Pollination Project Chitwan, which reviews the role of pollinators
in agricultural production through identification of pollinators, impact of natural pollination and pollination deficit in mustard (Brassica campestris Lin.) and
recapitulated the concluding aspects of various studies such as the impact of natural pollination and hand pollination on grain/fruit yield, seed number and the seed
viability were found significantly higher on mustard over the control. Mustard yield found increased in open pollinated flowers (405.25%) followed by hand pollination
(106.60%) as compared to pollination blocked plants. The mean number of siliqua, seeds/siliqua and the seed weight/five flowers in mustard were 3.13, 8.35 and
0.17502, 1.56, 3.72 and 0.07159 and 0.7987, 1.37 and 0.3464 in natural, hand pollination and the control. Bees species were the most important pollinators in
mustard among them Apis dorsata and Apis mellifera were the major ones. While visiting flowers, from 7am to 5pm, both of the species remained active early
morning (7 to 11am) and their activities decrease with the increment of temperature in the mid noon and afternoon. Their activity was high in semi-intensive than in
intensive sites. The number of pollen deposition by both of the bee species found greater in semi-intensive site and far lower in intensive sites. The deposition rate
was greater in morning and gradual reduction in the afternoon and onwards. The netting of crops caused pollination deficit and resulted significant yield reduction in
comparison to the natural environment. Declining pollinator population is an alarming threat for pollination services. Developing pollination management policy, plan,
program, conducting basic and participatory research on pollination deficits/needs of crop plants, promotion of pollination friendly practices and conservation of the
natural pollinators is urgent and all these activities should be extended to other locations for promoting an essential ecosystem services for crop pollination, agro-bio
diversity conservation and sustainable agriculture production in Nepal.
Key words: pollination, pollinators, mustard, Chitwan, Nepal
54
Exogenous contamination of bee products and related regulatory issues
Francesco Panella
Unione Nazionale Associazioni Apicoltori Italiani - UNAAPI
Strada Tassarolo 22, 15067 Novi Ligure - AL, Italy
[email protected]
Over the past two decades, serious, multiple and worrying phenomena of endogenous contamination to bee breeding techniques have risen up. Contamination has
been detected in both food derivates of the hive (honey, royal jelly, pollen and propolis) and the matrices that form an integral part of the animal (in addition to the
above: beeswax, wood, etc...).
Recently, several studies and field evidences have highlighted increasing phenomena of exogenous contamination, mainly originating from techniques, molecules
and production methods of intensive agriculture.
The GMO contamination of honey and pollen, which the EU administration believes could be "solved" through a regulatory escamotage, highlights the impossibility of
the - decanted but not provable - coexistence of genetically modified agriculture and traditional agriculture.
The current and different focus, given in Italy, both to the hives‘ health and the ―minor‖ bee products, has recently permitted to highlight a phenomenon so far not
adequately known and taken into consideration: the generalized contamination by pesticides not only of an animal species - bees - but also of foodstuff: pollen.
The analysis of bee breads, realized in the 2011 first quarter of activity by the national monitoring network Beenet, such as the preliminary analysis for the acquisition
of pollen lots by an Italian company involved in bee products commercialization and, finally, the series analysis of pollen collection, in ongoing implementation and
evaluation, led by Unaapi, in collaboration with Piana Ricerca and the analysis laboratory Floramo (of which I am presenting a preview), unambiguously point out a
serious issue of unacceptable and unjustifiable contamination, from agricultural practices of plant defence, of active ingredients, both authorized and illegal.
The presence of dangerous and prohibited active ingredients in pollen, sets, in addition to exclusively penal aspects, the possible use of pollen collection as a valid
and accurate mean to verify the correctness of the procedures for plant defence implemented in the various agricultural districts.
Instead, the relevant, multiple and widespread contamination of a food product, pollen, caused by the use of chemical molecules permitted on crops, which cannot
and should not be ignored, requires an urgent and drastic change, not easy but not non least necessary, to the referred regulation.
In fact, the current regulation is based on one hand on the admissibility of the specific pesticide residual, with its quantitative determination in production achieved by
the defined culture on which it is authorized, and, on the other provides well-defined thresholds of accidental contamination to the environment.
Once again, the bees, as well as their breeding, show considerable ecological importance. It is upon human beings to understand what this remarkable
environmental sentinel is telling us.
While, it competes to public authorities to take notice of the effects, unexpected and complex, of human activities on agriculture, as well as to identify urgently an
adequate remedy.
55
Identification of volatile organic compounds that contribute to insect pollinator discovery of soybean plants
1
1
Allison L. Pappas , Madison Vangorp , Reid G. Palmer
2
1
USDA-ARS Crop Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit (CICGR), 1027 Agronomy Hall, Iowa State University, 100 Osborn Drive, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
2
Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Introduction - Soybean demand continues to grow while soybean yield has been steady in recent years. Improving soybean yield will require innovative approaches
to discover beneficial characteristics among existing soybean varieties that can be exploited in breeding programs. Outcrossing in soybeans however, is a challenge
because it is a highly efficient self-pollinator. In combination with male-sterile plants, insect pollinators are the preferred mechanism for outcrossing. While floral
aromatics presumably contribute to a pollinator‘s discovery of the soybean flower, little is known about identity of the aromatics or their role in pollinator attraction.
We have developed soybean lines that are attractive to insect pollinators and have identified the volatile organic compounds produced by these plants. These lines
may be used in field breeding programs to promote outcrossing. Many hybrid combinations will be tested and heterotic hybrids identified which will be used to
produce commercially viable hybrid soybean varieties.
Materials and Methods - Hybrid soybean lines were produced using male-sterile plants and insect pollinators. High and low seed-set lines were selected for further
study. Higher seed-set was assumed to result from increased insect pollinator visitation. The proboscis extension response system (PERS) was used to determine if
honey bees detected differences between the volatiles emitted by 15 flowers from the high and low seed-set and parental lines. Ten bees were used in each of six
trials per line. Honey bees were conditioned to associate the scent of soybean flowers with a sugar reward by undergoing three training sessions. Following a 15-30
minute wait to allow the bees to become hungry, bees were then exposed to the flower volatiles. If a bee extended its proboscis in response to the volatiles, it was
recorded as remembering the association. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the same lines studied with the PERS method were identified using gas
chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry. VOCs were collected from the head space of glass vials containing 30 soybean flowers using DVB-carboxenPDMS fibers. Collection occurred for at least one hour at 35C. After separation by GC, half the volatile sample traveled to MS for analysis and the other half traveled
to an olfactometer for characterization of the scent and its relative intensity.
Results - Honey bees trained to associate the volatiles of higher seed-set soybean plants with a sugar reward remember this association ~20% better than they
remember the association made with low seed-set plants. Alternatively, honey bees remember the association nearly equally as well between the parental lines and
the high seed-set lines. GC-MS-O results reveal a plethora of VOCs emitted by soybean flowers. GC chromatograms indicate differences between soybean lines are
a likely result of intensity, rather than one or two unique volatiles.
Conclusion - Insect pollinator discovery of soybean plants is likely to involve VOCs; Soybean floral aromas are linked to seed-set with honey bees remembering the
association between a sugar reward and VOCs from high seed-set plants better than low seed-set plants. This difference is likely attributed to differences in the
relative concentrations of VOCs emitted by different soybean lines.
56
Pollination deficit in commercial avocado orchards in New Zealand and Australia
*
David Pattemore , Lisa Evans, Arnon Dag, Heather McBrydie, Mark Goodwin
The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 3230, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
*
[email protected]
Avocado is an important emerging tree crop in Australia and New Zealand, with the area harvested increasing by two and a half times between 1995 and 2010 to a
total of 13,800 ha. Honeybees are considered to be the main pollinators outside the area of origin in Central America and commercial beehives are placed in
orchards to ensure pollination. Fruit-set rates in avocado are typically less than 0.3%, and it takes at least 20 pollen grains to ensure fertilization of the single seed.
We have shown that hand pollination can increase fruit set to 5%, suggesting that fruit set is pollen limited. During the female phase, we recorded an average of 10
insect visits per flower in Australia (mainly flies and honeybees) with a mean of 0.3 pollen grains deposited per visit, and 2.3 visits per flower in New Zealand
(predominantly honeybees) with a mean of 0.53 pollen grains deposited per visit. Just 6% of 202 honeybees caught in New Zealand and Australian orchards carried
more than 100 pollen grains, with just one individual carrying several thousand grains. The deficiencies in pollination in this system may be due either to infrequent
movement of honeybees between the male flowers of the pollenizer and female flowers of the main variety, or due to a limited supply of pollen during the female
phase due to mismatched phenology. The phenology of flowering in avocados is strongly affected by temperature, and the marginal conditions experienced in New
Zealand orchards mean that both male and female flowers are often open at night. Our use of infra-red video cameras revealed a diverse and abundant array of
nocturnal flower visitors, and we speculate that nocturnal pollination may be important in avocado orchards in New Zealand. Greater understanding of the relative
contribution of honeybees, bumblebees, flies and nocturnal visitors, along with a model of pollen availability in orchards as a function of temperature, will allow
growers to sustainably maximise pollination of their trees.
57
Pollen resources in Alps areas: three years of experimentation in Piedmont
1*
2
Maria Lucia Piana , Ermanno Giordanengo , Mariassunta Stefano
3
1
Piana Ricerca e Consulenza srl, Via Emilia Levante 840, 40024 Castel San Pietro Terme - BO, Italy
2
Aspromiele, Alessandria, Italy
3
ASSAM - Centro Agrochimico Regionale, Jesi - AN, Italy
*
[email protected]
Introduction - In Italy, up to this point in time, the production of pollen has been rather limited and almost the whole market has been occupied by an import product,
mainly from Spain. In these last years, the interest for the collection of pollen has been stimulated, partially due to the need to supplement additional proteins to the
bees, required by some bee keeping techniques, and to the necessity to differentiate productions, in a increasingly competitive market. Aspromiele, Piedmont
beekeeper association, during the period 2009-2011, promoted an experimentation with the aim to evaluate the production possibilities in Alps areas.
Materials and methods - Some posts for producing pollen, formed by 5 hives with pollen trap, have been made ready. In 2009, 4 posts have been involved (two in
Valle Stura and two in Valle Varaita); in 2010, 5 posts have been involved, located in Valle Stura (three posts), Valle Varaita (two posts) and Valle Po (one post). In
2011, a different area from the geological and floristic point of view has been chosen, with a post located in Parco delle Alpi Marittime, in Valdieri. The posts were
located at different altitudes, between 1,167 and 1,777 meters. The experimentation has taken place during the months of June and July, extended into the first
weeks of August, in some cases. Every 2 - 3 days average samples have been collected. 141 samples have been collected and undergone microscopic analysis to
identify and quantify the presence of taxa, by the count of a sample fraction dispersed in water, homogenized and prepared for the microscope with inclusion in
glycerine jelly. The results are expressed in percentage of the number of pollen grains and as an estimate of the weight of each taxon collected, through a calculation
based on the dimension of each type of pollen grain.
Results - About a hundred of different taxa have been identified in all the samples in total. During the period of experimentation, for each post the data has been
elaborated with the aim to highlight the main pollen resources and the significance of their quantity. Castanea has been highlighted as a significant pollen resource,
as it results as main specie in some of the posts, during the bloom, even though those posts were quite a few kilometres away from the nearest chestnuts.
Onobrychis and Helianthemum resulted as the most significant quantities for the studied posts in 2009 and 2010, while Rhododendron has been the most significant
quantity in the post in Parco delle Alpi Marittime, in 2011. It has also been highlighted the significant presence in some cases of fungi spores (rust), as alternative
resource to pollen. Besides, it has been highlighted, starting from the end of July, the scarcity of harvests, with a strong bitter taste and often rich in potentially
hazardous species due to the presence of alkaloids (Asteraceae).
Conclusions - From the economic point of view, the interest of pollen production in Alps area is in the time period between the middle of June and the middle of July.
In most cases, the abundance of the observed species reflects the rich varieties of the areas of production, although in some cases, the attractiveness of chestnut
trees, more than 5 kilometres away from the post, is superior to the species surrounding the post.
Research achieved thanks to the partial contribution of Regione Piemonte
58
A bibliography on honeybee pollen as foodstuff
Valentina Solla, Maria Lucia Piana
*
Piana Ricerca e Consulenza srl, via Emilia Levante 840, 40024 Castel San Pietro Terme - BO, Italy
*
[email protected]
Introduction - In Italy, during these last years, there has been a considerably growing interest in the production of pollen collected by bees, to be marketed as food or
as a food supplement. Nevertheless, to correctly and definitely present this new foodstuff to the public, most of the required technical information is not available, or
rather is of a fragmentary nature, and/or relevant to geographic zones different from the national ones. Hence UNAAPI, the union of Italian bee-keeper associations,
deemed it necessary to start a project aimed at highlighting the necessary information and particularly relating to:
1. composition of the product, relating to the different botanical origins, to the production modalities and to the possible uses in the human field;
2. highlighting the risks connected with the product nature (potentially dangerous vegetable substances), possible polluting elements, during processing and
preservation.
In order to gather such information UNAAPI entrusted Piana Ricerca e Consulenza with firstly organising a bibliographical research, since most of the necessary
information has already been produced on international scientific scale, but such contents are dispersed and hardly available.
Materials and methods - The bibliographical research has been carried out through the major reviews and congresses of the field, starting with the company library,
carrying on with the CRA-API library and the internet access of the scientific reviews, thanks to the collaboration of the Laboratorio di Palinologia e Paleobotanica del
Dip. di Biologia dell‘Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia. Some of the publications have been requested directly to the authors and some have been bought. A data
base has been created with the sources of information, in order to be available and easier to trace for the users.
Results - 456 documents have been found: for the most part of which the complete information is available, while for the 20% of the documents (mainly presentations
in congresses) are in the form of abstracts. Most of the traced works are scientific articles (almost ¾ of the documents). Some non-conventional (as presentations in
meetings and activities reports) has been also presented: even though not intended to be published, still they offer useful information and not available otherwise.
The information in Italian makes for very little (4% about), while most of the information is in English or at least abstracts are in English (77%). More than half of the
traced information is recent or very recent, having been published after 2000. The research has been focused from the production point of view: the information deals
with the composition aspects, both for the principal components and the ones with biological activity; risks and parameters modified by preservation.
Conclusions - These found documents have been available to the UNAAPI technicians and close collaborators, as information basis for the next projects on the
subject. In order to make the work also available to other users, in keeping of the rules of copyright and privacy, an adapted version of the database will be uploaded
on the UNAAPI internet site.
Research achieved thank to the funds of Council Reg. (EC) 1234/07
59
Utilization of the grapevine by the bees: 2 years experience in Piedmont
1*
2
Maria Lucia Piana , Roberto Barbero , Carlo Olivero
2
1
Piana Ricerca e Consulenza srl, Via Emilia Levante 840, 40024 Castel San Pietro Terme - BO, Italy
2
Aspromiele, Alessandria, Italy
*
[email protected]
Introduction - Within the major Italian viticultural areas, not infrequently, cases of poisoning of the bees have been recorded. This is connected to the use of
insecticide to control Scaphoideus titanus (Homoptera, Cicadellidae), a vector of the phytoplasma responsible of ―Flavescence dorée‖, a serious degenerative
disease of the grapevine, not containable otherwise. In order to be effective, those treatments need to be brought into effect on a territorial scale, therefore in some
Regions - among which includes Piedmont - they are mandatory; they have not to be carried out during blooms attracting bees, nevertheless; in fact, in order to
protect the bees and their pollinating activities, regional and national regulations are enforced to forbid pesticide treatments during blooming. Those regulations forbid
treatments toxic for the bees, on cultivation and spontaneous plants, during the whole period of bloom and also required to avoid contamination to the flowers close
by the cultivations, by cutting or removing them in concomitant of the treatment of cultivations not in bloom. The mentioned poisonings are therefore to be ascribed to
the lack of enforcement of such regulations. Nevertheless, the grapevine flowers are generally considered of a limited attractiveness for the bees, and there is a
tendency to ascribe the poisonings to the drifting of toxic substances on other blooms. In 2010-2011, ASPROMIELE, Piedmont bee-keeper association, promoted an
experimentation with the aim to collect information on the attractiveness for the bees of the grapevine flowers, to evaluate the presence and the significance of the
grapevine pollen, stored in the hives situated in vine-growing areas.
Materials and methods - A post for collecting pollen, formed at least by 4 hives with pollen trap, has been made ready in a grapevine growing area of Piedmont, for
each year of study. In 2010 the experimentation has been during June, while in 2011 during May and June. Average samples have been collected every 2 days at
least, for each post. The 32 collected samples have undergone microscopic analysis to identify and quantify the presence of different taxa, by the count of a sample
fraction dispersed in water, homogenized and prepared for the microscope with inclusion in glycerine jelly. The results are expressed in percentage of the number of
pollen grains and as an estimate of the weight of each taxon collected, through a calculation based on the dimension of each type of pollen grain.
th
th
Results - From the data of 2011, the presence of grapevine pollen results in the samples collected between May 18 and June 9 . In that period of time, the vine
specie is one of the most collected, after the end of the blossoming of black locust and before that of chestnut; other important species in the same period are
Poaceae, Rubus, Trifolium repens, Plantago and Potentilla. The vine pollen loads are pale yellow, common to many other species and for that hardly identifiable by
colour.
Conclusions - The significance of the vine as a pollen source has been confirmed. That specie can be the prevailing pollen collected in the peak of blooming and in
vine-growing areas. Such evidence confirms the necessity to supervise in order to enforce the rules that forbid the treatments during the bloom.
Research achieved thanks to the funds of Regione Piemonte.
60
Modelling crop pollination in British agriculture
1*
1,2
3
Chiara Polce , Jacobus Biesmeijer , Mette Termansen and Simon G. Potts
4
1
Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
2
Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, Leiden, Netherlands
3
National Environmental Research Institute, Arhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
4
Centre for Agri-environmental Research, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
*
[email protected]
Pollination is a key ecosystem service, vital to the maintenance of both wild plant communities and agricultural productivity. Over three quarters of the major world
crops benefit from insect pollination, with an economic value of approximately €150 billion globally and about €500 million in the United Kingdom.
Despite this importance, there are still significant gaps in our current knowledge about the pollination requirements of crops, the pollination potential of different
pollinators and the impact of environmental changes on pollination. Until these gaps are filled, it is very difficult to advance the design of effective policies securing
the sustainable provision of pollination services. Here we present our contribution to address some of these gaps.
To fill the incomplete knowledge of where wild crop pollinators occur in the UK we generated species distribution models for a subset of bees and hoverflies species
that are important for pollination services of British crops. We used high resolution pollination records collected during the past decade, as well as environmental
spatial data including topography, climate, land-cover and pesticides use.
Our results demonstrate satisfactory model performance for wild pollinators characterised by different environmental requirements, geographical ranges and number
of available records. We show how this information can be used to identify areas of potential pollinator deficit, using the current distribution of British focal crops,
which include members of all major crop categories. Detailed model predictions will help us move forward our understanding of current and future pollination service
provision within UK, whilst the general modelling framework may potentially be also applied to other geographical areas.
We will discuss the main challenges and limitations of this approach and we will contemplate how our work informs the area of sustainable pollination service
provision.
61
Bumble bee and plant relationships in an Alpine environment
*
Marco Porporato , Peter Iohn Mazzoglio, Augusto Patetta, Aulo Manino
Università di Torino - Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, I-10095 Grugliasco - TO, Italy
*
[email protected]
A triennial survey on bumble bees and plants they visited was carried out in the Aosta Valley in the years 2009-2011. Two side valleys were chosen with different
climatic conditions and orientation, placed on the left bank of the river Dora Baltea: the Valley of Saint Marcel and the Valley of Champorcher. Three sampling areas
were chosen at different heights (about 1,500, 2,000 and 2,500 m a.s.l.) in each valley. In each sampling area and throughout the whole period of activity of bumble
bees, every two weeks, specimens were collected at random along transects together with the plants they were on.
In the three years of the research nearly 3,000 of bumble bee specimens of 33 species were collected. The bumble bees visited plants belonging to 30 families:
Onagraceae 22.61%, Fabaceae 18.03%, Asteraceae 15.80%, Boraginaceae 15.77%, Lamiaceae 4.69%, Campanulaceae 3.86%, Scrophulariaceae 3.27%,
Ericaceae 2.64%, Crassulaceae 2.47%, Salicaceae 1.46%, Caryophyllaceae 1.35%, Rosaceae 1.39%, Polygonaceae 1.29%, Gentianaceae 0.97%, Geraniaceae
0.90%, Primulaceae 0.87%, Dipsacaceae 0.80%, Saxifragaceae 0.56%, Violaceae 0.24%, Liliaceae 0.21%, Ranunculaceae 0.17%, Plumbaginaceae 0.14%,
Apiaceae 0.10%, Hypericaceae 0.10%, Juncaceae 0.10%, Plantaginaceae 0.07%, Brassicaceae 0.03%, Iridaceae 0.03%, Lentibulariaceae 0.03%, Rubiaceae
0.03%.
Epilobium 25.67%, Echium 16.57%, Trifolium 9.35%, Rododendron 4,11%, Carduus 3,93%, Rhinanthus 3.80%, Cirsium 3.49%, Onobrychis 2.55%, Salvia 2.55%,
Anthyllis 1.93%, Sedum 1.81%, Polygonum 1.74%, Carlina 1.62%, Campanula 1.62%, Geranium 1.56%, Taraxacum 1.37%, Phyteuma 1.37%, Silene 1.12%,
Astragalus 1.12%, Salix 1.06% were the most visited genuses in the Valley of Saint Marcel and Epilobium 18.78%, Echium 13.85%, Trifolium 12.99%, Cirsium
9.86%, Carduus 7.28%, Campanula 3.83%, Centaurea 3.05%, Sempervivum 2.35%, Anthyllis 2.27%, Gentiana 1.88%, Rhinanthus 1.64%, Thymus 1.56%, Silene
1.33%, Vicia 1.17%, Salvia 1.17%, Phyteuma 1.10% in the Valley of Champorcher.
In both valleys bumble bees visited nearly 70 genera but remarkable differences were observed in the preference and frequency. Plant and bumble bee biodiversity
are tightly interwoven and efforts should be undertaken to keep local variability in mountain areas.
62
The honey bees as environmental bioindicators
Claudio Porrini
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroambientali (DiSTA), Università di Bologna, Viale Giuseppe Fanin 42, 40127 Bologna - BO, Italy
[email protected]
Honey bee is a good biological indicator because it indicates the chemical impairment of the environment they live in through various signals: mortality, residues
present in their bodies or in beehive products, bees losses or anomalous behaviour of bees.
Several ethological and morphological characteristics make honey bee a reliable ecological detector: it is an easy-to-breed, almost ubiquitous organism, with modest
food requirements; its body is covered with hairs, which make it particularly suitable to hold the materials and substances it comes into contact with; it is highly
sensitive to most plant protection products, revealing when they are improperly spread through the environment (e.g. during flowering, in the presence of wind, etc.);
its very high rate of reproduction and relatively short average lifespan, causes the colony to undergo rapid, continuous regeneration; its great mobility and wide flying
range allows a vast area to be monitored; its high efficiency in ground surveys (numerous inspections per day). Furthermore, almost all environmental sectors (soil,
vegetation, water, air) are sampled by honey bees, providing numerous indicators (through foraging) for each season. Finally, a variety of materials are brought into
the hive (nectar, pollen, honeydew, propolis and water) and stored according to verifiable criteria.
For over thirty years in Italy, notably at the University of Bologna, has been studying the use of honey bees as bioindicators of pesticides, heavy metals and
radionuclides. Over the years our research has extended even to the PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons), the microorganism (bacteria), the explosive
substances and dioxins.
As noted previously, honey bees are extremely sensitive to pesticides. The number of dead bees in front of the hive is one of the most important variables to be
considered for these contaminants and varies according to a number of factors: the toxicity (for bees) of the active ingredient used, the presence and extension of
flowering among cultivated or spontaneous plants, the presence of honey bees on the site and at the time of the chemical treatment, the means used to distribute the
pesticide, the presence of wind, the repellent effect of the active ingredients, etc.
Many bees directly struck by an insecticide will not have enough strength to return to their hive and will die in the field or during their return flight. Other bees only
marginally hit, while visiting the flowers of the treated species or gathering nectar and pollen from spontaneous species contaminated by ―drift‖, will eventually die in
the hive. In this case the honey bee acts as a direct indicator. In the case of compounds that are not particularly dangerous, the honey bees act as indirect indicators,
i.e. not sensitive but exposed, and will provide us with information in the form of residues. Several pesticides, commonly used in agriculture, can provoke severe
behavioural effects, or colony losses even at low doses. So, in addition to controlling bee mortality and pesticide residues, it is also necessary to check the strength
of the colony. With our monitoring scheme several results may be obtained: active ingredients responsible of the bee killing, periods and areas at highest risk, errors
of the growers in plant protection management. It is also possible to assess the degree of environmental hazard processing the data through specific indexes.
63
Italian wild bees
Marino Quaranta
Laboratory of Biogeography & Ecology University of the Aegean, Department of Geography, University Hill, GR-81100 Mytilene, Greece
Viale Umbria 4, I-06083 Bastia Umbria - PG, Italy
[email protected]
Honeybees are considered the most important pollinators of crops and wild flowers not only by the vast majority of farmers and beekeepers, but also in the public
opinion. However, recent research paints a very different picture from what was believed up to a few years ago. Wild pollinators such as bumblebees, solitary bees
and hoverflies may be the most important pollinators across Europe. This typically occurs in particular circumstances, for instance when diseases or other factors
cause honeybees to decline. All pollinators are threatened for various reasons, several of which are now clear, including loss of flower habitats, pests and diseases,
and overuse of agrochemicals. At the same time, crops that require pollination are spreading. Several simple measures can be undertaken in order to defend a
healthy community of pollinators on a farm level. Nevertheless, public awareness of even the most common traits of natural history, behaviour and diversity of wild
bees species is poor, if not completely overlooked. We must also note that this is especially true in countries with a higher diversity and abundance of species, such
as those bordering the Mediterranean.
A general picture of Italian wild bee fauna is presented, with particular reference to the agricultural landscape, examining important aspects of the natural history of
bees such as biodiversity, biology and ecology, and focusing on the conservation of species.
Biodiversity. The most recently published inventory of bee wildlife in Italy reports 944 species of Apoidea (Pagliano, 1995), but a review is underway that could bring
the number to over 1,000. At the same time, however, it is the number of species and their abundance in small areas or on farms - rather than the number of species
nationwide - that tells us the state of conservation of the environment. This concept is illustrated with examples.
Morphology and recognition. Details useful for the recognition of the main and most common morphotypes of wild bees are provided: yellow-masked bees, sweat
bees, andrena bees, leafcutter bees, wool carder bees, mason bees, anthophora bees, eucera bees, bumblebees, small and large carpenter bees.
Biology and ecology. Aspects of the biology and ecology of greater interest for protecting the community are discussed, such as floral preferences and requirements
that guide pollinators in choosing nesting sites.
64
Interactions between plant diversity and pollinator attraction in agricultural field margins in Sweden
*
Romina Rader and Regina Lindborg
Landscape Ecology, Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Sweden
*
[email protected]
Plant functional traits that are associated with pollinator attraction may be a way of investigating the extent to which changes in plant diversity can affect pollination
services in response to land use change.
In this study we use diversity partitioning to investigate interactions between plant diversity and pollinator attraction in agricultural field margins in Sweden. We
compared alpha, beta and gamma diversity of plants with traits that are related to pollinator attraction (flower colour, time of flowering, duration of flowering and
amount of nectar) and examined their response to land use composition and farm management type.
The results of this study may be used to better manage pollinator resources by understanding components of plant diversity in agricultural landscapes.
65
Deficit in mango pollination in Pakistan
Muhammad Khalid Rafique
House no. 52-E, New Colony Rangeel Pur Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
[email protected]
Mangos, Mangifera indica, is an indigenous fruit of the Indian continent, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. In Pakistan it is grown mainly in Sindh
and Southern Punjab. Despite its long history of cultivation and a great dependence on insect pollinators to set fruit, farmers in Pakistan are generally not aware of its
pollination needs. Preliminary results from two years of applying the protocol will be presented.
66
Pollination Deficit Studies on Apple, Mustard and Large Cardamom in Indian Himalaya Region
1*
2
1
3
2
3
Ranbeer S. Rawal , Kishor Kumar , Ravindra Joshi , Kailash Gaira , Sher S. Samant , Kaushal K. Singh and Lok Man S. Palni
1
1
G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development (GBPIHED)
Kosi-Katarmal, Almora 263 643, India
2
G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development (GBPIHED)
Himachal Unit, Mohal-Kullu 175 126, India
3
G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development (GBPIHED)
Sikkim Unit, Pangthang, Gangtok 737 101, India
*
[email protected]
Apple, Mustard and Large cardamom are important pollinator dependent crops in Indian Himalayan Region. These crops are not only grown traditionally for
sustenance of indigenous farming communities but also for commercial benefits. Particularly, Apple in Himachal Pradesh and Large cardamom in Sikkim are major
commercial crops. However, the indigenous framers, in spite of long traditional association and heavy dependence on these crops, largely remain ignorant of their
pollination needs. As a result, decline in production and quality of produce, which is common, is most often ascribed to other factors only. Realizing this lack of
knowledge amongst indigenous farming communities and to provide them with the science based evidences, Pollination Deficit Protocols, as developed for different
target crops of Global Pollination Project, are being implemented in three STEP (Study, Training, Evaluation and Promotion) sites: Large cardamom site - Mamlay
watershed, Sikkim, Mustard site - Kosi watershed, Uttarakhand, Apple site - Beas watershed, Himachal Pradesh. The results of one year study on target crops from
these sites are being presented.
67
Pathways to the global sustainability of pollination
David W. Roubik
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Balboa, Panama
[email protected]
Pollinator communities are inherently unstable. There is no special feedback that doles out seasonal floral resources according to the numbers of consumers. There
is either too much or not enough, but fortunately, the consumers are highly mobile. Most are bees; their competition occurs constantly and is resolved daily.
In rich floral communities competitors partition resources in time, space, and at community level, by species. If evolved in relatively stable environments, phenology
and specialization are selected to avert competition. Nonetheless, duration and intensity of flowering are seen now as most important to specialization or
generalization. Beyond this, combinations of native and recently arrived, abundant and rare, stable and unstable species interact. Some may have a competitive
edge, but in pollinator and plant communities, competition is seldom ‗lost‘ or ‗won‘.
Competing bees each sustain the same plant resources and are thereby to some extent mutualists. We seek the greening of pollination. That is, understanding the
pathways to its sustainability; one is agricultural, the other the wildlands. Both facets interact and both are needed. Their synergism is the key to managing pollination
when nature surely cannot.
68
Effect of intercropping on pollinator’s abundance and fruit setting in mango orchards
*
Shafqat Saeed , Muhammad Imran, Asif Sajjad and Assad Masood
Department of Entomology, University College of Agriculture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan
*
[email protected]
Mango (Mangifera indica) is a leading fruit crop of Pakistan and known as the king of fruits. Insufficient cross-pollination is an impotent cause of low fruit setting in
mango orchards. Intercropping of mass flowering crops is an emanating idea to attract and retain pollinators.
Using this idea, a trial was conducted to assess the role of onion (Alium cepa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) intercropping in mango orchard aiming to best utilize
the native pollinators for mango pollination. Flies (Diptera) composed 98% of the floral visitor community, of which, Syrphidae comprised 84%. Melanostoma
orientale (Syrphidae:Diptera) and Musca domestica (Muscidae:Diptera) were the most abundant floral visitors in all the intercropped orchards.
The highest floral visitor abundance was recorded in onion intercropped orchards followed by wheat and fallow orchards. The diurnal dynamic pattern of floral visitors
revealed a gradual increase in abundance from morning (9:00hrs) to noon (11:00hrs).
Intercropping notably improved floral visitors abundance and ultimately fruit setting i.e. maximum in onion (average of 4.43 fruits per panicle) followed by wheat
(average of 3.97 fruits per panicle) and fallow (average of 1.87 fruits per panicle).
Key words: Mango, Intercropping, Pollination, Fruit setting
69
The risk of pesticides to Non-Apis bees: exposure assessment and susceptibility
Fabio Sgolastra
Department of Agroenvironmental Sciences and Technologies - Entomology, University of Bologna, Viale G. Fanin 42, I-40127 Bologna - BO, Italy
[email protected]
In the last years, bee and colony losses have been reported in numerous countries worldwide and many factors, acting singularly or simultaneously, were taken into
account to explain these phenomena (pathogens, agrochemicals, climate change, malnutrition, GMO). Pesticides were often considered as one factor to contribute
to the decline of the domesticated bee, Apis mellifera, however, many other bees (wild and managed) are also at risk. The group of bees (Apiformes) comprises
more than 16,000 species with different life cycles, behavioural, morphological and physiological features. The current Bee Risk Assessment Scheme (OEPP/EPPO
PP 1/170) for the evaluation of the Plant Protection Products (PPP) suggest to make predictions for other bee species using Apis mellifera as surrogate. However,
the extrapolation from data of honey bee to other bees is not appropriate because non-Apis bees show different level of exposure and sensitivity. In fact, several
toxicity studies showed that honey bees is not the most sensitive species among bees. In addition, many life-history traits influencing the vulnerability to pesticides
suggest that bumblebees and solitary bees could be more vulnerable to impacts from pesticides compared to honey bees. In particular, when the pesticide
application coincides with the nesting period in solitary bees or with colony establishment in bumblebees. In fact, unlike honey bees, wild bees cannot be temporarily
moved during pesticide spraying and, in solitary bees, the death of a nesting female means the end of reproductive activity, while in social bees deficits following
spraying may be compensated by workers and also by new bees emerging from the brood. Floral specialization, shorter nesting period and limited foraging range
are other factors that make non-Apis bees more susceptible to pesticide compared to honey bees. Unlike honey bees, non-Apis bees can be also highly exposed to
pesticide residues in the soil because many bees nest underground or use mud as nesting material. Moreover, non-Apis larvae are much more exposed to pesticide
residues in the pollen. Whereas honey bee larvae are mainly fed with glandular secretions from adult bees and ingest only very small amount of pollen, larvae of
solitary bees and bumblebees consume large provisions with unprocessed pollen. It was estimated that the pollen consumption is about 240 times higher in female
larvae of the solitary bee Osmia cornuta than worker larvae of A. mellifera. All these factors highlight the necessity to include other species of bees in the Bee Risk
Assessment Scheme for new pesticides.
70
The effect of carbamazepine residues in reclaimed wastewater on honey bees
Sharoni Shafir
B. Triwaks Bee Research Center, Department of Entomology, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Rehovot, Israel
[email protected]
With global demand for water continuously increasing, there is an increase in reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation. Conventional wastewater treatment,
however, does not eliminate all organic pollutants from the water thus residues of active pharmaceutical compounds are present in the treated effluents. Here we
focus on carbamazepine, a widely used antiepileptic drug, which is extremely stable in the environment and is not degraded and/or transformed in wastewater
treatment plants. Residues of carbamazepine have been found in irrigation water in agricultural fields as well as in crop plant tissues. Honey bees may collect drug
residues indirectly when visiting crops watered with treated wastewater containing such residues, and directly when collecting water from drip irrigation pipes. We
therefore tested the effect of this drug on honey bee survival and homing abilities.
For the survival experiment, combs with sealed brood were placed in an incubator (350C) and day-old bees were marked. The bees were then released back into
their hive for five days, which promotes proper nutrition and development. Marked bees were collected and housed individually in aerated containers (360 mL), with
ad lib access to a 40% w/w sucrose solution feeder. The treatment group had 283 mg/L carbamazepine added to the sucrose solution; the other half of the bees
were the control. Bees were monitored daily and mortality was recorded. The experiment was replicated three times. Overall, median survival of the control group
(N=58) was 16 days, whereas that of the treatment (N=61) was only 12 days (survival analysis: chi-square = 4.7, df=1, P=0.03). For the homing experiment, honey
bee foragers were collected as they returned to the hive. Thus, we assume that bees had experience with the hive‘s surrounds. Bees were refrigerated until
motionless and then about 100 bees were marked with each of two colors. Bees of each group were placed in a cage and had ad lib access to feeders containing
40% w/w sucrose solution. The treatment group had 283 mg/L carbamazepine added to the sucrose solution; the other group was the control. An empty super was
placed above the hive, with a fine net separating it from the housed bottom floor. The cages with the bees were placed in the empty super so that they experienced
the hive‘s odors, but were otherwise isolated from the rest of the bees. After three days, the bees were transported to a release sight 500 m away and released. For
three hours following release we monitored the hive‘s entrance for marked returning bees. The experiment was replicated three times. Between 37% and 87% fewer
bees returned to their hive from the treatment group relative to the control in the three replicates (Nominal logistic regression: chi-square = 14.9, df=1, P=0.0001). We
have shown that relatively high concentration of carbamazepine adversely affects bee survival and homing abilities. Residuals of such drugs may pose a serious
environmental threat to bees. We are now testing the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations and on additional cognitive tasks.
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Apple Pollination Studies with Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada
Cory Sheffield
Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 2340 Albert St., Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2V7, Canada
[email protected]
The tree fruit pollinator, Osmia lignaria, was introduced into the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia for evaluation as a pollinator of apple due to concern over declining
availability and increased costs of Apis mellifera as a managed pollinator for this crop. This multi-year study assessed this species potential contributions to apple
fruit production; pollination levels (i.e., pollen deposition quantity and pattern), percent fruit set and fruit quality (i.e., two symmetry indices) were evaluated in
response to population density gradient established within the experimental orchard. In addition, O. lignaria was evaluated based on its manageability as a pollinator.
These experiments included comparing methods for wintering this species successfully based on reducing mortality and affordability, and determining the potential of
lupines as an additional food source for nesting populations after apple flowering.
Throughout the research orchard, pollination levels, percent fruit set and seed yield were much higher than minimums required for adequate crop production. These
variables showed weak but significant decreases at increased distance from established nests of O. lignaria. Seed distribution among the five carpels of each fruit
affected quality, most noticeably resulting in ―lop-sidedness‖ due to asymmetries in fruit height when two or more adjacent carpels were empty. However, empty
carpels are not always the result of unequal and/or inadequate pollination levels, as demonstrated by hand pollination trials, though their frequency typically
increased as increased distance from established nests.
Throughout the flowering period, O. lignaria females collected high levels of apple pollen; following crop flowering, they collected a large proportion of lupine pollen.
The flowering phenology of lupines in Nova Scotia followed that of apple and no scarcity of pollen resources occurred during the lifespan of nesting bee populations.
Established nests as far away as 180 m from lupine plots showed high levels of population growth, ranging between 40% and 250%, although some nests showed a
net loss of bees.
Based on results from this study, O. lignaria is a suitable alternative to the honey bee to provide pollination to the Nova Scotia apple industry. It has proven to be an
excellent apple pollinator, and initial populations of O. lignaria can be managed for both pollination and population growth for requirements in subsequent seasons,
providing that food plants are available following apple flowering. Lupines are a suitable plant species for meeting pollen requirements of established populations.
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Slovenian experience in bee pasture improvement and development of api-ecotourism
Franc Sivic
Slovenian Beekeepers Association, Brdo pri Lukovici, Lukovica / Ulica padlih borcev 31, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
[email protected]
In the past, one of the most important nectar-bearing plants in Slovenia was buckwheat. It flourished in the second half of August and it usually provided enough of
quality honey and pollen for bees to survive winter. After 1950 the sowing of buckwheat slowly decreased and nowadays only few white floriferous fields can be seen
during august. In order to encourage our farmers to sow buckwheat in larger quantities again, our Ministry of Agriculture decided to subsidy farmers within the
program of agricultural development with € 61.00 for each hectare that would be planted with this crop. As for Slovenian beekeeping, the most important result of this
measure would be creation of nectar and pollen flow as we had in the past. 60% of Slovenia is covered by forests, dominated b y beech, oak, spruce and fir. Last
year we observed various pests attacks particularly on spruce in the lowlands, which is not its natural habitat. These pests attack occur due to changes in climate
and spruce could eventually disappear from these areas.
Lately we also noted that some tree species such as white maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), wild cherry (Prunus avium), wild pear (Pirus sp.) and various types of lime
trees (Tilia sp.), all excellent nectar-bearing plants who are resistant to these climate changes, are spontaneously emerging. Fortunately, these four species also
have a high quality wood used in timber industry. That is the reason why foresters plant them and successfully replace vanishing spruce. Beekeepers are actively
supporting them in these actions. Recently, Slovenian Beekeepers Association recommended to authorities of all towns and larger settlements to plant lime, white
maple, robinia and wild cherry including ornamental trees like bean tree, pawlounia, and honey locust.
I would particularly like to point out our experience with api - ecotourism. We call this activity also ―the value added beekeeping‖. Why would we only sell honey and
other beehive products, when we can also sell our knowledge about beekeeping to numerous people who wish to learn about bees and their life? In Slovenia we are
about forty bee-keepers who decided to open the doors of our homes, invite people to visit us and show them how we work with bees. Our visitors are schoolchildren
and students, seniors, various other interest groups, local and foreign tourists. Every year, more and more organized groups of beekeepers from other European
countries visit Slovenia. They are interested to learn about our way of beekeeping and to get acquainted with our rich beekeeping tradition. From neighbouring
countries such as Italy and Austria, groups come with buses and stay for one or two days. From more remote states, groups tend to stay even up to one week. In
addition to the apiculture program we also offer our visitors the opportunity to view various cultural and natural attractions of Slovenia.
In my PowerPoint presentation I will show you what my guests can see in my apiaries.
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Vicia faba improvement: the key role of floral traits and their inter-phase with pollinators in the context of pollinator friendly cultivar development
1*
María José Suso and Salvador Nadal
2
1
Department of Plant Breeding, IAS-CSIC, Apdo 4084, 14080 Córdoba, Spain
2
Mejora y Biotecnología, IFAPA-CICE, Apdo 3092, 14080 Córdoba, Spain
*
[email protected]
Vicia faba is an insect-pollinated species. In Europe, faba bean pollinators are honeybees, bumblebees and diverse solitary bees. Bees have a key function in the
agro-ecosystem. This function is related to the bee role as agents of crossing, so increasing the level of genetic diversity and heterozygosis and to help maximize
heterosis-mediated resilience and yield stability in population-type cultivars. Thus, indirectly, bees help to optimize food production services. In parallel, there is
mounting evidence of a global decline in bee-pollinators. Bee density is determined not only by the proportion of semi-natural habitats but also by the presence of
rewarding flowering crops. Regarding that faba beans are visited by a great number of bees, the provision of floral resources within the crop for supporting beneficial
insect pollinators could be a promising strategy to potentially maximise the environmental services.
Production and environmental services can only be achieved in tandem, because these two realities are closely intertwined by plant-pollinator inter-phase.
Consequently, we face a situation where the development of pollinator-friendly cultivars is needed. Additionally, it is also worthy to notice that in the face of the new
CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) the contribution of farmers to biodiversity conservation service by these bee-friendly habitats could be the key to get a
supplementary source of income (greening payments). Floral phenotypes should be as much the result of selection for high outcrossing as selection for supporting
pollinator‘s conservation.
Our contribution reports our approach focused on the development of Vicia faba pollinator-friendly broad genetic base population type cultivars. Specific topics will
attempt to cover the following issues: 1) The availability on germplasm variation for traits associated with the flower attractiveness, reward and pollinator mechanical
fit from the perspective of using germplasm to respond to the demand of functional floral traits that may have been lost through extended breeding for conventional
systems; 2) the role of pollinator-mediated selection on the patterns of seed production (number of seed and pods, seeds per pod and seed-weight) via components
of pollinator attraction, reward and mechanical fit between flower and pollinator; 3) to what degree upward and downwards artificial selection for bee-pollinator
outcrossing is constrained by floral traits architecture.
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Assessing pollination deficit in tree crops: A matter of spatial and temporal scales
Bernard E. Vaissière
1
1
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - INRA, Pollinisation et Ecologie des Abeilles, UMR406 Abeilles & Environnement, Site Agroparc, F-84914 Avignon
Cedex 9, France
[email protected]
Insect pollination is now recognized as an important production factor for many fruit tree crops, yet the way in which the dependence of their commercial yield on
pollinator activity has been measured is extremely variable, often leading to conflicting reports in the literature. Indeed, the size of many fruit trees is a real challenge
to use the whole plant approach advocated in herbaceous crops to take into account the source-sink status of the plants and get sound estimates of the impact of
insect pollination on crop production from an agronomic standpoint. Also the perennial status of fruit trees and the frequent alternate bearing that can result from it is
another cause of concern for the reliability of the estimate of the dependence of tree crops on insect pollination as most measurements are done over a single
season. A two-year experiment was undertaken in 2012 within the STEP project (http://www.step-project.net) to assess the potential effects of the spatial and
temporal scales on insect pollination dependence in a commercial orchard of adult peach trees, Prunus persica. Bagging treatments were used on different sampling
units from individual flowers to whole trees in a commercial orchard with two varieties. I will report on the first results of this experiment in terms of fruit set and fruit
quality, and discuss these to better assess pollination deficits in tree crops.
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Urban ecology: a new opportunity for bees
*
Monica Vercelli , Federica Larcher, Marco Devecchi, Aulo Manino
Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco - TO, Italy
*
[email protected]
The relationship between nature and city played, during the centuries, many different meanings, changing the design and management approach in the urban
greening. Today new functions of the urban green areas are recognized. In particular, with the development of the ―Urban ecology‖, together with aesthetical and
ornamental values, the green areas can also have an important ecological role. The number of green areas in a city is for example one indicator of its environmental
quality. The number and type of grass, shrubs and tree species, provide suitable habitats for the pollinator communities and therefore for bees. In the urban
ecosystem bees provide different ecosystem services. Bees are essential for the maintenance of diversity in wild flowers and crops, and their products can be used
as indicators and monitors of a variety of environmental pollutants. Furthermore bees offer important benefits to people including aesthetic pleasure, awareness of
urban fauna conservation, and environmental education. This presentation aims to discuss about this subject showing the results of a research project conducted in
Turin (Italy). Under a national monitoring network, in collaboration with the municipality, a module consisting of 10 hives, located in a representative urban area of
Turin, was set up to evaluate the beekeeping in the city.
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Landscape management for pollinator conservation
1*
2
2
Vercelli M. , Monterastelli E. , Romagnoli F. , Porrini C.
1
2
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via L. da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco - TO, Italy
2
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroambientali, Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 42, Bologna, Italy
*
[email protected]
Pollination is a key ecosystem service and is one of the foundations for maintaining biodiversity in agricultural and natural landscapes. It is estimated that 60 to 80%
of wild plants and 35% of global crop production depend on pollinators. The ecological, agricultural and economic importance of pollinators is far-reaching and has
yet to be estimated.
Pollinators are not immune to the crisis of biodiversity and their decline in several areas of the world is now clear and well documented. Environmental degradation
and the consequent loss of species richness is one of the most serious problems; in order to avoid greatest number of extinctions, good landscape management is
fundamental. An important achievement is studying the dynamics that pollinators establish among themselves and within the environment.
The main goal was to evaluate their contribution to the biodiversity of natural, agricultural and urban ecosystems as well as allow us to understand what shapes and
distribution the different environments should have in order to provide suitable places for pollinator nesting and survival. Banaszak has estimated that in agricultural
zones, cultivated areas should not exceed 3/4 of the entire surface. The remainder should be allocated to refuge areas.
As an example of studies on wild pollinators we report the first data obtained in 2011 from part of a study completed in Italy ten years after the AMA (Ape Miele
Ambiente) project, which was conducted between 1997 and 2000. In Emilia-Romagna two areas were examined in order to learn which wild bees occurred: one is an
agro-ecosystem and the other is mainly non-cultivated.
Captures showed that pollinator life conditions improve moving from the plain toward mountainous areas owing to a decrease in human activity and a simultaneous
increase in both the extension and complexity of natural areas. Over 12 years the number of insects caught remained steady, with a longer flight period for some
species. Nevertheless, it is essential to conduct studies aimed at safeguarding wild pollinators.
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Project for a bee garden in the Regional Park “San Rossore, Migliarino, Massaciuccoli”
1
2
1*
Cristiano Badalamenti , Luca Gorreri , Paolo Vernieri , Antonio Felicioli
3
1
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-ambientali, Università di Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa - PI, Italy
2
Ente Parco Regionale San Rossore, Migliarino, Massaciuccoli, Loc. Cascine Vecchie, Tenuta di San Rossore, 56122 Pisa - PI, Italy
3
Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa - PI, Italy
*
[email protected]
The present work presents a proposal for planning a bee garden at ―Chiuso di Capomandria‖, near to San Piero (Pisa), within the Regional Park ―San Rossore,
Migliarino, Massaciuccoli‖, in Tuscany, Italy. During the last years, given the high environmental, historical and landscape value of the area, the Authority of the
Regional Park has carried out an important project aimed to enhance this value through the creation of a didactic farm at ―Chiuso di Capomandria‖, in the area where
many years ago there was an important forest nursery. The project includes a lot of activity, between which a bee garden and a didactic route from the observation of
insects (especially Apis, but also Osmia and Bombus) in the natural environment, to the honey production and honey tasting. The project of the bee garden aims to
invite the visitors to a trip in the bees‘ world, walking among their favourite plants, watching them at work on flowers, familiarizing with all the other pollinators,
learning about the honey production techniques and, finally, tasting different honey types.
The bee garden, therefore, will represent a particular kind of ―Garden of the Senses‖ in which visitors will have the opportunity also to meet the most important honey
plants, to learn more about their colours and perfumes. Moreover, in some particular areas will be located field glasses allowing the close vision of the insects. All the
paths will be fully accessible to disabled people.
At the entrance of the garden, as well as along the paths, will be placed information panels explaining some aspects of pollinators‘ biology and their importance in the
conservation of natural biodiversity. Shrubs and herbaceous plants have been chosen mainly among the Lamiaceae family (Lavandula, Mentha, Origanum,
Rosmarinus, Salvia, Teucrium, Thymus, etc.). Other plants chosen are: Acer, Arbutus, Buddleia, Cercis, Cistus, Corylus, Crataegus, Helichrysum, Ilex, Ligustrum,
Liriodendron, Salix and Viburnum to ensure blooming during a long time, also at the end of the winter, which is known to be a particularly critical period for bees.
In summary, the bee garden will represent a sound tool to enhance the environmental, historical and landscape value of the area and to contribute to the
conservation and improvement of the natural biodiversity. Moreover we trust the high didactic value of this kind of projects, since they allow the young generations to
better know and, consequently, to respect all the different components of the ecosystems.
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Evaluation of pollination deficit and the effect of supplementation with managed beehives on apple orchard (Malus domestica Borkh) in Bahia, Brazil
1*
1
1
1
2
Blandina Felipe Viana , Jeferson Gabriel Coutinho , Antonio da Costa Diakos , Fabiana Oliveira da Silva , Kátia Peres Gramacho , Guido Laercio Bragança
1
Castanino
1
Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia Salvador, Campus de Ondina, Rua Barão de Geremoabo s/n, Salvador - BA 40170-210, Brazil
2
Universidade Tiradentes, Aracaju - SE, Brazil
*
[email protected]
The apple tree (Malus domestica), originated in Central Asia, is one of the most cultivated plants worldwide and today there are about 7,500 known varieties. Many
apple cultivars are self-incompatible, for this reason; require the services of a pollinator. The bees of the species Apis mellifera are considered efficient pollinators in
apple orchards in several countries, although native bees also provide this service. In apple flowers, for a complete fertilization takes place after pollination, 6 -7
ovules should be fertilized by a sufficient number of pollen grains. If the threshold is not reached may result in morphological deformation of the fruit; in reducing the
production; in small fruits; and the reduction in the amount of calcium with consequences for their conservation. This pollination deficit is the result of receiving
inadequate or insufficient pollen, in qualitative or quantitative terms. In experiments in apple orchard, in the region of Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil, pollination
deficit was found. The main cause of this deficit is the limitation of pollinators due to intensive land use and isolation of natural areas. In such cases the use of
managed bees became a common and efficient practice to improve pollination services, but number of hives varies due to crop features and local landscape context.
This study evaluated the influence of number and type of management of honeybees‘ hives on density of flower visitors and seed set in apple orchards, aiming to
reduce pollination deficit in the study area. For this purpose, we recorded changes in bee density and seed set under supplementation with 7, 9 and 11 hives/ha, and
two management types: hives with and hives without pollen trap. Honeybees‘ hives supplementation without pollen trap increased density of visits (α = 0.05; F2,45 =
22.29, p < 0.001) and seed set (α = 0.05; F2,27 = 4.0, p = 0.029) comparing to the previous used five hives/ha supplementation. However, the supplementation with
beehives with pollen traps has resulted in higher values than those obtained without pollen traps added. For the studied apple orchard 7 beehive/ha added with
pollen trap is a viable alternative to reduce pollination deficit and improve apple quality. Such high input of beehives required for pollination is influenced by the
extremely low diversity of native pollinating bees recorded in the apple orchards.
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GMO Pollen Analysis in Honey
Dr. Christoph Wambach
CEO of Euregio Analytic BioChem GmbH Molecularbiological laboratory since 1999
Euregio Analytic BioChem GmbH Laboratory, Oleftal 12, D-53937 Schleiden. Germany
Euregio Analytic BioChem GmbH Administration, Obere Dorfstr. 5, D-56729 Hirten, Germany
[email protected]
Since the last 15 years there is a strong increase in the economic use of GMO. But not only the acreage increased. We are as well faced with a strong growth of
plants varieties, that are genetically modified. In 2011 twenty-nine countries, including nineteen developing countries, used GMO on a total acreage of more than 160
Mio ha. Beside the most important plant species like soybean, maize and rape, used for the production of food and feed, more and more genetic modified plants are
developed for the production of textiles (cotton), fuels (maize, wheat) and paper (trees like poplar). In 2012 already economic used are more than 25 different plants
and research is going on more than hundred plant species, most of them are already tested in field trials all over the world.
Findings of gm-pollen in honey are not new, but it becomes more difficult, to identify the GMO- species. In the beginning of our tests in 2003 this was not
problematic, because the main contaminants were soy, rape and sometimes maize. Today we are faced with hundreds of different GMO-Events of a huge amount of
different plant species. Therefore the aim of the gm-pollen analysis changed from the exact identification to a differentiation, between EU-authorized and EU- nonauthorized GMO.
Euregio Analytic BioChem GmbH developed in close contact with customers and cooperating laboratories a combined analysis method, using Real-Time PCR and
pollen-microscopy, to get a cost-effective tool for gm-pollen detection and the information, whether the gm-pollen are of EU- authorized or EU-non-authorized GMOs.
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Poster presentations
81
Sustainable breeding systems for solitary bees
Leo Aerts
Fortstraat 10, B-2640 Mortsel, Belgium
[email protected]
Wild or ―tame‖ bees?
Considering the fact that certain bees are named ―Wild‖, others as domesticated, the last mostly honeybees, adapted by and for human use. This process evolving
for centuries, had little to do with efficient pollination, but with natural sugars in the form of honey. One of the main problems taken into account is, the justifiable
anger of these insects, because their honey is robbed. Is that the being ―wild‖? Or is rather meant that the other species are more difficult to handle, yet with existing
resources? Mason Bees, the champions of pollination, are not aggressive and rarely sting. Very important to know, because it is proven that 15% of men are allergic
to bee stinging. Surely also fruit growers themselves, and their workers. Wild or perhaps better suited? The dreaded Varroa mite has, so far as known, no grip on
solitary bees.
Facts and observations
- Many food crops are grown without any intervention or work on pollination by insects, since artificial means be used. Fortunately, this is not in the organic
cultivation, where these techniques are out of the question and cannot be accepted. Nature lovers are either ignorant or they are maybe modestly silent about.
- Stone fruits such as cherries, prunes and also most berries, must indeed have real pollination, to date there are no substantial alternatives and no artificial
techniques for natural pollination by insects.
- Where honeybees avoid hail nets, mason bees will just continue to work. Also where fruit growing in tunnels, they can be deployed without any problem.
- Honeybees are increasingly difficult to manage as reliable pollinators. Per- haps we could say that they are evolving back to ―naturalize‖ or ―wild‖? Certain solitary
bees, are much better effective pollinators (one versus eighty till hundred twenty honeybees), both quantitatively and qualitatively. How- ever, since they do not
produce honey, were and are solitary bees still neglected.
Dogmas?
We therefore left unilateral rumors and dogmatic ideas, for what they are; including: - Solitary bees, due to their small numbers, negligible (answer is evident), Solitary bees can only be triggered with nesting, known by them, - People can only act here as guardian of known nest sites and causes undesirable side effects if
he takes sanitary, or other measures, - Drilled holes are adequate, the new generations of bees will always themselves take care over waste and marginal
phenomena, in the form of feces, parasites, fungi, etc., and probably remove, - All these natural phenomena, including viruses and fungi have a right to live and to
82
get our appreciation, we just let them thrive best, - A.s.o., a.s.o.
Observations
- In European universities, the lion‘s share of public assistance, is still devoted to study of honey bees. Reason for always speaking and writing about ―bees‖, i.s.o.
honeybees. This inertia and conservatism is difficult to break because of the several different interest groups. These are, firstly, most bee- keepers and their
associations, but also the many academics who almost their entire career devoted to honey bees, and concerning solitary bees, possess low to very low in-depth
knowledge.
- On the other hand, in European circles of ―nature lovers‖, there is also a strong resistance to generate and use solitary bees on a large scale. Even when
recognized as necessary to, or serving for food production or seed breeding.
- Politicians, both at European and local level, are easily lead by the two aforementioned groups.
- Both, the U.S. and in Australian government policies seem much quicker to respond to threatening shortfalls of food supply by agriculture and horticulture.
Pollination is thereby fundamental to ensure good harvests. Surely, this also extends to both seed breeding for ornamental plants, as seeds for vegetables and
almost all fodder for livestock.
These phenomena prevent a rapid progress, quite some time, in Europe. The pollination problem, however, grows worse every day.
What existed here and there? (not mentioning diverse drilled holes and alike)
Currently in Europe, as in the US, most breeding systems are offered in various processed wood. Mainly Kiefer wood (part of native pine with little to no knots) Also
native beech and ash. The reason for the use of these types of wood is in fact, rather its origin, in the manufacture of casing material for honey bees. Some
manufacturers/marketeers even sell modules in MDF. Researchers evaluated especially the attraction for the bees. It appears that the type of wood generates more
interest than the other. But is that the fundamental criterion? At first sight, perhaps, but afterwards there are other aspects, especially the durability/maintainability; on
the forefront, and more important. It is proven that solitary bees have no problem with ceramic or other man-made materials and articles. There are plenty of
examples, from clay roof tiles, to rubber vibration dampers under train rails. However, it is inherent to the target insects, they need more or less time to adapt and to
accept artificial nesting/breeding help. Since millions of solitary bees will be needed to fill pollination shortages, also some considerations rise.
Properties and behavior of wood
The most useful species exhibit beside the attraction, but similar drawbacks. Large-deformation with temperature and moisture changes. Result: concave, convex,
twisted, cracked, etc., so no longer usable for the purpose. Recycling impossible, thus left to disposal or incineration. Partly cut fibers by machining, which are first
flattened, but re-establish and stand upright, by climate fluctuations and thereby establish themselves as a fur, not only hindering the creeping insects but also an
ideal breeding and hatch base for all kinds of bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc. Due to the aforementioned properties, these materials can only resist dry
cleaning. Thermal disinfection, or with aqueous solutions are totally inapplicable. All machining operations of the timber, calculated/breeding volume require lots of
energy consumption. With rising energy and wood prices, growing and machining this commodity instead of food is no truly sustainable solution.
Ceramic modules and litter odors
In 2010 we started a first series of ceramic modules, the BEE- O-Topic breeding module type A, made by local manufacturers, from local raw materials: clay. They
83
are meant to breed, grow and use, in a manageable way, especially the red mason bee (Osmia rufa) and the horned mason bee (O. cornuta) in an economical way.
Other specimen in other continents alike. Meanwhile, (Fall 2011) it has been found that the influencing of attractive- ness from these, for many bees unprecedented
materials, can easily be affected by human intervention. With certainty when applying purchased co- coons, especially since these were grown/bred by the suppliers
themselves, usually in cardboard tubes or various wooden nesting areas. It appears, however, that nest odors (Olfactory cues), of the solitary bees themselves, are
relatively easy to apply to various materials. For this we offer, as it were a natural born solution, the BEE-O- Smell spray, with pheromones. After a first use by the
bees, this is, however, all superfluous, because they leave everything needed to attract the next generation.
Cheaper alternative
Starting in spring 2012, we offer not only the most natural and durable product on the market, the known ceramic BEE-O-Topic type A modules. We now also
developed a cheaper alternative, also very durable and manage- able, namely the rubber module, BEE-O-Topic Type B: 100% High Duty Quality Rubber UV- and
Aging Resistant. Established population of Osmia rufa (the type who thrives the most in Central Europe, was successfully tested and proven for us, by various
customers/ fruit growers. These modules are light to assemble/prepare, as well in homemade as in housings/enclosures designed by us. Easy to clean and
extremely robust and durable. Very simple and sustainable housings available.
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Products of the beehive: use of the pollen in the human supply as source of not conventional nutrients
*
Bertha Baldi Coronel , Omar Vallejos, Nadia López Müller
Bromatología IIC y Food Conservation, Facultad de Bromatología, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, Perón 64, 2820 Gualeguaychú, Provincia de Entre Ríos,
Argentina
*
[email protected]
Bee pollen has active ingredients which might be called active principles, which tend to stimulate the vital functions and to neutralize the organic imbalances, giving
them a double utility in the dietetic and therapeutic field, which they help to preserve, to increase and even to recover the well-being and the health. The aim of the
present work nutritional chemist of the pollen consisted of knowing the composition originally of the province of Entre Ríos for use in the human supply. There
decided, dampness, fat, brute fiber, the mineral components of the ashes, vitamin C, total proteins, the amino acids prolina and acid glutamic, glucose, fructosa and
saccharose. There were obtained values of dampness of 5.82 %, Oily: 4.55 %, Proteins: 24.03 %, brute (gross) fiber: 0.97 % and pH: 5.46. The studied minerals
were sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper manganese and zinc predominating over the potassium followed of the magnesium and the calcium and
they find in minor proportion the sodium, iron, zinc and in very small quantities the manganese and the copper. The low content of sodium and high place of
potassium they do a favorable relation as contribution to diets balanced in minerals. The content of ascorbic acid presents a trend towards values included between
0.2 and 5 mg/100g, one could have verified that in commercial pollen losses have not produced to themselves of this one vitamin during the time of useful life of the
product not for the influence of external factors as the application of technological processes of dried. The content of prolin and a-free amino acids (expressed as
acid glutamic) are, the prolin, between values from 2.30 mg/g to 24.30 mg/g, and it presents an average of 12.64 mg/g and the acid glutamic between 3.14 and 20.21
mg/g and an average of 11.80 mg/g. During the storage the variation of them - free amino acids it is translated in an increase of the prolin of 13 % and a decrease of
the acid glutamic from 6 % by the time, not coming to levels that affect the nutritional value of the pollen. The sugars change in a wide range, though that for the
fructose and glucose they are uniform enough (glucose 8.76 %, fructose 14.16 % and saccharose 4.53 %) this owes to that the pollen is a vegetable product and has
different floral origin. One of the best physiological attributes of the pollen (not nutritional) is the contribution of fiber, specially if we consider that deficient diets in it,
they drive to alterations of the health, very specially in the societies and manners of life calls developed. It is necessary to bear in mind the different botanical and/or
geographical origin what influences the final content of the different nutrients, nevertheless, the percentage of proteins means a good nutritional contribution of the
pollen for the supply.
85
Safety of biocontrol agent Gliocladium catenulatum for honeybees Apis mellifera
*
Danilo Bevk , Špela Zaplotnik, Andrej Čokl
National Institute of Biology, Department of Entomology, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
*
[email protected]
BICOPOLL is a European study on protecting organic strawberries from the most important disease, the grey mould (Botrytis cinerea), using biological control.
Honeybees will be used to deliver biological control agent fungi Gliocladium catenulatum to the flowers of the target crops to provide control of diseases and to
improve the pollination. We tested safety of biocontrol agent (BCA) for honeybees. The behaviour of foragers before departure was observed with a video camera to
determine whether workers carry the BCA to the field successfully and if it affects their behaviour.
The time bees spent at the entrance before departing and the occurrence and intensity of grooming was recorded. The effect of exposure to BCA on learning and
memory was tested using olfactory conditioning of proboscis extension reflex (PER). Bees were conditioned to the olfactory stimulus once and tested for PER
response by presenting odour alone 1 or 12 min after conditioning. Before learning experiment responsiveness to ascending sucrose solution was tested to see
whether bees differ in sucrose responsiveness which affects learning abilities. We also tested lifespan of bees exposed to BCA in cages. Bees were daily exposed to
the BCA in a similar way as in natural conditions to examine longevity of treated bees.
The number of dead bees was recorded every day. First results show that BCA has not big effect on behaviour and is safe for bees.
86
Open source approach to electronic beekeeping observation station
*
Janko Bozic , Gordana Glavan, Anka Terglav
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Vecna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
*
[email protected]
We are in the second year of the development of electronic beekeeping observation station based on currently available technologies for monitoring and recording
weather and related data. Our concept is based on semi professional weather station, electronic weight, web camera and direct connection to Internet based on
mobile connectivity. The concept has been further developed to include data analysis and result representations with available open source statistical and image
packages. Weather station is used for regular monitoring of weather at the location of the bee hive and with additional sensors also temperature and humidity inside
of the bee colony. There are available low cost electronic scales that can be monitored by simple data logging system from RS232 protocol. Web camera is currently
used to record images at the hive entrance on defined time base. For that purpose can be employed free web camera software. W e are developing evaluation and
presentation of collected data. Catalog of potential hardware and software will be presented on the conference and on-line as well. All activities are supported
through EU funded SI-AT project Amc Promo BID: ―Apis mellifera carnica bioindicator and promoter of biodiversity‖.
87
Cultivation and assessment of melliferous horticultural plants with high potential for improving honey bee (Apis mellifera) heath and agrobiodiversity in
the agricultural landscapes
Madeleine Chagnon
Departement des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada
60 Basse-Double, Saint-Jude, Québec J0H 1P0, Canada
[email protected]
Significant losses of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies, a decline in their overall health and losses in honey crops have been reported in several parts of the world.
One of the potential causes is the lack of floral diversity in the apiaries‘ environment. Unfortunately, there is little incentive for the farming community to grow these
plants with high nectarifous potentials that might yet provide these multiple benefits. Possibilities to introduce some of these plants to our farmlands and our current
practices deserve further examination. This study aims to promote the cultivation of selected plants which could benefit to the health of colonies as well as to honey
and pollen yields. Field trials were made in three biogeographical regions of the Quebec province, in Canada. This comparison between diverse horticultural
agroecosystems provided an opportunity to compare results from an agroforestry situation, a semi forested region and an intensive monoculture environment. An
experimental and a control site were established in each region. At each experimental site, three fields of 20 m X 50 m were cultivated with a selection of seasonal
plants chosen for their multifunctional use, including a market potential for farmers. Fives hives placed in each of the six sites (total of 30 hives) were followed for
honey yields and colony health (bee mortality, brood development, queen health, parasite and pathogens). Three visits to the hives were made each week. Control
sites are used only for data on honeybee colonies and honey yields. Thirty six plant species and varieties of these plants were planted and followed for their
attractivity to bees and their daily nectar yield. Different categories of plants were selected for their potential multifunctional uses (medicinal and culinary herbs, 6
varieties of comestible Lupine (Lupinus spp), and green manure plants). Species (and their varieties) include Lupinus polyphyllus (and other varieties), Lophanthus,
Nepeta mussinii cataria, Coriandrum sativum, Borago officinalis, Basil spp., Symphitum, Medicago sativa, Echium vulgare, Mentha spp, etc.). The number of bees
2
per m and the number of successive visits to a same plant species were recorded. First year data are presented. A significant difference in attractivity to bees was
found for different varieties of a same crop (ex. Lupus, basil, buckwheat), showing the importance of selecting high nectarifous varieties of crops. Honey yield
between the experimental and control sites was two time higher in the monoculture environment and significantly higher in agroforestry situation but not in the semi
forested region, showing the importance of the introduction of honey plants in these lower floral diversity environments. Varroa counts were higher in hives placed in
the control site of the monoculture environment, showing the importance of pollen and nectar diversity for colony resistance to pathogens. This ongoing two year
study will also included a market study for the use of end products of these crops for short circuit agriculture markets. The encouragement to cultivated and use
these plants as well as the development of a promotional logo will follow.
88
Bad weather for honey bees, each day
Jacques Fabry
Avioclimatologie indépendante, 1145 route de Berre, 13090 Aix-en-Provence, France
[email protected]
Honey bees and honey flowers need lot of good weather. 2006 - I notice aircraft contrails expand, persist in the sky and come together to form a veil: the veil of
aviocirrus. I notice very long clouds appear below air corridors: the aviocordes. 2007 - I warn the French Government. There is a no longer totally cloudless day and
this will greatly hinder the bees and the flowers, pollination. 2008 - I explain how the bees fall to the back, run out and get lost. I open my website ―planet Avionie‖
www.eauseccours.com. I warm the World Meteorological Organization of the daily presence of culture clouds, veil of aviocirrus and aviocordes, caused by too large
air traffic. 2009 - Apimondia 2009, Montpellier, France. As a visitor I warn the organizers that the main cause of disorientation of honey bees is not insecticides but a
bad light incompatible with the proper functioning of the ocelli. 2010 - On January first, I began collecting daily pictures of clouds caused by aircraft. Thunderstorms
are more and more numerous. After storms, always clouds. I was received by the French Government. 2011 - In January I warn the European Commission,
Commissioner John Dalli, that the situation of honey bees will deteriorate. September, Apimondia 2011, Buenos Aires, Argentina, I present the scientific poster
number 617: ―Environmental cause of disturbance of the vision of the honey bee in flight‖. This poster contains 66 photos of clouds over Lake Annecy from the Lake
Annecy webcam (http://www.lac-annecy-acacias.com/webcam.htm then click on "Vue sur le Lac") from 2011-07-21 to 2011-09-24. 2012 - The veil of aviocirrus and
the aviocordes invaded the sky. It is darker. The flowers have less nectar. The honey bees release later, return early. Honey bees can no longer get away up to 3 km
from the hive like they used to do... There is less honey. I was received by the new French Government. I am in contact with Commissioner John Dalli and Michel
Barnier to talk about the future of world food. My evolutionary poster shows 75 photos of daily cloud from 2012-07-22 to 2012-10-04. My poster explains the
formation of the veil of aviocirrus and aviocordes, culture clouds caused by the passage of aircraft. It contains photos of the Sun seen through the veil of aviocirrus.
My poster shows photos of bees disoriented by the bad weather. Now, it‘s your turn to look at the clouds that have invaded your sky above your hives. Now it‘s your
turn to take conscience of the dangerousness of these culture clouds for the honey bees, plants and men. Now it‘s your turn to talk about these clouds. The true
weather will not succeed by itself.
89
Effects of habitat loss on plant-pollinator networks - A review
1
2*
Ferreira, P.A. , Boscolo, D. and Viana, B.F.
1
1
Universidade Federal da Bahia - UFBA, Instituto de Biologia, Salvador - BA, Brazil
2
Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP. Diadema- SP, Brazil
*
[email protected]
Introduction - Systematic evaluations of species interactions are good surrogates to assess the quality of habitats. Conserving biological interaction networks may be
important for maintaining species diversity and the functioning of natural and agricultural ecosystems. Land use changes, specially habitat loss and fragmentation,
can disrupt community structure and affect plant-pollinator interaction networks mainly due to impediment of pollinators‘ mobility, leading to reduced plants
reproductive success. However, few studies have analyzed the effects of habitat changes on plant-pollinator networks at the landscape level. Our objective was to
identify current knowledge gaps on the effects of habitat modifications on plant-pollinator networks.
Materials and methods - We conducted a survey in May 2011 using combinations of the terms "pollinator; pollination; landscape; habitat loss and network" in Scopus
and Web of Knowledge databases.
Results - We found 155 papers, 116 empirical studies, 29 reviews, five modeling studies and four meta-analyses. Overall 76% (118 papers) of all analyzed papers
showed negative effects of habitat modifications, such as habitat loss and fragmentation on pollinators, plants and plant-pollinator interactions. Conversely, about
20% of all analyzed papers showed neutral or positive effects of habitat changes on pollinators and plants. By the time of this review, we found only one paper which
directly analyzed the effects of landscape changes on plant-pollinator interaction networks. Overall, we found that in the available literature, habitat modifications can
affect the diversity of pollinators and plants, the composition of communities, pollinators‘ behavior and reproductive success of plants. Hence, we suggest that the
establishment of pollinator-friendly landscapes shall positively affect interacting pollinators and plants. Additionally, integrated management of urban areas,
agricultural crops and natural habitats and studies on the effects of landscape change gradients may be important to evaluate the effects of these changes on plantpollinator interactions and to generate efficient strategies for their conservation, mostly in the tropics.
Conclusions - Habitat change reduces pollinator diversity and affects plant sexual reproduction. There is a lack of studies on how habitat change affects plantpollinator networks. An integrated landscape approach may benefit pollinators, plants and their interactions.
This paper has been accepted for publication on Ecological Indicators.
90
Effects of habitat loss on bees diversity
1
2*
3
3
Ferreira, P.A. , Boscolo, D. , Carvalheiro, L.G. , Biesmeijer, J.C. and Viana, B.F.
1
1
Universidade Federal da Bahia - UFBA, Instituto de Biologia, Salvador - BA, Brazil
2
Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, Diadema- SP, Brazil
3
NCB-Naturalis - Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
*
[email protected]
Introduction - Loss and fragmentation of natural habitat is an ongoing process that threatens pollination, affecting sexual reproduction of plants an essential
ecological process in terrestrial ecosystems. This study aimed to empirically test the role of habitat loss on the abundance and richness of floral visitors in the
understory of Atlantic Forest fragments in Bahia-Brazil.
Materials and methods - We sampled bees in nine 3600ha landscapes, selected from ―SOS Mata Atlântica‖ map data bases, within a gradient of forest loss from 5%
to 60% and surrounded by non-forested matrix. Each landscape included eight hexagonal plots of 25m side (0.06ha) within the forest fragments. We used
generalized linear mixed models - GLMM to analyze the effects of explanatory variables (forest cover on plots at a small scale (36ha) and larger scale (3600ha) and
number of visited plants in each plot as floral resources availability) on abundance and richness of bees, in each plot.
Results - Bees were the most important group of visitors (65% of a total of 743 individuals, and 70% of the 314 species of visitors). While forest cover on small scale
negatively affected bees (abundance p value = 0.03 and richness p value = 0.02), forest cover at large scale increased species richness (p= 0.01) bee richness was
also positively affected by plants availability (p value = 0.005). These results indicate that habitat loss is leading to bee diversity losses, fragmentation is increasing
bee abundance, possibly due to increased number of understory flowering species. However more abundance of bees does not reflect a greater richness of species.
This may mean that generalist species may be more abundant in landscapes with less habitat cover. Ongoing analyses on other groups of floral visitors and on
plant-pollinator interaction network on these landscapes will help understand the impact of such changes on the reproductive success of native understory flora in
Atlantic Forest.
Conclusions - Our results shows that are more diversity of bees in landscapes with more forest cover and more diversity of bees in small fragments associated with
open areas and fragments edges.
Financial support: FAPESB, CNPQ, CAPES.
91
Proyecto de Conservación de Meliponicultura en el Parque Nacional Amboro, Area de Manejo Integrado, Santa Cruz – Bolivia
1*
Urbelinda Ferrufino Arnez , Teodoro González Saucedo
2
1
Asociación Ecológica del Oriente, radial 19, calle7, Nº 150, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
2
Asociacion Ecológica del Oriente, radial 19, calle7, Nº 150, APROMIN, Buena Vista, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
2
*
[email protected]
Parque Nacional Amboró (442.500 ha - núcleo, y 195.005 ha - Area Natural de Manejo Integrado (ANMIA). Es considerado entre los diez parques más diversos del
mundo. Según el Plan de Uso del Suelo (PLUS), estas tierras son para conservación, no aptas para la agricultura o la ganadería. Por tanto la Asociación Ecológica
del Oriente y 40 familias campesinas en extrema pobreza de cinco comunidades del ANMIA emprenden la iniciativa de “Sustituir a corto plazo la producción
extractiva del bosque tropical por sistemas agroforestales combinando sistemas de producción agrícola que ayudan a la recuperación de suelos degradados,
Manejo y Producción de Viveros forestales y miel de abejas nativas como fomento a la revalorización del bosque y sistemas de producción y recuperación forestal”,
en los municipios de: Buena Vista, San Carlos y Yapacaní. La iniciativa se encamina en base a los acuerdos firmados con dirigentes de los sindicatos,
federaciones, Dirección del Parque Nacional Amboró, autoridades comunitarias y familias beneficiarias.
Después de 12 años de trabajo permanente, con socios dispuestos a invertir tiempo y recursos, se constituye la Asociación de Productores de Miel Nativa
(APROMIN) legalmente reconocida, compuesta por 40 socios procedentes de cinco comunidades y tres municipios; establecen dos viveros forestales que provee
5.000 plantines /vez en base a semillas del Parque Nacional Amboro, dando énfasis a sp nativas en peligro, sp melíferas, sp frutales (cítricos), leguminosas
perennes, sp maderables perennes. Cada familia establece 4 hectáreas de sistemas agroforestales combinando sp como: Cajanus cajan - para cortina rompe
vientos, alternados con 120 árboles de Astromiun urundeuva; en el interior de cada ha se establecen 100 plantas de Citrus sinnensis, 100 Citrus novilis;
intercalados con 100 plantas de Switenia macrophila y 100 plantas de Centrolobium microchaete, entre los cultivos de ciclo corto se rotan: Fhaseolus vulgaris,
Arachis hypojaea, Manijot sculenta, Zea maiz, Oryza sativa y Stizolobium sp. Por ultimo cada familia establece 75 colmenas de abejas sin aguijón (Melipona
brachychaeta, Melipona grandis, Scaptotrigona depilis, Scaptotrigona polysticta, Scaptotrigona cerca xanthotricha, Tetragonisca fiebrigi). En conjunto poseen más
de 3.000 colmenas para la producción de: miel, polen y propóleos. Son dueños de un inmueble con oficinas y equipamiento básico para comercializar sus
productos.
La formación teórica y práctica de 40 familias en la gestión de viveros forestales, el establecimiento y cuidado de la agro silvicultura y la apicultura sin aguijón, son
un medio para proteger el Parque Nacional, las fuentes de agua, la estabilidad climática y la producción de oxigeno. Las abejas nativas sin aguijón son
responsables del 75 de la polinización de los productos que se consumen en estos ecosistemas, sin los cuales la perpetuidad de nuestros bosques tropicales
nativas y nuestra alimentación se pone en riesgo.
92
Some plant alkaloids may increase survival of larvae reared under in vitro conditions
*
Jaroslav Havlik , Ivo Doskocil, Dalibor Titera, Zuzana Hroncova, Vojtech Rada
Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
CULS Prague - Kamycka, 129 - 16521 Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
*
[email protected]
Occurrence of alkaloids in plant nectars might be seen as paradoxical. However, some recent works suggest that they may play an important function in filtering nonspecific pollinators from those that are species-specific and thus more valuable, such as honey bees. In another theory, they can play a role in reducing the pathogen
load. Besides, occurrence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in commercially available honey still raises safety questions.
Materials and methods: In our experiment, a commercially available dry plant-extract powder containing approx. 60% of alkaloids in mixture (determined by HPLCDAD) was fed to in-vitro-reared larvae in concentrations of 100, 10 and 1 µg/mL in larval food mixture. The in-vitro-rearing was done according to Kaftanoglu et al.
(2011) with some modifications. The larvae were grafted at age of 24–48h from the comb to Petri dishes containing 2 mL of food mixture consisting of 6% fructose,
6% glucose, 0.4% yeast extract and 50% royal jelly. During the development, food was not changed, nor re-grafting took place, only the larvae were moved by few
millimetres away to new food. At day 6 the larvae were counted and survivals were transferred onto a clean Petri Dish for defecation and follow-up pupation. At each
Petri dish, 10 larvae were fed from the beginning. Besides tested extract, oxytetracycline was administered to larvae as a positive control. The influence of alkaloids
was observed in normal and Paenibacillus larvae-infected group. For infection, bees were exposed spores (10^3 /mL of food).
Results: Alkaloids in the larval food did not show any remarkable toxicity to larvae, not even at the highest concentration tested and reduced mortality of the larvae in
the infected and non-infected group. The survival in the non-infected larvae at day 6 was 42.4±13 (n=70; mean±SD), whereas it increased by 8% to 50.1±11 after
administration of 100 µg/mL alkaloid extract to the feed. Similarly, in the infected groups, the control group survival at day 6 was 25.4±5 (n=70) compared to 35.6±8
survival after administration of 100 µg/mL alkaloid extract. Lower extract concentration showed similar effects.
Conclusions: Although yet lacking statistical significance, results may indicate relatively low toxicity and antimicrobial action of alkaloids in bees and their ecological
importance.
Ref: Kaftanoglu, O., Linksvayer, T. A., & Page Jr, R. E. (2011). Rearing honey bees, Apis mellifera, in vitro 1: Effects of sugar concentrations on survival and
development. Journal of Insect Science,11(96), 1-10.
93
The benefits of beekeeping to resource poor households and poverty alleviation
Luke Herman
[email protected]
There has been a recent trend towards promoting beekeeping in the tropics with the opinion that it can work towards supplementing the incomes of the resourcepoor. At a meeting held by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology or ICIPE, two major points of interest were highlighted. Research was lacking
on the benefits of beekeeping to resource- poor households and poverty alleviation. Furthermore, there have been few studies on the main constraints confronting
practitioners.
In response to this, these two research questions were designed:
1. What market chains exist for bee products from communities and what have been the effects (if any) of the production and m arketing of bee related products on
the incomes and profits of producers and other residents within rural communities?
2. What major constraints confront practitioners and potential practitioners (i.e. current bee keeping households vs households who would like to keep bees but do
not currently do so) face with respect to beekeeping to improve income currently and in the future?
A study on beekeeping took place in the Central Region of Southern Ghana. Data collection involved interviewing key informants and gauging their view on
beekeeping activities. Locations and information of beekeeping communities was gathered during these meetings. Once this was complete, a questionnaire and
market chain analyses was completed. These research methods formed the basic data collection methods that provided the required data to answer the research
questions.
Overall, beekeeping in this region has been found to be highly beneficial to both producers and non-producers. These benefits mostly arise from increased marketing
opportunities and the resulting sales supporting household incomes. However, major constraints to the practice of beekeeping have also been discovered. These are
highlighted in this study. Finally, recommendations have been made to reduce as many constraints to beekeeping as possible and, at the same time, generate
maximum profit.
94
Initial Stage Risk Assessment of an invasive hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax Buysson (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Korea
Chuleui Jung
Dept. Plant medicals, School of Bioresource Sciences, Andong National University, Andong 760-749, Korea
[email protected]
Risk assessment is an important process especially against the invasive alien species. The yellow-legged (black thorax) hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax Buysson,
1905 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is considered invaded in early 2000s, and now imposing increased threats to apicultural industry as well as to human and natural
ecosystem. This paper reviewed the contemporary data on the biology, distribution, invasion pathway and socio-ecological risks and provided some general
suggestion on management of the risk. Vespa velutina nigrithorax is a so-called bee hawking hornet specialized on predation of honeybee and now distributes most
of the south-eastern part of Korean peninsula with the 10-20 Km/year spread. The Korean population was homologous to Zhejiang population of China implying the
invasion source. It has a great potential to harm the Korean beekeeping industry and the ecosystem through the competition with the similar guild, the other 10
species of Vespa in Korea. Among those, V. simillima simillam seemed under serious competition. Also because of the nesting urban area, public education and
involvement are requested for protection against the hornet‘s aggressiveness and also monitoring the distribution and population expansion. Further research and
public network would mitigate the potential risks.
95
Prediction of adult emergence of Japanese hornfaced bee, Osmia cornifrons (Radoszkowski) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in spring
Jeong Joon Ahn, Suna Jeong, Chuleui Jung
*
Agricultural Science Research Institute, Andong National University, Andong 760-749, Korea
Plant Medicine Major, School of Bioresource Sciences, Andong National University, Andong 760-749, Korea
*
[email protected]
Osmia cornifrons, Japanese hornfaced bee, is an important pollinator of apple. It overwinters as diapausing adult in a cocoon. The synchronization between the adult
emergence and apple blossom is critical for successful pollination. Prediction model of adult emergence timing would help managed pollination. From the
temperature-dependant development study, developmental rate function and cumulative distribution of developmental completion function of overwintering adult
cocoon to adult emergence were extracted. The lower developmental thresholds estimated from linear regression for female, male and both sexes combined were
7.02, 6.43 and 7.49°C, respectively, and the thermal constants of them were 111.36, 67.34 and 77.34DD, respectively. Spring emergence model of O. cornifrons was
simulated based on the developmental rate function and developmental distribution function, and validated with the field occurrence. This model can be used to
predict the emergence timing of overwintering O. cornifrons of the wild population or to manipulate the timing of managed population. The emergence model of O.
cornifrons could be applied to optimize the pollination service in agricultural systems and protecting the population of O. cornifrons.
96
The role of bees in the environment, A view integrating traditional, ecological and latest biophysical knowledge
Rainer Krell
Via A. Traversari 34, Rome, Italy
[email protected] - [email protected]
In all cultures with honey bees, the latter enjoys a very special recognition and respect. There are more reasons for that than only its sweet products. In an ecological
systems view not only honey bees but all bees help preserve biodiversity and resilience in plant reproduction. The pollination mechanisms they permit, allow for
higher diversity with larger dispersion, i.e. lower plant density for individual species. As flower visitors they not only transmit the necessary male seed (pollen), but
also set off (stimulate) and support biological processes energetically. Such processes trigger qualitative changes in the fruit development and the following viability
of seeds at biochemical composition and nano-level quantum quality. Their action also weaves and strengthens a web of connections/communication between the
plants above ground as do fungi and roots below ground. Indigenous and clairvoyant people confirm that such a web connects with and receives further information
and energy from another realm of beings and awareness, i.e. from those (humans included) who manage order and transformation between different levels of the
natural world. For a healthy and resilient, i.e. sustainable, life supporting environment both bees, plants and soils with all their support environment need to be given
proper attention and support. Enlarging a holistic view in this way allows additional means for management in which even the disruptive interaction from forceful
chemicals can be mediated.
Any opinion expressed is that of the author and by no means represents an official statement of the organization for which the author works.
97
Some cultural practices and their influence on the survival, nesting and foraging behavior of bees within the watermelon cropping system
Peter Kwapong and Kwame Aidoo
Department of Entomology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Several cultural practices are undertaken during crop production among farmers in Ghana some of which are likely to affect the survival, nesting and foraging
behavior of pollinating bees. Even though farmers apply these cultural practices, no investigations have been carried out to ascertain their effect, positive or
otherwise on the bee fauna in the various cropping systems in Ghana. Conventional wisdom and some research in temperate areas have suggested that groundnesting bees prefer bare ground and it has been assumed that mulching has no beneficial impacts on this group; however we suggest that these assumptions need
to be tested under tropical conditions. Preliminary results from the impact of mulching, herbicide application and tillage within watermelon crop will be presented.
98
Honeybee diversity of Cambodian rainforest (Hymenoptera, Apidae: Apini, Meliponini), threat by hunting and harsh land use
Seunghwan Lee
Insect Biosystematics Laboratory, Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul,
151-921, Korea
[email protected]
Two genera of eusocial bees are currently surveyed from Cambodia which is also considered as established pollinators of tropics. On the observation, it is found that
the species of Apis Linnaeus and Trigona Jurine in Cambodia are congeners with the neighboring countries Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia. The recognized
species of the genus Apis Linnaeus: Apis andreniformis F. Smith, 1858, Apis dorsata Fabricius, 1793, Apis florea Fabricius, 1787 and Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758
and species of Trigona Jurine: T. apicalis Smith, 1857, T. terminata Smith, 1878, T. melina Gribodo, 1893, T. ventralis Smith, 1857, etc. in Cambodia are first reports
to the country. Moreover, different types of nests, aggregative and defensive behavior were experienced.
Cambodia, the continent of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia entirely lies within the tropical region, which landscape is characterized by low-lying plains
surrounded by uplands and low mountains, accompanied by tropical wet and dry seasons. Such geographical and climatic condition is favorable for the diversity of
wide number of insects including bees. However, every honeybee species are under threat from the traditional way of land use, honey hunting, and ongoing
deforestation by local people for logging and resin collection business.
99
Insect pollinators within cotton fields of small-scale farms in Mwachisompola, Zambia
Daphne Mayes
Global declines in wild and managed pollinator species have increased the need to evaluate the current status of these populations and understand their
needs for sustainability. Farming systems are a good place to examine pollinator presence and activity, because the blooming period of the crop provides a
predictable floral resource which attracts pollinators. In this study, pollinator density and species richness were measured in five conservation and five conventional
cotton fields in Mwachisompola, Zambia. Between the two farm types, species richness was not significantly different; however, only 33% of the total observed
species were found within both farm systems. Furthermore, eleven of the insects observed foraging within cotton flowers were predatory and serve as important pest
control. Species richness was also negatively correlated with field size, showing the importance of edge providing habitat for beneficial species. This study shows
that both types of farm systems are important resources for insect pollinators and crop pest predators, and that local management practices have the opportunity to
positively or negatively impact these organisms.
100
Influence of bumblebee behavior on tomato pollination: effects of number of flower visits and forager body size
1*
3
2
2
Nunes-Silva, P. ; Shipp, L. ; Hrncir, M. ; Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L. ; Kevan, P.G.
1
4
Faculdade de Biociências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Partenon - Porto Alegre - RS 90619-900, Brazil
2
Departamento de Ciência Animal, Universidade Federal do Semi-Árido, Mossoró - RN, Brazil
3
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Harrow - ON, Canada
4
Canadian Pollination Initiative, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph - ON, Canada
*
[email protected]
Introduction. Bombus impatiens is the main managed pollinator of greenhouse tomatoes in Canada and USA. Although it is known that it is an efficient pollinator of
tomato and one or two visits are often enough for adequate fruit production, many aspects of this pollinator/plant relationship are not fully understood, including the
effect of foragers‘ behavior and body size on fruit quality. We investigated these aspects and the resulting impact on the quality (i.e., weight, number of seeds) of the
fruits produced, including the influence of the number of bee visits to tomato flowers, forager body size (i.e., thoracic weight) and the physical characteristics of
thoracic vibration (i.e., frequency and velocity) on the amount of pollen removed from flowers.
Material and methods. Foragers were allowed to visit non-visited flowers for the number of desired visits (one to four) and then collected, killed and had their thorax
removed and weighed. The resulting fruits were weighted and had their seeds counted. Another set of flowers were visited (once and 4 times) and the remaining
pollen grains counted using a particle counter. For determining the amount of pollen removed from a flower we subtracted the number of pollen grains remaining
within a flower after visited from the amount of pollen of non-visited flowers. During the visits the thoracic vibrations of foragers were recorded using a laser
vibrometer.
Results. Tomato weight and seed number did not increase with the number of bee visits, nor were they correlated with the foragers‘ thoracic weight. Additionally,
thoracic weight was not correlated with the amount of pollen removed from tomato flowers, nor with the physical characteristics of vibration. Foragers removed on
average 67.1% of the pollen within a flower during the first visit, and did not change vibration characteristics (frequency and velocity) in response to the amount of
pollen present in individual flowers.
Conclusions. One or two visits are of foragers of B. impatiens sufficient for adequate pollination of tomato flowers, probably because foragers remove most of the
pollen grains on the these first visits, depositing sufficient pollen on the stigma to fertilize most ovules. Thus, subsequent visits do not increase the amount of pollen
on the stigma in a way that increases seed, and so fruit weight (characteristics are positively correlated). Although the size of foragers tends to decrease with colony
age, larger foragers did not produce better fruits. As such, producers need not change their bumblebee colonies over time to guarantee bigger foragers or better
fruits.
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Wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in Ripa Bianca Nature Reserve (Central-Eastern Italy)
*
Paola Riolo, Sara Ruschioni , Roxana L. Minuz, Simona Casavecchia, Nunzio Isidoro
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Facoltà di Agraria, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona - AN, Italy
*
[email protected]
INTRODUCTION Pollination is a basis for the maintenance of biodiversity in agricultural and natural landscapes (Michener, 2007). Hymenoptera Apoidea, above all,
are known to pollinate most of the world‘s wild plant species. At present pollinator populations are exposed to strong unfavourable pressure because of human
activities (Celli, 1990). Conservation and restoration are crucial to the preservation of pollinator populations and diversity (Committee on the Status of Pollinators in
North America, 2007). The aim of this work was to study wild bees species and their plant hosts in the Ripa Bianca Regional Nature Reserve of the Marche Region
(Central-Eastern Italy) located in the Jesi Municipality (district of Ancona).
MATERIAL AND METHODS The transept method, 818 meters long, was used. Surveys were carried out every 10 days from April to August during the years 2009
and 2010. Wild bee species were caught by an entomological sweep-net: morning and afternoon collections were kept separate. Representatives of sampled
flowering plant species were collected, pressed, and identified. Every bee specimens was labelled with collection data, hour and visiting plant species.
RESULTS A total of 17 species of wild bees were observed: Andrena bicolorata (n=2), Andrena flavipes (n=2), Anthocopa scutellaris (n=1), Anthidium manicatum
(n=1), Anthopora plumipes (n=1), Bombus hortorum (n=4), Bombus pascuorum (n=9), Bombus sylvarum (n=1), Bombus terrestris (n=3), Eucera nigrecsens (n=2),
Halictus scabiosae (n=4), Heriades truncorum (n=10), Lasioglossum puncticolle (n=2), Lasioglossum malachurum (n=1), Lasioglossum minutissimum (n=4),
Lasioglossum villosum (n=4) and Xylocopa violacea (n=1). Wild bee adults were observed from April to July, mainly during the morning, only B. pascuorum, B.
terrestris and H. scabiosae were detected during the afternoon. The plant species visited by wild bees were Rubus ulmifolius, Salvia officinalis, Bellis perennis,
Rosmarinus officinalis, Diplotaxis erucoides, Lamium maculatum, Senecio inaequidens, Urospermum dalechampii, Lavanda angustifolia, Ranunculus repens,
Syringa vulgaris, Trifolium pratense and Urtica dioica.
DISCUSSION The results of this study is a useful tool for improving Protected Area management in the maintenance and improvement of habitat and species
diversity in the Protected Area Management Plan. In order to preserve and increase the biodiversity of wild bees is necessary to preserve and increase their plant
hosts too. However, they must also find a sufficient number of suitable sites for nesting. Therefore it becomes important to safeguard existing places, allowing
aggregation of numerous species. Furthermore, it is possible to increase nesting sites by hedges and shrubs, by pruned canes and dead wood leaved in the field by
ground and unprocessed space located in well exposed areas, and even by installation of artificial nests.
REFERENCES
CELLI G., 1990 - L‘ecologia del campo coltivato. Le Scienze Quaderni, 53: 33-36 COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF POLLINATORS IN NORTH AMERICA,
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, 2007 - Status of Pollinators in North America. 322 pp. MICHENER C. D., 2007 - The Bees of the World. Johns Hopkins
University Press. Baltimore and London. XVI, 935 pp.
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Living ground cover influences native pollinator abundance in commercial almond orchards
1*
2
Manu E. Saunders , Gary W. Luck , Margie M. Mayfield
3
1
School of Environmental Sciences, Charles Sturt University, P.O. Box 789, Albury NSW 2640, Australia
2
Institute for Land, Water & Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia
3
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
*
[email protected]
Introduction: Native pollinators are becoming increasingly valuable to global agriculture as impacts such as climate change and disease threaten the commercial
honeybee industry. Plant diversity is known to increase richness and abundance of native pollinator insects in agroecosystems throughout the northern hemisphere;
however, little is known about the relationship between plant diversity and pollinator abundance in Australia, especially for tree nut crops. Almond contributes more
than $200 million (farmgate value) to Australia‘s economy but its flowers are self-incompatible, which means the crop is vulnerable to declines in commercial
European honeybee stocks, the main mode of almond pollination. Risks to the Australian honeybee industry are augmented by recent declines in honeybee colonies
in Europe and North America.
Materials and Methods: Our study investigated native pollinator abundance in two types of flowering commercial almond orchards (monoculture plantations without
ground cover and plant-diverse orchards with ground cover) in northwest Victoria, Australia, and compared it to pollinator abundance in proximate native mallee
vegetation. We also considered the relationship between living ground cover (percent ground cover and number of plant species per square metre) and native
pollinator abundance. Insects were collected during almond flowering (August-September 2010) using pan traps and data were analysed using nonparametric
methods.
Results: More pollinator insects were caught in orchards with living ground cover (Median: 79, Range: 26-134) compared to mallee vegetation (Median: 13, Range:
8-22) or orchards without ground cover (Median: 14, Range: 9-20). In particular, native bee abundance in orchards with ground cover (44 individuals) was more
similar to mallee vegetation (30 individuals) than orchards without ground cover (1 individual). Pollinator insect abundance was positively correlated with both percent
ground cover and number of plant species per square metre across all habitat types.
Conclusions: Our study is the first investigation of the link between ground cover and native pollinators in Australian almond orchards. Results suggest that
maintaining living ground cover in almond orchards may provide crucial non-honeybee pollination services to growers.
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Bees as pollinators effect on yield and quality rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)
Biljana Stamenkovic
Fakultet za biofarming Bor
3. Oktobar 16/4, 19210 Bor, Serbia
[email protected]
The investigation was conducted during the vegetation seasons: 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011 at localities: Vrazogrnac, Rgotina-Rgotsko hill and
Prlita-Vrska Cuka, in order to investigate the influence bees as pollinators of seed yield, oil content and protein NS rapeseed genotip. The experimental material
consisted Banacanka variety, which is standard for a variety of winter oilseed rape in the Commission for registration of varieties of oil crops, well as winter varieties
registered in Serbia: Slavica, Nena, Kata, Branka, Zlatna, Nevena i Jasna and Zorica variety. One hectare of the rape may be present 20 thousand bees in the
apiary, which is only up to 3.5 to 4 km from the plot. Each bee was returning from 30 to 60 mg of nectar which is half its weight. Rapeseed contains 2326 mg of
nectar per flower at the beginning of flowering, 1950 mg in full bloom and 1350 mg at the end of flowering. We studied the activity of honey bees on oilseed rape. All
of them were covered with pollen, but was removed and some rejected. Bees rounded pollen mainly operated during the morning hours. Although honeybees are
90% effective pollinator fauna with them is the presence of oilseed rape were recorded and several species of solitary bees and bumblebees. At the vegetative crop
2008/2009 noted the poor fruit set seed for what supposed to be a consequence of the limited production of pollen. Basic cause may be low temperature and rainfall,
which reduced the transmission of pollen by wind and insects. They worked on determining the optimal number of hives of honeybees needed to increase yields and
recommendations vary by location and type of crop and range from 1 to 4 beehives per hectare. The data indicate that the high incidence of rape be useful. During
flowering brassicas species of the genus not only attract pollinators but also other insects that feed on flowers, leaves and fruits, thus causing serious economic
losses. This requires the use of insecticides to protect crops from pests which pose a serious problem for the bee and the survival of society. The presence of
harmful insects and their control in rapeseed and mustard is the main problem for the use of bees as pollinators. Plant-pollinator interaction is very complex and it is
influenced by many interrelated effects. Protecting pollinators is as important as protection of crops from harmful insects. The use of pesticides on both the role of
bees as pollinators, on the other hand have become major components of modern agriculture. Protecting crops from insects is a problem during flowering because
then the bees actively feed. It was found that the interaction genotype x environment have a significant effect on seed yield, oil content and protein content of
rapeseed. The highest seed yield of the research areas and years was found in varieties Zorica, Branka, Jasna and Nevena. The highest protein content was
detected in varieties Zlatna and Nevena, and oil content in the variety Nevena.
Key words: Bees, pollinators, NS genotypes of oilseed rape, pollination, insecticides
104