Articles tagged with Bees
Researchers discover Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) significantly associated with colony collapse disorder (CCD) in honey bee colonies. IAPV was found in all four affected operations and correctly distinguished CCD from non-CCD status 96.1% of the time.
A team of scientists has identified an odorant receptor that allows male honey bee drones to detect the presence of a queen up to 60 meters away. The receptor, which can detect the specific pheromone '9-ODA', is expressed in the antennae of male drones and plays a crucial role in their mating rituals.
Biologists have identified the first orchid fossil, dating back 76-84 million years, which suggests that showy blooms may have existed alongside dinosaurs. The discovery resolves a longstanding debate over orchid origins and provides direct evidence of pollination in the fossil record.
The National Bumblebee Nest Survey found that gardens contain the highest densities of bumblebee nests, with 36 nests per hectare. This suggests that gardens provide an important habitat for bumblebees, particularly in comparison to other countryside habitats.
A study by Cornell scientists found that genetically diverse honeybee colonies produced 30% more comb, stored 39% more food, and maintained foraging levels 27-78% higher than genetically uniform colonies. These colonies also gained weight due to sophisticated communication mechanisms like waggle dancing.
Arizona State University bee researcher Gro Amdam has been awarded a $240,000 Pew Charitable Trusts grant to investigate the role of social reversal in reversing oxidative damage in honeybees. Her research may lead to new insights into human aging and age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
A recent study published in Ethology revealed that older workers give signals to the queen and rest of the colony initiating swarming activities. Researchers also found worker piping, a general instruction to fly, continues in the swarm after the queen leaves with the swarm.
Researchers found that small hive beetles can detect some alarm pheromones at levels below those detected by honeybees. The beetles associate the alarm chemicals with a good food source and head for the hive. Domesticated European honeybees are not as diligent in cleaning their hives, making them more susceptible to infestation.
The new BEES 4.0 software tool from NIST provides a comprehensive evaluation of environmentally preferred and cost-effective building products, including biobased options that can offset greenhouse gas emissions. The updated software offers improved data on over 200 products, with additional features for scoring environmental impact.
A study by University of Illinois researchers explores the molecular mechanisms behind queen bee longevity, revealing that vitellogenin plays a vital role in maintaining reproductive viability and longevity. The findings suggest that the queen's unique biology allows her to devote energy to reproduction while extending her lifespan.
Researchers found that a single gene, vitellogenin, plays a crucial role in coordinating the social life of honeybees. The study showed that vitellogenin regulates workers' division of labor, foraging preferences, and lifespan, with higher levels favoring pollen collection and lower levels favoring nectar collection.
Researchers found that honeydew honeys have greater antioxidant properties than nectar honeys due to their high polyphenol content and other chemical characteristics. The study suggests that honeydew honeys could be a valuable source of natural antioxidants for health benefits.
Researchers discovered that bumblebee workers specialize in tasks such as incubating young and fanning wings to cool the nest. The study found strong evidence for job specialization, with larger bees taking on foraging tasks, and smaller bees performing temperature-regulation duties.
Research reveals that four subspecies of honey bees originated in Africa before migrating to Europe. The study contradicts long-held beliefs about the honey bee's Asian origins.
Two studies on bee evolution support a new hypothesis that bees originated in Africa over 100 million years ago. The discovery of an ancient bee fossil in amber provides strong evidence for this theory.
Scientists develop method to train honey bees to detect explosives, including TNT, C4, and TATP, with exceptional olfactory sense. The technique harnesses the bee's natural reaction to nectar to record an unmistakable response to a scent.
The honey bee genome sequencing project has generated exciting results, providing new insights into diverse topics in honey bee biology, including neurobiology and caste determination. The project's findings have also shed light on disease-resistant pathways and metabolic adaptations to an all-floral diet.
Researchers studying bumblebee behavior have found that the bees' foraging patterns can predict successful seed production. The team has developed an unparalleled data set by testing various combinations of plant species on their reproductive patterns, revealing that adjacent flowers differ markedly in their mating patterns.
The research aims to make it simpler to select and propagate honey bees resistant to parasites and disease, enabling more accurate identification of Africanized honey bees. The genome data can also lead to medical breakthroughs in humans and new technological innovations for agriculture.
A complex genetic mechanism determines honey bee gender and maximizes gene transmission to the next generation, allowing breeders to design better mating systems. The csd gene, shared among honey bees, evolved before they became different species.
A new genetic analysis has revealed that flies and moths are most closely related to beetles, contrary to previous theory. This finding suggests that the ability of insects to cooperate in social groupings may have evolved just once, rather than independently in several different species.
Researchers have unraveled the evolution of the csd gene in honey bees, which determines gender. The study's findings could aid in designing better breeding strategies to avoid sterile males.
A new study estimates that 87 out of 115 leading global crops depend to some degree on animal pollination, accounting for one-third of crop production globally. This reliance on pollinators is particularly concerning due to the decline in key North American pollinator populations.
Researchers have sequenced the honey bee genome, revealing insights into its remarkable social behavior and highly developed sense of smell. The study found that honey bees originated in Africa, have a unique set of genes related to odorant receptors, and exhibit complex social cues.
The honey bee genome study reveals that high recombination rates boost genetic diversity, leading to increased social complexity, colony performance, and fitness. The study also found context-dependent functions for Major Royal Jelly Protein genes, which play a crucial role in royal jelly production and behavior.
Researchers have sequenced the honeybee genome, revealing its African origins and surprising spread throughout Europe, Asia, and North and South America. The findings highlight the need for better breeding practices to assist pollination and mitigate the negative impact of Africanized bees.
Researchers analyzed nuclear hormone receptors in the honey bee genome, finding that they play a role in regulating adult brain growth and behavior. The study also identified a unique gene found only in the bee's compound eye, with potential connections to human eye development.
The honey bee's molecular structure of its biological clock is more similar to mammals than to flies, according to groundbreaking research. The key genes involved in the biological clock were identified and characterized, opening up new directions for understanding complex behaviors like sun-compass navigation and time sensing.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have identified 36 genes and 100 neuropeptides in the brain of honey bees, revealing new insights into their role in behavior, dance language, and hive defense. The study uses a combination of bioinformatics, mass spectrometry, and other techniques to analyze the honey bee genome.
Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered the oldest bee ever known, a 100 million year old specimen preserved in almost lifelike form in amber. The discovery supports the theory that pollen-dependent bees evolved from meat-eating wasps and sheds light on the rapid expansion of flowering plants during the Cretaceous Period.
The Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Project has shed light on the biology of honey bees, revealing a possible cause for their sensitivity to insecticides and the characteristics of their silk. The study also found that bee silk is more amenable to artificial production than other insects, with potential applications in textile manufacturing.
Researchers traced the migration of honey bees from Africa to Europe, revealing two distinct European populations that are more related to African honey bees than each other. The study used genetic analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism markers, increasing the level of detail possible in genetic analysis.
Researchers found that honey bees have 170 odorant receptors, compared to 62 in fruit flies and 79 in mosquitoes. This allows them to detect pheromones, find food, and communicate with each other through subtle olfactory cues.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered five transcription factors that correlate with socially regulated genes in honey bees. These findings suggest that the study may provide insights into social factors regulating gene expression in human brains.
A study found that wild bees improve honeybee effectiveness in pollinating flowers and generating seeds, especially on farms with abundant natural habitats. This phenomenon contributes significantly to the sunflower industry, adding around $10 million in value annually.
Researchers at Cardiff University developed an innovative algorithm inspired by honey bees' waggle dance to maximize results in manufacturing processes. The Bees Algorithm enables companies to efficiently adjust basic elements of their operations, resulting in significant cost savings.
Researchers found that bumble bees can adjust their behavior to estimate elapsed durations, crucial for decision-making tasks like feeding and communication. This ability is rare in the animal kingdom, previously known only in humans and other vertebrates.
Research led by University of Leeds finds significant declines in wild bee and flower diversity in Britain and Netherlands over 25 years. A small number of common generalist pollinators are replacing rarer specialist species, threatening the future of plant reproduction.
The study confirms that honeybees dance to report on real estate as part of their group decision-making process. The better the site, the stronger the waggle dance, which attracts other scouts to visit the recommended site.
Researchers found that extending a bee's legs generates stabilizing lift forces, reducing rotational instability and enabling faster flight speeds. By mimicking this design in miniature flying machines, search and rescue missions could potentially benefit from increased speed and agility.
In a unique discovery, researchers found that Batwa Pygmies located bee nests for honey, and Apis mellifera subspecies coexist with native-American stingless bees. The Bwindi-Impenetrable National Park's diverse ecosystem lacks ecological information on honey-making bees.
A study by Arizona State University researchers found a connection between a bee's reproductive traits and its social behavior. The findings suggest that elements of a solitary ancestor's reproductive behavior may have evolved into the complex social structure and divisions of labor seen in highly social bees.
A new UCL study reveals that bees can recognize flowers under different global lights by segmenting scenes into regions of illumination and finding the correct flowers within each region. This strategy suggests that bees use color relationships between objects in a scene to resolve stimulus ambiguity, a challenge also faced by humans.
Researchers found that fish in ponds increase pollination of St. John's wort due to the decline of dragonfly populations, which then shift their prey to bees and flowers, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship. This study highlights the impact of species interactions on ecosystem dynamics.
A study found that fish indirectly aid plant reproduction by reducing adult dragonflies, which in turn increase bee and butterfly populations, leading to more plant pollination. The research highlights the unexpected connections among species and how human activities can shape nature.
Bumblebees are twice as likely to choose green flowers over orange flowers when they watch others foraging on them. This is the first demonstration of insect social learning, where bumblebees learn by observing other insects.
Researchers found that bumblebees choose flowers based on the choices of other bees, especially when encountering unfamiliar plant species. This behavior suggests an efficient shortcut to success, and provides new insights into the complexity of insect foraging behavior.
The Mayan 'royal lady' bee is on the brink of extinction as its traditional propagation method is lost. The authors propose a conservation strategy involving step-by-step instructions for basic stingless beekeeping, aiming to revive this vital pollinator.
Researchers found that Varroa mites reduce bee immunity by suppressing the production of chemicals that sterilize honey, allowing bacteria to increase. This combination with deformed wing virus is causing two-week death collapses in hives across the US.
Researchers used harmonic radar to track bees' flight paths after attending a 'waggle dance', confirming the dance is a coded message guiding them to new food sources. The study showed that bees translate the dance code into successful navigation, correcting for wind drift even when visiting unfamiliar destinations.
The USDA will use NIST's Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) tool to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of biobased products over their life cycles. Biobased products made from renewable materials will be preferred in federal procurement.
Bees' brains process scents in a complex system that correlates with behavioral responses, suggesting a species-specific code for odor recognition. The study's findings improve understanding of animal perception and memory, paving the way for further research.
Researchers at Michigan State University have identified a new pheromone that regulates the behavioral maturation of honey bees, keeping younger nurse bees in check until they are more mature. This discovery sheds light on the complex social dynamics within bee colonies and how older forager bees exert influence over younger bees.
Paleontology graduate student Jacqueline M. Kozisek's research challenges the nuclear winter theory by citing the survival of tropical honeybees. Modern tropical honeybees require temperatures between 88-93°F to survive, which is unlikely given predicted post-impact temperature drops of 13-22°F.
Honey bees given varying levels of ethanol exhibit behavioral changes, including impaired motor function and learning. The study aims to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying addiction and aggression in humans, leveraging the similarities between bee and human nervous systems.
A new information system will help researchers understand the relationship between genes and behavior in honey bees. The BeeSpace system will provide a comprehensive environment for analyzing genomic data, enabling scientists to identify key roles in social behavior.
Despite their limited light sensitivity, nocturnal bees learn and remember visual landmarks around the nest entrance before foraging. These bees use these landmarks to orient themselves upon return, showcasing impressive navigational abilities.
A study by UCSD and Brazilian biologists found that bees can use scent markings from other species to find food. This ability allows aggressive stingless bee species to take over food sources previously discovered by competitors, providing a clear evolutionary advantage in scarce floral resources.
The honey bee genome has been assembled through a team-led effort by the NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute. With approximately 300 million DNA base pairs, it is one-tenth the size of the human genome. Researchers aim to compare the genome with other organisms to understand genes and regulatory regions within DNA.
A team led by Tucker Balch at Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a computer vision system that automates the analysis of animal movement. With an accuracy rate of 81.5%, the system can analyze bee movements and label them based on examples provided by human experts.