Hossam F. Abou-Shaara

Honey Bee colonies performance enhance by newly modified beehives

Abstract Honey bees have good thermoregulation and rapidly respond to any changes in the microclimatic conditions of their colonies. However, colony losses can occur during very cold or hot months. Honey bee colonies are often kept in modified beehives during such times to save the honey bees lives. In the present study, the abilities of four beehive types to enhance the performance of two honey bee races (Carniolan and Yemeni honey bees) were compared under hot and arid environmental conditions. The results indicated performance differences between the two races and between the selected beehive types. For the Carniolan honey bees, better results were obtained in colonies provided with insulated cover boxes (ICB) than in thermoregulatory beehives (TBH), insulated beehives with a back drawer (IBD), and normal beehives (NB) in that order. In contrast, better Yemeni honey bee results were obtained in the TBH, followed by ICB, NB, and finally IBD. Maintaining honey bees in a suitable beehive type is a promising method for saving honey bees lives and enhancing their performance under harsh environmental conditions.

Notes On Water Collection By Honey Bees

Hossam Abou-Shaara holds the Baqshans Chair for Bee Research in the Department of Plant Protection, College of Foods and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Here he explains how water collection is vital for honey bees for their own bodily needs and to maintain a suitable microclimate within its nest. There have been relatively few studies on water collection behaviour but here are some remarkable notes on water collection in a land of few water resources.

Potential honey bee plants of Egypt.

Abstract There are various plants with potential feeding importance to honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies as source of pollen, nectar or both. Selection of suitable regions for apiaries mainly depends on the availability of honey bee plants in the apiary region. Identifying honey bee plants in specific region is very essential for honey and pollen production from honey bee colonies. Lacking the information about the beneficial plants for honey bees including; plant name, flowering time and potential benefit to honey bee colonies could be considered as a limitation for beekeeping development. So far honey bee plants are not well studied in Egypt. This review paper presents potential honey bee plants in Egypt using the available publications. The studies on honey bee plants in Egypt were also reviewed. This work can be considered as a guide for beekeepers and researchers. Moreover, the presented plants here can be used in comparing honey bee plants of Egypt with other countries to get a better understanding of honey bee flora. More detailed investigations on honey bee plants are strongly required to be done at all Egyptian Governorates

Evaluation of Non-Chemical Traps for Management of Wax Moth Populations within Honey Bee Colonies1

ABSTRACT Wax moth larvae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) are serious pests on wax combs outside and inside of beehives. Management of wax moths is particularly difficult inside hive bodies housing weak colonies. In this study, five traps were designed and evaluated for their efficacy to attract mature larvae inside beehives. These traps were: (1) mesh envelope trap (MET), (2) cup trap (CT), (3) corrugated sheet (CS), (4) wooden sheet trap (WST), and (5) frame trap (FT). The traps were designed to take advantage of the behavior of mature larvae seeking protected locations for pupation. The numbers of larvae fluctuated during the study with a major peak at the end of June. MET attracted the greatest numbers of larvae, followed by CS, CT and FT, whereas WST did not attract any larvae. The internal traps, particularly MET, may reduce the damage from wax moth larvae by reducing existing moth populations inside the beehives, and therefore, prevent additional infestation.

A review of impacts of temperature and relative humidity on various activities of honey bees

The importance of pollination services by honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) and their products is well-known. However, honey bee colonies currently face many challenges. These challenges include both biotic and abiotic factors. In this article, the impacts of abiotic factors (mainly temperature and relative humidity) on honey bee activities are reviewed. The suitable ranges of these two factors and the potential impacts of atypical minimal or maximal limits are presented. Social homeostasis of honey bees, and activities inside and outside the colony that are influenced by these two factors are included, followed by a suggestion of additional studies.

Morphological Characterization and a Morphometry Map for Varroa Mites from Northwest of Egypt

Abstract Varroa mite, Varroa destructor, is the most destructive factor to western honey bee colonies worldwide. In 1904, Varroa was firstly recorded on honey bees, at the beginning it was hypothesized that Varroa is one species but recently this hypothesis has been considered to be incorrect. In 1983, Varroa mite was recorded in Egypt for first time. So far, a single study was done in Egypt to confirm Varroa species to be V. destructor and not Varroa jacobsoni as it was previously thought. Still the exact haplotype of Varroa in Egypt is unknown. This study is a step towards the identification of Varroa in Egypt. Here, morphological investigations were performed on Varroa specimens belong to northwest Egypt (El-Behera governorate). Three characteristics only showed significant differences among districts, namely body width, genital shield width, and genital shield length/genital shield width (ratio II), while the rest of characteristics did not present any significant differences. The correlations among the characteristics were very weak, except body length which correlated significantly (P<0.05) with body width and genital shield width by 0.52 and 0.42, in respect. The study presented additional confirmation that V. destructor is the current species infesting honey bee colonies in Egypt. Also, Varroa haplotype was identified to be the Korean one. A list of some morphological traits of Varroa mite was provided to enable further comparisons. A morphometry map for Varroa mites was also done using a geographical information system (GIS) to correlate between geographical locations and morphological characteristics. The morphometry map clearly classified studied districts, according to measured characteristics, into three classes as low, moderate and high. This study has a significant importance towards the fully understanding of Varroa populations in Egypt.

Thermal Tolerance Characteristics of Two Honey Bee Races1

ABSTRACT Under elevated temperature conditions, Yemeni honey bees exhibited better thermal tolerance than hybrid Carniolan honey bees. Variations between body characteristics, cuticular lipids, cuticle thickness, and total body water content of the two races were investigated. Yemeni bees were smaller than Carniolan bees in all measured body characteristics. The cuticle thickness of Carniolan bees was significantly higher than that of Yemeni honey bees. The cuticular lipid profiles of the two races were similar, and there were no significant differences in the total body water content between them. The results of this study highlight that body size plays a central role in the high thermal tolerance of Yemeni bees over that of Carniolan bees. However, further investigations are required to understand the variations between the two races.

Recycling Behaviour And Wisdom In The Beehive

The pattern of comb construction, bee language, forager behaviour, communication means, nectar and pollen storing methods are good examples of bee wisdom but it does not stop there. Honey bees can gather materials from unexpected sources and recycle them.

Greater Wax Moth Larvae Can Complete Development on Paper Wasp Nest1

Two wax moth species cause damage to honey bee combs: 1) the lesser wax moth, Achoria grisella (F.), and 2) the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). These species differ in appearance, biology, and life cycle (Ellis et al. 2013). Colonies infested with wax moths suffer damage to wax combs, prevention of adult bee emergence from cells, and increased tendencies of infested colonies to abscond (Ellis et al. 2013, Tsegaye et al. 2014). Therefore, various control methods for wax moths have been developed especially for stored combs. These methods include using paradichlorbenzene crystals (Burges 1978), and heat treatments (Charrière & Imdorf 1999). Recently, non-chemical traps to reduce damages from wax moths inside beehives have been developed (Abou-Shaara 2017). Also, sex pheromone traps (Sangramsinh et al. 2014) and light traps (Mabrouk & Mahbob 2015) can be used to trap wax moths outside the beehives. The known natural food for wax moths is beeswax. Beeswax from all Apis species is suitable for wax moth larval development, but the combs of Apis cerana (F.) and Apis dorsata (F.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are the most preferable for female moth fecundity and larval growth (Swamy et al. 2009). Under laboratory conditions, wax moths can be reared using artificial diets prepared with different materials, e.g., yeast, glucose, and honey (Akbar et al. 2004), or other meridic materials such as wheat flour, corn flour, and milk powder (Singh et al. 2014). Wax moths can utilize different materials as food sources in laboratory settings. However, beeswax is believed to be the wax moth’s only food source in nature. Paper wasps (Polistes spp.; Hymenoptera: Vespidae) are able to build their nests at different, sometimes unexpected, locations, e.g., inside plastic bee feeders. A paper wasp nest is composed of composite fibers from plant stems, leaves and woods. Honey bees and paper wasps belong to the same taxonomic order (Hymenoptera), both are social insects, and have the ability to build nests. Moreover, some common genetic roots were found between honey bees and paper wasps (Toth et al. 2010). Spatial and evolutionary proximity between honey bee and paper wasp nests may allow the wax moth to utilize nests of social wasps other than those of honey bees. Indeed, Grabe (1942) reported on the utilization of wasp nests by G. mellonella. I

Pollen Sources for Honey Bee Colonies at Land with Desert Nature during Dearth Period

Abstract Autumn is a critical period for honey bee colonies and the weak colonies during autumn are likely to be lost during winter. The colonies need good pollen sources during this period to be able to foster enough brood, to boost colonies survival ability during winter. The situation is worse in desert areas where few pollen sources are expected to be existed. Identifying the availability of pollen sources for honey bees at desert areas is very essential to present appropriate recommendations regarding colonies feeding and suitable plants to be cultivated in such areas. Thus, the study objective is to identify pollen sources for honey bee colonies during the autumn at El-Bostan region (a region with desert nature). Samples of bee bread were collected at different times during autumn. The samples were microscopically analyzed and pollen sources were then identified. Nine plants belong to six plant families (Pedaliaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae, Asteraceae, Myrtaceae, Resedaceae, and Casuarinaceae) were classified as major pollen sources. The most abundant plants were casuarina and eucalyptus during autumn. Beekeepers are advised to supply their colonies regularly (each two weeks) with pollen substitutes or supplements during autumn at El-Bostan region. Honey bee workers tend to mix different pollen types together in bee bread when different pollen sources are available. The number of pollen sources in the bee bread can be used to assess the richness degree of any region with suitable pollen sources to honey bees. The identified pollen sources in this study are recommended to be cultivated in lands with similar desert nature, to provide honey bee colonies with protein feeding during this critical period of the year.