Kenneth Lorenzen

A Method for Collecting the Honey-Sac Contents from Honeybees

SummaryA simple method is described for collecting the honey-sac contents from honeybees. Captured foraging bees are anaesthetized with C02; the abdomen is squeezed in a special apparatus, which is described, to express the contents of the honey sac through the mouthparts. The expressed liquid is collected in a glass capillary tube and sealed and frozen for analysis later. Nectar loads can be collected very quickly, enabling large-scale studies to be made.The ingestion of fluid into the ventriculus is discussed.

Effect of age of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) on tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) infestation

The susceptibility of worker honey bees,Apis mellifera L., as a function of age, to infestation by tracheal mites,Acarapis woodi Rennie, was investigated. Bees <24 h old were infested most frequently, and the frequency of infestation declined precipitously thereafter. Bees >4 days old were rarely infested in colonies during active brood rearing. Only 2 of 255 bees >8 days old, and 1 of 246 bees >16 days old, became infested. Most of the eggs found in bees>3 weeks old apparently were produced by the progeny of the original infestation.

Distribution of Honeybees During Water Collection

SummaryA magnetic capture-recapture system was used to determine the distribution of 2377 honeybees, from 10 out of 21 apiaries in the area studied (399 hives); the bees were marked while collecting water at 16 sites. Bees tended to collect water at sources close to their apiary; the mean distance was 88·9 m (±5·3 SE). The maximum distance recorded was 2337 m.