Sureerat Deowanish

Ant repellent resins of honeybees and stingless bees

We measured the repellent effects of plant resins against the weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina. The resins were the sticky bands of the dwarf honeybees, Apis florea and A. andreniformis, propolis of the Western honeybee, A. mellifera and the nest entrance tubes of the stingless bees, Tetrigona apicalis, Lepidotrigona terminata, and Tetragonula collina. A bioassay was developed for testing the effects of these resins in field experiments by placing them along natural foraging pathways of ants’ nests. A repellency index was generated to quantify this bioactivity. The sticky bands of dwarf honeybees and propolis of A. mellifera were significantly more repellent against O. smaragdina than were the entrance tube resins of the stingless bees. Nonetheless, the diverse, viscid and adhesive resins employed by these bees constitute a generally effective first-line of defense against depredations of a formidable adversary, the weaver ants.

Honey bee diversity and beekeeping in Thailand.

Traditional beekeeping with the indigenous honey bee, Apis cerana, began in the coconut plantation areas on Samui Island in southern Thailand but there are no records to confirm when it started1. However, literature preserved in the bee museum of the Apiculture Research Institute in Beijing, China, shows that Thai (Tai tribe) beekeeping began about 1000 years ago in Xishuang Banna, southern Yunnan province, China. In addition, numerous ancient medical books indicate that honey has been used widely as an ingredient to mix with several medicinal plants to make traditional Thai medicines. This practice is still used in traditional drug stores in Thailand2,3.

Geographic variation in the Japanese islands of Apis cerana japonica and in A. cerana populations bordering its geographic range

Genetic variation among Apis cerana japonica isolates from Japan and Apis cerana isolates from the neighboring areas of Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan was determined from DNA sequences of the mitochondrial DNA non-coding region (between tRNA leu and COII). Three haplotypes were identified among 470 colonies samples at 47 Japanese sites. All isolates from the main Japanese Islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu belonged to a single haplotype, a previously reported Japan 1 haplotype. Two new haplotypes were found on the far southern Japanese islands of Amami-Oshima and Tsushima (the Japan 3 and Japan 4 haplotypes, respectively). The A. cerana from Russia and South Korea were the Japan 1 isolate, the A. cerana from Taiwan was the previously known Taiwan haplotype. Our studies showed little genetic variation in the mtDNA of A. cerana japonica, indicating that this genomic region is of limited use for detecting genetic variation among closely related populations of A. cerana.ZusammenfassungDie genetische Variation von A. cerana japonica in Japan und A. cerana in den benachbarten Arealen wurde anhand von mitochondrialen DNA Sequenzdaten einer nichtkodierenden Region untersucht. Aus 470 A. cerana japonica Völkern von 47 Standorten in Japan und von 5 A. cerana Völkern einzelner Orte in Russland, Südkorea und Taiwan wurden im Jahr 1997 und 2002 Proben von adulten Arbeiterinnen entnommen. Bei den japanischen Populationen wurden 3 Haplotypen identifiziert, der bereits vorher bekannte Japan 1 Haplotyp und zwei neue Haplotypen (Japan 3 und Japan 4). Der Japan 1 Haplotyp wurde an 43 Lokalitäten auf Honshu, Shikoku und den Kyushu Inseln gefunden, während die Japan 3 und 4 Haplotypen auf den Inseln Amami-Oshima beziehungsweise Tsushima gefunden wurden. Der neue Japan 3 Haplotyp enthielt eine Basensubstitution (T → A) an der einundzwanzigsten Position, der Japan 4 Haplotyp eine an der dreizehnten Position (G → A). Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass A. cerana japonica eine sehr geringe genetische Variation in der nichtkodierenden Region der mtDNA aufweist

Multivariate morphometric study of Apis florea in Thailand

SUMMARY Morphometric analyses of Apis florea in Thailand were carried out in order to detect differences within this species. The nine body parts selected for analysis were: proboscis, antenna, forewing, hindwing, hind leg, the third and sixth sternites, and the third and fourth tergites. Twenty-two characters, consisting of widths, lengths or angles, were measured. Factor analysis sorted 14 characters of worker bees into four factors: (Factor 1) characters associated with size, hind leg and antenna; (Factor 2) length of wing venation and forewing; (Factor 3) number of hamuli and venation angle 37; and (Factor 4) venation angle 34. The results of factor and cluster analyses using the 22 characters revealed that the A. florea of Thailand are distributed as one group. Four characters (forewing radial cell length, metatarsus length, 3rd sternite length and antenna length) can be used to separate by Student-Newman-Keuls Statistics the A. florea of Samui and Pha-ngan Islands from the mainland.

Matrilineal origins of Apis mellifera in Thailand

Apis mellifera was imported to Thailand approximately 60 years ago, but the subspecies that contributed to honey bee populations in this country are unknown. We collected 476 colonies from North, Central, Northeast and South Thailand and used PCR-RFLP and direct DNA sequencing to identify mitochondrial lineages and subspecies present. Three common and five rare composite haplotypes were found. Haplotype group ThaiA1 (22% of colonies) and group ThaiA2 (60%) match C or east European lineage A. m. ligustica and A. m. carnica. Haplotype group ThaiB (18%) belongs to the O or Middle Eastern lineage. Non-coding mitochondrial sequences of ThaiB are similar to those of A. m. syriaca and A. m. lamarckii, although no published sequence is an exact match. Analysis of Molecular Variation (AMOVA) showed most of the observed genetic variation occurred within individual apiaries, but significant differentiation between North + Central and Northeast + South regions was observed.ZusammenfassungApis mellifera wurde vor ungefähr 60 Jahren nach Thailand eingeführt. Heute gibt es mehr als 300 000 Völker in Thailand, allerdings ist ihre Herkunft und genetische Zusammensetzung nicht bekannt. Da die verschiedenen Unterarten von A. mellifera sich in ihrer Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen Krankheiten und anderen ökonomisch wichtigen Eigenschaften unterscheiden, ist dies für die Erhaltung und Verbesserung der thailändischen Bienen von Bedeutung. Um die mütterliche Herkunft von A. mellifera in Thailand zu bestimmen, benutzten wir PCR-RFLP Analysen und die Sequenzierung des mitochondrialen Genoms. Hierzu wurden Proben von 476 Völkern aus vier thailändischen Regionen genommen: Zentral (113), nördlich (156), südlich (97) und nordöstlich (111). Diese verglichen wir mit 27 für A. m. carnica, A. m. ligustica, A. m. mellifera, A. m. scutellata und der türkischen A. m. syriaca repräsentativen Referenzproben sowie mit veröffentlichten RFLP Daten. Es wurden vier Regionen der mtDNA mit PCR amplifiziert und mit Restriktionsenzymen verdaut: Ein Fragment der tRNAleu bis zum 5′ Ende von COII mit Dra I und Hinf I; ein Abschnitt von cyt-b mit Bgl II, Dra I und Hinf I; ein Abschnitt von lsRNA mit EcoR I; das 5′ Ende von COI mit Hinc II. Wir sequenzierten die nichtkodierende Region zwischen tRNAleu und COII und verglichen sie mit Sequenzen in der Literatur und Genbank.Wir fanden 3 gewöhnliche und 5 seltene RFLP Haplotypen (Tab. II). Fünf Haplotypen (ThaiA Gruppe) gehörten zu der östlichen mediterranen mitochondrialen Linie (C) und drei (ThaiB Gruppe) zu der Linie (O) des mittleren Ostens. Wie zu vermuten, war die C Linie am häufigsten und wurde in 82 % der Völker gefunden. Es war aber unerwartet, dass 18 % der Völker der mitochondrialen O Linie angehörten. Die drei häufigsten Haplotypen (ThaiA2.1, ThaiA1.1 und ThaiB1.1) umfassten 95 % der Proben. Es wurden aber keine Hinweise auf die Anwesenheit der westeuropäischen (M) oder afrikanischen (A) Linie in der mtDNA in Thailand gefunden. Die Sequenz der nichtkodierenden Region der Thai B Proben ähnelte veröffentlichten Sequenzen von A. m. syriaca und A.m. lamarkckii, entsprach allerdings keiner von beiden ganz genau. Eine Analyse der molekularen Varianz (AMOVA) zeigte signifikante Unterschiede zwischen den geografischen Regionen. Die Haplotypen der O Linie waren im Norden und Nordosten selten, während A. m. ligustica- ähnliche Haplotypen im Süden selten waren. Dies könnte die Historie der Einfuhr oder einen Einfluss der Wanderimkerei widerspiegeln. Allerdings wurde der Großteil der Variation innerhalb von Bienenständen gefunden.

Actual reproductive conflict during emergency queen rearing in Apis florea

Unequal relatedness among workers in polyandrous honey bee colonies provides the potential for reproductive conflict during emergency queen rearing. Adult workers can increase their inclusive fitness by selectively rearing their full-sisters as queens. We investigated the paternity of emergency queens in two colonies of Apis florea using five microsatellite loci. In colony 1 there was no significant difference between the proportions of queens and workers in each patriline (P = 0.48). In contrast, the relative frequency of patrilines in colony 2 differed significantly between queens and workers (P = 0.03). More than a quarter of the queens reared in this colony were of a single patriline, suggesting that larvae were selected for rearing as queens non-randomly.

Lack of interspecific parasitism between the dwarf honeybees Apis andreniformis and Apis florea

The dwarf honeybees Apis florea and Apis andreniformis are sympatric in Southeast Asia. We examined undisturbed nests of both species finding that heterospecific workers are present in some nests at low frequency. This suggested that workers may enter heterospecific nests as a prelude to reproductive parasitism. To test this hypothesis, we created mixed-species colonies and determined the reproductive response of workers within them based on molecular markers. In queenless colonies, workers of both species activated their ovaries at equal frequency. However, the majority species, A. florea, had complete reproductive dominance over A. andreniformis, most likely because the A. florea workers recognised and removed heterospecific larvae. In queenright mixed-species colonies, workers responded to heterospecific signals of the presence of the queen and did not activate their ovaries. Thus, despite predictions from kin selection theory that workers would benefit from parasitising heterospecific nests, we find no evidence that selection has established a parasitic strategy in these sibling species.

Analysis of the complete mitochondrial genomes of two dwarf honeybee species, Apis florea and Apis andreniformis (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apidae), in Thailand

Abstract The dwarf honeybees Apis florea and Apis andreniformis inhabit the bush and forests of continental Asia and north Africa and some islands of Sundaland and the Philippines. We analysed, for the first time, the complete mitochondrial genomes of two dwarf honeybee species from Thailand using next-generation sequencing. Each mitochondrial genome was a circular and approximately 17 kbp molecule that included 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes, along with one A + T-rich control region, besides three tRNA-Ser (AGN) repeats. The AT content values of the mitochondrial genomes of A. florea and A. andreniformis were 86.28% and 85.73%, respectively. The 1150 mutation sites in 13 PCGs differing between A. florea and A. andreniformis in Thailand were evenly distributed throughout their mitochondrial genomes. The phylogenetic relationship, inferred using 13 PCGs, was consistent with that reported in previous studies, which predicted a sister relationship between A. florea and A. andreniformis.