Search results for "Bombus"

Training experiments with Bombus terrestris and Apis mellifera on artificial ‘ Salvia ’ flowers

2016

Abstract Many bee flowers demand physical force from their pollinators. An example is Salvia with lever-like anthers restricting access to nectar. Though the needed force is generally low, it is largely unknown how far even low forces affect flower preference and foraging behaviour of bees. In the present paper, we introduce a method to measure the response of bees to a force mechanism. We explain the construction of artificial flowers mimicking the lever mechanism of a Salvia flower and the procedure to train honeybees and bumblebees to the models. We document the behaviour of the bees on models without barriers and on those with low forces aiming at the same time to determine the bees’ se…

Invasive bees and their impact on agriculture

2020

Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Arbetman, Marina P. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Arbetman, Marina P. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Chacoff, Natacha P. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina. Fil: Chalcoff, Vanin…

Nectar robbing does not affect female reproductive success of an endangered Antirrhinum species, Plantaginaceae

2019

ABSTRACTBackground: Nectar robbers in many plant species affect female reproductive success, usually decreasing the amount of seed produced by plants, which can affect populations persistence.Aims:...

Foraging Bumblebees Selectively Attend to Other Types of Bees Based on Their Reward-Predictive Value.

2020

Using social information can be an efficient strategy for learning in a new environment while reducing the risks associated with trial-and-error learning. Whereas social information from conspecifics has long been assumed to be preferentially attended by animals, heterospecifics can also provide relevant information. Because different species may vary in their informative value, using heterospecific social information indiscriminately can be ineffective and even detrimental. Here, we evaluated how selective use of social information might arise at a proximate level in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) as a result of experience with demonstrators differing in their visual appearance and in thei…

Salvia apiana — A carpenter bee flower?

2016

Abstract Salvia apiana has unique mask flowers restricting access to nectar by a bulged lower lip. Stamens and style protrude the flower tube. Most interesting, the staminal lever mechanism usually characterizing bee flowers in Salvia L. is lacking. In the present study, we aim to understand the peculiar pollination mechanism and to identify the pollinators and breeding system of the species. Field experiments were conducted at three natural localities in Southern California and the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, Claremont. Pollinator behavior was documented on video and interpreted considering frequency, handling time, percentage of successfully touching pollen and stigma, pollen depos…

Rapid induction of immune density-dependent prophylaxis in adult social insects.

2009

The innate immune system provides defence against parasites and pathogens. This defence comes at a cost, suggesting that immune function should exhibit plasticity in response to variation in environmental threats. Density-dependent prophylaxis (DDP) has been demonstrated mostly in phase-polyphenic insects, where larval group size determines levels of immune function in either adults or later larval instars. Social insects exhibit extreme sociality, but DDP has been suggested to be absent from these ecologically dominant taxa. Here we show that adult bumble-bee workers ( Bombus terrestris ) exhibit rapid plasticity in their immune function in response to social context. These results sugges…

Don't Know Much about Bumblebees?-A Study about Secondary School Students' Knowledge and Attitude Shows Educational Demand.

2018

Many insects are threatened with extinction, which in the case of pollinating insects could lead to declining pollination services and reduced ecosystem biodiversity. This necessitates rethinking how we deal with nature in general. Schools are ideal places in which to instill a willingness to behave in an environmentally-friendly way. Whereas scientific studies and school textbooks stress the importance of honeybees as pollinators, the role of bumblebees is either underestimated or neglected. The aim of this study was to provide information concerning student knowledge and attitudes, which are important factors of an individual’s environmental awareness. A questionnaire with closed and open…

Pronubi selvatici ed api nell'impollinazione in colture protette di melone (Cucumis melo var. inodorus Naud, C. m. reticulatus Ser.)in Sicilia occide…

2002

Efficacia dei pronubi sulla produttività del melone d'inverno( Cucumis melo var. inodorus) in coltura protetta.

1998

Stain-free virtual histology of Bombus terrestris compound eyes by laboratory phase-contrast nano-CT

2021

The visual systems of pollinating insects are studied to understand the effects of a changing environment, and are to date imaged using microscopy or micro-CT. Microscopy only allows two-dimensional imaging and conventional micro-CT requires heavy-metal staining of the samples. Here we present virtual histology of compound eyes of bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) using a laboratory nano-CT system. Propagation-based phase-contrast CT allows three-dimensional imaging of samples without using any staining. Micrometre-resolution images of the microanatomy of the eyes were reconstructed, and the features identified in CT (cornea, crystalline cones, pigment, photoreceptor cells, basement membrane) w…