Correction: Colony Failure Linked to Low Sperm Viability in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Queens and an Exploration of Potential Causative Factors

Pettis, Jeffery S.; Rice, Nathan; Joselow, Katie; vanEngelsdorp, Dennis; Chaimanee, Veeranan

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155833

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…The stored sperm viability percentage obtained in this study was within the normal range of viability (60–90%) recorded by Pettis et al (2016) but the current viability result was relatively lower than the viability (97.8%) reported by Gençer and Kayha (2011). Low sperm viability is an important indicative parameter for the low performance of a queen and a colony (Pettis et al, 2016) and they found that in good colonies the average viability was 92% where as in other normal and failing colonies the average viabilities of sperm were 57 and 55% respectively. Similarly, the average numbers of ovarioles recorded in this study was relatively fewer than the average number of ovarioles (173 ± 2.48) reported for A. m. ligustica and (160.94 ± 14.97) and for Slovenia bees ( A. m. carnica ) , (Hatjina et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Honey bee queen performance is reported to depend not only on quantity but also quality of sperm and this also known to be linked to colony performance (Pettis et al, 2016). Pettis et al, (2016) reported the presence of high variations in average viability of stored sperm 92% and 55% for good and failing colonies, respectively. It is well known that the performance of a honey bee colony is not only depends on the quality of the queen but also on the quality of drones that would mate with the queen (Hatjina et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproductive biology and morphology of Apis mellifera jemenitica (Apidae) queens and drones

Al-Sarhan

Adgaba

Tadesse

et al. 2019

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences

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The current study aimed to investigate the important reproductive biology and morphology of A.m. jemenitica queens and drones through measuring the weight of virgin and mated queens, size and weight of spermathecae, weight of ovaries, number of ovarioles, quantity and viability of semen in queen and drones. Accordingly, the average weights of 0.139 ± 0.01 g and 0.143 ± 0.013 g recorded for virgin and mated queens respectively. The sizes of spermathecae were 1.248 ± 0.103 mm and 1.25 ± 0.022 mm for virgin and mated queens respectively. The mean weight of ovaries was 0.013 ± 0.003 g and the numbers of ovarioles varied from 124 to 163 with the mean of 142.9 ± 9.47 and with no significant difference between virgin and mated queens. The average number of stored sperm per spermathecae of mated queen was estimated to be 4.202 ± 0.613 million with the viability of 80.39%. The average number of sperm per drone recorded was 8,763,950 ± 1,633,203.15 with viability of 79.54 ± 6.70%. In general, the current study revealed that the values recorded for reproductive biology and morphological characters of A. m. jemenitica queens and drones were relatively lower than values recorded for other Apis mellifera races. This mainly could be associated with the body size of the race which is known to be the smallest race among A. mellifera races. Moreover, the harsh environmental conditions of the regions, high temperature, low humidity and limited resources may have contributed for the smaller biological and morphological values. The information will serve as a base in future selection and breeding of program of the race.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Reproductive biology and morphology of Apis mellifera jemenitica (Apidae) queens and drones

Al-Sarhan

Adgaba

Tadesse

et al. 2019

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences

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“…For example, Dedej et al 26 showed that queen larvae reared from first- and second instars had significantly increased ovariole numbers and other characteristics compared to those reared from later instars. A second suite of traits quantify insemination success, such as the number of spermatozoa stored within the spermathecae and their viability 27 – 29 . Insemination success is less of a factor of a queen’s colony environment but rather the local honey bee population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Physical and mating quality are interdependent and positively correlated; it has been shown that queen body size is associated with mating success, with larger queens having higher sperm counts and mating with an increased number of drones 22 , 31 . Surveyed beekeepers consider a sperm viability of 80% or greater to be sufficient 29 . Although under-studied, other factors that affect sperm viability are temperature and pesticide exposure; when temperatures reach below 4 °C or above 40 °C for 1, 2, or 4 h, sperm viability decreases considerably 29 , 32 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction of Varroa destructor has not altered honey bee queen mating success in the Hawaiian archipelago

Rusert

Pettis

2021

Sci Rep

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Beekeepers struggle to minimize the mortality of their colonies as a consequence of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor in order to maintain a sustainable managed pollinator population. However, little is known about how varroa mites might diminish local populations of honey bee males (drones) that might affect the mating success of queens. As one of the world’s last localities invaded by varroa mites, the Hawaiian Islands offer a unique opportunity to examine this question by comparing queens mated on mite-infested and mite-free islands. We raised queen bees on four Hawaiian Islands (Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i) and subsequently collected their offspring to determine queen mating frequency and insemination success. No significant difference for mating success was found between the islands with and without varroa mites, and relatively high levels of polyandry was detected overall. We also found a significant association between the number of sperm stored in the queens’ spermathecae and the number of managed colonies within the localities of the queens mated. Our findings suggest that varroa mites, as they currently occur in Hawai‘i, may not significantly reduce mating success of honey bee queens, which provides insight for both the reproductive biology of honey bees as well as the apiculture industry in Hawai‘i.

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Honey bees as biomonitors of environmental contaminants, pathogens, and climate change

Cunningham

Tran

McKee

et al. 2022

Ecological Indicators

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Correction: Colony Failure Linked to Low Sperm Viability in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Queens and an Exploration of Potential Causative Factors

Cited by 20 publications

References 1 publication

Reproductive biology and morphology of Apis mellifera jemenitica (Apidae) queens and drones

Reproductive biology and morphology of Apis mellifera jemenitica (Apidae) queens and drones

Introduction of Varroa destructor has not altered honey bee queen mating success in the Hawaiian archipelago

Honey bees as biomonitors of environmental contaminants, pathogens, and climate change

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