Honey Bee Queen Production: Canadian Costing Case Study and Profitability Analysis

Bixby, Miriam; Hoover, Shelley E; McCallum, Robyn; Ibrahim, Ahmed A.; Ovinge, Lynae P; Olmstead, Sawyer; Pernal, Stephen F.; Zayed, Amro; Foster, Leonard J.; Guarna, M. Marta

doi:10.1093/jee/toaa102

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Recently, this species survivor has been hampered by a constantly increasing loss of honey bee colonies that now is reaching concerning levels [ 9 ]. The causes are not yet completely known, but they are certainly linked to different human-related variables/factors, such as intensive agriculture and the use of pesticides [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In Vitro Evaluation of Acute Toxicity of Five Citrus spp. Essential Oils towards the Parasitic Mite Varroa destructor

et al. 2021

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Varroa destructor is the most important ectoparasitic mite of honey bees that has a negative impact on bee health and honey production. The control programs are mainly based on the use of synthetic acaricides that are often administered indiscriminately. All this has led to drug resistance that now represent a great concern for honey bee farming. The research for alternative products/methods for mites’ control is now mandatory. The aim of this study was to test whether Citrus spp. essential oils could diminish the growth of the V. destructor mite. In Calabria (southern Italy), plants of the Citrus genus are very common and grow both spontaneously and cultured. The essential oils used in this study were extracted from bergamot (Citrus bergamia), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), lemon (Citrus limon), orange (Citrus sinensis), and mandarin (Citrus reticulata) by hydrodistillation. Every EO was in vitro tested against V. destructor. Each experimental replicate was performed using 35 viable adult female mites (5 for each EO) collected the same day from the same apiary and included negative controls (5 individuals exposed to acetone only) and positive controls (5 individuals exposed to Amitraz diluted in acetone). The essential oils (Eos) were diluted (0.5 mg/mL, 1 mg/mL, and 2 mg/mL) in HPLC grade acetone to obtain the working solution to be tested (50 µL/tube). Mite mortality was manually assessed after 1 h exposure under controlled conditions. The essential oils that showed the best effectiveness at 0.5 mg/mL were bergamot, which neutralized (dead + inactivated) 80% (p ≤ 0.001) of the parasites; grapefruit, which neutralized 70% (p ≤ 0.001); and lemon, which neutralized 69% of them. Interestingly, the positive control (Amitraz) at the same concentration neutralized 60% of the parasites. These results demonstrate that Calabrian bergamot, grapefruit, and lemon Eos consistently reduced V. destructor viability and open the possibility for their utilization to control this parasite in honey bee farming.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In Vitro Evaluation of Acute Toxicity of Five Citrus spp. Essential Oils towards the Parasitic Mite Varroa destructor

et al. 2021

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“…Next to pollination, the honeybees' economic importance lays in the production of hive products such as honey, pollen, beeswax, propolis, bee venom, and royal jelly. Honeybee colonies, nucs, and packages are important trade products too [7]. Honey is by far the most important product and is globally traded [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Economic Impact Assessment of Winter Honeybee Colony Losses in Three European Countries

et al. 2021

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Honeybees are of great importance because of their role in pollination as well as for hive products. The population of managed colonies fluctuates over time, and recent monitoring reports show different levels of colony losses in many regions and countries. The cause of this kind of loss is a combination of various factors, such as the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, viruses, pesticides, management practices, climate change, and other stress factors. Having in mind that the economic aspect of honeybee colony losses has not been estimated, a pioneer effort was made for developing a methodology that estimates the economic impact of honeybee colony losses. Winter loss data was based on 2993 answers of the COLOSS standard questionnaire survey of honeybee winter colony losses for 2016/2017. In addition, market and financial data were used for each country. In a comparative analysis, an assessment on the economic impact of colony losses in Austria, Czechia, and Macedonia was made. The estimation considered the value of the colonies and the potential production losses of the lost colonies and of surviving but weak colonies. The direct economic impact of winter honeybee colony losses in 2016/2017 in Austria was estimated to be about 32 Mio €; in Czechia, 21 Mio €; and in Macedonia, 3 Mio €. Economic impact reflects the different value levels in the three countries, national colony populations, and the magnitude of colony losses. This study also suggests that economic losses are much higher than the subsidies, which underlines the economic importance of honeybees for the agricultural sector.

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“…Honey bee colonies died out, with honey bees seen crawling from the hive unable to fly [4]. The loss of honey bee colonies has continued and has been reported by scientists since the late 20th century, with the USA having about 30% of losses, 1.8-53% in Europe, 10-85% in the Middle East, 25% in Japan, and 20% in Russia [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. This disorder is characterized by the loss of adult honey bees from hives, leaving behind the brood (larvae and pupae).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beekeeping Genetic Resources and Retrieval of Honey Bee Apis mellifera L. Stock in the Russian Federation: A Review

Frunze

Brandorf²,

Kang

et al. 2021

Insects

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The loss of honey bees has drawn a large amount of attention in various countries. Therefore, the development of efficient methods for recovering honey bee populations has been a priority for beekeepers. Here we present an extended literature review and report on personal communications relating to the characterization of the local and bred stock of honey bees in the Russian Federation. New types have been bred from local colonies (A. mellifera L., A. m. carpatica Avet., A. m. caucasia Gorb.). The main selection traits consist of a strong ability for overwintering, disease resistance and different aptitudes for nectar collection in low and high blooming seasons. These honey bees were certified by several methods: behavioral, morphometric and genetic analysis. We illustrate the practical experience of scientists, beekeepers and breeders in breeding A. mellifera Far East honey bees with Varroa and tracheal mite resistance, which were the initial reasons for breeding the A. mellifera Far Eastern breed by Russian breeders, Russian honey bee in America, the hybrid honey bee in Canada by American breeders, and in China by Chinese beekeepers. The recent achievements of Russian beekeepers may lead to the recovery of beekeeping areas suffering from crossbreeding and losses of honey bee colonies.

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Honey Bee Queen Production: Canadian Costing Case Study and Profitability Analysis

Cited by 17 publications

References 14 publications

In Vitro Evaluation of Acute Toxicity of Five Citrus spp. Essential Oils towards the Parasitic Mite Varroa destructor

In Vitro Evaluation of Acute Toxicity of Five Citrus spp. Essential Oils towards the Parasitic Mite Varroa destructor

Direct Economic Impact Assessment of Winter Honeybee Colony Losses in Three European Countries

Beekeeping Genetic Resources and Retrieval of Honey Bee Apis mellifera L. Stock in the Russian Federation: A Review

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