Individual Acclimatization of Apis mellifera L. to the Thermal Homeostasis of the Colony

Abstract

Bees play an important role in maintaining biodiversity by promoting the pollination of numerous plant species. Recent global climate changes are affecting the average air temperature, thereby altering the biological processes of many species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the adaptation of Apis mellifera L. bees to temperature increases and their responses to thermal homeostasis in the colony. Research was performed at the Federal University of Paraíba Laboratory of Bees using three treatments: Control, 33 °C and 40 °C. For the latter two treatments, colonies were kept in a 24 m² climate chamber with an opening at the hive entrance, giving the bees access to the outside environment. The following parameters were evaluated: difference between internal and external hive temperature, thorax surface temperature and total protein concentration in the hemolymph. Internal colony temperature varied according to the external hive temperature. Nurse bees that care for larvae exhibited higher heat production, expressed as thorax surface temperature. Total protein content in the hemolymph was highest in the 40 °C treatment and decreased with ambient temperature. External hive temperature influences internal hive temperature, and nurse bees have higher capacities for thermogenesis.

Advances and knowledge gaps on climate change impacts on honey bees and beekeeping: A systematic review

“…In general, temperature increase could exert a series of negative impacts on food reserves (e.g., honey production, colony weight gain, and honey sugar composition; Nürnberger et al., 2019; Gajardo‐Rojas et al., 2022; Langowska et al., 2017; Quinlan et al., 2022; Bordier et al., 2017), plant–pollinator interactions (e.g., a decrease in visiting rate and strength of interactions; Rader et al., 2013; Giannini et al., 2015; Bar‐Shai et al., 2022; Maluf et al., 2022), mortality of colonies (e.g., longevity, survival, winter resistance; Medina et al., 2018; McAfee et al., 2020; Aldea‐Sánchez et al., 2021; Cebotari et al., 2019), gene expression (e.g., up‐regulation or expression changes; Ma et al., 2019; McAfee et al., 2020; Bordier et al., 2017; Bach et al., 2021), and thermal biology (e.g., thermal tolerance, desiccation, body temperature; Sánchez‐Echeverría et al., 2019; Burdine & McCluney, 2019; Lima et al., 2019). However, a decrease in temperatures could also result in increased colony mortality (Becsi et al., 2021), affect the immunity (Butolo et al., 2021) and microbiome (Castelli et al., 2022), as well as changes in temperature patterns are expected to contribute to pest spread through changes in thermal suitability (Hosni et al., 2022; Tihelka et al., 2021).…”