Old comb for nesting site recognition by Apis dorsata? Field experiments in China

Liu, Fenghao; Roubik, David W.; He, Dong; Li, J.

doi:10.1007/s00040-007-0963-4

Cited by 18 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Once occupied, colonies can stay in the same cavity for many years [58,59]. While giant honeybee colonies are often philopatric, returning to the same location seasonally [60,61], upon their return they build a new comb [62]. Nest-site fidelity is probably due to a relative lack of suitable nesting sites, as the combs the bees build are massive and require significant trees (or buildings or rock faces) able to bear their weight.…”

Section: How Ecological Conditions Have Shaped the Bees' Nest-site Selection Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Different bees, different needs: how nest-site requirements have shaped the decision-making processes in homeless honeybees (Apisspp.)

Beekman

Oldroyd

2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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During reproductive swarming, a honeybee swarm needs to decide on a new nest site and then move to the chosen site collectively. Most studies of swarming and nest-site selection are based on one species, Natural colonies of live in tree cavities. The quality of the cavity is critical to the survival of a swarm. Other honeybee species nest in the open, and have less strict nest-site requirements, such as the open-nesting dwarf honeybee builds a nest comprised of a single comb suspended from a twig. For a cavity-nesting species, there is only a limited number of potential nest sites that can be located by a swarm, because suitable sites are scarce. By contrast, for an open-nesting species, there is an abundance of equally suitable twigs. While the decision-making process of cavity-nesting bees is geared towards selecting the best site possible, open-nesting species need to coordinate collective movement towards areas with potential nest sites. Here, we argue that the nest-site selection processes of and have been shaped by each species' specific nest-site requirements. Both species use the same behavioural algorithm, tuned to allow each species to solve their species-specific problem.This article is part of the theme issue 'Collective movement ecology'.

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Section: How Ecological Conditions Have Shaped the Bees' Nest-site Selection Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Different bees, different needs: how nest-site requirements have shaped the decision-making processes in homeless honeybees (Apisspp.)

Beekman

Oldroyd

2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…The authors of those homing-fidelity studies expressed surprise at their findings, given limited studies indicating that A. dorsata workers have life spans of only a few weeks ( Otis et al 1990 , Chinh et al 2004 )—much shorter than the approximately 6 mo that would be required for them to have first-hand knowledge of a former nest site. Speculation and some experimentation as to how colonies might return to such sites has ensued ( Oldroyd and Wongsiri 2006 , Liu et al 2007 , Hepburn 2011 ). Among other hypotheses, Oldroyd and Wongsiri (2006) speculated that if some worker bees live ~6 mo or more, thus constituting a potential ‘memory guild,’ these older bees might be able to recall a former nesting site and guide their colony back to it along a previously used, memorized route.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Surfing the Sweet Wave: Migrating Giant Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae:Apis dorsata) Display Spatial and Temporal Fidelity to Annual Stopover Site in Thailand

Robinson

2021

Journal of Insect Science

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Apis dorsata F. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), the giant honey bee of southern Asia, is an important pollinator of crops and non-cultivated angiosperms, and a producer of honey and beeswax. Its populations are in decline in many areas. Colonies migrate seasonally between highland and lowland nesting sites, taking advantage of available food sources. In 2009, a stopover site was discovered in Thailand where numerous migrating colonies bivouacked near one another. Bivouacs used the site again in 2010. I went to the site in 2016 to test the hypothesis that bees use the site regularly as part of an annual migration. I witnessed many bivouacs, spanning almost precisely the same time period and occupying the same area as in 2010. Here I describe their migratory dances in preparation for departure and their subsequent flights as well as periodic mass flight and defensive behavior. Analysis of photographs indicated that the bivouacking bees aged slowly and may thus live long enough to be capable of intergenerational transmission of migratory route knowledge. I describe attributes of the stopover site, e.g., abundant food and water availability, its location along a major river, and other possible navigational cues. Although the site is the only one of its kind so far known to researchers, such stopover sites probably exist wherever giant honey bees undertake long seasonal migrations. I recommend searching for bivouacking sites, particularly along rivers, wherever giant honey bees migrate. Stopover sites are undoubtedly essential to the life history and health of migratory bee populations, and thus warrant conservation policies.

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“…At the end of this period, colonies abscond to an alternative nesting No evidence that habitat disturbance affects mating frequency in the giant honey bee Apis dorsata or bivouac site, leaving an empty comb. Absconding swarms probably migrate between locations with different blooming seasons (Crane et al 1993;Dyer 2002;Itioka et al 2001;Koeniger and Koeniger 1980;Liu et al 2007;Sheikh and Chetry 2000). Nesting sites are often reoccupied annually for decades Oldroyd and Wongsiri 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No evidence that habitat disturbance affects mating frequency in the giant honey bee Apis dorsata

et al. 2012

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-The giant honey bee (Apis dorsata) is a keystone pollinator within Asian lowland forests. Across its range, A. dorsata populations are impacted by heavy hunting pressure and habitat disturbance. These pressures have the potential to significantly impact the genetic structure of populations, particularly the ability of queens to find a large number of genetically diverse drones for mating. Here, we compare queen mating frequency and allelic diversity between colonies sampled in disturbed and undisturbed areas in Thailand. Microsatellite analysis of 18 colonies in 6 aggregations showed no significant difference in paternity frequency at disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Measures of F ST and genetic differentiation between aggregations were not significantly different from zero (P>0.05); measures of allelic diversity showed no differences between disturbed and undisturbed sites, and there was no evidence of population structuring based on the program STRUCTURE. Our findings suggest, surprisingly, that habitat disturbance has no effect on the mating frequency, genetic diversity, or population connectedness. This suggests that the mating behavior of A. dorsata is robust to anthropogenic changes to the landscape.Apis dorsata / microsatellite / mating frequencies / colony aggregation / habitat disturbance

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Old comb for nesting site recognition by Apis dorsata? Field experiments in China

Cited by 18 publications

References 14 publications

Different bees, different needs: how nest-site requirements have shaped the decision-making processes in homeless honeybees (Apisspp.)

Different bees, different needs: how nest-site requirements have shaped the decision-making processes in homeless honeybees (Apisspp.)

Surfing the Sweet Wave: Migrating Giant Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae:Apis dorsata) Display Spatial and Temporal Fidelity to Annual Stopover Site in Thailand

No evidence that habitat disturbance affects mating frequency in the giant honey bee Apis dorsata

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