Use of Introduced Bombus terrestris Worker Helpers for Rapid Development of Japanese Native B. hypocrita Colonies (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

A century of advances in bumblebee domestication and the economic and environmental aspects of its commercialization for pollination

“…Others introduced both a fresh male cocoon and some conspecific bumblebee workers into the nest box with the queen and achieved the same results (see, e.g., van Doorn and Heringa, 1986). Ono et al (1994) used workers of B. terrestris to stimulate the queens of the closely related B. hypocrita. Similarly, B. terrestris workers were used to stimulate colony initiation of the closely related B. ignitus (van Doorn, unpubl.).…”

“…This led to rearing attempts of a number of Japanese bumblebee species, both by the industry (notably B. ardens, B. diversus, B. hypocrita and B. ignitus, van Doorn, unpubl. ) and by Japanese researchers (Ono et al, 1994;Hannan et al, 1997;Asada and Ono, 2000). The pollination potential for tomato crops was also examined Ono, 1996, 1997).…”

“…Criticism arose about the use of this non-native species soon after it was first imported (e.g. Ono et al, 1994;Ono, 1997). This led to rearing attempts of a number of Japanese bumblebee species, both by the industry (notably B. ardens, B. diversus, B. hypocrita and B. ignitus, van Doorn, unpubl.…”

“…I). Worries about this importation practice have been expressed by several authors (Ono et al, 1994;Ono, 1997;Goka et al, 2001;Yoon et al, 2002;Matsumura et al, 2004). Ono (1997), for example, reported that, in laboratory experiments, when B. terrestris queens were introduced into nest boxes containing incipient colonies of the consubgeneric species B. ignitus and B. hypocrita (subgenus Bombus s.s.; Richards, 1968;Williams, 1998), the B. terrestris queen succeeded in usurping the B. ignitus nest (and killing its queen).…”

A Test of Bombus terrestris Cocoon and other Common Methods for Nest Initiation in B. lapidarius and B. hortorum

“…The basis for certain stimulatory methods used today for stimulating queens' oviposition in the laboratory, can be traced to his experiments. These methods include, for example, the stimulatory effect of providing a brood, which today is most frequently used in the form of a male cocoon (Duchateau, 1994;Kwon et al, 2003); the method of two queens, later more developed by Plowright and Jay (1966), Alford (1975), Duchateau (1985 and Ptáček (2000); the method of an added worker, later mentioned by Alford (1975); and the use of interspecies cooperation to initiate nesting of the queen and rearing of a brood (Ono et al, 1994).…”