Why are African honey bees and not European bees invasive? Pollen diet diversity in community experiments

Abstract

-We studied resource use and competition by varieties of a honey bee, Apis mellifera, through re-introducing European A. m. ligustica in experimental apiaries in a habitat 'saturated' by African (or hybrid African and European) honey bees that naturally colonized forest in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Over 171 pollen species comprised honey bee diets. The Morisita-Horn similarity index (highest similarity = 1.0) between the two honey bee races was 0.76 for pollen use and, from the average daily volume usage by colonies of each bee subspecies, 0.55 for taxon-specific intensity of use. Although using more plant species, the European bee specialized much more heavily on a few plants than did African honey bees. By re-analysis of pollen pellets collected by locally-adapted (Mexican) European honey bees for one year, at the same experimental sites and using the same pollen traps as our studies, before the arrival of invasive honey bees in S. Mexico, we infer that resident bees may respond to exotic honey bee competition by shifting flower choice and by increasing resource specialization. We also show that replicated, quantitative pollen analysis is a powerful tool that may be applied to understanding diet diversity of bees.Apis mellifera / niche use / diet diversity / pollen / invasive species / competition

Pollen harvest by Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the Dourados region, Mato Grosso do Sul state (Brazil)

“…This is seen as we have few pollen types collected more than 10% and most of them less than that, such results are the same as those reached by Cortopassi-Laurino & Ramalho (1988) and Vanderhuck (1995), which may be seen as temporary specialization on a fl oral source (Villanueva-G. & Roubik 2004). The major dominant types here are Eucalyptus and Raphanus raphanistrum.…”

“…Resource availability, increase in collection effi ciency and recruitment, temporary specialization and behavioral features are undoubtedly major traits governing pollen choice (Pernal & Currie 2002;Villanueva-G. & Roubik 2004;Ramalho et al 2007). Hence, it is clear that Apis mellifera behaves in such a way as to satisfy colony needs, with worker bees harvesting most of the time near the hive but extending this harvest distance range when the food source is low or if there is any appreciated plant farther away.…”

The structure of eusocial bee assemblages in Brazil

“…From our analysis we cannot determine whether the narrower niches of Partamona and Scaptotrigona are a result of their foraging strategies, of the interactions with Apis, or both. European honeybees seem to have responded to the arrival of the African bees in Yucatan by shifting flower choice and increasing resource specialization (Villanueva and Roubik, 2004) which suggests something similar might have happened to stingless bees.…”

Study on the Beekeeping Situation, the Level of Beekeepers Knowledge Concerning Local Honeybee Subspecies, Their Productive Characteristics, and Behavior in Eastern Amhara Region, Ethiopia

“…It is possible to select less defensive honeybees based on their reaction. African honey bees frequently swarm to establish new nests [20][21][22]. The causes of swarming may be many but African honeybees strains are known to swarm heavily and abscond in greater frequencies than their European counterparts.…”