Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Apidologie 2020 10;51(2):276-289. Epub 2019 Dec 10.

1Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA.

The mite is an important honey bee parasite that causes substantial losses of honey bee colonies worldwide. Evolutionary theory suggests that the high densities at which honey bees are managed in large-scale beekeeping settings will likely select for mites with greater growth and virulence, thereby potentially explaining the major damage done by these mites. We tested this hypothesis by collecting mites from feral bee colonies, "lightly" managed colonies (those from small-scale sedentary operations), and "heavily" managed colonies (those from large-scale operations that move thousands of colonies across the US on a yearly basis). Read More

Apidologie 2016 13;2016:1-9. Epub 2016 Jun 13.

Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr, Atlanta, GA 30322; Dept of Environmental Science, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr, Atlanta, GA 30322.

is an obligate ectoparasitic mite and the most important biotic threat currently facing honey bees (). We used neutral microsatellites to analyze previously unreported fine scale population structure of , a species characterized by extreme lack of genetic diversity owing to multiple bottleneck events, haplodiploidy, and primarily brother-sister matings. Our results surprisingly indicate that detectable hierarchical genetic variation exists between apiaries, between colonies within an apiary, and even within colonies. Read More

Apidologie 2016 2;2016:1-9. Epub 2016 May 2.

Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, 413 Biological Sciences Building, Athens, GA 30602 USA.

Inter-colony distance of significantly affects colony numbers of the parasitic mite . We set up 15 apiaries, each consisting of two colonies. Each apiary pair was assigned an inter-colony distance of 0, 10, or 100 m. Read More

Apidologie 2016;47:251-266. Epub 2015 Oct 21.

Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ; Institute on Ecosystems, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.

Honey bees are important pollinators of agricultural crops. Since 2006, US beekeepers have experienced high annual honey bee colony losses, which may be attributed to multiple abiotic and biotic factors, including pathogens. However, the relative importance of these factors has not been fully elucidated. Read More

Apidologie 2016;47:66-75. Epub 2015 Jul 21.

School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK.

Bumblebees are regularly exported to countries outside their native range for the purposes of commercial pollination. In contrast to the tight regulations imposed on biological control introductions, the movement of bumblebees has largely been without risk assessment. This study represents the first formal assessment of establishment risk for in the UK. Read More

Apidologie 2015;46(2):238-249. Epub 2014 Oct 17.

Department of Zoology, Universitätsplatz 2, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, A-8010 Graz, Austria.

Immune responses of invertebrates imply more than developing a merely unspecific response to an infection. Great interest has been raised to unveil whether this investment into immunity also involves fitness costs associated to the individual or the group. Focusing on the immune responses of honeybees, we use the well-studied insect bumblebee for comparison. Read More

Apidologie 2014 May;45(3):364-374

Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 312 Eberhart Building, 321 McIver Street, Greensboro, North Carolina, 27403, USA.

Social evolution has influenced every aspect of contemporary honey bee biology, but the details are difficult to reconstruct. The reproductive ground plan hypothesis of social evolution proposes that central regulators of the gonotropic cycle of solitary insects have been coopted to coordinate social complexity in honey bees, such as the division of labor among workers. The predicted trait associations between reproductive physiology and social behavior have been identified in the context of the pollen hoarding syndrome, a larger suite of interrelated traits. Read More

Apidologie 2014 Nov;45(6):664-677

CRA-Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Unità di ricerca di apicoltura e bachicoltura, Via di Saliceto, 80, 42100, Bologna, Italy.

The Western honeybees and are closely related subspecies living in neighbouring regions. Metabolism and the upper lethal thermal limits are crucial physiological traits, adapted in the evolutionary process to environment and climate conditions. We investigated whether samples from these two ecotypes differ in these traits. Read More

Apidologie 2009 Jan;40(1):82-95

Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Institut für Zoologie, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria.

In addition to honeybee workers, drones also contribute to colonial thermoregulation. We show the drones' contribution to thermoregulation at 5 different experimental temperatures ranging from 15-34 °C. The frequency and the degree of endothermy depended on the drones' local ambient temperature and age. Read More