Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Apidologie 2022 15;53(1):13. Epub 2022 Mar 15.

Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, N-1432 Aas, Norway.

Vitellogenin (Vg) is a conserved protein used by nearly all oviparous animals to produce eggs. It is also pleiotropic and performs functions in oxidative stress resistance, immunity, and, in honey bees, behavioral development of the worker caste. It has remained enigmatic how Vg affects multiple traits. Read More

Apidologie 2021 15;52(6):1112-1127. Epub 2021 Oct 15.

Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA.

Varroa mites () are the most significant threat to beekeeping worldwide. They are directly or indirectly responsible for millions of colony losses each year. Beekeepers are somewhat able to control varroa populations through the use of physical and chemical treatments. Read More

Apidologie 2021 27;52(6):1033-1047. Epub 2021 Sep 27.

Division of Ecology and Evolution, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Berkshire Ascot, SL5 7PY UK.

The performance of micro-colonies fed five diets differing in pollen species composition and level of nine essential amino acids (EAA; leucine, lysine, valine, arginine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, threonine, histidine, methionine) was assessed for 37 days by recording total biomass gain, nest building initiation, brood production (eggs, small and large larvae, pupae, drones), nectar, and pollen collection. Stronger colony performance was linked to higher amino acid levels but no consistent differences in biomass gain were recorded between mono- and poly-species diets. Poorest performance occurred in micro-colonies offered pure oilseed rape (OSR) pollen which contained the lowest EAA levels. Read More

Apidologie 2021 8;52(3):684-695. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), University of Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France.

Social movements in several countries are stimulating a reconsideration of academic structures and historic figures and promoting reparation and recognition of marginalized and forgotten black scientists. A paradigmatic case in that sense is Charles Henry Turner (1867-1923) who was the first African American to receive a graduate degree at the University of Cincinnati and one of the first in earning a PhD degree of the University of Chicago. He performed numerous experiments on sensory perception, orientation, and mating of solitary and social bees, most of which have been unjustly forgotten despite the fact that they anticipated fundamental concepts of animal cognition. Read More

Apidologie 2021 1;52(6):1075-1097. Epub 2021 Oct 1.

Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Rua do Matão 277, São Paulo, SP 05508-090 Brazil.

Propolis is a honey bee product containing chiefly beeswax and resins originated from plant buds or exudates. Propolis resin exerts a diversity of biological activities, such as antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and defense of the hive against pathogens. Chemical standardization and identification of botanical sources is crucial for characterization of propolis. Read More

Apidologie 2020 8;51(5):746-762. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK.

Bees are vital pollinators, but are faced with numerous threats that include loss of floral resources and emerging parasites amongst others. Urbanisation is a rapidly expanding driver of land-use change that may interact with these two major threats to bees. Here we investigated effects of urbanisation on food store quality and colony health in honeybees () by sampling 51 hives in four different land-use categories: urban, suburban, rural open and rural wooded during two seasons (spring and autumn). Read More

Apidologie 2021 19;52(1):35-44. Epub 2020 Aug 19.

Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900 Brazil.

Since its foundation, has steadily gained recognition as a journal that reports results from high-quality scientific research on the biology of bees, and this means Apidae in general, not only on its most prominent species, the Western honey bee, . All started 50 years ago in a conversation between two eminent scientists, Jean Louveaux, director of one of INRA's bee research unit in Bures-sur-Yvette and editor of the French , and Friedrich Ruttner, director of the Bee Research Institute in Oberursel and editor of the German , where they discussed the possibility of merging these two journals to create an international bee research journal. Here, we take 's 50th anniversary as an opportunity to provide our readers with background information on the journal's history, especially on the persons and their contributions along this journey. Read More

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