Eating versus heating: a study of the allocation of workers between foraging and nest incubation in bumble bees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamsin Stewart ◽  
Nikhil Bolton‐Patel ◽  
James E. Cresswell
Keyword(s):  
Bumble Bees

The Proventriculus of Adult Bumble Bees (Bombinae, Apidae)

1976 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Macfarlane
Keyword(s):  
Bumble Bees

Body mass and sex, not local climate, drive differences in chill coma recovery times in common garden reared bumble bees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Jeannet Oyen ◽  
Laura E. Jardine ◽  
Zachary M. Parsons ◽  
James D. Herndon ◽  
James P. Strange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Chill Coma ◽  
Recovery Times

scholarly journals Landscape Enhancements in Apple Orchards: Higher Bumble Bee Queen Species Richness, but No Effect on Apple Quality

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 421
Author(s):  
Amélie Gervais ◽  
Marc Bélisle ◽  
Marc J. Mazerolle ◽  
Valérie Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Pesticide Use ◽  
Apple Orchards ◽  
Seed Number ◽  
Apple Production ◽  
Apple Quality ◽  
Effective Pollinators ◽  
Quality Weight

Bumble bees are among the most effective pollinators in orchards during the blooming period, yet they are often threatened by the high levels of pesticide use in apple production. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of landscape enhancements (e.g., hedgerows, flower strips) on bumble bee queens in apple orchards. Bumble bee queens from 12 orchards in southern Québec (Canada) were marked, released, and recaptured in the springs and falls of 2017 to 2019. Half of the 12 orchards had landscape enhancements. Apples were harvested in 2018 and 2019 to compare their quality (weight, diameter, sugar level, and seed number) in sites with and without landscape enhancements. Species richness, as well as the occurrence of three species out of eight, was higher in orchards with landscape enhancements than in orchards without such structures. The occurrence of Bombus ternarius was lower in orchards with high levels of pesticide use. Apples had fewer seeds when collected in orchards with landscape enhancements and were heavier in orchards that used more pesticides. Our work provides additional evidence that landscape enhancements improve bumble bee presence in apple orchards and should therefore be considered as a means to enhance pollination within farms.

scholarly journals Olfactory coding in the antennal lobe of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Mertes ◽  
Julie Carcaud ◽  
Jean-Christophe Sandoz
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Carbon Chain Length ◽  
Olfactory Coding ◽  
Major Transitions

AbstractSociality is classified as one of the major transitions in evolution, with the largest number of eusocial species found in the insect order Hymenoptera, including the Apini (honey bees) and the Bombini (bumble bees). Bumble bees and honey bees not only differ in their social organization and foraging strategies, but comparative analyses of their genomes demonstrated that bumble bees have a slightly less diverse family of olfactory receptors than honey bees, suggesting that their olfactory abilities have adapted to different social and/or ecological conditions. However, unfortunately, no precise comparison of olfactory coding has been performed so far between honey bees and bumble bees, and little is known about the rules underlying olfactory coding in the bumble bee brain. In this study, we used in vivo calcium imaging to study olfactory coding of a panel of floral odorants in the antennal lobe of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. Our results show that odorants induce reproducible neuronal activity in the bumble bee antennal lobe. Each odorant evokes a different glomerular activity pattern revealing this molecule’s chemical structure, i.e. its carbon chain length and functional group. In addition, pairwise similarity among odor representations are conserved in bumble bees and honey bees. This study thus suggests that bumble bees, like honey bees, are equipped to respond to odorants according to their chemical features.

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