Bombus (Bombus) occidentalis (Hymenoptera: Apiformes): In decline or recovery

2007 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujaya Rao ◽  
William P. Stephen
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Occidentalis

Biogeography and designatable units of Bombus occidentalis Greene and B. terricola Kirby (Hymenoptera: Apidae) with implications for conservation status assessments

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory S. Sheffield ◽  
Leif Richardson ◽  
Syd Cannings ◽  
Hien Ngo ◽  
Jennifer Heron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Bombus Occidentalis

Cold anaesthesia decreases foraging recruitment in the New World bumblebee,Bombus occidentalis

2006 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 169-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E Wilson ◽  
David Holway ◽  
James C Nieh
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Bombus Occidentalis

scholarly journals Brain Allometry and Neural Plasticity in the Bumblebee Bombus occidentalis

2010 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre J. Riveros ◽  
Wulfila Gronenberg
Keyword(s):  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Bombus Occidentalis

STRANGE ACTION OF BOMBUS OCCIDENTALIS.

1913 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 347-348
Author(s):  
J. WM. COCKLE
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Occidentalis

Drifting bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) workers in commercial greenhouses may be social parasites

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (12) ◽  
pp. 1843-1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna L Birmingham ◽  
Shelley E Hoover ◽  
Mark L Winston ◽  
Ron C Ydenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Insect ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Worker Reproduction ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Nectar Robbing ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Aggressive Interactions ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
Bombus Occidentalis ◽  
Behavioural Consequence

Commercial greenhouses require high densities of managed bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis Greene, 1858 and Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863) colonies to pollinate crops such as tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller). We examined drifting, a behavioural consequence of introducing closely aggregated colonies into greenhouse habitats, to determine possible explanations for observed drifting frequencies. Bee drift is normally associated with increased individual mortality and disease transfer between colonies. In this study, individual bees frequently drifted into and remained within foreign colonies. More drifting bees were found in colonies with higher worker and brood populations and greater pollen stores. Increased intracolony aggressive interactions were not associated with a higher number of drifting bees. Drifting bees had a significantly greater number of mature eggs in their ovaries than did resident worker bees residing in colonies hosting drifters, suggesting that drifting could potentially increase the fitness of individual worker bees and may not be solely a function of disorientation and (or) nectar robbing. Taken together, our results suggest that drifting of workers into foreign colonies within greenhouses may demonstrate a predisposition to social parasitism. This selfish worker reproduction challenges our previous understanding of social insect societies as being cooperative societies.

Intraspecific nest and brood recognition by queens of the bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
pp. 2893-2897 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J. Gamboa ◽  
Robin L. Foster ◽  
Kenneth W. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Matched Pairs ◽  
Bombus Occidentalis ◽  
Brood Recognition ◽  
Thermoregulatory Behaviour ◽  
Observation Period

Queens of pre-emergence colonies of the bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, discriminated between their own nest or brood and that of an unrelated conspecific queen in the field. In particular, behavioural observations of queens from 11 matched pairs of replaced nests (controls) and switched nests (treatments) revealed that queens spent significantly more time in thermoregulatory behaviour (incubating and covering brood), and initiated such behaviours significantly sooner, with their own brood than with unrelated (foreign) brood. Queens also spent significantly more time inspecting foreign brood than their own brood. Finally, queens returning to foreign nests were significantly more likely to depart during the observation period than queens returning to their own nest. Although queens recognized unrelated nests or brood, they were not observed to destroy unrelated brood. Rather, in most cases they adopted foreign nests containing unrelated worker-destined brood, and remained with these nests for the life of the colonies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document