Álvaro Urueña, Vicente Martínez-López, William de Jesús May-Itzá, José Javier Guadalupe Quezada-Euán & Pilar De la Rúa (2022): Morphometric and genetic analyses show differentiation of the widely distributed stingless bee Nannotrigona
perilampoides (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) across geographic regions in Mexico, Journal of Apicultural Research, DOI: 10.1080/00218839.2022.209357

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Nannotrigona perilampoides es una de las abejas sin aguijón más comunes en México, con amplia distribución y muy frecuente también en zonas urbanas. En esta reciente investigación encontramos diferencias morfológicas y genéticas significativas entre poblaciones de esta especie tomadas de varias regiones de nuestro país. Estos hallazgos son evidencia adicional a la que hemos encontrado en otras especies como Melipona beecheii, M. yucatanica, Scaptotrigona mexicana y S. hellwegeri que demuestra la riqueza de linajes genéticos en abejas sin aguijón de México y la importancia de conservarlos como parte de su diversidad. Por ello no es recomendable movilizar colonias entre regiones geográficas contrastantes.

 

 Manuel Vázquez, David Muñoz, Rubén Medina, Robert J. Paxton, Favizia Freitas de Oliveira, J. Javier G. Quezada-Euán (2022) Sympatric cleptobiotic stingless bees have species-specific cuticular profiles that resemble their hosts. Nature SR 12: 2621

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 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06683-w?fbclid=IwAR2JCX3_z7pigbFc8h7tjFBGRTjoj77_29LMLpWQC2DQF387CuyZxkwh-lU

 

 

 

Segurét A., Stolle E., Fleites-Ayil F.A., Quezada-Euán J.J.G., Hartfelder K., Meusemann K., Harrison M.C., Soro A., Paxton R.J. (2021) Transcriptomic signatures of ageing vary in solitary and social forms of an Orchid bee. Genome Biology and Evolution Volume 13, Issue 6, June 2021, evab075

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En la mayoría de los animales existe una evidente separación o “trade-off” entre fecundidad y longevidad, a mayor fecundidad la longevidad se reduce y viceversa. Las reinas de los insectos sociales son una excepción a esta regla ya que son altamente fecundas y viven por períodos largos de tiempo en comparación con las obreras. A pesar de que esta característica puede tener una explicación genética, hasta ahora pocos estudios han analizado el papel de diferentes genes para su mejor entendimiento. Euglossa viridissima es una especie de abeja con comportamiento social facultativo, lo que permite comparar diferencias genéticas entre hembras dominantes y subordinadas, así como en hembras solitarias. En este trabajo identificamos múltiples genes y sus inter-conexiones que incluyen las rutas antioxidativas y de la rapamicina, y que se involucran en la reprogramación del envejecimiento y el intercambio entre longevidad/fecundidad aun en formas sociales incipientes como esta abeja de las orquídeas.

Publicaciones

 Las zonas urbanas no siempre son ideales para el desarrollo de las colonias de abejas sin aguijón como muestra esta investigación recién publicada en Apidologie. Es importante verificar que las ciudades provean de recursos (néctar, polen, resinas) para que las colonias vivan, produzcan y se reproduzcan adecuadamente.

Abstract

In temperate regions of the world dominated by intensive agriculture, cities harbor a rich diversity and abundance of bee species, often exceeding those of the rural environment. In less industrialized tropical countries, in contrast, stressful conditions may exist in cities for bees with perennial colonies such as stingless bees because of the lack of resources such as amenity green spaces (flowers) and appropriate nesting sites. Yet, we currently lack studies on the ecology of bees in tropical urban areas to test this idea. Here, we compared the body size (as a possible indicator of floral resource supply) and the frequency of diploid males (as a measure of inbreeding) of a widespread stingless bee, Nannotrigona perilampoides, at mating congregations within the city of Merida, Yucatán, Mexico, and in surrounding rural areas. We found that males in Merida were significantly smaller compared with those in rural areas. While diploid males were found in both in the city and rural congregations, their frequency was significantly higher in urban sites. Our results suggest that the performance of colonies of N. perilampoides is poorer in tropical urban compared with rural sites, possibly as a consequence of limited resources and mating among a small number of colonies. We discuss the implications of these findings for the survival and fitness of stingless bees in the tropics.

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 Nueva publicación Insectes Sociaux

Morales A., Hartfelder K., Medina-Peralta S., Quezada-Euán J.J.G. (2021) Larval food provisions affect developmental time, body size and vitellogenin titers of Scaptotrigona pectoralis gynes (Hymenoptera: Meliponini). Insectes Sociaux 68:93–100

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 Premio Nacional de Entomología 2020 a Tesis Doctoral de Rubén Medina Hernández, egresado del Doctorado del Posgrado Institucional UADY en que participa el Departamento de Apicultura Tropical

Guzman-Novoa E, Morfin N, De la Mora A, Macías-Macías JO, Tapia-González JM, Contreras-Escareño F, Medina-Flores CA, Correa-Benítez A and Quezada-Euán JJG (2020) The Process and Outcome of the Africanization of Honey Bees in Mexico: Lessons and Future Directions. Front. Ecol. Evol. 8:608091.                doi: 10.3389/fevo.2020.608091 

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Abstract

 The Africanization of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in the Americas is among the most extensive insect invasions in the world, with large-scale effects on the economy and ecology of a whole continent. Africanized honey bees (AHBs) are a distinctive lineage of A. mellifera, resulting of the extensive admixture between African subspecies (A. m. scutellata and A.m. adansonii) with resident European stocks of honey bees introduced into the Americas. Despite its great importance, to date, the outcome of Africanization of honey bees has not been evaluated in detail. In this article we use the case of Mexico, one of the top beekeeping countries in the world, to assess the effects of Africanization of honey bees and its outcome. There is evidence of African genes in honey bee populations across Mexico, with prevalence in the tropical areas and less
so in temperate ones. The Africanization of honey bees resulted in lower honey yields per hive in temperate climates of Mexico, but this has not been assessed in the tropical regions. Mexico’s total honey production and exports at the start of the Africanization process decreased, but today, they have partially rebounded and have remained stable. As in all countries where Africanization has occurred, the defensive behavior of honey bees in Mexico increased but notably, stinging incidents involving humans have been relatively insignificant (0.23 fatalities per million people). Ecologically, AHBs seem to have posed limited impact on the native apifauna and have contributed to pollination of major economic crops, but more studies are needed to evaluate the overall effect. AHBs can be potentially more resistant to parasites and diseases and worth of note is that AHBs in Mexico resulted in a new generation of beekeepers that propelled management and selective breeding. In general, the evidence suggests that the Africanization of honey
bees in Mexico has had a less severe impact than originally predicted. We suggest some lines for future directions that may help to better understand the effects, make sustainable use and ameliorate the negative characteristics of AHBs.

Medina R.G., Paxton R.J., Hernández-Sotomayor S.M.T., Pech-Jimenez C., Medina-Medina L.A., Quezada-Euán J.J.G. (2020) Heat stress during development affects immunocompetence in workers, queens and drones of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of Thermal Biology 89: 102541 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102541

Abstract

Though social insects generally seem to have a reduced individual immunoresponse compared to solitary species, the impact of heat stress on that response has not been studied. In the honey bee, the effect of heat stress on reproductives (queens and males/drones) may also vary compared to workers, but this is currently unknown. Here, we quantified the activity of an enzyme linked to the immune response in insects and known to be affected by heat stress in solitary species: phenoloxidase (PO), in workers, queens and drones of Africanized honey bees (AHBs) experimentally subjected to elevated temperatures during the pupal stage. Additionally, we evaluated this marker in individuals experimentally infected with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. Differences in PO activity were found between sexes and castes, with PO activity generally higher in workers and lower in reproductives. Such differences are associated with the likelihood of exposure to infection and the role of different individuals in the colony. Contrary to our expectation, heat stress did not cause an increase in PO activity equally in all classes of individual. Heat stress during the pupal stage significantly decreased the PO activity of AHB queens, but not that of workers or drones, which more frequently engage in extranidal activity. Experimental infection with Metarhizium anisopliae reduced PO activity in queens and workers, but increased it in drones. Notably, heat stressed workers lived significantly shorter after infection despite exhibiting greater PO activity than queens or drones. We suggest that this discrepancy may be related to trade-offs among immune response cascades in honey bees such as between heat shock proteins and defensin peptides used in microbial defence. Our results provide evidence for complex relationships among humoral immune responses in AHBs and suggest that heat stress could result in a reduced life expectancy of individuals.

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Poot-Baez V., Medina-Hernández R., Medina-Peralta S., Quezada-Euán J.J.G. (2020)Intranidal temperature and body size of Africanized honey bees under heatwaves (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Apidologie  51:382–390. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-019-00725-5

Abstract
It is generally accepted that temperate subspecies of honey bees can maintain stable temperatures inside their nests; however, little information is available on the cooling ability of tropical honey bees and the effect of high environmental temperatures on individuals. In this study, we registered temperatures in the brood area of strong- and medium-populated colonies of Africanized honey bees during heatwaves (maximum environmental temperature 44 °C) between April and May in the tropical Yucatán Peninsula of México. To evaluate the effect on colonies, we compared the body size of workers produced under high temperatures in the field and siblings produced at stable 34–35 °C laboratory conditions. We found that in the field, temperatures of the brood nest in both types of colony can increase above 36 °C during the hottest part of the day, especially in less strong colonies. Workers produced in the field were significantly smaller, compared to those reared in the lab at stable temperatures. This is a first study reporting body size reduction in honey bees as a consequence of possible thermoregulation disruption during heatwaves. We discuss our results considering potential effects of heat stress to Africanized honey bee colonies and tropical beekeeping.

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May-Itzá W. de J., Medina LM. (2019).  Effectiveness of the smoke of fruits of Guazuma ulmifolia (Sterculiaceae) and vapors of Thymol for control of Varroa destructor infesting Africanized bees. Rev Mex Cienc Pecu.  10(3):778-788.

 Abstract:

The mite Varroa destructor is a scourge in honey bee colonies worldwide. Conventional chemical-based control treatments can contaminate colony products and cause resistance in the parasite. Plant-source compounds are promising alternatives. The effectiveness of smoke from dried Guazuma ulmifolia fruit and vapors from thymol crystals was evaluated in control of V. destructor in colonies of Africanized bees (Apis mellifera) in Yucatan, Mexico. Three treatments were used during a three-week experimental period. In Group 1, colonies were administered five to eight puffs of smoke from dried G. ulmifolia fruits twice a week. In Group 2, they were administered 4-8 g of thymol crystals once a week. Group 3 was a control and received no treatment. Collections of 200 to 300 adult bees from each colony were done prior to treatment (day 0) and after treatment at 7, 14 and 21 d. These were processed to quantify colony infestation levels and treatment efficacy. Overall V. destructor infestation levels in adult bees decreased in all three groups after 21 d, with differences between treatments. Levels were lowest in Group 2, followed by Group 1 and the control. Efficacy at the end of the treatments was 41 % in Group 1 and 69% in Group 2. Compared to the control, application of thymol crystals provided the most effective alternative control method against V. destructor. However, regular application of G. ulmifolia fruit smoke also reduced mite infestation levels, and this resource has the advantage of being locally available.

May-Itzá, W de J., Peña, W.L., De la Rúa, P., Quezada-Euán J.J.G. (2019).  A genetic and morphological survey to trace the origin of Melipona beecheii (Apidae: Meliponini) from Cuba. Apidologie  50, pages859–870  https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-019-00696-7

Abstract

The stingless bee Melipona beecheii is extensively distributed across Mexico and Central America and the only Melipona found in the Greater Antilles. The aim of this work was to establish possible continental affinities of M. beecheii from the Antilles. We compared populations from the main island (Cuba) with two clearly separated genetic lineages of M. beecheii on mainland, namely the Yucatán peninsula (Mexico) and Costa Rica. We used morphometrics, the degree of cephalic maculation, and microsatellite variation. Results indicate a greater morphological and genetic similarity between populations from Cuba and the Yucatán peninsula with respect to those of Costa Rica. Based on our findings, we conclude that the origin of M. beecheii from Cuba is more likely the Yucatán peninsula (Mexico). We found evidence that isolation has not been large enough to result in a new genetic lineage.

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