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Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2024) | Viewed by 15569

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anna Gajda

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Bee Diseases, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: honeybee; apis mellifera; bee pollinators; managed bees; wild bees; veterinary medicine; bee diseases; bee viruses; varroa destructor; nosemosis; nosema spp.; pollinator declines; honeybee colony losses
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Dr. Dariusz Gerula

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Guest Editor

Research Institute of Horticulture, Skierniewice, Poland
Interests: bees; honeybees; apiculture; beekeeping; apis mellifer; honey

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Apiculture plays a key role in sustainable agricultural production, as well as in the development of rural areas, and maybe most importantly, aids ecosystems with the pollination service.

As beekeeping in general is constantly changing and evolving to more intensive and specialized, it faces more and more challenges. Increasingly, endemic bee populations are replaced with bee subspecies that exhibit traits desired for production, which often fail to adapt properly to the new environment. Additionally, the high profitability from monocultural forages makes the bees’ diet not diverse enough, which translates to poor colony health due to poor food quality.

Climate change (which shifts and mixes the endemic and agricultural forage blooming times), as well as the presence of many emerging and re-emerging pathogens that threaten bee health, makes it very difficult for the beekeepers to keep their colonies in good health. As a result, the quality of bee products decreases.

However, the evolution of global apiculture also creates countless opportunities for scientific discoveries and, in extension, for the “hands on” beekeeping sector. The recent focus on Varroa-surviving colonies gives hope that honeybees will, at some point, fight this invasion with their own immunity at a global level. Breeding programs are focusing on creating sustainable bee lines resistant to this mite but, at the same time, with good production qualities. Environmental pollution and agrochemical use are proven to harm bees, so new ways of mitigating this problems are needed. As beekeeping and bees in general become more popular, apicultural citizen science is growing to show amazing results of common effort.

In this Special Issue, we aim to present a broad outlook on challenges and opportunities that modern apiculture faces.

Dr. Anna Gajda
Dr. Dariusz Gerula
Guest Editors

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Keywords

varroa resistance
climate change
bee health
bee diseases
nutrition
bee products
citizen science
pesticides
new technologies
innovation in beekeeping
sustainable bee breeding

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 482 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Small-Cell Combs Offer as Favorable Conditions of Rearing Worker Bees as Standard-Cell Combs in the Temperate Climate in Spring

by Piotr Dziechciarz, Aneta Strachecka, Grzegorz Borsuk and Krzysztof Olszewski

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 4566; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14114566 - 26 May 2024

Viewed by 550

Abstract

During the spring development of bee colonies, small-cell combs were found to create equally favorable conditions for worker bee rearing as standard-cell combs, since the workers reared in the small-cell combs did not differ significantly in the majority of morphometric traits, including the length of wings and the sum of the widths of the third and fourth tergites, from those reared in standard-cell combs. Moreover, they had a significantly longer and wider thorax. It can be assumed that the workers reared in small-cell combs collect nectar as effectively as those reared in standard-cell combs, as both groups did not differ in the proboscis length. It was confirmed that the body size of workers is relatively constant and is less influenced by the width of comb cells than was assumed previously, as the values of their morphometric parameters did not increase proportionally with the increasing cell width. The colony kept on small-cell combs provided worse rearing conditions for workers reared in standard-cell combs than the colony kept on standard-cell combs, which may have been related to the less abundant feeding of larvae by workers reared in small-cell combs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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11 pages, 3574 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Winter Carbon Dioxide Measurement in Honeybee Hives

by Michael I. Newton, Luke Chamberlain, Adam McVeigh and Martin Bencsik

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 1679; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041679 - 19 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1712

Abstract

Sensor technologies have sufficiently advanced to provide low-cost devices that can quantify carbon dioxide levels in honeybee hives with high temporal resolution and in a small enough package for hive deployment. Recent publications have shown that summer carbon dioxide levels vary throughout the day and night over ranges that typically exceed 5000 ppm. Such dramatic changes in a measurable parameter associated with bee physiology are likely to convey information about the colony health. In this work, we present data from four UK-based hives collected through the winter of 2022/2023, with a focus on seeing if carbon dioxide can indicate when colonies are at risk of failure. These hives have been fitted with two Sensirion SCD41 photoacoustic non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) carbon dioxide sensors, one in the queen excluder, at the top of the brood box, and one in the crown board, at the top of the hive. Hive scales have been used to monitor the hive mass, and internal and external temperature sensors have been included. Embedded accelerometers in the central frame of the brood box have been used to measure vibrations. Data showed that the high daily variation in carbon dioxide continued throughout the coldest days of winter, and the vibrational data suggested that daily fanning may be responsible for restoring lower carbon dioxide levels. The process of fanning will draw in colder air to the hive at a time when the bees should be using their energy to maintain the colony temperature. Monitoring carbon dioxide may provide feedback, prompting human intervention when the colony is close to collapse, and a better understanding may contribute to discussions on future hive design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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21 pages, 2210 KiB

Open AccessArticle

MFCC Selection by LASSO for Honey Bee Classification

by Urszula Libal and Pawel Biernacki

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14020913 - 21 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1733

Abstract

The recent advances in smart beekeeping focus on remote solutions for bee colony monitoring and applying machine learning techniques for automatic decision making. One of the main applications is a swarming alarm, allowing beekeepers to prevent the bee colony from leaving their hive. Swarming is a naturally occurring phenomenon, mainly during late spring and early summer, but it is extremely hard to predict its exact time since it is highly dependent on many factors, including weather. Prevention from swarming is the most effective way to keep bee colonies; however, it requires constant monitoring by the beekeeper. Drone bees do not survive the winter and they occur in colonies seasonally with a peak in late spring, which is associated with the creation of drone congregation areas, where mating with young queens takes place. The paper presents a method of early swarming mood detection based on the observation of drone bee activity near the entrance to a hive. Audio recordings are represented by Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients and their first and second derivatives. The study investigates which MFCC coefficients, selected by the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator, are significant for the worker bee and drone bee classification task. The classification results, obtained by an autoencoder neural network, allow to improve the detection performance, achieving accuracy slightly above 95% for the chosen set of signal features, selected by the proposed method, compared to the standard set of MFCC coefficients with only up to 90% accuracy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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9 pages, 510 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential of Complementary Sex-Determiner Gene Allelic Diversity for Studying the Number of Patrilines within Honeybee Colonies

by Robert Mroczek, Joanna Niedbalska-Tarnowska, Ajda Moškrič, Kinga Adamczyk-Węglarzy, Agnieszka Łaszkiewicz and Małgorzata Cebrat

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14010026 - 19 Dec 2023

Viewed by 958

Abstract

Polyandry, a fundamental aspect of honeybee biology, influences genetic diversity within bee colonies. The Csd gene, responsible for sex determination, exhibits a high intraspecific polymorphism, making it a promising candidate for studying patrilines. This study investigates the potential of the complementary sex-determiner gene (Csd) as a marker for genetic studies of honeybee colonies, comparing its efficacy with standard microsatellite markers. A worker bee brood from five colonies was genotyped using both Csd and microsatellite markers. The results showed that Csd alleles offer higher variability than microsatellite markers, providing a superior resolution in genotyping. The number of distinct Csd alleles in each colony surpassed microsatellite markers, demonstrating the potential of Csd for detailed genetic analyses. Despite challenges in Csd amplification efficiency, a two-step nested PCR protocol proved effective. Interestingly, Csd genotyping alone identified more patrilines than the set of five microsatellite markers, emphasizing its efficacy. Combining Csd and microsatellite genotyping enhances the resolution of genetic studies in honeybee colonies, offering valuable insights into genetic diversity, reproductive success, and social dynamics. The Csd gene emerges as a promising tool for advancing genetic studies in honeybee populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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15 pages, 2877 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lose Your Grip: Challenging Varroa destructor Host Attachment with Tartaric, Lactic, Formic, and Citric Acids

by Caroline Vilarem, Vincent Piou, Solène Blanchard, Fanny Vogelweith and Angélique Vétillard

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(16), 9085; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13169085 - 9 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1558

Abstract

Beekeepers can use a variety of treatments against Varroa destructor, the parasitic mite of Apis mellifera. However, sustainable and easy-to-use solutions are still scarce, considering the complexity of reaching the parasite alone. Current treatments involve soft acaricides, although their mechanism of action is not well understood. We investigated the effects of organic acids such as tartaric, lactic, formic, and citric acids on the attachment abilities of V. destructor under laboratory conditions. Preventing parasites from gripping or holding on to their hosts is a crucial target for mite control strategies. We challenged grip skills through the Rotavar setup after the direct application of acids to mites’ arolia. We also tested the potential for mites to fall off honeybees after bee treatment. We found that tartaric, citric, and lactic acids were good candidates to impair the attachment of V. destructor twenty-four hours post-treatment. However, lactic acid remained the only candidate at a reasonable concentration to destabilise mites after the honey bee’s treatment without reducing their lifespan. While we conducted these experiments under artificial conditions, our results improved our comprehension of the organic acids’ potential impact on V. destructor. They can also help with the development of new methods for hive application for beekeepers worldwide. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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13 pages, 4603 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deep Learning-Based Portable Image Analysis System for Real-Time Detection of Vespa velutina

by Moon-Seok Jeon, Yuseok Jeong, Jaesu Lee, Seung-Hwa Yu, Su-bae Kim, Dongwon Kim, Kyoung-Chul Kim, Siyoung Lee, Chang-Woo Lee and Inchan Choi

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7414; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137414 - 22 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1392

Abstract

Honeybees pollinate over 75% of the total food resources produced annually, and they produce valuable hive products, such as bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly. However, species such as the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) feed on more than 85% of honeybees, causing a decline in their population and considerable damage to beekeepers in Korea. To prevent damage to honeybees, a portable real-time monitoring system was developed that detects V. velutina individuals and notifies users of their presence. This system was designed with a focus on portability and ease of installation, as V. velutina can be found in various areas of apiary sites. To detect V. velutina, an improved convolutional neural network YOLOv5s was trained on 1960 high-resolution (

3840 \times 2160

) image data. At the confidence threshold of ≥0.600 and intersection over the union of ≥0.500, the performance of the system in terms of detection accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and mean average precision was high. A distance-based performance comparison showed that the system was able to detect V. velutina individuals while monitoring three beehives. During a field test of monitoring three beehives, the system could detect 83.3% of V. velutina during their hunting activities and send alarms to registered mobile application users. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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8 pages, 1935 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Microsporidiosis Causing Necrotic Changes in the Honeybee Intestine

by Aneta A. Ptaszyńska and Marek Gancarz

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 4957; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13084957 - 14 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1437

Abstract

Background: Microsporidia from the Nosema (Vairimorpha) genus are pathogenic fungi that complete their life cycle in the honeybee intestine. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the impact of the course of infection on the viability of honeybee intestine cells. Methods and Results: Intestines isolated from healthy and N. ceranae-infected honeybees were stained using two dyes, SYTO 9 and propidium iodide, and analyzed under an Axiovert 200M fluorescence microscope immediately after the isolation of the intestines. The ImageJ program was used for the quantitative analysis of the cell structure parameters. Our study demonstrated for the first time that healthy bees have a higher number of live cells in their intestines than infected bees, and that the intestines of N. ceranae-infected honeybees contain dead cells concentrated in spots. The results obtained for these two cases differed significantly, and were confirmed by statistical tests. Conclusions: The intestines of infected honeybees contain dead cells concentrated in red/dead spots, which can lead to necrotic changes, the interruption of the host’s intestinal continuity, intestinal leaking and the increased mortality of the host. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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11 pages, 1957 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of an Electronic Nose as a New Technology for Rapid Detection of Adulteration in Honey

by Wellington Belarmino Gonçalves, Wanderson Sirley Reis Teixeira, Evelyn Perez Cervantes, Mateus de Souza Ribeiro Mioni, Aryele Nunes da Cruz Encide Sampaio, Otávio Augusto Martins, Jonas Gruber and Juliano Gonçalves Pereira

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 4881; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13084881 - 13 Apr 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1892

Abstract

This work demonstrates the application of an electronic nose (e-nose) for discrimination between authentic and adulterated honey. The developed e-nose is based on electrodes covered with ionogel (ionic liquid + gelatin + Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle) films. Authentic and adulterated honey samples were submitted to e-nose analysis, and the capacity of the sensors for discrimination between authentic and adulterated honey was evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) based on average relative response data. From the PCA biplot, it was possible to note two well-defined clusters and no intersection was observed. To evaluate the relative response data as input for autonomous classification, different machine learning algorithms were evaluated, namely instance based (IBK), Kstar, Trees-J48 (J48), random forest (RF), multilayer perceptron (MLP), naive Bayes (NB), and sequential minimal optimization (SMO). Considering the average data, the highest accuracy was obtained for Kstar: 100% (k-fold = 3). Additionally, this algorithm was also compared regarding its sensitivity and specificity, both being 100% for both features. Thus, due to the rapidity, simplicity, and accuracy of the developed methodology, the technology based on e-noses has the potential to be applied to honey quality control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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16 pages, 3983 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Possibility of Using Bee Drone Brood to Design Novel Dietary Supplements for Apitherapy

by Małgorzata Dżugan, Ewelina Sidor, Michał Miłek and Monika Tomczyk

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 4687; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13084687 - 7 Apr 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1758

Abstract

Drone brood is a little-known bee product, often treated as beekeeping waste or natural varroosis bait. Obtaining drone brood from beehives does not weaken the bee family, which is why this product is used as natural medicine in Eastern European countries. The main objective of this work was to design an innovative dietary supplement containing freeze-dried drone brood (DB) enriched with calcium ions (3:1). As the calcium component, inorganic calcium carbonate (CC) and ground chicken eggshells (ES) were used. Bioaccessibility of hormones, selected nutrients (proteins and amino acids), non-nutritive polyphenols from pure drone brood (DB), and designed supplements (DB + CC, DB + ES) were analyzed using an in vitro gastrointestinal system. It was shown that drone brood components are better bioaccessible from the DB + ES compared to DB + CC and DB capsules. An increase was achieved by up to 93.33%, 21.29%, 105.14%, and 52.34% for testosterone, estradiol, calcium, and polyphenols, respectively. Drone brood proteins were completely digested to free amino acids which was confirmed by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Due to the demonstrated synergistic action of drone brood and the calcium of eggshells, the newly proposed two-ingredient supplement seems to be an efficient treatment to equalize hormonal and calcium deficiency in osteoporosis; however, its application requires further studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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7 pages, 1226 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

The Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Is an Efficient Pollinator for Paeonia lactiflora Pall in the Field

by Lixia Tian, Jun Ren, Ruxu Li, Ning Di, Xi Huang, Su Wang, Xihong Fang and Xilian Xu

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 1179; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13021179 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1511

Abstract

The herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) has high ornamental and nutritional value, and the seeds of P. lactiflora can be used to produce high-quality edible oil. However, low seed yield limits the application of P. lactiflora. This can be mitigated by insect pollinators. Here, we evaluated the pollination services of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in a P. lactiflora field. We found that A. mellifera provided pollination for P. lactiflora throughout the day especially in the period from 10:00–15:00. Seed number and weight were significantly increased when P. lactiflora was pollinated by A. mellifera. Furthermore, a DNA barcode, the rbcL gene, was used to analyze pollen samples from the corbiculae (pollen baskets) of A. mellifera (bee pollen, BP) and P. lactiflora flowers (flower pollen, FP). High homology of rbcL genes in the BP and FP suggested that BP was collected from P. lactiflora. Based on our results, A. mellifera provided efficient pollination for P. lactiflora. Therefore, A. mellifera could be a good candidate pollinator for P. lactiflora and could be applied in the field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Apiculture: Challenges and Opportunities)

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