Here, we cover a wide range of methods currently in use and recommended in modern queen rearing, selection, and breeding. The recommendations are meant to serve as stand-ards for scientific and practical beekeeping purposes. The basic conditions and different management techniques for queen rearing are described, including recommendations for suitable technical equipment. As the success…
Bee pollen is a healthy product with a good nutritional profile and therapeutic properties. Its high moisture content, however, promotes the growth of bacteria, molds, and yeast during storage commonly result in product degradation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of gamma irradiation (GI) and ozone (OZ) as bee pollen…
The 2nd regional EAAP (European Federation of Animal Science) meeting will be held at the Agricultural Research Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus from the 24th-26th April 2024. The EAAP regional meetings aim to highlight key animal science discoveries and novel approaches, particularly focusing on specific regional topics, which could be directly or potentially applied to management and…
Honey bees, Apis mellifera, are the most important managed pollinators worldwide. They are highly impacted by various abiotic and biotic stressors, especially temperature extremes, which can lead to cellular damage and death. The induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs) has been recorded in honey bees as a response to various types of stressors. HSPs are…
Bee venom (BV) extraction has become a standardized practice, characterized by being safe, simple, and causing no harm to bees. Though it demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity, its potential activity against honey bee pathogens have yet to be investigated. Therefore, we investigated for the first time in a controlled laboratory setting the effectiveness of BV administration…
An experiment was conducted to survey insect visitors and the effect of different modes of pollination on quantity of oilseed rape. Survey revealed that a wide range of insect species, including honey bees, and hover flies, house fly and ensign fly were frequent on oilseed rape flowers where honey bees (Apis dorsata and Apis mellifera)…
Gut microbiome communities have a significant impact on bee health and disease and have been shown to be shaped by a variety of factors, including exposure to pesticides and inhive chemicals. However, it is unknown whether pesticide exposure affects the coexistence and cross-kingdom network parameters of bee gut microbiome communities because microbes may compete in…
The western honey bee is highly valued for its important role as natural pollinator. In Morocco, pollination services of Apis mellifera along with other insect pollinators were estimated at 1.2 billion US$. Regrettably, biological stressors including pathogens are leading factors contributing to colony losses and hampering pollination services. The aim of this study was to…
The tiny population of the endemic Maltese honey bee (A. m. ruttneri) is threatened by anthropogenic influences, such as urbanisation, habitat loss, and unsustainable agricultural practices, but most prominently by the importation of commercially important non-native stock. To obtain data on the colony life cycle parameters of A. m. ruttneri and to measure its apicultural performance in…
Honeybees are the most critical pollinators providing key ecosystem services that underpin crop production and sustainable agriculture. Amidst a backdrop of rapid global change, this eusocial insect encounters a succession of stressors during nesting, foraging, and pollination. Ectoparasitic mites, together with vectored viruses, have been recognized as central biotic threats to honeybee health, while the…