Molecular evolution of bumble bee vitellogenin and vitellogenin‐like genes

The Bumble Bee Immune Responses

Evolution of resistance to single and combined floral phytochemicals by a bumble bee parasite

Repeated exposure to inhibitory compounds can drive the evolution of resistance, which weakens chemical defence against antagonists. Floral phytochemicals in nectar and pollen have antimicrobial properties that can ameliorate infection in pollinators, but evolved resistance among parasites could diminish the medicinal efficacy of phytochemicals. However, multicompound blends, which occur in nec...

Nest architecture and species status of the bumble bee

The nesting behaviour of the subgenus Mendacibombus is known only from Bombus mendax. Here, we describe the nest of a second species of Mendacibombus, that of Bombus shaposhnikovi. The nest was discovered in an abandoned rodent nest at 2,295 m near Artvin (Turkey) on August 12, 2007. Except for the absence of a canopy and the non-hexagonal shape of the honey and pollen pots, the architecture of...

Genomics and host specialization of honey bee and bumble bee gut symbionts.

Gilliamella apicola and Snodgrassella alvi are dominant members of the honey bee (Apis spp.) and bumble bee (Bombus spp.) gut microbiota. We generated complete genomes of the type strains G. apicola wkB1(T) and S. alvi wkB2(T) (isolated from Apis), as well as draft genomes for four other strains from Bombus. G. apicola and S. alvi were found to occupy very different metabolic niches: The former...

Neonicotinoid pesticide reduces bumble bee colony growth and queen production.

Growing evidence for declines in bee populations has caused great concern because of the valuable ecosystem services they provide. Neonicotinoid insecticides have been implicated in these declines because they occur at trace levels in the nectar and pollen of crop plants. We exposed colonies of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris in the laboratory to field-realistic levels of the neonicotinoid imi...