Bee Conservation: Behavior, Health and Pollination Ecology

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 4563

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA, Australia
Interests: biodiversity; conservation; ecology; native bees; pollinators; taxonomy; wild bees
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We live in a time of bee decline, with ever-increasing publications drawing our attention to the declines in bee populations, pollinator deficits and the increases in threatening processes known to impact bee populations, including habitat loss, climate change, agricultural intensification, urbanization, pesticides and introduced plants and bees. However, there remain large lacunas in our knowledge in how to tackle and address this pollinator decline that threatens species and ecosystems at large. The knowledge on the basic yet absolutely core aspects of species ecology such as their nesting, foraging and reproductive behavior is entirely absent for many species. On the other hand, for many plants, we do not have any knowledge on which pollinator species visits them or their pollination requirements. The factors that lead to healthy bee populations, especially wild populations, are similarly under-represented in the literature.

This Special Issue will focus on these core research areas—bee behavior, bee health and foraging ecology. We will focus on wild bees, which have been under-represented in bee research, with a special focus on the studies of managed bees, notably honeybees. Contributions on topics from individual bee species to plant–bee networks are welcome.

Dr. Kit S. Prendergast
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bees
  • behavior
  • health
  • pollination ecology
  • wild bees

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 9205 KiB  
Article
Taxonomic Impediment for Conservation: The Case of Bees in an Undersampled Tropical Mid-Elevation Site, San Martín, Peru
by Claus Rasmussen and Evelyn Sánchez
Insects 2024, 15(7), 544; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15070544 - 18 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1527
Abstract
In this first field survey of an entire bee fauna for any part of Peru, we report a total of 1796 bees belonging to 181 species or morphospecies in four families. The taxonomic impediment was pronounced with only 80 species of 181 that [...] Read more.
In this first field survey of an entire bee fauna for any part of Peru, we report a total of 1796 bees belonging to 181 species or morphospecies in four families. The taxonomic impediment was pronounced with only 80 species of 181 that could be named. With such a high proportion of undetermined species, it is not possible to adequately compare pollinator communities across different studies, assess historical changes or analyze endemism patterns to document ecology, behavior and evolution of the species and genera. This information is required to provide a sound basis for policymakers to protect habitats for the conservation of native pollinators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bee Conservation: Behavior, Health and Pollination Ecology)
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8 pages, 1156 KiB  
Communication
Monitoring the Season–Prevalence Relationship of Vairimorpha ceranae in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) over One Year and the Primary Assessment of Probiotic Treatment in Taichung, Taiwan
by Yi-Hsuan Li, Yu-Hsin Chen, Fang-Min Chang, Ming-Cheng Wu and Yu-Shin Nai
Insects 2024, 15(3), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15030204 - 19 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1457
Abstract
Microsporidiosis, which is caused by the pathogen Vairimorpha ceranae, is a prevalent disease in the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and might lead to significant adult honey bee mortality. In this study, we conducted an annual survey of the mature spore [...] Read more.
Microsporidiosis, which is caused by the pathogen Vairimorpha ceranae, is a prevalent disease in the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and might lead to significant adult honey bee mortality. In this study, we conducted an annual survey of the mature spore load of V. ceranae in the guts of nurse bees and forager bees in the apiary of National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taiwan. The results indicated that, on average, honey bees hosted approximately 2.13 × 106 mature spore counts (MSCs)/bee in their guts throughout the entire year. The highest number of MSCs was 6.28 × 106 MSCs/bee, which occurred in April 2020, and the lowest number of MSCs was 5.08 × 105 MSCs/bee, which occurred in November 2020. Furthermore, the guts of forager bees had significantly higher (>58%) MSCs than those of nurse bees. To evaluate the potential of the probiotic to treat microsporidiosis, the lactic acid bacterium Leuconostoc mesenteroides TBE-8 was applied to honey bee colonies. A significant reduction (>53%) in MSCs following probiotic treatment was observed, indicating the potential of probiotic treatment for managing microsporidiosis. This research provided information on V. ceranae MSCs in the honey bee gut at NCHU in Taiwan and the MSCs’ correlation with the annual season. Furthermore, a potential probiotic treatment for microsporidiosis was assessed for future management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bee Conservation: Behavior, Health and Pollination Ecology)
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