PREFERENCE BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MINERAL ELEMENTS BY HONEYBEE

Year 2024, , 177 - 187, 18.11.2024

Wael Mahmoud Marzouk , Ahmed Kamel Ahmed

https://doi.org/10.31467/uluaricilik.1466941

Abstract

The study was conducted to ‎‎investigate honeybee preferences for various micronutrients and their ‎‎concentrations. throughout the summer of 2021 at the Plant Protection Research Institute, ARC, Giza, Egypt, specifically at the apiary of the Bee Research Department. Forager bees showed strong avoidance responses only to high ‎mineral ‎concentrations (2, 1, 0.5%, and 0.25%) for sodium, potassium, ‎calcium, and ‎magnesium chloride‎. On the other hand, Foragers bees recorded a ‎high visitation number in low ‎concentrations (0.1, 0.05, 0.025 %, and 0.0125%) ‎for 4 minerals and tap water.‎ The honeybee ‎prefers dilute sodium chloride and ‎its low concentrations (0.0125%), which ‎recorded a higher visitation number ‎among all mineral concentrations under the ‎study. In contrast, the bees exhibited no discernible preferences for the ‎calcium chloride solutions with ‎a low visitation number of 0.1 and 0.05% ‎compared with tap water. The visitation numbers are ‎similar in magnesium and ‎potassium at 0.05, 0.025, and 0.0125% but higher ‎than tap water.‎ The solution was consumed at a ‎concentration of 0.0125 after 139 ‎minutes, a concentration of 0.025 after 142.5 min., and a ‎concentration of 0.05 after a time had passed 157.5 min. ‎The preference factor ‎for NaCl solution was recorded at a concentration of ‎‎(0.0125) Thus, the bees’ ‎preference for this concentration is higher than their ‎preference for tap water. ‎The lowest preference factor (0.4) was recorded with a ‎CaCl2 solution with a ‎concentration of (0.1). low consumption ‎ratios were recorded for 0.0125% ‎potassium chloride (indicating a preference ‎for the test solution), and higher ‎consumption ratios were reported for 0.1% ‎calcium chloride (indicating ‎avoidance of the test solution).‎

Keywords

Honeybee, Preference, Elements, Solutions, Concentrations

Bal Arısının Mineral Elementlere Yönelik Tercih Davranışı

Abstract

Çalışma 2021 yazında çeşitli mikro besinler ve bunların ‎konsantrasyonlarında bal arısı tercihlerini araştırmak için Mısır'ın Giza kentindeki ARC Bitki Koruma Araştırma Enstitüsü'nde Arı ‎Araştırma Bölümünün arı kovanlarında gerçekleştirildi. Yayılmacı arılar yalnızca sodyum, potasyum, ‎kalsiyum ve magnezyum klorür için yüksek mineral konsantrasyonlarına (%2, 1, 0,5 ve 0,25) güçlü ‎kaçınma tepkileri gösterdi. Öte yandan, toplayıcı arılar için 4 mineral ve musluk suyu için düşük ‎konsantrasyonlarda (%0,1, 0,05, 0,025 ve 0,0125) yüksek bir ziyaret sayısı kaydedildi. Bal arısı için seyreltik ‎sodyum klorür ve onun çalışma kapsamındaki tüm mineral konsantrasyonları arasında daha yüksek bir ‎ziyaret sayısı kaydeden düşük konsantrasyonlar (%0,0125) kaydedilmiştir. Buna karşılık arılar, musluk suyuyla ‎karşılaştırıldığında %0,1 ve %0,05 gibi düşük bir ziyaret sayısına sahip kalsiyum klorür çözeltileri için fark ‎edilebilir bir tercih sergilemedi. Ziyaret sayıları magnezyum ve potasyumda %0,05, 0,025 ve 0,0125'te ‎benzerdir, ancak musluk suyu ziyaret sayılarından daha yüksektir. Çözelti, 139 dakika sonra 0,0125 ‎konsantrasyonda, 142,5 dakika sonra 0,025 konsantrasyonda ve 157,5 dakika geçtikten sonra 0,05 ‎konsantrasyonda tüketildi. NaCl çözeltisi tercih faktörü (0,0125) konsantrasyonda kaydedilmiştir. ‎Dolayısıyla arıların bu konsantrasyonu tercihi, musluk suyu tercihinden daha yüksektir. En düşük tercih ‎faktörü (0,4), konsantrasyonu (0,1) olan bir CaCl2 çözeltisi ile kaydedildi. Bunun yanında %0,0125 potasyum klorür için ‎düşük tüketim oranları kaydedilmiştir (test solüsyonunun tercih edildiğini gösterir) ve %0,1 kalsiyum klorür ‎için daha yüksek tüketim oranları rapor edilmiştir (test solüsyonundan kaçınıldığını gösterir).‎

Keywords

Bal Arısı, Tercih, Elementler, Çözümler, Konsantrasyonlar

Ethical Statement

The Research was conducted in vitro and ‎not with animals or humans.‎

Supporting Institution

This study was supported by ‎Bee Research Department, Plant Protection ‎‎Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center‎. ‎

Thanks

The authors express their gratitude to the staff in the Bee Research Department, Plant ‎Protection Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center. ‎

References

• Abou-Shaara HF. Notes on water collection by honey bees. Bee World, 2012; 89(4): 50-51. Doi: 10.1080/0005772X.2012.11417501
• Abrol DP. Non-bee pollinators-plant interaction. In: Pollination Biology,2012: 265–310 pp. Doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-1942-2_9
• Adgaba NA, Al-Ghamdi D, Sharma Y, Tadess SM, Alghanem and Khan KA. Physico-chemical, antioxidant, and anti-microbial properties of some Ethiopian mono-floral honey. Saudi Journal of Biological Science, 2020;27(9):2366–2372. Doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.05.031
• Afik O, Dag A, Kerem Z, and Shafir S. Analyses of avocado (Persea americana) nectar properties and their perception by honey bees (Apis mellifera). Journal Chemical Ecology, 2006; 32: 1949-1963. Doi: 10.1007/s10886-006-9120-1
• Afik O, Delaplane KS, Shafir S, Moo-Valle H, and Quezada-Euán JG. 2014. Nectar minerals as regulators of flower visitation in stingless bees and nectar hoarding wasps. Journal Chemical Ecology, 2014; 40: 476-483. Doi: 10.1007/s10886-014-0455-8.
• Al-Kahtani SN, Taha EK, Khan KA, Ansari MJ, Farag SA and Shawer DM. Effect of harvest season on the nutritional value of bee pollen protein. PLoS ONE, 2020;15 (12): e0241393. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241393.
• Avarguès-Weber A, Lihoreau M, Isabel G, and Giurfa M. Information transfer beyond the waggle dance: observational learning in bees and flies. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2015; 3, 1-7. Doi: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00024
• Bänziger H, Boongird S, Sukumalan P, and Bänziger S. Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) that drink human tears. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 2009; 82(2):135-150.Doi: 10.2317/JKES0811.17.1.
• Baumgartner DL and Roubik DW. Ecology of necrophilous and filth-gathering stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponinae) of Peru. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 1989; 62,11-22. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25085048.
• Black J. Honeybee nutrition: a review of research and practices. Rural Industries Research Development Corporation. Canberra. RIRDC Publication, 2006; No 06/052. https://agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/06-052.pdf.
• Bonoan RE, Tai TM, Rodriguez MT, Daddario LSR, Czaja RA, O'Connor LD, Burruss G and Philip TS. Seasonality of salt foraging in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Journal of Ecological Entomology, 2016; 42 (2): 195-201. Doi: 10.1111/een.12375.
• Bonoan RE, O’Connor LD, and Starks PT. Seasonality of honey bee (Apis mellifera) micronutrient supplementation and environmental limitation. Journal of Insect Physiology, 2018; 107, 23-28. Doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.02.002.
• Brodschneider R and Crailsheim K. Nutrition and health in honey bees. Apidologie, 2010; 41, 278–294. Doi: 10.1051/apido/2010012.
• Butler GC. The choice of drinking water by the honey bee. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 1940;27,253–261. https://repository.rothamsted.ac.uk/item/8w2vx/the-choice-of-drinking-water-by-the-honeybee.
• Cairns SM, Wratten SD, Filipiak M, Veronesi ER, Saville DJ, Shields MW. Ratios rather than concentrations of nutritionally important elements may shape honey bee preferences for ‘dirty water’. Ecological Entomology,2021;46:1236–1240. Doi: 10.1111/een.13067
• Chakrabarti P, Lucas HM, Sagili RR. Evaluating the effects of a critical micronutrient (24-methylene cholesterol) on honey bee physiology. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2020; 113(3): 176–182. Doi: 10.1093/aesa/saz067
• Day S, Beyer R, Mercer A, Ogden S. The nutrient composition of honeybee-collected pollen in Otago, New Zealand. Journal of Apicultural Research,1990;29(3):138–146. Doi: 10.1080/00218839.1990.11101210
• Duncan DB. Multiple rang and Multiple F–test. Biometrics, 1955, 111: 1-24. Doi: 10.2307/3001478.‎
• de-Sousa RT, Darnell R, Wright GA. Behavioral regulation of mineral salt intake in honeybees: a self-selection approach. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2022; Jun 20;377(1853):20210169. Doi: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0169.
• Ellis MB, Nicolson SW, Crewe RM, Dietemann V. Hgyro preference and brood care in the honeybee (Apis mellifera). Journal of Insect Physiology, 2008; 54:1516–1521. Doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2008.08.011
• Ferry C, Corbet SA. Water collection by bumble bees. Journal of Apicultural Research, 1996; 35: 120–122. Doi: 10.1007/s11829-016-9468-2.
• Hafeez M, Liu S, Jan S, Gulzar A, Fernández-Grandon GM, Qasim M. Enhanced effects of dietary tannic acid with chlorantraniliprole on life table parameters and nutritional physiology of Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, 2019;155:108–118. Doi: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2019.01.012.
• Hagler JR, Mueller S, Teuber LR, Van-Deynze A, Martin J. A method for distinctly marking honey bees, Apis mellifera, originating from multiple apiary locations. Journal of Insect Science,2011;11:143. https://doi.org/10.1673/031.011.14301.
• Harrison JM. Roles of individual honeybee workers and drones in colonial thermogenesis. Journal of Experimental Biology, 1987; 129,53-61. Doi: 10.1242/jeb.129.1.53.
• Herbert EWJ, Shimanukia H. Mineral requirements for brood-rearing by honeybees fed a synthetic diet. Journal of Apicultural Research,1978;17:118–122. Doi: 10.1080/00218839.1978.11099916.
• Herrod-Hempsall W. The blind louse of the honeybee. Journal of Ministry for Primary Industries Import Health Standard. 1931; 37,1176-84 https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/2790.
• Hooper MM. Salt for bees. Bee World, 1932; 13, 35. https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1133&context=walpole_nh_reports.
• Jaleel WS, Saeed MN, Naqqash MU, Sial M, Zaka, SM. Effects of temperature on baseline susceptibility and stability of insecticide resistance against Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) in the absence of selection pressure. Saudi Journal of Biological Science, 2020; 27 (1), 1–5. Doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.03.004.
• Khan KA, Ghramh HA, Ahmad Z, El-Niweiri MAA, Mohammed MEA. Honeybee (Apis mellifera) preference towards micronutrients and their impact on bee colonies, Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 2021; 28 3362–3366. Doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.02.084.
• Lau PW, Nieh JC. Salt preferences of honey bee water foragers, Journal of Experimental Biology,2016;219(6):790–796. Doi: 10.1242/jeb.132019.
• Letzkus P, Ribi WA, Wood JT, Zhu H, Zhang SW, Srinivasan MV. Lateralization of olfaction in the honeybee Apis mellifera. Current Biology,2006; 16,1471-1476. Doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2006.05.060.
• Lihoreau M, Buhl J, Charleston MA, Sword GA, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ. Nutritional ecology beyond the individual: a conceptual framework for integrating nutrition and social interactions. Ecology Letters,2015; 8 (3),273-286. Doi: 10.1111/ele.12406.
• McLellan A 1978. Growth and decline of honeybee colonies and interrelationships of adult bees, brood, honey, and pollen. Journal of Applied Ecology, 1978; 155-161. Doi: 10.2307/2402927.
• Nawaz A, Ali H, Sufyan M, Gogi MD, Arif MJ, Ali A. In-vitro assessment of food consumption, utilization indices, and losses promises of leafworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab.), on okra crop. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 2020;23(1):60–66. Doi: 10.1016/j.aspen.2019.10.015.
• Nicolson SW. Water homeostasis in bees, with an emphasis on sociality. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2008; (212):429-434. Doi: 10.1242/jeb.022343.
• Ricigliano V. Microalgae as a promising and sustainable nutrition source for managed honey bees. Arch. Insect Biochemistry and Physiology,2020;104 (1), e21658. Springer, pp. 265-310. Doi: 10.1002/arch.21658.
• Sendecor GW, Cochran WG. Statistical Methods. The lowa state Univ., 1980 press Amer., USA, 7thed. Doi: 10.1201/9780203738573.‎
• Wang T, Jian H, Hsieh CH, Wang YK, Wang CF,. Spatial distributions of inorganic elements in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) and possible relationships to dietary habits and surrounding environmental pollutants. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2013;61(21):5009–5015. Doi: 10.1021/jf400695w.
• Wright GA, Nicolson SW, Shafir S. Nutritional physiology and ecology of honey bees. Annual Review of Entomology, 2018; 63, 327–344.Doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043423.
• Zhang G, Xu B. Effects of dietary calcium levels on development, hemolymph, and antioxidant status of honey bee (Apis mellifera) larva reared in vitro. Journal of Apicultural Research, 2015; 54, 48–54. Doi: 10.1080/00218839.2015.1035074.