Publication details
Není včela jako včela – srovnání letní a zimní generace včely medonosné (Apis mellifera)
| Title in English | There is no bee like a bee - comparison of summer and winter honeybees (Apis mellifera) |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2019 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Citation | |
| Description | It has been known for a long time that two different generations have developed within the honey bee population (Apis mellifera). Short-lived summer bees for stock-taking and long-living winter bees surviving the unfavorable period of the year. Knowledge to distinguish these two generations of bees is very important for beekeepers who could predict colony losses due to lack of long-hairs during the winter and try to prevent them from using available resources. However, the knowledge about the differences between the basic physiological and immune parameters of winter and summer bees are still largely limited. Therefore, in 2017 and 2018, we conducted long-term monitoring of the experimental colony, evaluated its development and collected the hemolymph of workers for laboratory determination of basic physiological and immune parameters. The results have shown an already known rise in vitellogenin levels as an important storage and antioxidant protein in the winter. However, the level of proteins and antibacterial activity of the hemolymph also increased, which was more effective in the winter generation of bees following experimental administration of inactivated bacteria. These selected parameters can therefore be used to assess the honeybee health status, determine the ratio of the summer / winter honeybee generation and to estimate the likelihood of the honeybee surviving the winter period. Knowing these properties together with proper beekeeping practice can greatly help to reduce bee colony losses during the winter. This work was supported by grants NAZV QJ1610248, GAČR 17-03253S and FAPESP 2017 / 19718-0. |
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