TY - JOUR
T1 - Miscellaneous standard methods for Apis mellifera research
AU - Human, Hannelie
AU - Brodschneider, Robert
AU - Dietemann, Vincent
AU - Dively, Galen
AU - Ellis, James D.
AU - Forsgren, Eva
AU - Fries, Ingemar
AU - Hatjina, Fani
AU - Hu, Fu-Liang
AU - Jaffe, Rodolfo
AU - Jensen, Annette Bruun
AU - Koehler, Angela
AU - Magyar, Josef P.
AU - Ozkyrym, Asli
AU - Pirk, Christian W. W.
AU - Rose, Robyn
AU - Strauss, Ursula
AU - Tanner, Gina
AU - Tarpy, David R.
AU - van der Steen, Jozef J. M.
AU - Vaudo, Anthony
AU - Vejsnaes, Fleming
AU - Wilde, Jerzy
AU - Williams, Geoffrey R.
AU - Zheng, Huo-Qing
N1 - OA
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - A variety of methods are used in honey bee research and differ depending on the level at which the research is conducted. On an individual level, the handling of individual honey bees, including the queen, larvae and pupae are required. There are different methods for the immobilising, killing and storing as well as determining individual weight of bees. The precise timing of developmental stages is also an important aspect of sampling individuals for experiments. In order to investigate and manipulate functional processes in honey bees, e. g. memory formation and retrieval and gene expression, microinjection is often used. A method that is used by both researchers and beekeepers is the marking of queens that serves not only to help to locate her during her life, but also enables the dating of queens. Creating multiple queen colonies allows the beekeeper to maintain spare queens, increase brood production or ask questions related to reproduction. On colony level, very useful techniques are the measurement of intra hive mortality using dead bee traps, weighing of full hives, collecting pollen and nectar, and digital monitoring of brood development via location recognition. At the population level, estimation of population density is essential to evaluate the health status and using beelines help to locate wild colonies. These methods, described in this paper, are especially valuable when investigating the effects of pesticide applications, environmental pollution and diseases on colony survival.
AB - A variety of methods are used in honey bee research and differ depending on the level at which the research is conducted. On an individual level, the handling of individual honey bees, including the queen, larvae and pupae are required. There are different methods for the immobilising, killing and storing as well as determining individual weight of bees. The precise timing of developmental stages is also an important aspect of sampling individuals for experiments. In order to investigate and manipulate functional processes in honey bees, e. g. memory formation and retrieval and gene expression, microinjection is often used. A method that is used by both researchers and beekeepers is the marking of queens that serves not only to help to locate her during her life, but also enables the dating of queens. Creating multiple queen colonies allows the beekeeper to maintain spare queens, increase brood production or ask questions related to reproduction. On colony level, very useful techniques are the measurement of intra hive mortality using dead bee traps, weighing of full hives, collecting pollen and nectar, and digital monitoring of brood development via location recognition. At the population level, estimation of population density is essential to evaluate the health status and using beelines help to locate wild colonies. These methods, described in this paper, are especially valuable when investigating the effects of pesticide applications, environmental pollution and diseases on colony survival.
KW - COLOSS BEEBOOK
KW - immobilising bees
KW - killing bees
KW - storing bees
KW - bee weight
KW - microinjection
KW - marking and clipping queens
KW - haemocytometer
KW - colony density
KW - hive weight
KW - dead bee traps
KW - collecting pollen and nectar
KW - digital recognition
U2 - 10.3896/ibra.1.52.4.10
DO - 10.3896/ibra.1.52.4.10
M3 - Review
SN - 0021-8839
VL - 52
JO - Journal of Apicultural Research & Bee World
JF - Journal of Apicultural Research & Bee World
IS - 4
ER -