Aloe marlothii and A. greatheadii var. davyana are two sympatric winter-flowering succulents that occur in the summer rainfall regions of northern and north-eastern South Africa. Both have flower characteristics that are ...

The nutritional needs of bees are receiving renewed attention in the context of declining bee populations and changes in land use that threaten floral resources. We present a comprehensive analysis of the nutritional ...

Thiamethoxam is a widely used neonicotinoid pesticide that, as agonist of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, has been shown to elicit a variety of sublethal effects in honey bees. However, information concerning ...

The winter-flowering Aloe greatheadii var. davyana is a major indigenous bee plant in South Africa, widely distributed across the northern summer rainfall areas. Migratory beekeepers take advantage of its highly nutritious ...

Sustaining apiculture worldwide has been threatened by bee diseases and unexplained colony losses. African honeybee populations seem healthier and no major losses have been reported despite the presence of all the major ...

The devastating effects of Varroa destructor on European honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) have been well documented. Not only do these mites cause physical damage to parasitised individuals when they feed on them, ...

The honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colony hosts a diversity of pathogens, parasites and pests. The introduced ectoparasite, Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman (Acari: Varroidae), is regarded as one of the most serious ...

For two decades, neonicotinoid insecticides have been extensively used worldwide. Targeting neuronal receptors, they have deleterious effects on the behaviour and physiology of many insects. Bees are exposed to these ...

Despite potential links between pesticides and bee declines, toxicology information on honey bee larvae (Apis mellifera) is scarce and detoxification mechanisms in this development stage are virtually unknown. Larvae are ...

The effects of pesticides on honeybee larvae are less understood than for adult bees, even though larvae are chronically exposed to pesticide residues that accumulate in comb and food stores in the hive. We investigated ...