Effects of cage volume and bee density on survival and nutrient intake of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) under laboratory conditions

dc.contributor.authorBosua, Henrika Jacomina
dc.contributor.authorNicolson, Sue W.
dc.contributor.authorArcher. Catherine Ruth
dc.contributor.authorPirk, Christian Walter Werner
dc.contributor.emailhenrika.bosua@zoology.up.ac.zaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-29T09:01:23Z
dc.date.issued2018-12
dc.description.abstractLaboratory experiments are vital to exploring the causes of pollinator loss, but for these experiments to be informative, they should attempt to replicate the hive environment and conserve social interactions. It is unclear how honeybee density and group size affect survival and behaviour in the laboratory. We manipulated cage volume (125–1312 ml) and honeybee group size (10–180 bees) and tested the effects on survival and feeding behaviour. Bees were allowed to regulate their intake from two liquid diets with dry ingredient protein: carbohydrate (P:C) ratios of 0:1 and 1:50 (w/w). Intake was consistent across cages, showing that feeding behaviour is largely unaffected by cage conditions. High survival was recorded in cages with a volume of 2.08 ml/bee, which falls within the natural range of 1.9–3.8 ml/bee in nest sites, and in groups of < 60 bees. We suggest that cage volume is more important than group size, and that cage dimensions should be adjusted so that each bee has < 3.0 ml of space.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentZoology and Entomologyen_ZA
dc.description.embargo2019-12-01
dc.description.librarianhj2019en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipThe BBSRC, NERC, the Welcome Trust, Defra, and the Scottish Government under the Insect Pollinators Initiative (BB/I000968/1). Additional support came from the South African National Research Foundation and the University of Pretoria.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://link.springer.com/journal/13592en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBosua, H.J., Nicolson, S.W., Archer, C.R. et al. Effects of cage volume and bee density on survival and nutrient intake of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) under laboratory conditions. Apidologie (2018) 49: 734-746. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-018-0595-x.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0044-8435 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1297-9678 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1007/s13592-018-0595-x
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/68288
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherSpringeren_ZA
dc.rights© IINRA, DIB and Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature 2018. The original publication is available at : http://link.springer.comjournal/13592.en_ZA
dc.subjectCage designen_ZA
dc.subjectHoneybee (Apis mellifera)en_ZA
dc.subjectLaboratory studiesen_ZA
dc.subjectNutrient regulationen_ZA
dc.subjectSurvivalen_ZA
dc.titleEffects of cage volume and bee density on survival and nutrient intake of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) under laboratory conditionsen_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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