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  • From: Blair Christian <blair.christian AT gmail.com>
  • To: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [ocba] Some recent publications...
  • Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2011 09:48:00 -0500

I saw a review of an article in "this week's" science about honeybee
behavior (decision making in swarms)...
review:
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/bees-reach-consensus-by-headbutting-dissenters.ars
article:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/12/07/science.1210361
(full text link on left)

It took me a minute to find it, but I ran across some other interesting
articles
a review of CCD related papers (they can show a bit of correlation but
not much causation)
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/327/5962/152.summary?sid=a37b0d9c-a1a2-4911-a300-e91874f7ad18

Here's a relevant quote:

"The first annual report of the U.S. Colony Collapse Disorder Steering
Committee, published in July 2009 (15), suggests that CCD is unlikely
to be caused by a previously unknown pathogen. Rather, it may be
caused by many agents in combination -- --the interaction between known
pests and pathogens, poor weather conditions that diminish foraging,
lack of forage (16), and management factors such as the use of
pesticides and stress caused by long-distance transport of hives to
nectar sources or pollination locations. The increasingly technical
process of beekeeping itself merits further research as far as its
impact on colony health."

I followed a few references from PLoS (an open source journal), and
ran across these interesting articles:

Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006481
Abstract:
Background
Over the last two winters, there have been large-scale, unexplained
losses of managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in the United
States. In the absence of a known cause, this syndrome was named
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) because the main trait was a rapid loss
of adult worker bees. We initiated a descriptive epizootiological
study in order to better characterize CCD and compare risk factor
exposure between populations afflicted by and not afflicted by CCD.

Methods and Principal Findings
Of 61 quantified variables (including adult bee physiology, pathogen
loads, and pesticide levels), no single measure emerged as a
most-likely cause of CCD. Bees in CCD colonies had higher pathogen
loads and were co-infected with a greater number of pathogens than
control populations, suggesting either an increased exposure to
pathogens or a reduced resistance of bees toward pathogens. Levels of
the synthetic acaricide coumaphos (used by beekeepers to control the
parasitic mite Varroa destructor) were higher in control colonies than
CCD-affected colonies.

Conclusions/Significance
This is the first comprehensive survey of CCD-affected bee populations
that suggests CCD involves an interaction between pathogens and other
stress factors. We present evidence that this condition is contagious
or the result of exposure to a common risk factor. Potentially
important areas for future hypothesis-driven research, including the
possible legacy effect of mite parasitism and the role of honey bee
resistance to pesticides, are highlighted.


Killing Them with Kindness? In-Hive Medications May Inhibit Xenobiotic
Efflux Transporters and Endanger Honey Bees
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0026796
Abstract Top
Background
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) have recently experienced higher than
normal overwintering colony losses. Many factors have been evoked to
explain the losses, among which are the presence of residues of
pesticides and veterinary products in hives. Multiple residues are
present at the same time, though most often in low concentrations so
that no single product has yet been associated with losses.
Involvement of a combination of residues to losses may however not be
excluded. To understand the impact of an exposure to combined residues
on honey bees, we propose a mechanism-based strategy, focusing here on
Multi-Drug Resistance (MDR) transporters as mediators of those
interactions.

Methodology/Principal Findings
Using whole-animal bioassays, we demonstrate through inhibition by
verapamil that the widely used organophosphate and pyrethroid
acaricides coumaphos and τ-fluvalinate, and three neonicotinoid
insecticides: imidacloprid, acetamiprid and thiacloprid are substrates
of one or more MDR transporters. Among the candidate inhibitors of
honey bee MDR transporters is the in-hive antibiotic oxytetracycline.
Bees prefed oxytetracycline were significantly sensitized to the
acaricides coumaphos and τ-fluvalinate, suggesting that the antibiotic
may interfere with the normal excretion or metabolism of these
pesticides.

Conclusions/Significance
Many bee hives receive regular treatments of oxytetracycline and
acaricides for prevention and treatment of disease and parasites. Our
results suggest that seasonal co-application of these medicines to bee
hives could increase the adverse effects of these and perhaps other
pesticides. Our results also demonstrate the utility of a
mechanism-based strategy. By identifying pesticides and apicultural
medicines that are substrates and inhibitors of xenobiotic
transporters we prioritize the testing of those chemical combinations
most likely to result in adverse interactions.



  • [ocba] Some recent publications..., Blair Christian, 12/09/2011

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