Identification of a new predaceous stink bug pheromone and its attractiveness to the eastern yellowjacket

Summary Males ofPodisus fretus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) release a long-range attractant pheromone containing linalool (49.0%), (E)-2-hexenal (34.5%), benzyl alcohol (12.0%), nerolidol (2.0%),-terpineol (1.1%), and traces of several other compounds. The eastern yellowjacket,Vespula maculifrons (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), is attracted to artificial pheromones forP. fretus and for the sympatric species,Podisus maculiventris.The authors thank Mr T.J. Henry of the USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory and Dr J.E. McPherson, Southern Illinois University, for examining the pentatomid species and Dr A.S. Menke, USDA-SEL, for determining the yellowjacket species. We also thank S. Wilzer for technical assistance. Mention of a company name does not imply endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture.     

Apis mellifera capensis蜜蜂失控自复制导致的正常群落破坏

提出对Apis mellifera capensis蜂造成Apis mellifera scutellata蜂群破坏的机制的一种新猜测，并根据logistic模型分别讨论这种猜测和已有的MARTIN猜测所导致的不同性质和规律，对2种猜测进行了比较．加强对社会成员之间信息网络的管理和监督，这也许是更加有效地防止破坏性子群体泛滥的途径．     

o-Aminoacetophenone,a pheromone that repels honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)

Summary o-Aminoacetophenone is a pheromone produced by virgin honeybee queens and released with feces. In small social groups, the pheromone repels and is used to terminate agonistic interactions between queens and workers.     

Genetic structure and division of labor in honeybee societies

Summary Recent studies have demonstrated a genotypic component to the division of labor among worker honeybees. However, these studies used artificially-selected strains of bees or colonies derived from queens that were instrumentally inseminated with the semen from very few males. We present evidence for genotypic variability among groups of workers performing tasks in colonies with naturally-mated queens. These results demonstrate that genetic structure is a level of social organization in honeybees.     

A simple test using restricted PCR-amplified mitochondrial DNA to study the genetic structure ofApis mellifera L

The COI-COII intergenic region ofApis mellifera mitochondrial DNA contains an important length polymorphism based on a variable number of copies of a 192–196 bp sequence (Q) and the completer or partial deletion of 67 pb sequence (Po). This length variability has been combined with a restriction site polymorphism to produce a rapid and simple test for the characterization of mtDNA haplotypes. This test included the amplification by the polymerase chain reaction of the COI-COII region followed by aDraI restriction of the amplified fragment. In a survey of 302 colonies belonging to 12 subspecies, 21 different haplotypes have been found which have been unambiguously allocated to one of the 3 mtDNA lineages of the species. Although all colonies of lineage C exhibit the same pattern (C1), each one of lineages A and M presents up to 10 different haplotypes, opening the way to studies on the genetic structure and the evolution of a large fraction of the species. This test also differentiates southern Spanish and South African colonies, which can be of great interest for the Africanized bee problem.     

An improved test for Africanized honeybee mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA derived fromApis mellifera scutellata, the ancestor of the Africanized bees of the New World, lacks aBglII restriction site found in other types of honeybee^1,2. We present primers allowing amplification of a 485-bp section of the cytochrome b gene containing this site, using the polymerase chain reaction. Digestion of the amplifiel product withBglII yields contrasting patterns between Africanized and other honeybees.     

Heat production by balling in the Japanese honeybee,Apis cerana japonica as a defensive behavior against the hornet,Vespa simillima xanthoptera (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Summary As an effective counterattack strategy against predacious hornets, especiallyVespa simillima xanthoptera, workers ofApis cerana japonica showed a distinct balling reaction, usually involving 180–300 bees. This produced heat for as long as 20 min, giving rise to temperatures inside the ball higher than 46°C, which is lethal to the hornet but not to the bees.     

蜜蜂体内的磁接收器

很多生物体内存在纳米磁铁矿颗粒,它们为体内的磁接收器奠定了生物物理基础,而磁接收器可以使这些生物能够利用磁场来辨别方位以及方向.蜜蜂腹部同样存在超顺磁磁铁矿颗粒,这些生物磁铁矿粒子尺寸的变化与铁沉积囊泡膜的相互抗拒作用以及与细胞骨架的相互作用组成一个完整的磁接收器系统,可以感觉磁场的变化并诱发神经信号的传递.