No description available.

Effect of shading, ventilation, and a combination of these for cooling honey bee, Apis mellifera L., hives during summer months were studied under field conditions at Tucson, Arizona. Mean brood nest temperatures during day hours, 0800 to 2000 hrs., were significantly lower in shaded and ventilated colonies than those of all other treatments. Neither shading alone nor ventilation alone had a significant effect on brood nest temperatures compared with control treatment. Nectar and pollen carrier proportions were significantly larger in shaded colonies than those of unshaded colonies at 1400 hrs. Ventilation had insignificant effect on nectar carrier proportions in both locations, whereas it significantly decreased and increased pollen carrier proportions in shaded and unshaded colonies, respectively. Mean volumes of nectar, however, were not significantly different from each other in all treatments. Proportions of water carriers and water volumes were significantly smaller in shaded colonies without significant difference between means of ventilation and no ventilation than those of unshaded colonies with ventilation had significantly smaller means. All treatments were not significantly different from each other regarding mean numbers of departing bees at 0900, 1100, and 1400 hrs and mean sealed brook areas. Mean colony weight of control colonies differed insignificantly from those of all other treatments. In another study, empty bee hives made of pine wood, perlite concrete, and sun-dried adobe and subjected to different combinations of shading and painting were tested to determine the effect of these materials thermal properties in cooling and heating the hives during summer and winter, respectively. The walls of the wooden hive were 1.9 cm-thick while those of the other two hives were 5.0 cm-thick. Under all treatment conditions, the areas under the curves for inside air temperatures of the wooden hive were larger than those of the other two hives for a 10-hour period, from 0700 to 1700 hrs. The calculated "temperature areas" for the other two hives were very close to each other. Shading was more effective than white paint in reducing hive temperatures in summer. Hives painted black during winter had remarkably higher temperatures than white-painted hives.

Thesis (M.Sc.(Zoology and Entomology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

O desempenho das atividades na colônia de abelhas Apis mellifera está relacionado com o funcionamento do sistema de glândulas que as abelhas possuem. No entanto, a presença de patógenos na população pode causar alterações comportamentais que prejudicam o bom desenvolvimento da colônia. O trabalho objetivou verificar se há relação entre a secreção proteica glandular e cerebral nas diferentes atividades desempenhadas por operárias adultas, em A. m. scutellata (Africanizada) e A. m. ligustica (Europeia), e como o vírus deformador de asas (DWV) poderia interferir no desempenho dessas atividades. Foram realizados: testes de proteínas pelo método Bradford no cérebro e nas glândulas salivar torácica, salivar cefálica, mandibular e hipofaríngea de abelhas Africanizadas e Europeias com idades de 0 (recém-emergidas), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 e 30 dias; medição da área dos acinos das glândulas salivar cefálica e hipofaríngea dessas abelhas; avaliação do desenvolvimento de atividade realizada pelas abelhas e reversão do processo de oviposição por operárias em abelhas Africanizadas; teste para a presença do DWV por PCR em tempo real, em abelhas Africanizadas e em cérebro e glândulas salivar torácica, salivar cefálica, mandibular e hipofaríngea em abelhas Europeias com 5 e 30 dias de idade; e avaliação morfológica dos danos causados pela infecção aguda do DWV no cérebro e glândulas estudadas. As abelhas Africanizadas e Europeias apresentaram teores estatisticamente significativos de proteínas (p>0,05) para todas as estruturas e idades estudadas. As áreas dos acinos das glândulas salivar cefálica e hipofaríngea apresentaram alterações de acordo com o desenvolvimento dessas glândulas nas diferentes idades estudadas. Foi observado que enxames de abelhas de mesma idade são capazes de executar diferentes atividades necessárias para a sobrevivência de sua colônia, sendo que a principal atividade, desempenhada nas diferentes idades estudadas, era indicada pelos teores significativos de proteínas encontrados (p>0,05). As abelhas Europeias de mesma idade apresentaram desenvolvimento dos acinos da glândula salivar cefálica superior ao dos acinos da hipofaríngea nas idades iniciais avaliadas, diferindo da área dos acinos das mesmas glândulas quando comparadas com abelhas que tiveram o seu desenvolvimento em colônia normal. As operárias podem controlar o estado zanganeiro da colônia. As abelhas Africanizadas e Europeias apresentaram resultados positivos para o vírus DWV, resultado também observado nas glândulas salivar torácica e mandibular das abelhas com cinco dias de idade. Foi observado que a infecção aguda do DWV causa alterações morfológicas nas glândulas das abelhas,as quais apresentam plasticidade no desenvolvimento das atividades, não sendo estas restritas a uma determinada idade. Além disso, a infecção pelo vírus DWV não é limitante em abelhas Africanizadas, mas é em Europeias. / The performance of tasks in the Apis mellifera colony is related to the functioning of their gland system. However, the presence of pathogens in the population may lead to behavior modifications that can harm the proper development of the colony. This work aimed to verify whether there is relation between gland and brain protein secretion for the different tasks performed by the adult worker honeybees, in A. m. scutellata (Africanized) and A. m. ligustica (European), and how the deformed wing virus (DWV) could interfere with the performance of these tasks. The following analysis were carried out: protein tests (Bradford method) in the brain and in mandibular, hypopharyngeal, and thoracic and cephalic salivary glands, in Africanized and European honeybees at the ages of 0 (newborn), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days; measurements of the acini area of cephalic salivary and hypopharyngeal glands in those honeybees; evaluation of the development of tasks performed by honeybees and reversion of the laying workers of Africanized honeybees; test to detect DWV using real-time PCR in Africanized honeybees and in the brain and in mandibular, hypopharyngeal, and thoracic and cephalic salivary glands of European honeybees at the ages of 5 and 30 days; and morphological evaluation of the damages caused by the DWV acute infection in the brain and in the studied glands. Africanized and European honeybees showed statistically significant protein contents (p>0.05) for all the structures and ages studied. The acini areas of cephalic salivary and hypopharyngeal glands showed modifications according to the development of those glands at the different studied ages. It was observed that the swarms of bees with the same age are capable to perform different tasks needed to the survival of their colony, being the principal task, performed at the different studied ages, indicated by the significant protein contents found (p>0.05). The European honeybees at the same age showed higher acini development in the cephalic salivary gland than in the hypopharyngeal one at the initial studied ages, differing from the acini area in the same glands of honeybees grown in a regular colony. The worker honeybees can control the laying workers of the colony. Africanized and European honeybees showed positive results for DWV, which was also observed in thoracic salivary and mandibular glands in five-day-old honeybees. It was observed that the acute DWV infection causes morphological modifications in the honeybees glands, which show plasticity in the performance of tasks, not being them restricted to a particular age. Moreover, the DWV infection is not limiting for Africanized honeybees, but it is for the European ones.

O desempenho das atividades na colônia de abelhas Apis mellifera está relacionado com o funcionamento do sistema de glândulas que as abelhas possuem. No entanto, a presença de patógenos na população pode causar alterações comportamentais que prejudicam o bom desenvolvimento da colônia. O trabalho objetivou verificar se há relação entre a secreção proteica glandular e cerebral nas diferentes atividades desempenhadas por operárias adultas, em A. m. scutellata (Africanizada) e A. m. ligustica (Europeia), e como o vírus deformador de asas (DWV) poderia interferir no desempenho dessas atividades. Foram realizados: testes de proteínas pelo método Bradford no cérebro e nas glândulas salivar torácica, salivar cefálica, mandibular e hipofaríngea de abelhas Africanizadas e Europeias com idades de 0 (recém-emergidas), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 e 30 dias; medição da área dos acinos das glândulas salivar cefálica e hipofaríngea dessas abelhas; avaliação do desenvolvimento de atividade realizada pelas abelhas e reversão do processo de oviposição por operárias em abelhas Africanizadas; teste para a presença do DWV por PCR em tempo real, em abelhas Africanizadas e em cérebro e glândulas salivar torácica, salivar cefálica, mandibular e hipofaríngea em abelhas Europeias com 5 e 30 dias de idade; e avaliação morfológica dos danos causados pela infecção aguda do DWV no cérebro e glândulas estudadas. As abelhas Africanizadas e Europeias apresentaram teores estatisticamente significativos de proteínas (p>0,05) para todas as estruturas e idades estudadas. As áreas dos acinos das glândulas salivar cefálica e hipofaríngea apresentaram alterações de acordo com o desenvolvimento dessas glândulas nas diferentes idades estudadas. Foi observado que enxames de abelhas de mesma idade são capazes de executar diferentes atividades necessárias para a sobrevivência de sua colônia, sendo que a principal atividade, desempenhada nas diferentes idades estudadas, era indicada pelos teores significativos de proteínas encontrados (p>0,05). As abelhas Europeias de mesma idade apresentaram desenvolvimento dos acinos da glândula salivar cefálica superior ao dos acinos da hipofaríngea nas idades iniciais avaliadas, diferindo da área dos acinos das mesmas glândulas quando comparadas com abelhas que tiveram o seu desenvolvimento em colônia normal. As operárias podem controlar o estado zanganeiro da colônia. As abelhas Africanizadas e Europeias apresentaram resultados positivos para o vírus DWV, resultado também observado nas glândulas salivar torácica e mandibular das abelhas com cinco dias de idade. Foi observado que a infecção aguda do DWV causa alterações morfológicas nas glândulas das abelhas,as quais apresentam plasticidade no desenvolvimento das atividades, não sendo estas restritas a uma determinada idade. Além disso, a infecção pelo vírus DWV não é limitante em abelhas Africanizadas, mas é em Europeias. / The performance of tasks in the Apis mellifera colony is related to the functioning of their gland system. However, the presence of pathogens in the population may lead to behavior modifications that can harm the proper development of the colony. This work aimed to verify whether there is relation between gland and brain protein secretion for the different tasks performed by the adult worker honeybees, in A. m. scutellata (Africanized) and A. m. ligustica (European), and how the deformed wing virus (DWV) could interfere with the performance of these tasks. The following analysis were carried out: protein tests (Bradford method) in the brain and in mandibular, hypopharyngeal, and thoracic and cephalic salivary glands, in Africanized and European honeybees at the ages of 0 (newborn), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days; measurements of the acini area of cephalic salivary and hypopharyngeal glands in those honeybees; evaluation of the development of tasks performed by honeybees and reversion of the laying workers of Africanized honeybees; test to detect DWV using real-time PCR in Africanized honeybees and in the brain and in mandibular, hypopharyngeal, and thoracic and cephalic salivary glands of European honeybees at the ages of 5 and 30 days; and morphological evaluation of the damages caused by the DWV acute infection in the brain and in the studied glands. Africanized and European honeybees showed statistically significant protein contents (p>0.05) for all the structures and ages studied. The acini areas of cephalic salivary and hypopharyngeal glands showed modifications according to the development of those glands at the different studied ages. It was observed that the swarms of bees with the same age are capable to perform different tasks needed to the survival of their colony, being the principal task, performed at the different studied ages, indicated by the significant protein contents found (p>0.05). The European honeybees at the same age showed higher acini development in the cephalic salivary gland than in the hypopharyngeal one at the initial studied ages, differing from the acini area in the same glands of honeybees grown in a regular colony. The worker honeybees can control the laying workers of the colony. Africanized and European honeybees showed positive results for DWV, which was also observed in thoracic salivary and mandibular glands in five-day-old honeybees. It was observed that the acute DWV infection causes morphological modifications in the honeybees glands, which show plasticity in the performance of tasks, not being them restricted to a particular age. Moreover, the DWV infection is not limiting for Africanized honeybees, but it is for the European ones.

This master thesis deals with the design of beehive security system against unauthorized manipulation. The system uses LoRaWAN wireless communication technology for data transmission. The device records the movement of the beehive using an accelerometer and then locates the beehive using a GPS module. The low-energy system works via a battery-powered ESP32 microcontroller and is located on a beehive. The battery is charged using a solar panel. The system can be modularly expanded with additional sensors to monitor the condition of the bees. The device has been tested in practice, where it has been confirmed that it meets the required properties for securing beehives.

Honeybees are an essential part of our ecosystem as they take care of most of the pollination in the world. They also produce honey, which is the main reason beekeeping was introduced in the first place. As the production of honey is affected by the living conditions of the honeybees, the beekeepers aim to maintain the health of the honeybee societies. TietoEVRY, together with HSB Living Lab, introduced connected beehives in a project named BeeLab. The goal of BeeLab is to provide a service to monitor and gain knowledge about honeybees using the data collected with different sensors. Today they measure weight, temperature, air pressure, and humidity. It is known that honeybees produce different sounds when different events are occurring in the beehive. Therefore BeeLab wants to introduce sound monitoring to their service. This project aims to investigate the possibility of detecting deviations in beehives based on sound analysis and machine learning. This includes recording sound from beehives followed by preprocessing of sound data, feature extraction, and applying a machine learning algorithm on the sound data. An experiment is done using Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) to extract sound features and applying the DBSCAN machine learning algorithm to investigate the possibilities of detecting deviations in the sound data. The experiment showed promising results as deviating sounds used in the experiment were grouped into different clusters.

One of the benefits of colonial living in insect societies is the ability to build a nest which enables the maintenance of a homeostatic microenvironment. The detrimental and uncertain effects of fluctuating ambient conditions are thus avoided. An extensive amount of work has documented the regulation of respiratory gases and temperature by honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies but relatively little is known of their water relations. Nest humidity influences the fitness of the honeybee colony by affecting adult and brood mortality, microbial and parasitic growth, nectar concentration and thermoregulation. This study aims at determining whether honeybee colonies are able to actively regulate humidity within their nest or whether humidity is stabilised merely as consequence of other socially regulated parameters. As a first step in understanding water relations in a hive, the daily, seasonal and two-dimensional humidity patterns are described in diverse contexts: various subspecies, nest architectures, ambient climates and colony conditions. The humidity in the brood nest of a healthy honeybee colony does not show a daily pattern: mean hourly RH remains between 50 and 60 % and high vapour pressure deficit results in a large evaporative capacity. Two-dimensional humidity patterns show that a vapour pressure gradient exists from the central brood area to the periphery of a hive. This finding suggests possible active regulation by workers and to test this idea we determined the behavioural response of a group of workers to a humidity gradient. Young honeybee workers in the absence of brood exhibit a weak hygropreference for approximately 75% RH. When brood is present the expression of this preference is further weakened, suggesting that workers tend to the brood by distributing evenly in the gradient. In addition, fanning behaviour is shown to be triggered by increasing humidity adding to our understanding of this behaviour. Although these results suggest that humidity in honeybee colonies is actively controlled by workers, passive mechanisms are also involved in the observed patterns. Cocoons that are spun by the larvae accumulate in cells and these hygroscopic cocoons contribute to passive stabilisation of humidity. Old comb containing cocoons absorb 11 % of its own mass in water when placed in high humidity and this water can readily evaporate into the atmosphere when humidity decreases. This buffering effect may increase brood survivorship by maintaining a high and stable humidity in the brood cells. This study contributes to our understanding of the complex mechanisms that govern microclimatic regulation in social insect nests and specifically the active and passive mechanisms that ensure homeostasis of honeybee nest humidity. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T19:30:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bianca Melzi De Domenicis.pdf: 2649471 bytes, checksum: ce4ae62dac28d598e4c8a970685cbc45 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-20 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The coexistence of hygienic and aesthetic concerns in urban changes of the city of São Paulo by the end of the 19th century is indubitable. In this way, the attention of the municipal government with poor collective housings, called cortiços (Portuguese term for beehives ) is part of an extent sanitation plan that searched beauty and health for the environment, i.e. therefore useful to the city‟s welfare and to its promising image. The so called cortiços were the villians for health and moral of the city of São Paulo: a place of crowd, dirt, vicious and poorness. Despite of being undesirable, there has been a great number of these collective housings in the city. Municipal government, based on the Postures Code and the Sanitary Code of 1894, conducted official visits and interdicts as the main way of reducing this social, hygienic and aesthetic illness that took place in São Paulo‟s downtown / O trabalho apresenta a estrutura dos cortiços no final do século XIX e os motivos pelos quais a população optava por habitar neste tipo de moradia. Com base na legislação sanitária, o estudo analisa de que forma os cortiços, condenados pelo Código Sanitário em 1894, continuaram a existir. A cidade de São Paulo precisava ser reestruturada para atender à demanda de trabalhadores que vinham atraídos pelo café e depois pela indústria, sendo indubitável a coexistência de preocupações higiênicas e estéticas nas transformações urbanas da cidade em fins do século XIX. Nesse sentido, a atenção da municipalidade com os cortiços paulistanos fez parte de um amplo plano de saneamento que buscava um ambiente belo e saudável, ou seja, útil ao bem estar social e à imagem promissora da cidade. Os vilões da saúde e da moral paulistana eram os cortiços: lugar de aglomeração, sujeira, vício e pobreza. Apesar de indesejadas, estas habitações coletivas existiam em grande número na capital paulista, e o poder público, baseado nas Posturas Municipais e no Código Sanitário, se utilizou principalmente de visitas domiciliares e interdições aos cortiços para diminuir este mal social, higiênico e estético nos arredores do centro paulistano

O conhecimento da qualidade do pólen apícola e a sua influência sobre o desenvolvimento de colônias pode contribuir, principalmente, para a melhoria da atividade apícola e para o controle de qualidade do pólen comercializado para o consumo animal e humano. O presente trabalho objetivou caracterizar o pólen quanto a origem botânica, determinar parâmetros físicoquímicos e, relacionar com o desenvolvimento de colônias de abelhas africanizadas (Apis mellifera L.), medido pelo tamanho da área ocupada com pólen, mel e cria dentro da colméia (cm²) e a assimetria flutuante das asas de abelhas operárias. O experimento de campo foi realizado no apiário do Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia da Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz em Piracicaba, SP, onde foram instaladas cinco colméias de A. mellifera com um coletor de pólen tipo frontal. As coletas foram realizadas nas quatro estações climáticas do ano: outono (02/abr. a 28/maio/2008), inverno (09/jul. a 03/set./2008), primavera (07/out. a 02/dez./2008) e verão (09/jan. a 06/mar./2009). O local de instalação do apiário apresenta domínio de vegetação de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual (Mata Atlântica), porém com amplas áreas antropizadas, onde existem cultivos agrícolas e canteiros ornamentais com árvores e ervas. Ao longo do ano foram encontrados 81 tipos polínicos nas cargas de pólen interceptadas, pertencentes a 32 famílias botânicas. Pão de abelhas apresentou 86 tipos polínicos, pertencentes a 34 famílias botânicas, sendo Fabaceae, Asteraceae e Malvaceae as famílias com maior freqüência de tipos polínicos ( 5 tipos polínicos) e, Myrtaceae, a família com alta freqüência de grãos de pólen. As médias anuais de matéria seca (67,41%), proteína bruta (27,02%), extrato etéreo (3,66%), matéria mineral (3,34%) e carboidratos totais (65,41%) de cargas e, matéria seca (78,80%) e proteína bruta (25,89%) de pão de abelhas estão de acordo com o regulamento técnico para comercialização do pólen no Brasil. A composição polínica apresentou relação com os valores de matéria seca (Piper sp. e Vernonia polyanthes), proteína bruta (Eucalyptus sp., Fabaceae tipo 2 e Myrcia sp.), extrato etéreo (Astrocaryum sp., Parthenium sp. e V. polyanthes), matéria mineral (Myrcia sp.) e, com carboidratos totais (Parthenium sp. e V. polyanthes). Proteína bruta e extrato etéreo tenderam em se relacionar com indivíduos mais simétricos. A área ocupada dentro da colméia esteve relacionada com a quantidade de pólen coletado, riqueza e equitabilidade da composição polínica (n=45; p-valor<0,05). Com base nos resultados obtidos, conclui-se que, as famílias botânicas Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Malvaceae e Myrtaceae são as mais importantes fontes poliníferas em Piracicaba. A origem botânica do pólen apícola tem efeito sobre a sua qualidade físico-química. Os valores de proteína bruta, extrato etéreo, quantidade de pólen coletado, riqueza e equitabilidade da composição polínica influenciam positivamente o desenvolvimento de colônias. / The knowledge of the apiarist pollen and its influence on the colonies development could contribute mainly for the improvement of the apiarist activity and for the quality control of the commercialized pollen for animal and human consumption. This assignment had as a goal to characterize the pollen in respect of the botanical origin, to determine physicochemical parameters and to relate it with the africanized bee colonies development (Apis mellifera L.), measured by the area size occupied with pollen, honey and breed inside the beehive (cm²) and the wings fluctuating asymmetry from the worker bees. The outside experiment was performed in the apiary of the Entomology and Acarology Department from the Agriculture College Luiz de Queiroz in Piracicaba, SP, where there were mounted five beehives of A. mellifera with a frontal pollen collector. The swabs were done in the four year seasons: fall (02/april to 28/may/2008), winter (09/july to 03/september/2008), spring (07/october to 02/december/2008) and summer (09/january to 06/march/2009). The apiary installation place presents predominance of Semidecidual Seasonal Forest vegetation (Atlantic Forest), but with wide cultivated areas, where it exist several agricultural crops and ornamental sites with trees and herbs. During the year, there were found 81 pollinical types in the intercepted pollen load, which belong to 32 botanical families. Bees bread presented 86 pollinical types, which belong to 34 botanical families, in that Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Malvaceae are the families with higher frequency of pollinical types ( 5 pollinical types) and, Myrtaceae, the family with high frequency of pollen seeds. The annual averages of dry matter (67.41%), crude protein (27.02%), ether extract (3.66%), mineral matter (3.34%) and total carbohydrates (65.41%) of loads and, dry matter (78.80%) and crude protein (25.89%) of bees bread are in accordance with the technical regulation for pollen commercialization in Brazil. The pollinical composition presented relation with the values of dry matter (Piper sp. and Vernonia polyanthes), crude protein (Eucalyptus sp., Fabaceae type 2 and Myrcia sp.), ether extract (Astrocaryum sp., Parthenium sp. and V. polyanthes), mineral matter (Myrcia sp.) and with total carbohydrates (Parthenium sp. and V. polyanthes). Crude protein and ether extract tended to relate to individuals more symmetrical. The area occupied within the hive was related to the amount of pollen collected, richness and evenness of pollen composition (n=45; p-value<0.05). According the results, it is concluded that the Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Malvaceae and Myrtaceae botanical families are the most important polliniferous sources in Piracicaba. The botanical origin of apiarist pollen has effect on its physicochemical quality. The values of crude protein, ether extract, collected pollen quantity, richness and evenness of pollinical composition have positive influence in the colonies development.