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Determining Sex in Ants

Researchers at the universities of Mainz and Lausanne have identified a noncoding gene as the deciding factor in determining sex in Argentine ants.

From University of Mainz 7 Jun 2024

Insights Into Adaptation of Aspergillus flavus in Honey Bee Colonies

The past attempts of honey bee researchers to inventory the fungal diversity in honey bee colonies revealed that Aspergillus flavus is frequently found in hives.

22 May 2024

Genetic Analysis Sheds Light on the Role of Ribosomal DNA Copy Number in Inflammation and Disease

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is present in hundreds of copies in the genome, but has not previously been part of genetic analyses.

16 May 2024

Honey Bees Show Remarkable Heat Tolerance with Metabolic Adjustments

A University of Wyoming scientist’s research has shown that honey bees carrying nectar have the amazing ability to modify their flight behavior to prevent overheating when air temperatures rise.

14 Feb 2024

Honeybees Directly Provide Nutrients to Gut Bacteria

Bacteria have adapted to all terrestrial environments. Some have evolved to survive in the gut of animals, where they play an important role for their host; they provide energy by degrading indigestible food, they train and regulate the immune system, they protect against invasion by pathogenic bacteria, and they synthesize neuroactive molecules that regulate the behavior and cognition of their host.

16 Jan 2024

Pesticide Sprays and Olfactory Disruption in Honey Bee Communication

For a considerable period, the detrimental impact of pesticide sprays on honey bees has been recognized. In a recent study, researchers have unraveled the consequences of such sprays on the sense of smell in bees, potentially disrupting their social signals.

18 Dec 2023

Grunt or Whistle: Successful Honey-Hunters Know How to Communicate With Wild Honey-Seeking Birds

Wild honeyguide birds prefer to cooperate with people who have learned local cultural traditions to find and access honey-filled bees’ nests, a new study has found.

6 Dec 2023

Bumblebees Have an Effective Defense Mechanism Against Asian Hornets

New research reveals that bumblebees have developed a highly effective strategy to defend against Asian hornets.

6 Oct 2023

Bee Protective Pesticide Mitigation Measures Need Stronger Scientific Evidence

Responsible use of pesticides includes striving to avoid negative effects on the environment, often with an emphasis on protecting bees and other pollinators.

18 Jul 2023

Scientists Reveal How Honey Bees' Brains Work

Honey bees have to balance effort, risk and reward, making rapid and accurate assessments of which flowers are mostly likely to offer food for their hive.

11 Jul 2023

Omega-3 Rich Oil Shows Promise in Protecting Honey Bees from Neonicotinoids

New research suggests that the use of an omega-3 rich oil called "ahiflower oil" can prevent damage to honey bee mitochondria caused by neonicotinoid pesticides.

5 Jul 2023

New Model for the Evolution of Higher Brain Functions and Behaviors in Insects

Researchers have proposed a new model for the evolution of higher brain functions and behaviors in the Hymenoptera order of insects.

8 May 2023

Research substantiates that complex behaviors are seldom entirely innate

Social learning plays an important role in a honey bee's ability to "waggle dance," report researchers, who observed that honey bees not exposed to the dances of older, more experienced nestmates produced disordered dances full of errors. The findings demonstrate that social learning shapes this complex form of insect communication, just as it does in humans, birds, and other social vertebrate species. The waggle dance is a behavior that honey bee foragers use to communicate spatial information about the precise location of a food source to other nestmates.

10 Mar 2023