Effect of yeast and essential oil-enriched diets on critical determinants of health and immune function in africanized Apis mellifera

CESAR HUMBERTO CANCHE COLLI Humberto José Estrella Maldonado LUIS ABDELMIR MEDINA MEDINA JOSE HUMBERTO MOO VALLE Luz María del Carmen Calvo Irabien Elisa Chan Vivas MARIA ROSALINA RODRIGUEZ ROMÁN María Azucena Canto Aguilar (2021)

Nutrition is vital for health and immune function in honey bees (Apis mellifera). The effect of diets enriched with bee-associated yeasts and essential oils of Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens) was tested on survival, food intake, accumulated fat body tissue, and gene expression of vitellogenin (Vg), prophenoloxidase (proPO) and glucose oxidase (GOx) in newly emerged worker bees. The enriched diets were provided to bees under the premise that supplementation with yeasts or essential oils can enhance health variables and the expression of genes related to immune function in worker bees. Based on a standard pollen substitute, used as a control diet, enriched diets were formulated, five with added bee-associated yeasts (Starmerella bombicola, Starmerella etchellsii, Starmerella bombicola 2, Zygosaccharomyces mellis, and the brewers’ yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and three with added essential oils from L. graveolens (carvacrol, thymol, and sesquiterpenes). Groups of bees were fed one of the diets for 9 or 12 days. Survival probability was similar in the yeast and essential oils treatments in relation to the control, but median survival was lower in the carvacrol and sesquiterpenes treatments. Food intake was higher in all the yeast treatments than in the control. Fat body percentage in individual bees was slightly lower in all treatments than in the control, with significant decreases in the thymol and carvacrol treatments. Expression of the genes Vg, proPO, and GOx was minimally affected by the yeast treatments but was adversely affected by the carvacrol and thymol treatments.

Article

HONEYBEE NUTRITION IMMUNE SYSTEM BEE-ASSOCIATED YEASTS ESSENTIAL OIL POLLEN SUBSTITUTES NATIVE PLANTS NATIVE BEES BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA DE INSECTOS (ENTOMOLOGÍA) OTRAS OTRAS

Correction to: female reproductive organs of Brassica napus are more sensitive than male to transient heat stress

Miriam Vidotti Roberto Fritsche-Neto Jose Crossa Kadambot Siddique (2021)

Article

Canola Oilseed Rape Pistils CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA BRASSICA NAPUS POLLEN GYNOECIUM GLOBAL WARMING GENETIC CONTROL

Female reproductive organs of Brassica napus are more sensitive than male to transient heat stress

Miriam Vidotti Roberto Fritsche-Neto Jose Crossa Kadambot Siddique (2021)

Article

Canola Oilseed Rape Pistils CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA BRASSICA NAPUS POLLEN GYNOECIUM GLOBAL WARMING GENETIC CONTROL