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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Pest Management and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #283859
Title: Physiology and biochemistry of honey bees

Author
item HARTFELDER, KLAUS - Universidad De Sao Paulo
item BITONDI, MARCIA - Universidad De Sao Paulo
item Brent, Colin
item GUIDUGLI-LAZZARINI, KARINA - Universidad De Sao Paulo
item SIMOES, ZILA - Universidad De Sao Paulo
item STABENTHEINER, ANTON - Universitat Graz

Submitted to: Journal of Apicultural Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/6/2012
Publication Date: 1/30/2013
Citation: Hartfelder, K., Bitondi, M., Brent, C.S., Guidugli-Lazzarini, K.R., Simoes, Z.L., Stabentheiner, A. 2013. Physiology and biochemistry of honey bees. In:Dietermann, V., Ellis, J.D., Neumann, P.,editors. The COLOSS BEEBOOK, Volume I: Standard methods for Apis mellifera research. South Glamorgan, United Kingdom: Ibra Publications.

Interpretive Summary: Despite their tremendous economic importance, honey bees are not a typical model system for studying general questions of insect physiology. This is primarily due to the fact that honey bees live in complex social settings which impact their physiological and biochemical characteristics. Not surprisingly, the questions which have attracted most attention by researchers working on physiology and biochemistry in general are core topics specifically related to social organization, such as caste development, reproductive division of labor and polyethism within the worker caste. Because the approaches to undertake such studies are highly specialized and not widely published, this chapter presents and discusses basic laboratory protocols to establish and standardize the means of addressing such questions in bees. Topics covered include protein analysis, hormone quantification, neurotransmitter detection, energy metabolism, thermoregulation and basic dissection techniques.

Technical Abstract: Despite their tremendous economic importance, honey bees are not a typical model system for studying general questions of insect physiology. This is primarily due to the fact that honey bees live in complex social settings which impact their physiological and biochemical characteristics. Not surprisingly, the questions which have attracted most attention by researchers working on physiology and biochemistry in general are core topics specifically related to social organization, such as caste development, reproductive division of labor and polyethism within the worker caste. Because the approaches to undertake such studies are highly specialized and not widely published, this chapter presents and discusses basic laboratory protocols to establish and standardize the means of addressing such questions in bees. Topics covered include protein analysis, hormone quantification, neurotransmitter detection, energy metabolism, thermoregulation and basic dissection techniques.