• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.167-174
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• 2011

The large bumblebee $Bombus$ $terrestris$, indigenous to Europe and adjacent areas and used extensively for high-value crop pollination, has been artificially introduced to several parts of the world. Here we show the occurrence of interspecific hybridization between the bumblebee species $B.$ $hypocrita$ $sapporoensia$ and $B.$ $terrestris$ under laboratory conditions. The mating and oviposition percentages resulting from the interspecific hybridization of a $B.$ $terrestris$ queen with a $B.$ $h.$ $sapporoensis$ male were higher than those resulting from the intraspecific mating of $B.$ $h.$ $sapporoensis$. Furthermore, a competitive copulation experiment indicated that the mating of $B.$ $h.$ $sapporoensis$ males with $B.$ $terrestris$ queens was 1.2-fold more frequent than the mating of these males with $B.$ $h.$ $sapporoensis$ queens. The interspecific hybridization of a $B.$ $terrestris$ queen with a $B.$ $h.$ $sapporoensis$ male produced either $B.$ $terrestris$ workers or the $B.$ $terrestris$ male phenotype, and the hybridization of a $B.$ $h.$ $sapporoensis$ queen with a $B.$ $terrestris$ male produced $B.$ $h.$ $sapporoensis$ males. Our results indicated that interspecific hybridization occurred between $B.$ $h.$ $sapporoensis$ and $B.$ $terrestris$. These results suggest that such hybridization will have a negative competitive impact and will cause genetic contamination of native bumblebees.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 2009

The large bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, indigenous to Europe and used extensively for high-value crop pollination, has been artificially introduced in several parts of the world. Here we show the interspecific hybridization between bumblebee species, B. terrestris and B. ignitus, under laboratory conditions. The mating and oviposition percentages of the interspecific hybridization of a B. terrestris queen with a B. ignitus male were higher than those of the intraspecific mating of B. ignitus. Furthermore, the competitive copulation experiment indicated that the mating of B. ignitus males with B. terrestris queens was 1.8-fold more frequent than with B. ignitus queens. The interspecific hybridization of a B. ignitus queen with a B. terrestris male produced either B. ignitus workers or the B. ignitus male phenotype, and the hybridization of a B. terrestris queen with a B. ignitus male produced B. terrestris males. Genetic tests using a portion of the mitochondrial COI gene for the parent and hybrid phenotypes indicated that mitochondrial DNA in the interspecific hybridization was maternally inherited. Our results indicated that interspecific hybridization occurred between B. ignitus and B. terrestris, which suggests that the hybridization will have a negative impact of competition and genetic pollution of native bumblebees.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.117-121
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• 2004

Chilling temperature and colony development in Korean native bumblebee, Bombus ignitus and introduced B. terrestris were firstly investigated. Among four chilling temperatures of -2.5, 0, 2.5 and 5$^{\circ}C$, 2.5$^{\circ}C$ showed the best result at the survival rate after artificial hibernation in both species. The survival rate after chilling was somewhat higher in B. ignitus until three months of cold treatment, but it was higher in B. terrestris at four months of cold treatment. In colony development of queens broken diapause by CO$_2$ treatment, oviposition rate and preoviposition period of B. ignitus were 72.5％ and 17.4 days, respectively. These values were 6.1％ higher and 7.4 days shorter than those of B. terrestris. The period up to colony foundation, the first male and queen emergence of B. ignitus were 62.8,66.4 and 63.0 days, respectively, and these values were 2.1-29.5 days shorter than those of B. terrestris. But, the duration up to first worker emergence of B. ignitus and B. terrexrris did not differ as 28.6 and 28.4 days, respectively. On the other hand, the rate of colony foundation and progeny-queen production of B. terrestris, which are the important indication in evaluating the quality of colony, were 14.2 and 13.5％, respectively and these values are 3.8 to 5.7 fold higher than those of B. ignitus. Besides, the numbers of progenies of B. terrestris reached 104.2 workers, 317.9 males and 21.1 queens, which corresponded to 1.1-1.8 fold those at B. ignitus. Therefore, above results showed that colony development of B. terrestris is superior to that of B. ignitus.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.115-121
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• 2012

The bumblebee Bombus terrestris is widely used in greenhouses to pollinate crops. Here, we report the molecular cloning and characterization of chymotrypsin inhibitor and chitin-binding protein homologs from B. terrestris. Two cDNAs encoding chymotrypsin inhibitor (Bt-CI) and chitin-binding protein (Bt-CBP) homologs were cloned from B. terrestris. Gene sequence analysis showed that Bt-CI gene consists of three exons encoding 75 amino acids, including a predicted 20-amino acid signal peptide, while Bt-CBP consists of two exons encoding 78 amino acids, including a predicted 26-amino acid signal peptide. The mature Bt-CI and Bt-CBP peptides contain ten and six conserved cysteine residues, respectively. Database searches using the deduced sequences of Bt-CI and Bt-CBP showed similarity to those from B. impatiens (96% peptide sequence identities). Bt-CI and Bt-CBP were expressed in both the venom gland and fat body of B. terrestris worker bees. The recombinant Bt-CI and Bt-CBP peptides were expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells. Taken together, our findings describe the molecular characterization of Bt-CI and Bt-CBP from B. terrestris.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.523-529
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• 2001

The foraging activities of bumblebee, Bombus terrestris were surveyed to compare with two types of cherry-tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum. M) house as Nutriculture and Sawdustculture on southern part of Korea in winter . The summary of the result obtained for this purpose are below: In the interval of blooming time from Sawdustculture type. In the interval of the time from the first visting on the flower by a worker of B. terrestris after a flower of cherry-tomato bloomed. nutriculture type was more shorter than Sawdustculture type. Therefore there was no difference in the average pollination time from the flower's blossoming according to the inflorescence of the first visiting time of B. terrestris worker on the each flower between Nutriculture type and Sawdustculture type. The foraging activites of B. terrestris worker in two kinds of cherry-tomatio cultivating house had shown same patterns. and han not been found to the differences.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2010

Bumblebees are widely used to pollinate crops in greenhouses and fields. Here, we investigated whether different wake-up treatments during a short period of 1~3 days just before indoor rearing has any effects on oviposition and colony development of $CO_2$-treated Bombus ignitus queens and artificially hibernated B. terrestris queens The wake-up regimes were defined as 16L for 1 day (16L-1), 16 L per day for 3 days (16L-3), 24L for 1 day (24L-1), or 24D for 1 day (24D-1). Among these wake-up treatments, the oviposition rate and preoviposition period of B. ignitus queens reared at 24L-1 were 16.7~25.1% higher and 1.0~3.5 days shorter than other wake-up treatments. B. terrestris queens reared at 24L-1 also showed the best results for egg-laying characteristics, which were 8.9~18.8% higher for oviposition and 0.6~3.5 days shorter for preovipostion period than other wake-up treatments. Furthermore, B. terrestris queens reared at 24L-1 were 17.5% and 13.8% higher in rate of colony foundation and queen production, respectively, than other wake-up treatments. These results show that the most favorable wake-up treatment just before rearing for egg-laying and colony developmental characteristics of B. ignitus and B. terrestris queens was 24L-1. Overall, our findings indicate that a wake-up treatment just before rearing was effective for colony initiation and colony development of bumblebee queens.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.294-298
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• 2012

In sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) growing there are several severe problem which have to be overcome to produce highly graded fruits because of fruit rots and fruit crackings, if there is frequent precipitation during immature fruit step and picking season. In order to reduce fungicide sprayings and produce qualified fruits in areas with rainy season like as South Korea, rain-sheltered growing is necessary absolutely. Sweet cherry blooms early to medium April in southern area of South Korea. If we depend on honeybees (Apis mellifera) distributed in natural ecosystem, it is not easy to get normal fruit-set every season because of low temperature around blooming time. And also bee keepers seldom sell honeybee hives as a pollinator during spring, instead they keep honeybee hives to get honey. Recently use of B. terrestris as a pollinator of cherry tomato, oriental pumpkin etc. grown in protected cultivation system increase abundantly. Therefore, in this study we studied B. terrestris as an alternate of honeybee to pollinate sweet cherry grown in rain shelter. In part of foraging activity B. terrestris shows staying on a cherry flower for about six second and visiting frequency of 11 flowers per minute. However A. mellifera stayed about 15 second on a flower and visited 4~5 flowers per minute. There were no significant difference in fruit-setting rate and fruit characteristics after using B. terrestris and A. mellifera as pollinators of sweet cherry. Consequently there is no negative effect when we use B. terrestris as an alternate pollinator of A. mellifera in sweet cherry cultivation under rain shelter.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.293-298
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• 2008

This study was surveyed the effects by pollinating activity of Apis mellifera and Bombus terrestris released in the paprika vinyl-houses. The foraging activity and behaviour of A. mellifera and B. terrestris visited on the paprika flowers were nearly alike. The pick times of pollinating activity by A. mellifera and B. terrestris were showed the hightest at 11:00 and 15:00, and 09:00 to 11:00, respectively. The rate of fruit set by A. mellifera and B. terrestris released for pollinating paprika were same level with 94%, and these rate were higher than the fruit setting rate which was 92% by fan operated. The qualities of paprika produced by pollinators released were higher than those by fan operated. And weight per fruit, number of seeds per fruit and economical profit per 2,310 $m^2$ were over 10% higher than those by fan operated. Therefore the economical effects by the pollinating activities of A. mellifera and B. terrestris released in the paprika vinyl-houses were obviously demonstrated.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 2008

To improve mating rate of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, temperature, photoperiod and illumination during mating periods favorable for B. terrestris were investigated. The mating rate of queen mated at $19^{\circ}C$ was 92.1%, which was 2.1-5.9% higher than that of $22^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$. $19^{\circ}C$ was more effective than at $22^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$ in death rate during mating periods. The survival rate after hibernation of queen mated at $19^{\circ}C$ was 3.0-17.7% higher than that of $22^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$. At the photoperiod regimes during mating periods, queen mated at 14 L was more effective than 12 L and 16 L in death rate during mating, survival rate after hibernation, and egg-characteristics. In case of illumination during mating periods, intensity of over 1000 lux was suitable for mating B. terrestris queen in colony development. Therefore, we supposed that mating temperature favorable for B. terrestris was $19^{\circ}C$ and photoperiod for mating was 14 L, and illumination was over 1000 lux.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.277-282
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• 2014

To develop a composition for enhancing immunity, based on alcohol extracts of the bumblebee as an active ingredient, bumblebee ethanol extracts were evaluated for their protective effect in chronic models of inflammation, adjuvant induced rat arthritis. B. terrestris worker extract (SDIEX) and, B. hypocrita sapporoensis lava and pupa extract (SPDYBEX), significantly decreased paw edema in arthritic rats, at a dose 100 mg/kg, respectively. The cytokine levels related inflammation of COX-2, $sPLA_2$, VEGF, and TNF-${\alpha}$, were decreased, compared to positive control, indomethacin (5 mg/kg). Histopathological data demonstrated decreases inflammatory activity, hind paw edema, and repaired hyaline articular cartilage in DRG over a 2 wk administration. HPLC and GC-MS analysis of SDIEX and SPDYBEX revealed the presence of cantharidin.