• 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.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.98-98
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.99-99
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• 2005

• 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.47 no.1
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• pp.95-100
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• 2008

We compared colony development and survival rate after artificial hibernation between the bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, produced from domestic and foreign companies. The number of worker and queen produced from foundation colony of three domestic and one foreign companies was 232.4-270.8 and 62.0-181.8, respectively, but there was no statistical difference. In colony development of B. terrestris queens which were terminated diapause by $CO_2$ narcosis at different companies, oviposition rate, colony foundation and progeny-queen production of bumblebees produced from domestic companies were superior to those from foreign company. But foreign company in the number of worker and queen was superior to domestic companies. On the other hand, survival rate and colony development of B. terrestris queens, which were terminated diapause by artificial hibernation at three domestic and two foreign companies, were no significant differences. These results indicate that oviposition, colony foundation, progeny-queen production, and survival rate after artificial hibernation showed no differences between the bumblebees produced from domestic and foreign companies.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2005.09a
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• pp.112-112
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.71-71
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• 2005