• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.58-65
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• 2014

Bumblebees are important pollinators of crops and wildflowers. Bumblebees generally produce one generation per year. One of the key stages for year-round rearing of bumblebees is breaking diapause. To evaluate the effects of a combination method of $CO_2$-narcosis and cold treatment to break the diapause of B. ignitus and B. terrestris queens, we determined whether this method affected their ability to establish a colony after the diapause break. The diapause treatment regimes that were utilized were $CO_2$ ($CO_2$-narcosis), CT-1M (cold treatment at $5^{\circ}C$ for 1 mo), CT-1M-$CO_2$ ($CO_2$-narcosis after cold treatment for 1 mo), CT-2M-$CO_2$ ($CO_2$-narcosis after cold treatment for 2 mo), CT-2M (cold treatment for 2 mo), CT-2.5M-$CO_2$ ($CO_2$-narcosis after cold treatment for 2.5 mo) and CT-2.5M (cold treatment at $5^{\circ}C$ for 2.5 mo). In view of the effects on the colony developmental characteristics of B. ignitus queens, the most favorable diapause treatment was CT-1M-$CO_2$. A combination method of $CO_2$-narcosis and cold temperature treatment yielded better results than that of single $CO_2$-narcosis or cold temperature treatment on the colony development of diapause-broken B. ignitus queens. In the case of B. terrestris queens, we concluded that a combination method of $CO_2$ and cold temperature treatment yielded better results than that of a single cold-temperature (up to 2 mo) treatment. In conclusion, the findings of the present study indicated that the combined application of $CO_2$ and cold temperature was a favorable method for the colony development of diapause-broken B. ignitus and B. terrestris queens compared with only $CO_2$-narcosis or cold temperature treatments. A combination method of $CO_2$ and cold treatment reduced the side effect of $CO_2$-narcosis and shortened the duration of cold treatment by at least 1 mo.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.93-98
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• 2010

Bumblebees are widely used to pollinate various crops, especially tomato, in greenhouses and fields. An artificial hibernation is essential for year-round rearing of the bumblebee, which passes through one generation per year. Here, we investigated whether a chilling temperature and humidity affect artificial hibernation of the bumblebee queen Bombus terrestris. In chilling temperature regimes of $0^{\circ}C$, $2.5^{\circ}C$, $5^{\circ}C$, $7.5^{\circ}C$ or $12.5^{\circ}C$ under constant humidity >70%, the queens stored at $2.5^{\circ}C$ exhibited the highest rate of survival, which was 74.0% at one month, 67.0% at two months, 60.0% at three months, 46.0% at 4 months, 33.0% at 5 months, and 24.0% at 6 months. Rates of survival decreased at the following temperatures: $0^{\circ}C$, $5^{\circ}C$, $7.5^{\circ}C$ and $12.5^{\circ}C$. Colony developmental characteristics after diapause were 1.2- to 1.5-fold higher than those of queens stored at $5^{\circ}C$. In terms of chilling humidity, the queens hibernated at 70% under $2.5^{\circ}C$ exhibited the highest rate of survival, which was $93.3{\pm}3.4%$ at one month, $83.3{\pm}0.0%$ at two months, $76.7{\pm}0.0%$ at 3 months and $36.7{\pm}12.1%$ at 5 months. The rates of oviposition, colony foundation and progeny-queen production of queens hibernated at 70% were 80.8%, 30.8% and 30.8%, respectively. These values correspond to 1.7- to 3.3-fold increases in comparison to queens stored at 50% humidity. Therefore, $2.5^{\circ}C$ and 70% R.H. were the favorable chilling temperature and humidity conditions for diapause break of B. terrestris queens.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.73-76
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• 2004

The rate of oxygen consumption of the silkworm eggs was measured to set up the barometer for measuring the effect of egg chilling on diapause termination. In diapause eggs, $O_2$ uptake showed a maximum of 79.2 ${mu}ell$/mg eggs/hr, at one day after oviposition and then gradually decreased to 2.2${mu}ell$/mg eggs/hr at 9days. The rates of oxygen uptake of eggs raised immediately after HCl-treatment and reached to a maximal level of 484.5 ${mu}ell$/mg eggs/hr in 9-day-old eggs, which corresponds to 220 fold that of diapause eggs, and the hatching ability was also over 50％. In order to break diapause, eggs incubated at $25^{\circ}C$ for 30 days after oviposition had to be kept at least for 45 days at 5$^{\circ}C$, but chilled eggs for 90 days or longer hatched at 10 days as normal hatching periods. We also investigate periods which the value of $O_2$ uptake of eggs chilled during 15 to 120 days at 5$^{\circ}C$ reached at 200 ${mu}ell$/mg eggs/hr. As a result of that, $O_2$ uptake of eggs chilled during 15 to 45days were not reached at 200 ${mu}ell$/mg eggs/hr and longer the chilling durations are, the higher the rate of $O_2$ uptake is and the longer the chilling durations are, the shorter the periods up to hatching is. And also, hatch-ability increased rapidly as $O_2$ uptake reaches over 20/eggs/hr.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.51-57
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• 2014

Bumblebees are important pollinators of crops and wildflowers. The Korean native bumblebee, Bombus ignitus, undergoes one generation per year, and induction of artificial hibernation is essential for year-round rearing of the bumblebee. Keeping queens under cold treatment conditions for several mo is an effective method for terminating their diapause and promoting colony development. In the present study, we investigated how the timing and duration of chilling affect the artificial hibernation of B. ignitus queens. In the timing assessment, cold treatment was instituted at 12 d, 40 d, or 100 d after eclosion under a constant temperature of $5^{\circ}C$ and 80% humidity. The queens that entered cold treatment at 12 d after emergence evidenced the highest survival rates: 86.7% at two mo, 73.3% at three mo, and 46.4% at 4 mo. Survival rates were reduced under storage conditions at 12 d, 40 d, and 100 d after emergence. When queens were subjected to chilling at 8 d, 12 d, or 16 d after eclosion with constant 80% humidity, the queens stored at 12 d after eclosion exhibited the highest survival rates, which were 84.6 at one mo, 25.0% at two mo, and 7.9% at three mo. In regards to the duration of the cold period, the queens that hibernated for at least two mo evidenced optimal colony development rates. The rates of oviposition, colony foundation, and progeny-queen production of queens hibernated for two mo were 60.0%, 30.0%, and 13.3%, respectively. These values were 6.0 to 13.3 times higher than those in the queens that hibernated for 15 d. Therefore, a cold period of at least 2 mo applied 12 d after emergence were found to be the most favorable conditions for diapause break in B. ignitus queens.