• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

Background: Honey bees play a crucial role in pollination and ecological balance. Apis mellifera L. colonies, especially those located in specific geographic regions, such as the palm garden in Eastern Thailand, are susceptible to potential threats from microbial contaminants. Understanding and detecting microbial organisms in these beehives is essential for the preservation of bee health, honey production, and the broader ecosystem. However, the problem of microbial infection and antibiotic-resistant bacteria is more severe and continuously increasing, resulting in a health, economic, and social crisis. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of microorganisms in A. mellifera beehives in palm gardens in Rayong province, Eastern Thailand. Results: Ten swabs in transport media were swabbed and obtained from different parts of each beehive (1 swab per beehive), for a total of 10 hives. Traditional microbial culture-based methods, biochemical tests, and antimicrobial susceptibility (disc-diffusion) tests were used to detect microbial organisms and antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The swab tests from nine beehives resulted in the detection of Gram-positive bacteria (63.64%), Gram-negative bacteria (27.27%), and fungi/yeast (9.09%). These microorganisms are classified as a group of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. and made up 40.91% of the bacteria discovered. Other bacteria found were Coryneform bacteria (13.64%), Pantoea spp. (13.64%), Bacillus spp. (9.09%), yeast (9.09%), glucose non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli (9.09%), and Pseudomonas spp. (4.55%). However, due to the traditional culture-based and 0biochemical tests usually used to identify the microbial organisms in clinical specimens and the limitation of identifying some environmental microbial species, the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test cannot reveal if the organism is resistant or susceptible to the drug. Nevertheless, drug-sensitive inhibition zones were formed with each antibiotic agent. Conclusions: Overall, the study supports prevention, healthcare, and public health systems. The contamination of microorganisms in the beehives may affect the quality of honey and other bee products or even the health of the beekeeper. To avoid this kind of contamination, it is therefore necessary to wear personal protective equipment while harvesting honey and other bee products.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2017

Background: Though the biomass of floral vegetation in understory plant communities in a forested ecosystem only accounts for less than 1% of the total biomass of a forest, they contain most of the floral resources of a forest. The diversity of understory honey plants determines visitation rate of pollinators such as honey bee (Apis mellifera) as they provide rich food resources. Since the flower visitation and foraging activity of pollinators lead to the provision of pollination service, it also means the enhancement of plant-pollinator relationship. Therefore, an appropriate management scheme for understory vegetation is essential in order to conserve pollinator population that is decreasing due to habitat destruction and disease infection. This research examined the diversity of understory honey plant and studied how it is related to environmental variables such as (1) canopy density, (2) horizontal heterogeneity of canopy surface height, (3) slope gradient, and (4) distance from roads. Vegetation survey data of 39 plots of mixed forests in Chuncheon, Korea, were used, and possible management practices for understory vegetation were suggested. Results: This study found that 113 species among 141 species of honey plant of the forests were classified as understory vegetation. Also, the understory honey plant diversity is significantly positively correlated with distance from the nearest road and horizontal heterogeneity of canopy surface height and negatively correlated with canopy density. Conclusions: The diversity of understory honey plant vegetation is correlated to vegetation structure and human impact. In order to enhance the diversity of understory honey plant, management of density and height of canopy is necessary. This study suggests that improved diversity of canopy cover through thinning of overstory vegetation can increase the diversity of understory honey plant species.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.204-208
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• 2017

Nosema ceranae is an obligate intracellular fungal parasite that causes mortality in honey bees and enhances the susceptibility of honey bees to other pathogens. Efficient purification of Nosema spores from the midgut of infected honey bees is very important because Nosema is non-culturable and only seasonably available. To achieve a higher yield of spores from honey bees, in this study, we considered that the initial release of spores from the midgut tissues was the most critical step. The use of 2 mm beads along with enzymatic treatment with collagenase and trypsin enhanced the homogenization of tissues and the yield of released spores by approximately 2.95 times compared with the use of common 3 mm beads alone. The optimal time for the enzyme treatment was determined to be 1 hr as measured by the yield and viability of the spores. A one-step filtration using a filter paper with an $8-11{\mu}m$ pore size was sufficient for removing cell debris. This method may be useful to purify not only N. ceranae spores but also other Nosema spp. spores.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.287-292
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• 2021

Background: References to insects in myths, stories, and idioms can be found in almost any culture, but with regard to references involving honey bee species in the Asia-Australian region, little information is available. Such references to bees can be highly informative by revealing attitudes of admiration, fear, ignorance, or even revulsion towards these insects. Results: The subject is briefly reviewed and examples of references to bees of selected cultural communities are given. Although folkloristic references to honey bees were found to be mostly positive highlighting fearlessness, cleverness, and industriousness of the bees, some also touch upon their ability to cause pain. Conclusions: Owing to the decreasing contacts and increasing alienization regarding insects generally, a plea is made to collect whatever information is still available about references to bees in songs, myths, stories, proverbs, and idioms and to compare such uses from different regions, e.g., North and South Korea. This would support other fields of research aiming to discover and to describe cultural relationships, migrations, and contacts between different peoples of the Asian/Australian region.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.7-11
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• 2015

Objectives: Bee venom (BV) is a complex mixture of proteins and contains proteins such as phospholipase and melittin, which have an effect on blood clotting and blood clots. The mechanism of action of honey bee venom (HBV, Apis mellifera) on human plasma proteins and its anti-thrombotic effect were studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-coagulation effect of BV and its effects on blood coagulation and purification. Methods: Crude venom obtained from Apis mellifera was selected. The anti-coagulation factor of the crude venom from this species was purified by using gel filtration chromatography (sephadex G-50), and the molecular weights of the anti-coagulants in this venom estimated by using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Blood samples were obtained from 10 rabbits, and the prothrombin time (PT) and the partial thromboplastin time (PTT) tests were conducted. The approximate lethal dose (LD) values of BV were determined. Results: Crude BV increased the blood clotting time. For BV concentrations from 1 to 4 mg/mL, clotting was not observed even at more than 300 seconds, standard deviations $(SDs)={\pm}0.71$; however, clotting was observed in the control group 13.8 s, $SDs={\pm}0.52$. Thus, BV can be considered as containing anti-coagulation factors. Crude BV is composed 4 protein bands with molecular weights of 3, 15, 20 and 41 kilodalton (kDa), respectively. The $LD_{50}$ of the crude BV was found to be $177.8{\mu}g/mouse$. Conclusion: BV contains anti-coagulation factors. The fraction extracted from the Iranian bees contains proteins that are similar to anti-coagulation proteins, such as phospholipase $A_2(PLA_2)$ and melittin, and that can increase the blood clotting times in vitro.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 1976

Experimental approaches on the effectiveness of thimerosal to control growth of Nosema apis (Zander, 1909) were carried out in the rearing honey bees. The rearing honey bees were artificially infected with various levels of spore isolated from local honey bees. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. In the experiments of therapeutic chemicals for Nosema disease, 0.01% and 0.02% thimerosal of sucrose-honey mixture was the most effective agent but the each concentration of amprolium, furazolidone, hygiene, sulfadimethoxine and terramycin did not show the any effects 2. It showed very high therapeutic effectiveness (over than 90%) that the treatment of three times every other day after the treatment of three times consecutive every day with 0.01% thimerosal, or the treatment of three times consecutive every day with 0.02% thimerosal. 3. When 0.02% thimerosal was administered three times consecutive every day to honey bees at the 4th day before artificial inoculation of N. apis, it showed very high degree (100%) of prevalence control effectiveness, and it also showed high degree (over than 90%) in administration at the 7th day before, and over than 80% at the 10th day before. Then authors found that thimerosal has the prevalence control effectiveness as well as the treatment effectiveness. 4. In the rearing honey bee colony, 0.02% thimerosal showed the high degree (over than 80%) of therapeutic effectiveness with the various levels which contained from the light decree of infection to the severe degree of it.

• 대한임상약리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1994.12a
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• pp.30-30
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• 1994

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.233-233
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• 2018

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2013

It was known that many beekeepers use some acaricides to protect their bees. Among the acaricides used in bees, amitraz, bromopropylate, coumaphos, and cymiazole were used commonly in Korea. In middle of 2006, Korean government set maximum residual limit (MRL) of amitraz and coumaphos as 0.2 ppm and 0.1 ppm, respectively. Because the environment of bee farm changes every year, it is needed to monitor acaricides in honey continuously. In this work, ten samples of honey collected from local markets and internet in 2011 were tested for determination of the amount of amitraz, bromopropylate, coumaphos and cymiazole by HPLC-DAD. Levels of the acaricide residues found were less than 25 ppb.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2005

A study was conducted on three pollination methods on oriental melon(sageageol-ggul) grafting with pumpkin(seongjutozoa) for the labor-saving and to improve fruit set. Fruit weight, flesh thickness and fruit setting rate of oriental melon were greater in growth regulators treatment than those of pollinated by bees. Sugar content and hardness of fruits pollinated by bees were higher than those of by growth regulators. From the last ten days of the February to the first ten days of the March, fruit setting rate was $95\%$ in fruit setting growth regulators, whereas it was $46\%$ and $45\%$ in pollinated by honey and bumble bee, respectively. After the middle of March, the percentage of fruit setting was >$98\%$ in all the pollination methods. The cultivation under plastic houses of oriental melon, suitable fruiting time far the pollination by bees was decided after middle days of the March. Chromaticity and especially the value of 'a' of fruit of oriental melon pollinated by bees were higher than those of growth regulators. The percentage of fermented fruits of bee pollinated and growth regulators treated was $6.7\~9.1\%\;and\;28.1\%$, respectively. The weight of 100 seeds of bees pollinated were higher than that of growth regulators. The more increased the weight of 100 seeds the less appeared the rate of fermented fruits. The percentage of marketable fruits of the honey and bumble bee pollinated and that of growth regulators treated was $82\%,\;80.3\%\;and\;62.5\%$, respectively. The decreasing rate of fruit weight during storage of bees pollinated was less than those of growth regulators. In these results, the introduction of honey bee and bumble bee for the pollination of oriental melon was able to labor-saving of fruit set and increase of fruit quality.