• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.29-37
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• 2011

Commercially managed bees are available for pollination services and are used in large commercial fields, small gardens, or enclosures such as greenhouses and screen houses. This paper describes the current status and agricultural utilization of commercially managed bumblebees as well as bumblebee rearing techniques in Korea. We surveyed the use rate and number of bumblebees for the pollination of 10 major horticultural crops and fruit trees in Korea; in 2009, the use rates were approximately 7.9% and 2.8%, respectively. The use number of bumblebees as pollinators was more than 64,345 colonies, which included 51,400 colonies for 10 major horticultural crops and 12,945 colonies for 10 major fruit trees in 2009. The value of bumblebees as pollinators in 2009 in Korea was estimated at more than 5,100,000,000 won. We also describe feeding, rearing room conditions, colony initiation, mating and diapause breaks to establish year-round mass rearing techniques of the bumblebee Bombus ignitus.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.219-227
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to quickly and effectively identify the Nosema disease of bumblebees in Gangwon Province in Korea. Bumblebees are crucial pollinators of various crops, and microsporidia are the critical pathogens of these hosts. When bumblebees are infected with Nosema bombi, their abdomens can become distended. Paralyzed and infected workers often become sluggish and die early. We have identified the morphology of the microsporidium by light and electron microscopy, and found it to have fairly small oval spores, as has been described previously in many other articles. For the specific and sensitive diagnosis of the microsporidian parasite N. bombi in bumblebees, we have developed an improved method of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for expeditious diagnosis. Two pairs of primers were tested on N. bombi and the related microsporidia Nosema apis and Nosema sp., both of which infect Bombus ignitus and Bombus hypocrita sapporoensis. Furthermore, we have verified and analyzed the 16SrRNA sequence data of N. bombi in bumblebees by using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) server at the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

• 한국환경농학회지
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.106-113
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• 2020

BACKGROUND: Bumblebees have been shown to be very effective pollinators for most greenhouse tomatoes. Neonicotinoid insecticides are one of the most widely used pesticides in tomato crops in Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study was carried out to investigate the toxicity of four neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) to bumblebees based on the OECD guidelines (No.246, 247). The 48 hr LD₅₀ (㎍ a.i. /bumblebee) values in the acute contact toxicity tests were determined as follows: clothianidin, 0.467; dinotefuran, 3.741; imidacloprid, 3.967; and thiamethoxam, 0.747. The 48 hr LD₅₀ values in the acute oral toxicity tests were determined as follows: clothianidin, 0.005; dinotefuran, 0.056; imidacloprid, 0.325; and thiamethoxam, 0.018. The acute contact and oral toxicity of the test insecticides to bumblebees from most to least toxic was clothianidin > thiamethoxam > dinotefuran > imidacloprid. CONCLUSION: This study provided the basic toxicological data of neonicotinoid insecticides for bumblebees. In the near future, acute toxicity and mixture toxicity of other pesticides to bumblebees could be determined using this method.

• 한국환경생태학회지
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.408-421
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• 2019

수입되는 서양뒤영벌과 그에 대한 화분매개 대체안들을 비교 평가하기 위해 증분이익을 추정하여 분석하였다. 분석결과, 판매수익에서 공통 생산원가를 차감한 증분수익은 인공수분을 사용할 때보다 화분매개곤충을 사용할 때 더 많았으며, 증분원가는 수입산 서양뒤영벌이나 꿀벌을 사용할 때보다 국내산 서양뒤영벌이나 인공수분을 사용할 때 더 적었다. 각 대안별 증분이익을 살펴보면, 수입산 서양뒤영벌 46,801 백만원, 국내산 서양뒤영벌 47,170 백만원, 꿀벌 46,975 백만원, 인공수분 29,839 백만원이었다. 증분이익은 각 대안을 선택했을 경우 얻을 수 있는 회계적 이윤을 의미한다. 다만, 회계적 이윤 전부를 화분매개 대안이 기여한 것으로 볼 수 없으며, 귀속지대나 정상이윤과 같은 잠재적 비용이 포함되어 있다. 잠재적 비용에 해당하는 기회원가를 고려할 때, 수입산 서양뒤영벌을 사용하는 대안은 경제적 손실이 발생하는 것으로 나타났다. 이는 과수 작물 생산농가가 수입산 서양뒤영벌을 사용하는 대신 다른 대체안을 선택할 경우 추가적인 경제적 이윤을 창출할 수 있음을 의미한다.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.62-75
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• 2022

Background: Pollinators help plants to reproduce and support economically valuable food for humans and entire ecosystems. However, declines of pollinators along with population growth and increasing agricultural activities hamper this mutual interaction. Nectar and pollen are the major reward for pollinators and flower morphology and volatiles mediate the specialized plant-pollinator interactions. Limited information is available on the volatile profiles attractive to honey bees and bumblebees. In this study we analyzed the volatile organic compounds of the flowers of 9 different plant species that are predominantly visited by honey bees and bumblebees. The chemical compositions of the volatiles were determined using a head space gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method, designed to understand the plant-pollinator chemical interaction. Results: Results showed the monoterpene 1,3,6-octatriene, 3,7-dimethyl-, (E) (E-𝞫-ocimene) was the dominating compound in most flowers analyzed, e.g., in proportion of 60.3% in Lonicera japonica, 48.8% in Diospyros lotus, 38.4% Amorpha fruticosa and 23.7% in Robinia pseudoacacia. Ailanthus altissima exhibited other monoterpenes such as 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol (𝞫-linalool) (39.1%) and (5E)-3,5-dimethylocta-1,5,7-trien-3-ol (hotrienol) (32.1%) as predominant compounds. Nitrogen containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were occurring principally in Corydalis speciosa; 1H-pyrrole, 2,3-dimethyl- (50.0%) and pyrimidine, 2-methyl- (40.2%), and in Diospyros kaki; 1-triazene, 3,3-dimethyl-1-phenyl (40.5%). Ligustrum obtusifolium flower scent contains isopropoxycarbamic acid, ethyl ester (21.1%) and n-octane (13.4%) as major compounds. In Castanea crenata the preeminent compound is 1-phenylethanone (acetophenone) (46.7%). Conclusions: Olfactory cues are important for pollinators to locate their floral resources. Based on our results we conclude monoterpenes might be used as major chemical mediators attractive to both honey bees and bumblebees to their host flowers. However, the mode of action of these chemicals and possible synergistic effects for olfaction need further investigation.

• 한국응용곤충학회지
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.95-100
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• 2008

국내 및 국외 뒤영벌 생산업체의 서양뒤영벌(Bombus terrestris) 산란율, 봉군형성률, 신여왕출현 봉군율 등 봉세발달 및 인공월동 후 생존율을 비교 조사하였다. 국내 3개와 국외 1개 생산업체의 창설여왕벌 봉군에서 생산된 일벌수는 232.4-270.8마리, 여왕벌수는 62.0-181.8마리로 다소의 차이는 있었으나 국내 및 국외 뒤영벌 생산업체간에 유의성은 없었다. 업체별로 생산된 여왕벌을 탄산가스처리후 사육한 결과, 산란율, 봉군형성률, 신여왕출현봉군율 등 봉세발달은 국내업체에서 생산한 서양뒤영벌이 유럽산보다 우수한 것으로 나타났으나, 일벌 및 여왕벌수는 유럽산 뒤영벌이 다소 많은 것으로 나타났다. 또한 국내 3개 뒤영벌 생산업체와 유럽 2개 업체에서 생산된 서양뒤영벌을 인공월동하여 사육한 경우에도 다소의 차이가 있었지만, 생존율 및 봉세발달에서 뚜렷한 차이가 없었다. 이와 같이 업체별로 생산된 창설여왕벌과 2세대 여왕벌의 휴면처리를 달리하여 사육한 결과, 국내 및 국외 뒤영벌 생산업체의 서양뒤영벌의 봉세 간에 차이가 없는 것으로 나타났다.

• 한국잠사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국잠사학회 2004년도 International Conference of Sericultural and Entomological Sciences
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• pp.30-32
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• 2004

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.51-59
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• 2004

Phylogenetic relationships were analyzed among bumblebees using a portion of mitochondrial (mt) 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA). Eight species of true bumblebees and one species of cuckoo bumblebee (Bombini, Apidae), collected from Korea were included in the analysis. Also, one species of true bumblebee imported from several foreign countries for pollination was included. The length of mt 16S rRNA sequence ranged from 496 bp to 508 bp and sequence divergence ranged from 1.4％ (7 bp) to 15.49％ (77bp). As expected, a high A＋T content was observed (78.5％ on average). According to the phylogeny tree derived from parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis, a monphyletic Bombus species, excluding a single cuckoo bumblebee, Psithyrus coreanus, was obtained, but the bootstrap estimate at the node supporting the monophyletic group was very weak (40％ or 46％), suggesting a very close relationship of the cuckoo bumblebee to the true bumblebee. Within Bombus species belonging to identical subgenera subgeneric specific clustering was formed with high bootstrap values, implying validity of the subgeneric names of each species: Pyrobombus for B. ardens and B. modeatus; Megabombus for B. consobrinus wittenburgi and B. koreanus; and Bombus s. str. for B. ignitus, B. hypocrita sapporoensis, and B. terrestris.

• 한국양봉학회지
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.107-115
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• 2019

Bumblebees have apposition compound eyes (one on either side of the head) of about 6,000 ommatidia and three small single-lens ocelli on the frons of their head capsule. The surface of the eye is smooth and interommatidial hairs, as in the honeybee, are not developed. Each ommatidium (approx. 26 ㎛ in diameter) is capped by a hexagonal facet and contains in its centre a 3 ㎛ wide, columnar light-perceiving structure known as the rhabdom. Rhabdoms consist of thousands of regularly aligned, fingerlike microvilli, which in their membranes contain the photopigment molecules. Axons from each ommatidium transmit the information of their photic environment to the visual centres of the brain, where behavioural reactions may be initiated. Since bumblebee eyes possess three classes of spectrally different sensitivity peaks in a ratio of 1:1:6 (UV= 353 nm, blue= 430 nm and green=548 nm) per ommatidium, they use colour vision to find and select flower types that yield pollen and nectar. Ommatidial acceptance angles of at least 3° are used by the bumblebees to discriminate between different flower shapes and sizes, but their ability to detect polarized light appears to be used only for navigational purposes. A flicker fusion frequency of around 110Hz helps the fast flying bumblebee to avoid obstacles. The small ocelli are strongly sensitive to ultraviolet radiation and green wavelengths and appear to act as sensors for light levels akin to a photometer. Unlike the bumblebee's compound eyes, the ocelli would, however, be incapable of forming a useful image.

• 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.