Research Report, January 2000

Mark L. Winston
Department of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6 Canada
Phone: 778-782-4459
FAX: 778-782-3496
winston@sfu.ca

CURRENT RESEARCHERS AND PROJECTS

Heather Higo, Research Technician
Factors regulating worker bee behaviour and physiology associated with queen rearing

Stephen Pernal, Postdoctoral Fellow
Semiochemical-based control methods for varroa

Margriet Dogterom, Postdoctoral Fellow (part-time)
Improving bumble bee pollination of greenhouse tomatoes

Nathan Rice, M.P.M. Student
Formulations for using essential oils as miticides
Development of IPM methods for mite control

Shawn Devlin, M.P.M. Student
Sampling methods for varroa infestations

Holly Sabara, M.P.M. Student
Development of honey bees as commercial greenhouse tomato pollinators

Monique Ledoux, Undergraduate Student
Effects of queen pheromone on comb construction

New Students: I anticipate accepting 2-3 new students who will begin work in 2000.

Collaborative projects

Dr. Keith Slessor, Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University
Dr. Gene Robinson, Dept. Entomology, University of Illinois
Dr. Yves LeConte, INRA, France

We are collaborating with Slessor and graduate students Chris Keeling and Scott Baird to identify and synthesize new honey bee primer pheromones, including unidentified queen and brood compounds, and to identify semiochemicals used by varroa mites to find their host bees. In addition, we are involved in projects with Slessor, Robinson, and LeConte to study the individual and combined effects of queen and brood pheromones on queen rearing, hypopharyngeal gland development, and worker ovary development and egg laying, as well as elucidating substances from worker mandibular glands that appear to regulate the age at which workers begin foraging.

Funding and applied projects

We will be conducting the following projects during the next two-three years:

Development of a semiochemical-based attractant to trap Varroa

IPM Technologies Canada

NSERC University-Industry Program

Canadian Bee Research Fund

Essential oils and IPM systems for mite control

Saskatchewan Agriculture

EcoSmart Technologies

Diversified Management Systems for Pollinating Greenhouse Tomatoes

B.C. Hot House Growers Association

In addition, our work on basic aspects of bee biology will continue, with funding from NSERC and the Canada Council of the Arts (through a Killam Fellowship, 2000-2002). Projects will depend on student interests.

Recent Publications (1995-2000)

Pettis, J.S., M.L. Winston, A.M. Collins. 1995. Suppression of queen rearing in European and Africanized honey bees Apis mellifera L. by synthetic queen mandibular gland pheromone. Insectes Sociaux 42: 113-121.
Higo, H., M.L. Winston, K.N. Slessor. 1995. Mechanisms by which honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) queen pheromone sprays enhance pollination. Annals Entomol. Soc. Amer. 88: 366-373.
Pettis, J.S., M.L. Winston, K.N. Slessor. 1995. Behavior of queen and worker honey bees Apis mellifera L.(Hymenoptera: Apidae) in response to exogenous queen mandibular pheromone. Annals Entomol. Soc. Amer. 88: 580-588.
Pankiw, T., M.L. Winston, K.N. Slessor. 1995. Queen attendance behavior of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) that are high and low responders to queen mandibular gland pheromone. Insectes Sociaux 42: 371-378.
Plettner, E., G.R.J. Sutherland, K.N. Slessor, M.L. Winston. 1995. Why not be a queen? Regioselectivity in the mandibular secretions of honey bee castes. J. Chemical Ecology 21: 1017-1029.
Melathopoulos, A.P., M.L. Winston, J.S. Pettis, T. Pankiw. 1996. The effect of queen mandibular pheromone on the initiation and maintenance of developing queen cells in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.). Canadian Entomol. 128: 263-272.
Fewell, J.H., M.L. Winston. 1996. Regulation of nectar collection in relation to honey storage levels by honey bees Apis mellifora. Behavioral Ecology 7: 286-291.
Pankiw, T., M.L. Winston, E. Plettner, K.N. Slessor, J.S. Pettis, O.R. Taylor. 1996. Mandibular gland components of European and Africanized honey bee queens. J. Chem. Ecol. 22: 605-615.
Plettner, E., K.N. Slessor, M.L. Winston, J.E. Oliver. 1996. Caste-selective pheromone biosynthesis in honey bees. Science 271: 1851-1853.
Plettner, E., G.W. Otis, P.D.C. Wimalaratne, M.L. Winston, K.N. Slessor, T. Pankiw, P.W.K. Punchihewa. 1997. Species and caste determined mandibular blend signals in honey bee (Apis). J. Chem. Ecology 23:363-377.
Pettis, J.S., H.A. Higo, T. Pankiw, M.L. Winston 1997. Queen rearing suppression in the honey bee: evidence for a fecundity signal. Insectes Sociaux 44:311-322.
Slessor, K.N., L.J. Foster, M.L. Winston 1998. Royal Flavours: honey bee queen pheromones. in: Chemical Communication in Social Insects. eds. R.K. Vandermeer, M. Breed, K. Espelie, M.L. Winston, Westview Press.
Winston, M.L., K.N. Slessor. 1998. Honey bee primer pheromone and colony organization: gaps in our knowledge. Apidologie 29:81-95.
Robinson, G.E., S.E. Fahrbach, M.L. Winston 1998. Towards the study of genes, molecules, and social behavior in the insect societies. BioEssays 19:1099-1108.
Pankiw, T., Z.-Y. Huang, M.L. Winston, G.E. Robinson 1998. Queen mandibular pheromone influences worker honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) foraging ontogeny and juvenile hormone titers. J. Insect Physiology 44:685-692.
Watmough, J., M.L. Winston, K.N. Slessor 1998. Distinguishing the effects of dilution and restricted movement on the intra-nest transmission of honey bee queen pheromone. Bull. Mathematical Biology 60:307-327.
Plettner, E., K.N. Slessor, M.L. Winston 1998. Biosynthesis of mandibular acids, route of fatty acid hydroxylation, and caste selective B-oxidation. Insect Biochem. and Molecular Biology 28:31-42.
Lin, Huarong, M.L. Winston 1998. The role of nutrition and temperature in worker honey bee (Apis mellifera) L.) ovary development. Canadian Entomol. 130:883-891.
Pettis, J.S., L.C. Westcott, M.L. Winston 1998. Balling behavior in the honey bee in response to exogenous queen mandibular pheromone. J. Apicultural Research 37:125-131.
Otis, G.W., O.R. Taylor, M. Spivak, M.L. Winston, S.J. Katz, P.F. Kukuk 1998. Timing of mating flights of neotropical African and European honey bee queens and drones (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in eastern Venezuela. Univ. Kansas Nat. Hist. Mus. Spec. Publ. 24: 90-96.
Winston, M.L., J. Marceau, H. Higo, S. Cobey 1999. Honey bee pheromones do not improve requeening success. American Bee Journal 138:900-903.
Westcott, Lynn C., M.L. Winston 1999. Chemical acaricides in Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies: do they cause non-lethal effects? Canadian Entomologist 31:363-372.
Lin, H., M.L. Winston, N.H. Haunerland, K.N. Slessor 1999. The influence of age, trophallaxis and population on worker honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) ovarian development and vitellogenesis. Canadian Entomologist 131:695-706.
Dogterom, M.H. and M.L. Winston 1999. Pollen storage and foraging by honey bees, Apis mellifera L., in highbush blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Bluecrop.’ Canadian Entomologist 131:757-768.
Downey, D. L., T. T. Higo, M. L. Winston 2000. Single and dual parasitic mite infestations on the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. Insectes Sociaux (in press).
Janmaat, A. F., M.L. Winston, R. C. Ydenberg 2000. Condition dependent response to parasitic infestation by honey bee colonies. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. (in press).
Lindberg, C. M., A. P. Melathopoulos, M. L. Winston 2000. A laboratory bioassay for evaluating miticides to control Varroa jacobsoni Oud. (Acari: Varroidae), a honey bee (Apis mellifera L., Hymenoptera: Apidae) parasite. J. Economic Entomology (in press).
Janmaat, A. F., M. L. Winston 2000. The influence of pollen storage area and Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans parasitism on temporal caste structure in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). Insectes Sociaux (in press).
Dogterom, M. H.; M. L. Winston; A. Mukai 2000. Effect of pollen load size and source (self, outcross) on seed and fruit production in highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum (Ericaceae) 'Bluecrop.' American J. Botany (in press).
Whittington, R., M. L. Winston, A. P. Melathopoulos, H. A. Higo 2000. Evaluation of the botanical oils neem, thymol, and canola sprayed to control Varroa jacobsoni Oud. (Acari: Varroidae) and Acarapis woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae) in colonies of honey bees (Apis mellifera L., Hymenoptera: Apidae). American Bee Journal (in press).
Janmaat, Alida F., Mark L. Winston 2000. Removal of Varroa-infested brood in honey bee colonies with differing pollen stores. Apidologie (in press).
Melathopolous, A. P., M. L. Winston, R. Whittington, T. Smith, C. Lindberg, A. Mukai, and M. Moore 2000. Comparative laboratory toxicity of neem pesticides to honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), their mite parasites Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) and Acarapis woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae), and brood pathogens Paenibacillus larvae and Ascophera apis. J. Economic Entomology (in press).
Melathopolous, A. P., M. L. Winston, R. Whittington, H. Higo, and M. Ledoux 2000. Field evaluation of neem and canola oil for the selective control of the honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) mite parasites Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) and Acarapis woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae). J. Economic Entomology (in press).

Books

Winston, M.L. 1987. The Biology of the Honey Bee. Harvard University Press, 281 pp.
Winston, M.L. 1992. Killer Bees: the Africanized Honey Bee in The Americas. Harvard University Press, 162 pp.
Winston, M.L. 1993. La biologie de l'abeille. Frison-Roche, 276 pp. (Translation of The Biology of the Honey Bee).
Winston, M.L. 1997. Nature Wars: People vs. Pests. Harvard University Press. Received Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy, 1998. Short-listed, BP Natural World Book Prize, 1998.
Winston, M.L. 1998. From Where I Sit: Essays on Bees, Beekeeping, and Science. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N.Y.
R.K. Vandermeer, M.D. Breed, M.L. Winston, K. Espelie 1998. Chemical Communication in Social Insects. Westview Press, Boulder, Colo.