Analysis of Honeybee Drone Activity during the Mating Season in Northwestern Argentina
Males in Hymenopteran societies are understudied in many aspects and it is assumed that they only have a reproductive function. We studied the time budget of male honey bees, drones, using multiple methods. Changes in the activities of animals provide important information on biological clocks and t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-06-01
|
| Series: | Insects |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/566 |
| _version_ | 1797529413823234048 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria Marta Ayup Philipp Gärtner José L. Agosto-Rivera Peter Marendy Paulo de Souza Alberto Galindo-Cardona |
| author_facet | Maria Marta Ayup Philipp Gärtner José L. Agosto-Rivera Peter Marendy Paulo de Souza Alberto Galindo-Cardona |
| author_sort | Maria Marta Ayup |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Males in Hymenopteran societies are understudied in many aspects and it is assumed that they only have a reproductive function. We studied the time budget of male honey bees, drones, using multiple methods. Changes in the activities of animals provide important information on biological clocks and their health. Yet, in nature, these changes are subtle and often unobservable without the development and use of modern technology. During the spring and summer mating season, drones emerge from the hive, perform orientation flights, and search for drone congregation areas for mating. This search may lead drones to return to their colony, drift to other colonies (vectoring diseases and parasites), or simply get lost to predation. In a low percentage of cases, the search is successful, and drones mate and die. Our objective was to describe the activity of <i>Apis mellifera</i> drones during the mating season in Northwestern Argentina using three methods: direct observation, video recording, and radio frequency identification (RFID). The use of RFID tagging allows the tracking of a bee for 24 h but does not reveal the detailed activity of drones. We quantified the average number of drones’ departure and arrival flights and the time outside the hive. All three methods confirmed that drones were mostly active in the afternoon. We found no differences in results between those obtained by direct observation and by video recording. RFID technology enabled us to discover previously unknown drone behavior such as activity at dawn and during the morning. We also discovered that drones may stay inside the hive for many days, even after initiation of search flights (up to four days). Likewise, we observed drones to leave the hive for several days to return later (up to three days). The three methods were complementary and should be considered for the study of bee drone activity, which may be associated with the diverse factors influencing hive health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:13:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4155cb500ecd4dac9a9d367a06589f67 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:13:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-4155cb500ecd4dac9a9d367a06589f672023-11-22T00:58:57ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502021-06-0112656610.3390/insects12060566Analysis of Honeybee Drone Activity during the Mating Season in Northwestern ArgentinaMaria Marta Ayup0Philipp Gärtner1José L. Agosto-Rivera2Peter Marendy3Paulo de Souza4Alberto Galindo-Cardona5National Scientific and Technical Research Council, CONICET, CCT, Tucumán 4000, ArgentinaIER (Regional Ecology Institute), CONICET, Tucumán 4000, ArgentinaRio Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras 00927, Puerto RicoCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, CSIRO, Canberra 2601, AustraliaCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, CSIRO, Canberra 2601, AustraliaNational Scientific and Technical Research Council, CONICET, CCT, Tucumán 4000, ArgentinaMales in Hymenopteran societies are understudied in many aspects and it is assumed that they only have a reproductive function. We studied the time budget of male honey bees, drones, using multiple methods. Changes in the activities of animals provide important information on biological clocks and their health. Yet, in nature, these changes are subtle and often unobservable without the development and use of modern technology. During the spring and summer mating season, drones emerge from the hive, perform orientation flights, and search for drone congregation areas for mating. This search may lead drones to return to their colony, drift to other colonies (vectoring diseases and parasites), or simply get lost to predation. In a low percentage of cases, the search is successful, and drones mate and die. Our objective was to describe the activity of <i>Apis mellifera</i> drones during the mating season in Northwestern Argentina using three methods: direct observation, video recording, and radio frequency identification (RFID). The use of RFID tagging allows the tracking of a bee for 24 h but does not reveal the detailed activity of drones. We quantified the average number of drones’ departure and arrival flights and the time outside the hive. All three methods confirmed that drones were mostly active in the afternoon. We found no differences in results between those obtained by direct observation and by video recording. RFID technology enabled us to discover previously unknown drone behavior such as activity at dawn and during the morning. We also discovered that drones may stay inside the hive for many days, even after initiation of search flights (up to four days). Likewise, we observed drones to leave the hive for several days to return later (up to three days). The three methods were complementary and should be considered for the study of bee drone activity, which may be associated with the diverse factors influencing hive health.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/566drone activitydrone congregation areasmating behaviorRFID technologyvideo recording |
| spellingShingle | Maria Marta Ayup Philipp Gärtner José L. Agosto-Rivera Peter Marendy Paulo de Souza Alberto Galindo-Cardona Analysis of Honeybee Drone Activity during the Mating Season in Northwestern Argentina Insects drone activity drone congregation areas mating behavior RFID technology video recording |
| title | Analysis of Honeybee Drone Activity during the Mating Season in Northwestern Argentina |
| title_full | Analysis of Honeybee Drone Activity during the Mating Season in Northwestern Argentina |
| title_fullStr | Analysis of Honeybee Drone Activity during the Mating Season in Northwestern Argentina |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analysis of Honeybee Drone Activity during the Mating Season in Northwestern Argentina |
| title_short | Analysis of Honeybee Drone Activity during the Mating Season in Northwestern Argentina |
| title_sort | analysis of honeybee drone activity during the mating season in northwestern argentina |
| topic | drone activity drone congregation areas mating behavior RFID technology video recording |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/566 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariamartaayup analysisofhoneybeedroneactivityduringthematingseasoninnorthwesternargentina AT philippgartner analysisofhoneybeedroneactivityduringthematingseasoninnorthwesternargentina AT joselagostorivera analysisofhoneybeedroneactivityduringthematingseasoninnorthwesternargentina AT petermarendy analysisofhoneybeedroneactivityduringthematingseasoninnorthwesternargentina AT paulodesouza analysisofhoneybeedroneactivityduringthematingseasoninnorthwesternargentina AT albertogalindocardona analysisofhoneybeedroneactivityduringthematingseasoninnorthwesternargentina |