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 백만원 이었다. 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.

For economic effect on an import prohibition for the buff-tailed bumblebee, income of the bumblebee products, function, economic effect of pollinating insects and bumblebee were analyzed. The largest incremental gain was observed when using domestic bumblebees. Incremental revenue showed a larger incremental revenue in pollination than artificial pollination, the cost of artificial pollination was lowest for incremental cost, followed by domestic bumblebees, honeybees and imported bumblebees. Consequently, higher economic value can be achieved when domestic bumblebees and honeybees are used. According to this study, as it is used to make policy decisions on the prohibition of import of buff-tailed bumblebee, other alternative plan can be utilized due to its import prohibition.

Biological activities of bombolitins from Bombus ardens, B. consobrinus, B. terrestris and B. ussurensis (bombolitinsA, C, T and U, respectively) were examined using hemolytic, anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-tumor activity assays.Among the four bombolitins tested, bombolitin T showed the highest hemolytic and anti-tumor activities. All bombolitinsexhibited strong anti-microbial and anti-fungal activities, and bombolitin A specifically possessed the highest anti-microbialactivity against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. Circular dichroism spectrometry analysis revealed that allfour bombolitins had over 61.7% and 45.5% of α-helicity in 30 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate and 50% trifluoroethanolbuffers, respectively, which form lipid-membrane-mimicking environments. Bombolitin T showed the lowest IC50 valuesof 8.5 μM and 8.8 μM against SK-OV-3 and NIH-OVCAR-3 cell lines, respectively, after 72 h of treatment, but itsrelative hemolytic activity at a concentration of 200 μM was 2.3-fold higher than that of 0.1% Triton X-100. Thisstudy provides new information on the biological and molecular properties of venom peptides of bumblebees. However,further studies on reducing cytotoxicity of bombolitins are needed for designing selective anti-tumor peptides.

In the age of sexual maturity of queen, mating occurred at 6.7% immediately after eclosion and it was the highest as 85.0% at 10 days after emergence. However, a remarkable decrease was occurred at 20 days after the emergence. With regard to oviposition rate, the highest rate was observed as 81.3-81.8% at 6 to 10 days of eclosion. The rate of colony foundation and progeny-queen production were the highest as 43.8% and 37.5%, respectively, at 8 days of eclosion. In the age of sexual maturity of male, mating rate was as high as 38.3% immediately after the eclosion, the highest as 80.0% at 25 days of eclosion, and 76.6% at 8 days of eclosion. The oviposition rate was the highest as 76.9% at 6 days of eclosion, and decreased to 75.0% at 8 days and 72.7% at 10 days of eclosion. Summarized, our results indicate that sexual maturity for mating of B. terrestris is most favorable 6-8 days after eclosion for queen and 6-10 days after for male.

We investigated pollination and foraging activities of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) and bumblebee (Bombus terrestris L.) during flowering season of the asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia N.) under different weather conditions. There was no significant statistical difference about the pollination activities of two species. However, the pollination activities of bumblebee were more active than those of honeybee under low temperature and rainfall period. The activities of honeybee and bumblebee were more influenced by temperature than other factors (i.e. illumination and wind velocity). Honeybee was more sensitive to temperature and illumination than bumblebee. At low temperatures (<20℃) on cloudy days (<30,000 lux) with a certain wind velocity (>4.0 m/s), the pollination activity of the honeybee was lower twice than that of bumblebee.

The bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, plays an important role as one of alternative pollinators since the outbreak of honeybee colony collapse disorder. Recently, pathogens and parasites such as viruses, bacteria and mites affecting the life span and fecundity of their host have been discovered in B. terrestris. In this study, in order to detect viral infection in B. terrestris, we collected B. terrestris adults and isolated total RNA for diagnostic PCR. The PCR primers specific for pathogenic viruses were newly designed and applied to gene amplification for cloning and detection. Capsid protein gene of black queen cell virus (BQCV) among examined viral genes was only successfully amplified from collected bumble bee adults and sequenced. To optimize the detection of capsid protein gene of BQCV, 4 regions in the capsid protein gene were selected and further analyzed in quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR analysis revealed that capsid protein gene was directly detected with not more than 200 ng total RNA. This result suggests that an optimized detection via qRT-PCR can be applied for the rapid and sensitive diagnosis of BQCV infection in the field population as well as risk assessment of B. terrestris.

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 CO2-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 CO2(CO2– narcosis), CT-1M(cold treatment at 5°C for 1 month), CT-1M-CO2(CO2–narcosis after cold treatment for 1 month), CT-2M-CO2(CO2–narcosis after cold treatment for 2 months), CT-2M (cold treatment for 2 months), CT-2.5M-CO2(CO2–narcosis after cold treatment for 2.5 months) and CT-2.5M (cold treatment at 5°C for 2.5 months). In view of the effects on the colony developmental characteristics of B. ignitus queens, the most favorable diapause treatment was CT-1M-CO2. A combination method of CO2– narcosis and cold temperature treatment yielded better results than that of single CO2–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 CO2 and cold temperature treatment yielded better results than that of a single cold-temperature(up to2 months) treatment. In conclusion, the findings of the present study indicated that the combined application of CO2 and cold temperature was a favorable method for the colony development of diapause-broken B. ignitus and B. terrestris queens compared with only CO2–narcosisorcoldtemperaturetreatments. A combination method of CO2 and cold treatment reduced the side effect of CO2–narcosis and shortened the duration of cold treatment by at least 1month.

Recently, the flies are used to pollinate onion for seed production in Korea. However, the use of flies for pollination has caused complaints by local residents in onion seed production owing to sanitation issues and smell. Therefore, we studied the effects of pollination with bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and flies(e.g., houseflies, flesh flies, blue bottle flies and blowflies) at small net(1.8m×2.3m×1.8m) in the greenhouse(66m2) for onion seed production. Although the number of flies was about 70 times than number of bumblebee workers, flies and bumblebees showed equivalent pollination efficiency. Therefore, pollination by B. terrestris can be used as an alternative approach in seed production of onion. An analysis of the most appropriate colony of B. terrestris for seed production of onion in small net showed that colony composed of fifty to eighty workers per small net was the most efficient level. When early maturing onion cultivars ‘Salad-5’ and ‘Yeonsinwhang’, and mid-late maturing onion cultivar ‘Colossus’ were pollinated by B. terrestris and files in small net, B. terrestris showed rather efficient pollination efficiency than flies or was equivalent to flies. In addition, difference among onion cultivars was affecting pollination effect by flies but was not affecting pollination effect by B.terrestris.

Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris is widely used to pollinate various crops, especially tomato, in greenhouses. Mason bee, Osmia cornifrons, which is using as apple pollinator. Here we investigated characteristics on pollinating activity of B. terrestris and O. conifrons at different weather conditions in apple orchard. The foraging activity of O. conifrons was more sensitive than that of B. terrestris at weather conditions including temperature, illumination intensity and wind velocity. The pollinating activity of O. conifrons was very low than that of B. terrestris at a low temperature, cloudy, rainy and windy weather. Therefore, Our results indicated that B. terrestris was suitable for apple pollinator than O. conifrons, especially in low temperature and bad weather.

Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris is widely used to pollinate various crops, especially tomato, in greenhouses. Mason bee, Osmia cornifrons, which is using as apple pollinator. Here we investigated characteristics on pollinating activity of B. terrestris and O. conifrons at different weather conditions in apple orchard. The foraging activity of O. conifrons was more sensitive than that of B. terrestris at weather conditions including temperature, illumination intensity and wind velocity. The pollinating activity of O. conifrons was very low than that of B. terrestris at a low temperature, cloudy, rainy and windy weather. Therefore, Our results indicated that B. terrestris was suitable for apple pollinator than O. conifrons, especially in low temperature and bad weather.

Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris is widely used to pollinate various crops, especially tomato, in greenhouses. Mason bee, Osmia cornifrons, which is using as apple pollinator. Here we investigated characteristics on pollinating activity of B. terrestris and O. conifrons at different weather conditions in apple orchard. The foraging activity of O. conifrons was more sensitive than that of B. terrestris at weather conditions including temperature, illumination intensity and wind velocity. The pollinating activity of O. conifrons was very low than that of B. terrestris at a low temperature, cloudy, rainy and windy weather. Therefore, Our results indicated that B. terrestris was suitable for apple pollinator than O. conifrons, especially in low temperature and bad weather.

The bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, has played an important role as one of the alternative pollinators since the outbreak of honeybee collapse disorder. Recently, pathogens and parasites such as viruses, bacteria and mites, which affect the life span and fecundity of their host, have been discovered in B. terristris. In order to detect the microsporidian pathogen, Nosema Spp. in the field populations of B. terristris, we collected adults and isolated their genomic DNA for diagnostic PCR. The PCR primers specific for Nosema Spp. were newly designed and applied to gene amplification for cloning. Only small subunit ribosomal RNA(SSU rRNA) gene of N. ceranae was successfully amplified and sequenced among examined genes, which indicates that N. ceranae mainly infects the examined field population of B. terristris. To detect of SSU rRNA gene, two regions of SSU rRNA gene were selected by primary PCR analysis and further analyzed in quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that SSU rRNA of N. ceranae was detected at concentrations as low as 0.85 ng/μl genomic DNA. This result suggests that the detection via qRT-PCR can be applied for the rapid and sensitive diagnosis of N. ceranae infection in the field population as well as risk assessment of B. terristris.