In mobile communication systems, location management deals with the location determination of users in a network. One of the strategies used in location management is to partition the network into location areas. Each location area consists of a group of cells. The goal of location management is to partition the network into a number of location areas such that the total paging cost and handoff (or update) cost is a minimum. Finding the optimal number of location areas and the corresponding configuration of the partitioned network is a difficult combinatorial optimization problem. This cell grouping problem is to find a compromise between the location update and paging operations such that the cost of mobile terminal location tracking is a minimum in location area wireless network. In fact, this is shown to be an NP-complete problem in an earlier study. In this paper, artificial bee colony (ABC) is developed and proposed to obtain the best/optimal group of cells for location area planning for location management system. The performance of the artificial bee colony (ABC) is better than or similar to those of other population-based algorithms with the advantage of employing fewer control parameters. The important control parameter of ABC is only ‘Limit’ which is the number of trials after which a food source is assumed to be abandoned. Simulation results for 16, 36, and 64 cell grouping problems in wireless network show that the performance of our ABC is better than those alternatives such as ant colony optimization (ACO) and particle swarm optimization (PSO).

Mortality of honeybees(Apis cerana) is a serious problem that beekeepers have to face periodically in Korea. The presence of RNA viruses, in addition to other pathogens may be one of its possible causes. In this work, we were detected Black queen cell virus (BQCV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), Korean Sacbrood virus (KSBV), Ascosphaera apis, and Nosema in samples of Apis cerana. Honey bee viruses was detected KSBV(58.5 %), KBV(6.5 %), BQCV(70 %) in 2015 by RT(Revers transcriptase)-PCR. Sacbrood virus (SBV) is an important disease of A. cerana. A. apis can cause chock brood disease to honey bee. It was detected 10.3 % of A. cerana colonies by PCR. Also, Nosema cerana was detected 50.5%. Conclusively, investigated disease of the A. cerana, and confirmed virus that lead to bee disease, this is thought by valuable thing as data for development of beekeeping industry such as Colony Collapse cause searching examination.

Osmia cornifrons is a cavity-nesting solitary species used as an apple pollinator in Korea. To elucidate the developmental characteristics of O. cornifrons, we investigated its development from the egg to adulthood, including a dormant prepupal phase and mating through indoor rearing (25 °C, 65% R.H.). The egg durations of the female and male bees were 3.6 ± 0.8 days and 3.1 ± 1.3 days, respectively. During larval development, the head widths of the 1st to 5th instars ranged from 0.7 ± 0.1 mm to 1.3 ± 0.1 mm. The peak of the growth in head width was the 2nd instar. The larval lengths ranged from 3.7 ± 0.6 mm to 13.6 ± 1.3 mm. The peak of growth was the 4th instar. The larval weights ranged from 4.5 ± 1.2 mg to 78.3 ± 16.1 mg. The peak of growth was the 3rd instars. The total larval durations of from the 1st to 5th instars for the females and males were 14.0 ± 6.0 days and 13.2 ± 5.8 days, respectively. The spinning durations of the females and males were 2.2 ± 0.7 days and 2.3 ± 0.8 days, the prepupation durations were 55.5 ± 5.9 days and 55.8 ± 2.9 days, and the pupation durations were 26.4 ± 2.1 days and 25.3 ± 2.3 days, respectively. The average longevity of the female adults and male adults was 21.8 ± 8.7 days and 24.4 ± 12.4 days, respectively. The total duration of from the egg to an adult bee of the O. cornifrons females and males was 123.5 days and 124.1 days, respectively. Mating consisted of the three following phases: the precopulatory (courtship and attempting copulation), copulation and postcopulatory phases. The mating times of the precopulatory, copulation and postcopulatory phases were 159.6 ± 288.9, 8.4 ± 7.1, 12.9 ± 4.5, and 198.8 ± 69.8 seconds.

Honey bee swarming is a naturally occurring phenomenon under the conditions of population increase, climate change and pollen deficit. However, unexpected swarming usually results in loss of bee colony, it poses a considerable trouble in bee keeping. In an attempt to search for molecular markers that can predict the swarming behavior, transcriptional profiling was conducted and compared between the heads of swarming group and the remaining group in the same honey bee colonies. A total of 25,551 transcripts were initially identified and 1,144 differentially expressed genes between the two groups were sorted by FC2 (fold change) cut-off value. Several transcripts, including 6 apidermin (structurally novel cuticular protein)-related, 16 cuticular and 3 odorant binding proteins, showed lower expression levels in the swarming group compared with the remaining group (FC range of –2.17 to –667.48, -2.04 to –54.34 and -2.08 to –21.34 respectively). Pathway analyses are currently in progress to understand the physiological and metabolic differences between swarming and remaining groups of honey bees.

Acetylcholinesterase 1 (AmAChE1) has low catalytic activity and is abundantly expressed in both neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. In previous experiments, we observed that AmAChE1 is rarely expressed in summer while highly expressed in winter. Through additional experiments, the expression of AmAChE1 was suggested to be associated with brood rearing status. Under the assumption that abnormal suppression of brood rearing activity may result in stressful condition in honey bee social community, it was further suggested that AmAChE1 is likely involved in stress management particularly during winter. We hypothesized that the increased docility usually observed in overwintering bees is likely an outcome of stress management in colony, which is mediated by AmAChE1 expression. To verify this, worker bees expressing abundant AmAChE1 were collected in early winter and injected with Amace1 dsRNA to knockdown Amace1. Then, the behavioral activity of the bees was investigated using the EthoVison video tracking system. Honey bees injected with Amace1 dsRNA showed significantly increased motility, which was strongly correlated with the suppressed expression level of AmAChE1 in the abdomen. No apparent reduced expression of AmAChE1 in the head was observed perhaps due to the limited efficacy of RNA interference in the blood-brain-barrier. Our finding suggests that behavioral activity can be regulated, at least, by AmAChE1 expression level in non-neuronal tissue (i.e., fatbody) perhaps via metabolic alteration.

비벡터링(Bee-vectoring)은 벌통의 외부에 약제를 담은 분배장치를 설치하고 뒤영벌(Bombus terrestris)이 외부로 나갈 때 선발된 약제가 들어있는 분배장치를 통과하여 나가게 함으로써 꽃이나 잎 부위에 선발된 약제를 운반하여 병해충 방제에 이용할 수 있는 기술이다. 본 연구에서는 보베리아(Beauveria bassiana, 기적)와 아세타미프리드 수화제(모스피란)를 비벡터링 선발 약제로 선정하고 약제에 대한 뒤영벌 출입 행동을 비교 분석하였다. 출입 행동 조사는 뒤영벌이 가장 많이 활동하는 오전 6시부터 오후 1시까지의 출입 회수를 7일간 조사하였다. 대조구인 무처리 분배장치를 부착한 뒤영벌 벌통에서는 7일간 약 1,500회의 출입을 한 것으로 조사되었으나 보베리아를 설치한 벌통에서는 7일간 약 600회, 아세타미프리 드를 설치한 벌통에서는 1,000회 출입이 관찰되었다. 보베리아 비벡터링 포장효과 조사는 토마토 온실에서 온실가루이에 대한 방제 효과를 조사하였다. 비벡터링 후 처리구의 거리별 온실가루이 밀도는 50m 지점에서 평균 1,339 마리로 높았으나 무처리구의 경우 30m 지점에서 평균 2,295 마리로 높게 조사되었으며 처리구에서 온실가루이의 밀도는 낮은 추세를 보였다.

Bee venom contains a variety of peptide constituents that have various biological, toxicological, and pharmacological actions. However, the biological actions of secapin, a venom peptide in bee venom, remain largely unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence that the Asiatic honeybee (Apis cerana) secapin (AcSecapin-1) exhibits anti-fibrinolytic, anti-elastolytic, and anti-microbial activities. AcSecapin-1 functions as a serine protease inhibitor-like peptide that has inhibitory effects against plasmin, elastases, microbial serine proteases, trypsin, and chymotrypsin. Consistent with these functions, AcSecapin-1 inhibited the plasmin-mediated degradation of fibrin to fibrin degradation products, thus indicating the role of AcSecapin-1 as a clotting factor. AcSecapin-1 also inhibited both human neutrophil and porcine pancreatic elastases. Furthermore, AcSecapin-1 exhibited anti-microbial activity against fungi and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Taken together, our data demonstrated that AcSecapin-1 has a multifunctional role as an anti-fibrinolytic agent, an anti-elastolytic agent, and an anti-microbial peptide, and our data suggested novel functions for the biological actions of the bee venom peptide, secapin.

Tropilaelaps mercedesae is an ectoparasite of immature honey bees belonging to the genus Tropilaelaps (Acari: Laelapidae). T. mercedesae has become a major threat to the Western honey bee Apis mellifera in Asia, including Korea, and is expanding its geographical range to northern regions due to global warming. To establish gene resources of T. mercedesae, the whole transcriptome was analyzed by RNA sequencing. An mRNA-focused library was generated from total RNA extracted from the mixed stages using the TruSeq RNA Library Preparation kit and sequenced using the HiSeq 2000 platform. A total of 6.0 Gb reads were obtained with 85% Q30 value. Trimmed sequence data were de novo assembled using the CLC Assembly Cell v 4.2. A total of 64,868 non-duplicate contigs were finally obtained and annotated by the Blast2GO using the NCBI nr database. The most abundant species in the resulting 14,336 Blast hits (22.1%) was Metaseiulus occidentalis, a predatory mite, followed by Ixodes scapularis and Tribolium castaneum, suggesting that the T. mercedesae transcriptome matches well with closely related other arthropod species, including mites and ticks. In order to provide basic information for efficient control and monitoring of potential resistance in T. mercedesae, acaricide target genes were annotated and characterized. One voltage-sensitive sodium channel gene encoding the molecular target of fluvalinate, a pyrethroid acaricide most widely used for the control of T. mercedesae, was identified and its molecular properties were investigated. In addition, other acaricide target genes, including acetylcholinesterase and glutamate (or GABA)-gated chloride channel, were identified and characterized.

The acetylcholinesterase 1 (AmAChE1) of the honey bee is known to be abundantly expressed both in the central and peripheral nervous systems. AmAChE1 exists mostly in the soluble form with little catalytic activity and has non-neuronal functions. Our preliminary observation showed that AmAChE1 expression fluctuated between the forages and nurses. A more systematic expression profiling of AmAChE1 over a year cycle on a monthly basis revealed that AmAChE1 was predominantly expressed during the winter months with being moderately expressed during the rainy summer time. However, no significant difference in AmAChE1 expression was noticed between the nurse and forager workers. Interestingly, AmAChE1 expression was inhibited when bees were allowed for brooding by placing overwintering bee hives in strawberry green houses with the supplement of pollen diets whereas it was resumed when the bee hives were removed from the green houses, thereby suppressed brooding. To confirm whether brooding status is a main determining factor for the suppression of AmAChE1 expression, active bee hives were placed in a screen tent, thereby hindering foraging, until brooding was completely suppressed, and then allowed to restore brooding by removing the screen. The AmAChE1 expression in the head was up-regulated when brooding was suppressed whereas its expression was down-regulated when brooding was resumed. These finding demonstrates that AmAChE1 expression in the central nervous system (i.e., head) is related with brooding status of honey bee. To understand the connection between the AmAChE1 expression and other pathways related with brooding, currently in progress are the analyses of head transcriptomes of honey bee workers with or without their brooding suppressed.

Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps mercedesae mites are ectoparasitic to honey bee having similar life cycle and damage symptoms. Both invade into the last instar larval cell and reproduce during capped brood period of honey bee development. Female adult mites escape from the comb cell on the back of the emerging adult bee (phoretic period) and invade another cell for reproduction. Objective of this study was to study the effect of competitive interaction on each parasitic mite species population. We assessed population monitoring of host and parasitic mites. Honey bee population was monitored by approximating sealed brood and adult bees based on the coverage of the combs. Parasitic mites were monitored by detection technique like sugar shake, stick board, and sealed brood. This monitoring continued at weekly interval during 2008, 2014, and 2015. Additionally Invasion distribution of each species was checked. We calculated carrying capacity, population growth rate, and competition parameter from population monitoring data. Single parasitic mite, Varroa occurred and infestation increased continuously throughout the year in 2008. Co-occurrence of Varroa and Tropilaelaps in honey bee colonies was studied in 2014 and 2015. Carrying capacity was higher in single parasite infesting honeybee than parasites in co-occurrence. While using sugar method, carrying capacity of Varroa alone was found higher than in its co-occurrence with Tropilaelaps. Population growth rate of Varroa when tested alone was higher than its co-occurrence with Tropilaelaps in sugar method. Population growth rate of Varroa and Tropilaepas was higher in sticky method than sugar methods when they were tested in co-occurrence. Population growth rate is higher in Tropilaelaps (0.09) than Varroa (0.05) when both are tested in co-occurrence. We calculated competition parameter of Varroa and Tropilaelaps which was 1.9 and 0.53, respectively. Negative effect on regulation of carrying capacity and population growth rate is due to interspecies competition. Varroa population was higher than Tropilaelaps because there was high intraspecies competition among Tropilaelaps. Single Varroa or its co-occurrence with Tropilaelaps both can destroy honeybee colonies.

꿀벌은 화분매개 산업으로 가장 각광을 받고 있는 곤충 중 하나이다. 현재는 서양뒤열벌, 머리뿔가위벌 등이 화분매개로 많이 이용되며 앞으로 다른 화분매개 곤충을 연구하여 화분매개 산업을 발전 시켜나가 농가와의 시너지효과를 기대할 수 있다. 현대에 들어 화분매개 산업에 문제시 되는 농약의 독성에 대한 피해가 늘어나고 있는데 미래의 화분매개충이 될 확률이 높은 stingless bee와 꿀벌간의 급성 독성에 대한 차이를 알고자 태국 치앙마이 대학교에서 stingless bee를 포획하여 네오니코티노이드계 3종(Thiamethoxam, Imidacloprid, clothianidin과 카바메이트계 1종(Cabaryl)에 대해서 섭식독성 실험을 하였다. 농약별 추천 농도에 맞게 희석 한 후, 10배부터 100,000배 6단계로 나누어 처리 하였다. Stingless bee의 반수치사농도는 Thiamethoxam, Imidacloprid, clothianidin에 대해 각각 049, 5.84, 0.72 ppm이었고, Cabaryl 처리구에서는 처리후 14시간까지 추천농도에서도 20%대의 사망률을 보였다. 반면 A. mellifera의 반수치사농도는 각각 0.22, 1.97, 0.46, 53.6 ppm로 나타났다. A. mellifera 국내 개체군을 대상으로 한 연구에서는 0.19, 6.32, 0.22, 7.84 ppm으로 나타났다. 꿀벌의 경우 개체군간 차이는 매우 적었으며, stingless bee의 경우 독성이 상대적으로 낮게 나타났다.

The use of bee venom (Apis mellifera L., BV) occasionally causes side effects such as inflammation and allergic reactions in the recipients. Several case reports also suggested the treatment of BV has some limitations in its clinical uses, due to the occurrence of dermal necrosis and anaphylatic reactions. It is generally understood that bee venom allergy is mainly the result of its allergic component, phospholipase A2 (PLA2). The present study was aimed to generate PLA2-free bee venom (PBV) and evaluate its efficacy as skin care and cosmetic preparation, comparing with original bee venom (BV). Our results showed that both BV and PBV exhibited significant protective effects in UVB-irradiated human keratinocyte (HaCaT) and human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells and they also induced type I collagen synthesis in UVB-irradiated HDF cells except BV at 3 μg/ml. Furthermore, BV and PBV showed the inhibition of UVB-stimulated matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), a major collagen degrading enzyme in skin. However, BV, unlike PBV, exhibited strong cytotoxicities in skin cells (both HaCaT and HDF) at its working concentrations of anti-wrinkle effect. The underlying cell signaling mechanisms of anti-wrinkle effects of BV and PBV were demonstrated by the activation of ERK1/2, and p38. Conclusively, PBV appears to be the bee venom of choice with less cytotoxicity and higher efficacy on UVB-irradiated skin cells in comparison with original bee venom (BV). Therefore, PBV can better be used as a cosmetic ingredient exhibiting excellent anti-wrinkle effect against photoaging than original BV.

Osmia cornifrons plays a major role in the pollination of orchards, but basic information on vitellogenin and the oocyte development is limited. To better understand vitellogenin in hymenopteran insects, we cloned a cDNA encoding vitellogenin from the hornfaced bee O. cornifrons. O. cornifrons vitellogenin cDNA contains 5477 bp with an open reading frame of 1,783 amino acid residues, and has a predicted molecular mass of approximately 200.21 kDa and a pI of 6.55. O. cornifrons vitellogenin possesses four consensus (RXXR/S) cleavage sites and has conserved DGXR and GL/ICG motifs in the C-terminus. The deduced amino acid sequence of the O. cornifrons vitellogenin cDNA showed a 66% identity with Megachile rotundata, 53% to Apis mellifera, 51% to Bombus ignitus, and 42%-30% with other hymenopteran insect vitellogenins. Phylogenetic analysis showed that O. cornifrons vitellogenin clustered with vitellogenins from Megachildae, Apidae, Vespidae, and Formicidae species but not with those from Pteromalidae, Aphelinidae or Ichneumonidae species.

Inhibitor cysteine knot (ICK) peptides exhibit ion channel blocking, insecticidal, and antimicrobial activities, but currently, no functional roles for bee-derived ICK peptides have been identified. In this study, a bee (Apis cerana) ICK peptide (AcICK) that acts as an antifungal peptide and as an insecticidal venom toxin was identified. AcICK contains an ICK fold that is expressed in the epidermis, fat body, or venom gland and is present as a 6.6-kDa peptide in bee venom. Recombinant AcICK peptide (expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells) bound directly to Beauveria bassiana and Fusarium graminearum, but not to Escherichia coli or Bacillus thuringiensis. Consistent with these findings, AcICK showed antifungal activity, indicating that AcICK acts as an antifungal peptide. Furthermore, AcICK expression is induced in the fat body and epidermis after injection with B. bassiana. These results provide insight into the role of AcICK during the innate immune response following fungal infection. Additionally, we show that AcICK has insecticidal activity. Our results demonstrate a functional role for AcICK in bees: AcICK acts as an antifungal peptide in innate immune reactions in the body and as an insecticidal toxin in venom. The finding that the AcICK peptide functions with different mechanisms of action in the body and in venom highlights the two-pronged strategy that is possible with the bee ICK peptide.

Sacbrood disease is a viral disease on honey bee larvae Apis cerana. Diseased larvae fail to pupae and to be dead at old larvae and pre-pupae stage. Currently, there is no remedy to control sacbrood disease. In this study we conducted to observe sacbrood disease on Apis cerana colonies from June to September, 2014 at the A. cerana apiary of NAAS, and using biological measure to treat this disease. Our study results were showed that sacbrood disease infected A. cerana colonies in all months of observation. The percentage of infected colonies was from 33.3% up to 100%. Controlling sacbrood disease by requeen measure, the percentage of recovered colonies was 57.1 % while of this by cage queen measure was only 28.6 %.

In this study we conducted to rear worker honey bee (Apis cerana) from larvae to adult stage in the laboratory by using plastic well plates. Our study results were showed that honey bee larvae Apis cerana could be reared in the laboratory. The adult worker bee started to emerge on day 17 from grafting. The emergence of worker bee peak on day 18 and declined thereafter. The average survival rate from larvae to pre-pupae stage was 74.6%. The average survival rates from pre-pupae to adult stage and from larvae to adult stage were 40.7 % and 30.4 % respectively.

Asian is rich in honey bee species and genetic diversity. Among the difference native honey bee species, Apis cerana is very diversity of subspecies and distribution as well. Until now, nine A. cerana subspecies have been named. However, natural diversity of this species is being declined by threats such as pest, disease, deforestation, pesticide positioning and climate change. Therefore, the understanding of morphological characteristics of A. cerana is viral for maintaining biological diversity. In this paper we give an overview of method that are used for distinguish honey bee A. cerana subspecies and ecotype that can contribute to recognize genetic origin of colonies for conservation and breeding purpose. Base on morphmetric method currently in use, we outline strategies for sampling and measuring morphological characteristics on A. cerana.

RDA(Rural Development Administration of Agriculture) and YIRI(Yecheon-gun Industrial Insect Research Institute) was development of 3 strains crossbred honey bee(Apis mellifera) for increasing honey production(HP). The overall goal of this research is to improve the honey production of queen honey bees. This will enhance the economic value of the nation’s honey bees for honey production, and hazard resistance. Our main objective of this research is to test of honey bees(A. mellifera) that have increased as well as being good honey producers and resistance of disease in jeon-nam province. The new honey bee(A. mellifera) stock were identified ability of increasing honey production by comparing with rearing practice colony. The new honey bee(A. mellifera) stock can produce more than 30~50% honey(HP; 12.31 kg) comparing with rearing practice colonies(control 1; 8.17 kg, and control 2; 9.53 kg). Furthermore, we are calculated the number of worker bee per colony. Population of worker bee in new honey bee(A. mellifera) stock are 2,849 (colony 1), 8,860 (colony 2) and 10,451 (colony 3), it was more then 1.2~3.7 fold comparing with controls.

비벡터링(Bee-vectoring)은 벌을 이용하여 작물을 보호하는 기술이다. 꿀벌이나 뒤영벌(Bombus terrestris)이 모여 있는 벌통의 내부 또는 외부에 미생물제제를 담 은 분배장치를 설치하고 외부로 빠져나갈 때 미생물제제가 들어있는 분배장치를 통과하여 나가게 함으로써 수분 활동 시에 작물의 꽃이나 잎 부위에 미생물 제제를 퍼트려 병해충 방제에 이용할 수 있는 기술이다. 이 기술의 장점은 화분매개곤충들 의 방화활동을 이용하여 병해충 방제가 필요한 꽃이나 잎에 정확히 미생물 제제를 운반함으로써, 수분활동에 의한 농작물 수량증대 및 품질향상의 이점과 더불어 병 해충의 효과적인 방제를 할 수 있다는 점이다. 본 연구에서는 미생물제제를 효과적 으로 뒤영벌의 몸에 묻힐 수 있는 분배장치를 자체 제작하고 분배장치 유무에 따른 뒤엉벌의 시간 당 출입 비율을 비교하였다. 출입 비율은 뒤영벌이 가장 많이 활동하 는 오전 6시부터 오후 10시까지의 행동을 조사하였다. 분배장치와 미생물제제인 토박이(비티아이자와이엔타 423 수화제, 동부하이텍)를 설치하였을 경우 뒤영벌 은 시간당 평균 18.8회 나오고 평균 18회 들어가는 행동을 보였다. 분배장치만 설치 하였을 경우, 평균 21.6회와 24.2회의 출입 행동을 보였으나 분배장치를 설치하지 않은 경우에는 시간 당 평균 35.2회와 43.4회 출입 행동을 하였다.

The effects of a newly developed flower thinning formulation (FTF) on the vitality of the honey bee Apis mellifera were examined by measuring the activities of various digestive enzymes in adult worker bees. First, direct spraying of the FTF solution did not cause any behavioral changes or lethal effects for the honey bees based on 24 h observation. Second, oral ingestion of a sugar solution containing the FTF did not produce any significant change in the activities of amylase, proteinases, lipase, or acetylcholine esterase (AChE) in the worker bees 6 h or 24 h after treatment. Meanwhile, a commercial formulation containing sulfur compounds showed slightly reduced activities for several digestive enzymes and AChE, although no behavioral disturbance. Thus, the results of the present study suggest that the FTF is not toxic for honey bees, in terms of contact and ingestion. Therefore, this newly developed FTF can be used for flower thinning without any detrimental effects on pollinating insects.