Impact of temperature extremes on survival of indigenous and exotic honeybee subspecies, Apis mellifera, under desert and semiarid climates

Journal Article

Alattal, Ahmad A.Al Ghamdi , Yehya . 2015

• المجلة \ الصحيفة: BULLETIN OF INSECTOLOGY
• رقم العدد: 2
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 68
• الصفحات: 2019-222

مستخلص المنشور

To understand annual survival rates or losses in
honey bee colonies, Apis mellifera L., under hot and
dry regions, the ecosystem impact on the indigenous
and exotic subspecies should be highly focused. Ecological
limitations such as drought, severe ambient
summer temperatures, Varroa mite infestation levels,
improper use of pesticides, and inadequate management
practices comprise the most obvious influences
on beekeeping in this region (Alattal et al., 2014b; Alghamdi
et al., 2013; Alqarni et al., 2011; Ali, 2011). In
summer months, average maximum temperature exceeds
40 °C in most of Saudi Arabia (PoMEP, 2014).
A recent study reported significant decrease in precipitation
(47 mm/decade) and significant increase in
maximum average temperature (0.71 °C/decade) which
may reform agricultural activities including beekeeping
within the country (Almazroui et al., 2012). Saudi
beekeepers depend on importations of exotic honey
bee packages to construct their colonies, which may
explain the increasing demand and the limited availability
of local honey bee colonies prior to the flow
season (MoEP, 2012). However, growing importations
of exotic honey bee subspecies may bear significant
risk on the conservation of the indigenous honey bee
(Alattal et al., 2014b). Indeed, beekeepers are confined
to unique beekeeping practices and suffer from relatively
very low colony productivity and high annual
losses (Alqarni et al., 2011; Alghamdi and Nuru,
2013). Apiaries management scheme focuses primarily
on honey production with minimal procedures to prevent
summer or winter colony losses, which seems
economically unfeasible and exhaustive. Yet, variations
in the honey bee body characteristics and colony
performance among exotic honey bee subspecies such
as Italian (Apis mellifera ligustica Spinola) and
Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnica Pollmann) compared
with the indigenous honey bee subspecies, Apis mellifera
jemenitica Ruttner, were documented (Ali, 2011;
Alqarni et al., 2011; Alghamdi et al., 2013; Alqarni et
al., 2013; Alattal et al., 2014a; 2014c). Saudi Arabia
provide ideal place to investigate the impact of extreme
temperatures on European honey bee races compared
with the indigenous honey bee race, which is the
smallest and the most heat tolerant honey bee subspecies
(Ruttner, 1988; Alattal et al., 2014a). Preliminary
reports provided some data that may indicate lower
heat tolerance, shorter foraging durations and higher
Varroa mite infestation rates in exotic honey bee subspecies
compared to the indigenous honey bee A. m.
jemenitica, (Alghamdi, 2002; Abou-Shaara et al.,
2012; Alqarni et al., 2014).