Minor impact of probiotic bacteria and egg white on growth, microbial composition, and pathogen infection.

The industrial rearing of the yellow mealworm () for feed and food purposes on agricultural by-products may expose larvae and adults to entomopathogens used as biocontrol agents in crop production. Bacterial spores/toxins or fungal conidia from species such as or could affect the survival and growth of insects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential benefits of a wheat bran diet supplemented with probiotic bacteria and dried egg white on larval development and survival and its effects on the gut microbiome composition.

A New Approach for Detecting Sublethal Effects of Neonicotinoids on Bumblebees Using Optical Sensor Technology.

Among insects, bees are important pollinators, providing many vital ecosystem services. The recent pollinator decline is threatening both their diversity and abundance. One of the main drivers of this decline is the extensive use of pesticides.

The Use of Probiotics during Rearing of : Potential, Caveats, and Knowledge Gaps.

Given the novelty of the industrial production of the edible insects sector, research has primarily focused on the zootechnical performances of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) in response to different substrates and rearing conditions as a basis to optimize yield and quality. However recently, research has started to focus more on the associated microbes in the larval digestive system and their substrates and the effect of manipulating the composition of these communities on insect performance as a form of microbiome engineering. Here we present an overview of the existing literature on the use of microorganisms during rearing of the BSFL to optimize the productivity of this insect.

Uptake and Survival of African Swine Fever Virus in Mealworm () and Black Soldier Fly ( Larvae.

Insect production offers a sustainable source of nutrients for livestock. This comes with a risk for transmission of pathogens from the insects into the livestock sector, including viruses causing serious diseases, such as African swine fever virus (ASFV), classical swine fever virus and foot-and-mouth disease virus. ASFV is known to survive for a long time within animal meat and byproducts.

Effect of Probiotics on Larval Development and Resistance against the Fungal Pathogen .

In recent years, the yellow mealworm ( L.) has demonstrated its potential as a mass-produced edible insect for food and feed. However, challenges brought on by pathogens in intensive production systems are unavoidable and require the development of new solutions.

Laboratory Risk Assessment of Three Entomopathogenic Fungi Used for Pest Control toward Social Bee Pollinators.

The use of fungal-based biopesticides to reduce pest damage and protect crop quality is often considered a low-risk control strategy. Nevertheless, risk assessment of mycopesticides is still needed since pests and beneficial insects, such as pollinators, co-exist in the same agroecosystem where mass use of this strategy occurs. In this context, we evaluated the effect of five concentrations of three commercial entomopathogenic fungi, , , and by direct contact and ingestion, on the tropical stingless bees and , temperate bee species, the honey bee , and the bumble bee at the individual level.

CSI Pollen: Diversity of Honey Bee Collected Pollen Studied by Citizen Scientists.

A diverse supply of pollen is an important factor for honey bee health, but information about the pollen diversity available to colonies at the landscape scale is largely missing. In this COLOSS study, beekeeper citizen scientists sampled and analyzed the diversity of pollen collected by honey bee colonies. As a simple measure of diversity, beekeepers determined the number of colors found in pollen samples that were collected in a coordinated and standardized way.

Honeybees Tolerate Cyanogenic Glucosides from Clover Nectar and Flowers.

Honeybees () pollinate flowers and collect nectar from many important crops. White clover () is widely grown as a temperate forage crop, and requires honeybee pollination for seed set. In this study, using a quantitative LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) assay, we show that the cyanogenic glucosides linamarin and lotaustralin are present in the leaves, sepals, petals, anthers, and nectar of .

Parasite infection accelerates age polyethism in young honey bees.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are important pollinators and their health is threatened worldwide by persistent exposure to a wide range of factors including pesticides, poor nutrition, and pathogens. Nosema ceranae is a ubiquitous microsporidian associated with high colony mortality. We used lab micro-colonies of honey bees and video analyses to track the effects of N.

Weight Watching and the Effect of Landscape on Honeybee Colony Productivity: Investigating the Value of Colony Weight Monitoring for the Beekeeping Industry.

Over the last few decades, a gradual departure away from traditional agricultural practices has resulted in alterations to the composition of the countryside and landscapes across Europe. In the face of such changes, monitoring the development and productivity of honey bee colonies from different sites can give valuable insight on the influence of landscape on their productivity and might point towards future directions for modernized beekeeping practices. Using data on honeybee colony weights provided by electronic scales spread across Denmark, we investigated the effect of the immediate landscape on colony productivity.

Evaluation of cage designs and feeding regimes for honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) laboratory experiments.

The aim of this study was to improve cage systems for maintaining adult honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers under in vitro laboratory conditions. To achieve this goal, we experimentally evaluated the impact of different cages, developed by scientists of the international research network COLOSS (Prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes), on the physiology and survival of honey bees.