Elemental Profile of Propolis from Different Areas of Serbia.

Propolis is a resinous natural substance collected by honeybees from different plant sources. The element content of propolis is influenced by the content of elements in the soil, climatic factors, and the degree of pollution. The aim of the study was to characterize element composition and content of toxic elements in 51 propolis collected from different locations in Serbia and to evaluate the differences among them.

Urban ecosystem drives genetic diversity in feral honey bee.

Urbanization can change biodiversity in both directions, positive and negative, and despite the rising global trend of urban beekeeping, little is known about the impact of urbanization on the genetic diversity of honey bees. We investigate how urbanization affects the genetic variability of feral and managed honey bee colonies that are spread throughout the entire city, even in highly urban areas, through genetic analysis of 82 worker bees. We found convincing evidence of high genetic differentiation between these two groups.

Further Evidence of Population Admixture in the Serbian Honey Bee Population.

Socioeconomic interests and beekeeper preferences have often taken precedence over the conservation of locally native honey bee subspecies, leading to the predominance of admixture populations in human-dominated areas. To assess the genetic diversity of contemporary managed Serbian honey bee colonies, we used 14 microsatellite loci and analyzed 237 worker bees from 46 apiaries in eight localities of northern and southern Serbia. Furthermore, we compared data for nine microsatellite loci with 338 individuals from Italy, Hungary, Poland, and Spain.

Unprecedented Density and Persistence of Feral Honey Bees in Urban Environments of a Large SE-European City (Belgrade, Serbia).

It is assumed that wild honey bees have become largely extinct across Europe since the 1980s, following the introduction of exotic ectoparasitic mite () and the associated spillover of various pathogens. However, several recent studies reported on unmanaged colonies that survived the mite infestation. Herewith, we present another case of unmanaged, free-living population of honey bees in SE Europe, a rare case of feral bees inhabiting a large and highly populated urban area: Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

MtDNA Analysis Indicates Human-Induced Temporal Changes of Serbian Honey Bees Diversity.

Local populations of are rapidly changing by modern beekeeping through the introduction of nonnative queens, selection and migratory beekeeping. To assess the genetic diversity of contemporary managed honey bees in Serbia, we sequenced mitochondrial intergenic region of 241 worker bees from 46 apiaries at eight localities. Nine haplotypes were observed in our samples, with C2d being the most common and widespread.

Assessment of spatial and temporal variations in trace element concentrations using honeybees () as bioindicators.

With the increase in anthropogenic activities metal pollution is also increased and needs to be closely monitored. In this study honeybees were used as bioindicators to monitor metal pollution. Metal pollution in honeybees represents pollution present in air, water and soil.

Honeybees as sentinels of lead pollution: Spatio-temporal variations and source appointment using stable isotopes and Kohonen self-organizing maps.

In this study, honeybees were used to determine spatio-temporal variations and origin sources of Pb. Lead concentrations and isotopic composition were used in combination with selected statistical methods. The sampling was carried out at five different locations in Serbia: urban region (BG), petrochemical industry (PA), suburban region (PV), rural region (MS) and thermal power plant region (TPP) during 2014.

Use of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) as bioindicators for assessment and source appointment of metal pollution.

The ability of honeybees to collect particulate matter (PM) on their bodies makes them outstanding bioindicators. In this study, two cities, Pančevo (PA) and Vršac (VS), South Banat district, Vojvodina, Serbia, were covered with two sampling sites each. The aims of this study were to determine concentrations of Al, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Sr, and Zn in the bodies of honeybees during July and September of 2013, 2014, and 2015 and to analyze their spatial and temporal variations and sources of analyzed elements, as well as to assess pollution levels in the two cities.

Potential infectivity of Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains in Ixodes ricinus ticks from Serbia.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains from different geographical regions are characterised by diverse potential infectivity for humans and domesticated animals. We investigated the potential pathogenicity of A. phagocytophilum strains in Ixodes ricinus ticks from 11 geographically different localities in Serbia.

Phenotypic variability in five Aceria spp. (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) inhabiting Cirsium species (Asteraceae) in Serbia.

From about 250 Cirsium spp., only two Aceria spp. (Acari: Eriophyoidea) have been described, Aceria anthocoptes (Nal.

Regional tritrophic relationship patterns of five aphid parasitoid species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) in agroecosystem-dominated landscapes of southeastern Europe.

A regional survey of the complex tritrophic associations (parasitoid-aphid-plant) of aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) was carried out to determine and explore the patterns of those associations in various types of environments. Here, we present trophic relationship patterns of the five aphid parasitoid species in crop and noncrop habitats in southeastern Europe, and we contrast them in a regional (Mediterranean [MED] versus continental [CNT]) context. In total, 79 aphid host taxa were identified in this survey.

Morphological variation in different populations of Aceria anthocoptes (Acari: Eriophyoidea) associated with the Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense, in Serbia.

The russet mite, Aceria anthocoptes (Nal.), is the only eriophyid that has been recorded on Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.