Bumble bees

Venoms causing anaphylaxis or other allergic reactions originate almost exclusively from social Hymenoptera, most often honeybees and vespids (fig. 1) [1], occasionally from bumble bees [2], in America [3] and in Australia [4], also from ants. Stings by other insects like mosquitoes, bedbugs, fleas, horse flies and midges can very rarely also cause systemic allergic reactions. These are however not due to venoms but to... 

Fig. 2. Species of Hymenoptera responsible for systemic allergic reactions (a) honey bee A. mellif-era), (b) bumble bee (Bombus spp.j, (c) wasp, in the USA yellow jacket (Vespula spp.j, (d) European paper wasp (P. gallicus), (e) European hornet (V. crabro), and (f) Australian jack jumper ant (M. pilo-sula) [by courtesy of Dr. S.G. Brown, Perth, Australia]. 

Bumble bee venom contains also a phospholipase A2 with partial identity to bee venom phospholipase Aj and a protease, but no melittin. Instead there are several small peptides called bombolitins [9]. There is limited cross-reactivity between honey bee and bumblebee venoms [2]. 

Feed honey bees, bumble bees, and butterflies and other endangered wildlife ... 

Hummel (Bumble Bee). Nickname for a self-propelled mount consisting of 150mm Medium Howitzer on the chassis of a PzKpfw III/IV tank. (See also under Panzer)... 

Aminocarb. Next to fenitrothion, aminocarb has been the insecticide used most extensively in forestry in Canada over the past decade. Application rates of up to 0.175 kg/ha have been found to have little or no impact on forest songbird populations or small mammal breeding activity, but do cause considerable knockdown of terrestrial arthropods, particularly at higher application rates (35, 36). Short-lived but fairly extensive honeybee mortality has been documented when aminocarb has been applied while active foraging was underway, but the overall colony vigor was not seriously effected (37 ). Aminocarb does not appear to cause bumble bee mortality at operational application rates, but does affect solitary bees ( 18). 

Irwin R. E. and Brody A. K. (1999) Nectar-robbing bumble bees reduce the fitness of Ipomopsis aggregata (Polemoniaceae). Ecology 80, 1703-1712. 

Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn t know it, so it goes on flying anyway. —Mary Kay Ash... 

The bumble bee flies because it has never been told that it cannot do so. I think this is a great idea for everyone to adopt in their own lives. Just imagine what humans could do if they had never been told it was impossible ... 

While I think this is a wonderful thing for bumble bees, I don t see how it applies to human beings at all. Animals often can do things that scientists do not understand but it is not because they are determined or anything like that. As animals, they are not capable of higher thinking like that. Only humans have that ability. 

Bumble bees are pretty neat insects. I am not surprised to find out that they are not supposed to be able to fly, but they still do. They seem like determened creaturesto me. I think that the quote is basically saying that you can do anything you want if I want to enough. That is a nice idea and I hope that it is true. 

Yeah, I prefer Baxter because they carry Bumble Bee brand nuclear reactors. ... 

Me Hello, this is me from Bumble Bee Synthetics. We [always refer to yourself as we. You are a company of more than one person, remember ] need to order some ethyl ether. ... 

Male Aphomia sociella L, the bumble bee waxmoth, contains a sex pheromone in its wing gland, the major part of which is an R(-)mellein (= ochracin). The compound, which evokes searching behavior in females, is produced by a mold, Aspergillus ochraceus, found in the intestine of the last-instar larvae and in the bumble bee nest [180]. Apparently such insect-fungus relationships are widespread. 

Most herbicides and fungicides are not directly toxic to honey bees. In the same way, sex lures, attractants, and other hormones usually cause no acute toxicity problems for adult bees. Occasionally, a few honey bees and bumble bees have been found in traps containing Japanese beetle lures... 

J.N., Poppy, G. and Pham-Delegue M.H. (1999). Olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension in bumble bees. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 90,123-129. 

The first test of an insect growth regulator (IGR) on a non-Apis bee was presented during a symposium in 1993 [25], The authors observed adult mortality and brood development in bumble bee colonies B. ter-restris) maintained in cages. Forage plants were treated during activity hours with the IGR fenoxycarb. It was concluded that the IGR did not present a negative action on adult bumble bees but that a larval test had to be developed for an adequate assessment of the brood mortality. 

The LD50 of several compounds was established in the social bee Trigona spinipes using a topical test protocol similar to the one for bumble bees [34],... 

Laboratory tests were used to assess the effects of low doses or concentrations on bumble bees. To estimate whether a 0.01-0.02 j.g topical application of deltamethrin affected the longevity of bumble bees, 32 workers per treatment were kept in disposable boxes each containing eight insects, maintained in the dark at 20°C. Mortality was recorded daily [45]. A more recent article reported on a feeding test conducted on queenless microcolonies of three workers of B. terrestris to study sublethal effects of low concentrations of imidacloprid in the food on worker survival, brood size and larval development [46]. 

This means that honey bees are less tolerant to deltamethrin than leafcutting bees and bumble bees. 

A chronic feeding test was performed for 21 days with aldicarb, which showed medium lethal concentration values of 1.6, 2.0, and 3.9mg/kg for honey bees, N. melanderi, and M. rotundata, respectively [30]. With IGR insecticides, LC50 estimated on young bumble bee larvae was higher for diflubenzuron than for fenoxycarb while the converse was observed for honey bees [48]. 

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