Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food

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Author: search.filters.author.Galea, Thomas

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    Apis florea in Europe: first report of the dwarf honey bee in Malta
    (Informa UK Limited, 2024-08-21)
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    Galea, Thomas
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    Chen, Chao
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    Cilia, Giovanni
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    Costa, Cecilia
    The Red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea), is a single-comb open-nesting member of the genus Apis with a natural distribution area stretching from the Indomalayan realm on the east to the Persian Gulf on the west. However, it is reportedly colonising new territories mainly due to anthropogenic activities. Nowadays it can be found from Taiwan on the east, to Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula and North-eastern Africa on the west. Here we present the first scientific record of a fully established colony of A. florea in Europe. The colony was found on Malta, a crossway of naval routes in the Mediterranean Sea. We documented the incident with photos, collected samples of workers and drones and sequenced the mtDNA COI gene to confirm assignment to A. florea. Also, we alert the competent authorities and the beekeeping community to be vigilant and ready to undertake effective eradication measures. In the paper, we discuss the risks and the potential consequences associated with the invasion of A. florea in Europe.
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    Deciphering the variation in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of six European honey bee subspecies
    (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-10-28)
    Rodríguez-León, Daniel Sebastián
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    Costa, Cecilia
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    Elen, Dylan
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    Charistos, Leonidas
    The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) subspecies exhibit local adaptive traits that evolved in response to the different environments that characterize their native distribution ranges. An important trait is the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile, which helps to prevent desiccation and mediate communication. We compared the CHC profiles of six European subspecies (A. m. mellifera, A. m. carnica, A. m. ligustica, A. m. macedonica, A. m. iberiensis, and A. m. ruttneri) and investigated potential factors shaping their composition. We did not find evidence of adaptation of the CHC profiles of the subspecies to the climatic conditions in their distribution range. Subspecies-specific differences in CHC composition might be explained by phylogenetic constraints or genetic drift. The CHC profiles of foragers were more subspecies-specific than those of nurse bees, while the latter showed more variation in their CHC profiles, likely due to the lower desiccation stress exerted by the controlled environment inside the hive. The strongest profile differences appeared between nurse bees and foragers among all subspecies, suggesting an adaptation to social task and a role in communication. Foragers also showed an increase in the relative amount of alkanes in their profiles compared to nurses, indicating adaptation to climatic conditions.
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    Development, behaviour, productivity, and health status of the native honey bee Apis mellifera ruttneri vs. the introduced A. m. ligustica in Malta
    (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023-06-19)
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    Mifsud, David
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    Galea, Thomas
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    Cutajar, Simone
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    Zammit-Mangion, Marion
    The tiny population of the endemic Maltese honey bee (A. m. ruttneri) is threatened by anthropogenic influences, such as urbanisation, habitat loss, and unsustainable agricultural practices, but most prominently by the importation of commercially important non-native stock. To obtain data on the colony life cycle parameters of <A. m. ruttneri> and to measure its apicultural performance in relation to imported <jats:italic>A. m. ligustica</jats:italic> under Maltese conditions, we conducted a comparative study between mid-2017 and early 2020. Over one full season, colonies of both subspecies (A. m. ruttneri) (n= 15) vs. A. m. ligustica (n = 18)) were regularly assessed for survival, colony size, behaviour, and presence of diseases. The comparative assessments were completed in September 2018, but monitoring and sampling of the surviving colonies of A. m. ruttneri continued until March 2020. Our results clearly indicate that the tested group of sister queens of <jats:italic>A. m. ruttneri is well adapted to the prevailing environmental conditions in Malta. The colonies survived significantly longer than the tested group of sister queens of A. m. ligustica and performed better in several parameters measured, their colony development, and health being well in tune with the environment. A. m. ruttneri received acceptable scores for behavioural traits (gentleness and calmness on the comb), showing potential for improvement by breeding. The results from this pioneering study clearly indicate that A. m. ruttneri, with its superior adaptation to Maltese conditions and the potential to improve by breeding, represents a prime option towards economically sound beekeeping on the Maltese archipelago.