Abstract
Biological invasions represent both an increasingly important applied problem and a tool for gaining insight into the structure of ecological communities. Although competitive interactions between invasive and native species are considered among the most important mechanisms driving invasion dynamics, such interactions are in general poorly understood. The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a widespread and economically important invader that now has a near-global distribution long suspected to competitively suppress many native bee species. Besides, various bumblebees (Bombus sp.), the alfalfa leafcutter bee Megachile rotundata, and various other solitary species have been introduced to countries far beyond their home range. Possible negative consequences of these introductions include: competition with native pollinators for floral resources; competition for nest sites; co-introduction of natural enemies, particularly pathogens that may infect native organisms; pollination of exotic weeds; and disruption of pollination of native plants. Interspecific competition for a limited resource can result in the reduction of survival, growth and/or reproduction in one of the species involved. As the impact of honey bees on native bees depends on the resource quality and quantity, it is recommended to assess the habitat quality in relation to its fauna by experts before any introduction of bee hives to deduce the number of hives, which can be introduced with a minimum impact. Thomson (Ecology 85:458–470, 2004) reported that Bombus occidentalis colonies exposed to competition with Apis experienced increased nectar scarcity and responded by reallocating foragers from pollen to nectar collection, resulting in lowered rates of larval production. These results provide evidence that Apis competitively suppresses a native social bee known to be an important pollinator, with the potential for cascading effects on native plant communities. Likewise introduction of Apis mellifera eliminated Apis cerana japonica in China and Japan and Apis cerana indica in Indian subcontinent including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. How Apis influences native communities is of particular interest in light of both growing concerns over declines of many native pollinator species and uncertainty about the implications of disease-driven Apis declines and the spread of Africanized Apis strains. Negative impacts of exotic bees need to be carefully assessed before further introductions are carried out.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aballay FE, Ruiz M, Maraboli A, Arretz VP (1986) Analysis of the establishment in Chile of Bombus ruderatus (F.) introduced for red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) pollination. Invest Agric 9(1):31–36
Abrahamovich AH, Telleria MC, Dıaz NB (2001) Bombus species and their associated flora in Argentina. Bee World 82:76–87
Abrol DP (2001) Import – export policy of honey bees and other pollinators. Indian Bee J 63(3&4):55–58
Abrol DP (2009) Bees and beekeeping in India, 2nd edn. Kalyani Publishers Ludhiana, India, 719pp
Abrol DP, Ball BV (2006) New record of European foul brood (EFB) – a bacterial disease of honeybee Apis mellifera L. in Jammu, India. J Res SKUAST-J 5(2):256–260
Ahmad F, Partap U (2000) Indigenous honeybee of the Himalayas: a community based approach to conserving biodiversity and increasing farm productivity. Six Monthly Progress Report (Jan-June 2000). ICIMOD, Kathmandu, Nepal
Aizen MA, Feinsinger P (1994) Forest fragmentation, pollination, and plant reproduction in a Chaco dry forest, Argentina. Ecology 75:330–351
Akre RD, MacDonald JF (1986) Biology, economic importance and control of yellow jackets. In: Vinson, S.B. (ed). Economic Impact and Control of Social Insects. Praeger, New York
Alexander N (ed) (1996) Australia: state of the environment 1996. Melbourne, CSIRO, 78pp
Allen MF, Ball BV, Underwood BA (1990) An isolation of Melissococcus pluton from Apis laboriosa. J Invertebr Pathol 55:439–440
Allsopp MH (1993) Summarized overview of the Capensis problem. S Afr Bee J 65:127–136
Anderson JME (1989) Honeybees in natural ecosystems. In: Noble JC, Bradstock RA (eds) Mediterranean landscapes in Australia: Mallee ecosystems and their management. CSIRO, East Melbourne, pp 300–304
Arizmendi MC, Dominguez CA, Dirzo R (1995) The role of an avian nectar robber and of hummingbird pollinators in the reproduction of two plant species. Funct Ecol 10:119–127
Armstrong JA (1979) Biotic pollination mechanisms in the Australian flora – a review. NZ J Bot 17:467–508
Arretz PV, Macfarlane RP (1986) The introduction of Bombus ruderatus to Chile for red clover pollination. Bee World 67:15–22
Barthell JF, Thorp RW (1995) Nest usurpation among females of an introduced leaf-cutter bee, Megachile apicalis. Southwest Entomol 20:117–124
Barthell JF, Frankie GW, Thorp RW (1998) Invader effects in a community of cavity nesting megachilid bees (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Environ Entomol 27:240–247
Barthell JF, Randall JM, Thorp RW, Wenner AM (2001) Promotion of seed set in yellow star thistle by honey bees: evidence of an invasive mutualism. Ecol Appl 11:1870–1883
Batra SWT (1979) Osmia cornifrons and Pithitis smaragulda, two Asian bees introduced into the United States for crop pollination. In: MC Dewey (ed) Proceedings of IV international symposium pollination, College Park, University of Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Special Miscellaneous Publication I, pp 79–83
Batra SWT (1982) Biological control in agroecosystems. Science 25:134–139
Bohart GE (1972) Management of wild bees for the pollination of crops. Annu Rev Entomol 17:287–312
Buchmann SL (1996) Competition between honey bees and native bees in the Sonoran Desert and global bee conservation issues. See Matheson et al. 1996, pp 125–142
Buchmann SL, Nabhan GP (1996) The forgotten pollinators. Island, Washington, DC
Burd M (1994) Bateman’s principle and plant reproduction: the role of pollen limitation in fruit and seed set. Bot Rev 60:83–139
Butler MJ, Stein RA (1985) An analysis of the mechanisms governing species replacements in crayfish. Oecologia 66:168–177
Buttermore RE (1997) Observations of successful Bombus terrestris (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies in southern Tasmania. Aust J Entomol 36:251–254
Butz Huryn VM (1997) Ecological impacts of introduced honey bees. Q Rev Biol 72:275–297
Butz Huryn VM, Moller H (1995) An assessment of the contribution of honeybees (Apis mellifera) to weed reproduction in New Zealand protected natural areas. NZ J Ecol 19:111–122
Cane JH, Payne JA (1988) Foraging ecology of the bee Habropoda laboriosa (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae), an oligolege of blueberries (Ericaceae: Vaccimium) in the southeastern United States. Ann Entomol Soc Am 81:419–427
Cardale JC (1993) Hymenoptera: Apoidea. In: Houston WWK, Maynard GV (eds) Zoological catalogue of Australia, vol 10. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra
Carpenter FL (1978) A spectrum of nectar-eater communities. Am Zool 18:809–819
Chittka L, Ings TC, Raine NE (2004) Chance and adaptation in the Evolution of island bumblebee behaviour. Popul Ecol 46:243–251
Choi SY (1984) Brief report on the status of Korean Beekeeping. Proceedings of the Expert Consultation (ed) FAG, pp 170–190
Cobey S (1999) The new world Carniolan closed population breeding project. In: Proceeding of 36th Apimondia Congress Vancouver, Canada, Apimondia Publication House, Bucharest, pp 26–27
Common Wealth of Australia (1997) The national weeds strategy. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra
Cooper KW (1984) Discovery of the first resident population of the European bee, Megachile apicalis, in the United States (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Entomol News 95:225–226
Corbet SA, Fussell M, Ake R, Fraser A, Gunson C et al (1993) Temperature and the pollinating activity of social bees. Ecol Entomol 18:17–30
Corbet SA, Saville NM, Fussell M, Prys-Jones OE, Unwin DM (1995) The competition box: a graphical aid to forecasting pollinator performance. J Appl Ecol 32:707–719
Crane E (1990) Bees and beekeeping: science, practice, and world resources. Cornell University Press, Comstock/Ithaca
Crane E (1992) The past and present status of beekeeping with stingless bees. Bee World 73:29–42
Dafni A (1998) The threat of Bombus terrestris spread. Bee World 79:113–114
Dafni A, Shmida A (1996) The possible ecological implications of the invasion of Bombus terrestris (L.) (Apidae) at Mt. Carmel, Israel. In: Matheson A (ed) The conservation of bees. The Linnean Society of London and The International Bee Research Association, London, pp 183–200
Daly HV, Bohart GE, Thorp RW (1971) Introduction of small carpenter bees in California for pollination. I. Release of Pithitis smaragulda. J Econ Entomol 64:1145–1150
Deodikar GB (1971) Code of conduct for conservation of bees and beekeeping. Indian Bee J 33(1/2):14–22
Diwan VV (1971) Occurrence of a new bacterial disease of Indian honeybees Apisindica F., Curr. Science 40:196–197
Dobson HEM (1993) Bee fauna associated with shrubs in 2 California chaparral communities. Pan-Pac Entomol 69:77–94
Dochkova B (1984) [Studies on the economic importance of Megachile rotunda (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae)]. Rastenievudni Nauki 21:116–121
Donovan BJ (1975) Introduction of new bee species for pollinating lucerne. Proc NZ Grasslands Assoc 36:123–128
Donovan BJ (1979) Importation, establishment and propagation of the alkali bee Nomia melanderi Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) in New Zealand. In: Proceedings of 4th International Symposium on Pollination, Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Special Miscellaneous Publication, Maryland, 1:257–268
Donovan BJ (1980) Interactions between native and introduced bees in New Zealand. NZ J Ecol 3:104–116
Donovan BJ (1990) Selection and importation of new pollinators to New Zealand. NZ Entomol 13:26–32
Donovan BJ, Wier SS (1978) Development of hives for field population increase, and studies on the life cycles of the four species of introduced bumble bees in New Zealand. NZ J Agric Res 21:733–756
Dornhaus A, Chittka L (1999) Insect behaviour: evolutionary origins of bee dances. Nature 401:38
Doull K (1973) Bees and their role in pollination. Aust Plants 7:223–236
Dunning JW (1886) The importation of humble bees into New Zealand. Trans R Entomol Soc London 6:32–34
Eickwort GC, Ginsberg HS (1980) Foraging and mating behaviour in Apoidea. Annu Rev Entomol 25:421–426
Estoup A, Solignac M, Cornuet JM, Goudet J, Scholl A (1996) Genetic differentiation of continental and island populations of Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Europe. Mol Ecol 5:19–31
Evans JD, Pettis JS, Shimanuki H (2000) Mitochondrial DNA relationships in an emergent pest of honey bees: Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from the United States and Africa. Ann Entomol Soc Am 93:415–420
Francoy TM, Wittmann D, Drauschke S, Müller S, Steinhage V et al (2008) Identification of Africanized honey bees through wing morphometrics: two fast and efficient procedures. Apidologie 39(5):488–494
Frankie GW, Thorp RW, Newstrom-Lloyd LE, Rizzardi MA, Barthell JF et al (1998) Monitoring solitary bees in modified wildland habitats: implications for bee ecology and conservation. Environ Entomol 27:1137–1148
Freitas BM, Paxton RJ (1998) A comparison of two pollinators: the introduced honey bee Apis mellifera and an indigenous bee Centris tarsata on cashew Anacardium occidentale in its native range of NE Brazil. J Appl Ecol 35:109–121
Galen C (1983) The effects of nectar thieving ants on seedset in floral scent morphs of Polemonium viscosum. Oikos 41:245–249
Gatoria GS, Chhunneja PK, Singh D (2000) Import of pollinator, package bees, quieen bees and associated problems. Indian Bee J 62:1–9
Ge F, Xye YB, Nie QS (2000) Natural recovery of Chinese bee populations of Changbai Mountains. In: Matsuka (ed) Asian bees and beekeeping. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Ltd, New Delhi, pp. 26
Gilliam M (1997) Identification and roles of non-pathogenic microflora associated with honey bees. FEMS Microbiol Lett 155:1–10
Gilliam M, Taber S (1991) Diseases, pests, and normal microflora of honeybees, Apis mellifera, from feral colonies. J Invertebr Pathol 58:286–289
Gilliam M, Lorenz BJ, Prest DB, Camazine S (1993) Ascosphaera apis from Apis cerana from South Korea. J Invertebr Pathol 61:111–112
Gilliam M, Lorenz BJ, Buchmann SL (1994) Ascosphaera apis, the chalkbrood pathogen of the honeybee, Apis mellifera, from larvae of a carpenter-bee, Xylocopa californica arizonensis. J Invertebr Pathol 63:307–309
Ginsberg HS (1983) Foraging ecology of bees in an old field. Ecology 64:165–175
Goerzen DW (1991) Microflora associated with the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (Fab) (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) in Saskatchewan, Canada. Apidologie 22:553–561
Goerzen DW, Erlandson MA, Bissett J (1990) Occurrence of chalkbrood caused by Ascosphaera aggregata Skou in a native leafcutting bee, Megachile relativa Cresson (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), in Saskatchewan. Can Entomol 122:1269–1270
Goerzen DW, Dumouchel L, Bissett J (1992) Occurrence of chalkbrood caused by Ascosphaera aggregata Skou in a native leafcutting bee, Megachile pugnata Say (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), in Saskatchewan. Can Entomol 124:557–558
Goka K, Okabe K, Yoneda M, Niwa S (2001) Bumblebee commercialization will cause worldwide migration of parasitic mites. Mol Ecol 10:2095–2099
Goulson D (1999) Foraging strategies for gathering nectar and pollen in insects. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst 2:185–209
Goulson D, Hanley ME (2004) Distribution and forage use of exotic bumblebees in South Island, New Zealand. NZ J Ecol 28:225–232
Goulson D, Stout JC (2001) Homing ability of bumblebees; evidence for a large foraging range? Apidologie 32:105–112
Goulson D, Ollerton J, Sluman C (1997) Foraging strategies in the small skipper butterfly, Thymelicus flavus; when to switch? Anim Behav 53:1009–1016
Goulson D, Stout JC, Kells AR (2002) Do alien bumblebees compete with native flower visiting insects in Tasmania? J Insect Conserv 6:179–189
Gross CL (2001) The effect of introduced honeybees on native bee visitation and fruit-set in Dillwynia juniperina (Fabaceae) in a fragmented ecosystem. Biol Conserv 102:89–95
Gross CL, Mackay D (1998) Honeybees reduce fitness in the pioneer shrub Melastoma affine (Melastomataceae). Biol Conserv 86:169–178
Hall DR, Cork A, Lester A (1987) Identification and role of female pheromone. J Chem Ecol 13:1575–1589
Heinrich B (1979) Bumblebee economics. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Heinrich B, Raven PH (1972) Energetics and pollination ecology. Science 176:597–602
Hingston AB, McQuillan PB (1999) Displacement of Tasmanian native megachilid bees by the recently introduced bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Aust J Zool 47:59–65
Hingston AB, Marsden-Smedley J, Driscoll DA, Corbett S, Fenton J, Anderson R, Plowman C, Mowling F, Jenkin M, Matsui K, Bonham KJ, Ilowski M, McQuillin PB, Yaxley B, Reid T, Storey D, Poole L, Mallick SA, Fitzgerald N, Kirkpatrick LB, Febey J, Harwood AG, Michaels KF, Russell MJ, Black PG, Emmerson L, Visoiu M, Morgan J, Breen S, Gates S, Bantich MN, Desmarchelier JM (2002) Extent of invasion of Tasmanian native vegetation by the exotic bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Apoidea: Apidae). Aust Ecol 27:162–172
Holmes FO (1964) The distribution of honey bees and bumblebees on nectar secreting plants. Am Bee J January:12–13
Hopkins I (1911) Australasian bee manual. Gordon and Gotch, Wellington, 173pp
Hopkins I (1914) History of the bumblebee in New Zealand: its introduction and results. NZ Dept Agric Ind Commer 46:1–29
Hopper SD (1987) Impact of honeybees on Western Australia’s nectarivorous fauna. In: Blyth J (ed) Beekeeping and land management. Western Australia CALM, Albany, pp 59–71
Horskins K, Turner VB (1999) Resource use and foraging patterns of honeybees, Apis mellifera, and native insects on flowers of Eucalyptus costata. Aust J Ecol 24:221–227
Inoue MN, Yokoyama J, Washitani I (2007) Displacement of Japanese native bumblebees by the recently introduced Bombus terrestris (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J Insect Conserv 10
Inouye DW (1983) The ecology of nectar robbing. In: Elias TS, Bentley B (eds) The biology of nectarines. Columbia University Press, New York, pp 152–173
Irwin RE, Brody AK (1999) Nectar-robbing bumble bees reduce the fitness of Ipomopsis aggregata (Polemoniaceae). Ecology 80:1703–1712
Jay SC, Dixon D (1982) Nosema disease in package honeybees, queens and attendant workers shipped to western Canada. J Apic Res 21(4):216–221
Kato M (1993) Impacts of the introduction of Bombus terrestris colonies upon pollination mutualism in Japan. Honeybee Sci 14:110–114 (in Japanese)
Kato M, Shibata A, Yasui T, Nagamasu H (1999) Impact of introduced honeybees, Apis mellifera, upon native bee communities in the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands. Res Popul Ecol 2:217–228
Kevan PG, Laverty TM (1990) A brief survey and caution about importing alternative pollinators into Canada. Varroa can survive outside the hive and away from honey bees. Can Beekeep 15:176–177
Koeniger N (1982) Interactions among the four species of Apis. In: Breed MD (ed) Biology of socialinsects. Westview Press, Boulder
Korpela S, Fakhimzadeh K (1991) Tracheal mites in Finland. Am Bee J 131(9):587–588
Kshirsagar KK, Chauhan RM, Singh YK (1981) Occurrence of sac brood disease in Apis cerana Fab. Indian Bee J 43(2):44
Kunitake Y, Goka K (2006) Environmental risk assessment and management decisions for introduced insects – legal controls on Bombus terrestris by Invasive Alien Species Act. Jpn J Plant Protect 60:196–197 (in Japanese)
Leigh EG Jr, Vermeij GJ, Wikelski M (2009) What do human economies, large islands and forest fragments reveal about the factors limiting ecosystem evolution? J Evol Biol 22(1):1–12
Liu TP (1991) Virus-like particles in the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi (Rennie). Apidologie 22:213–219
Liu TP, Nelson DL, Collins MM (1987) Amoeba- and nosema-infected queen honeybees and worker attendants shipped in mailing cages to western Canada. J Apic Res 26:56–58
Low T (1999) Feral future. Penguin, Ringwood
Macfarlane RP (1976) Bees and pollination. In: Ferro DN (ed) New Zealand insect pests. Lincoln University Collage of Agriculture, New Zealand, pp 221–229
MacFarlane RP, Gurr L (1995) Distribution of bumble bees in New Zealand. NZ Entomol 18:29–36
Mal TK, Lovett-Doust J, Lovett-Doust L, Mulligan GA (1992) The biology of Canadian weeds. 100. Lythrum salicaria. Can J Plant Sci 72:1305–1330
Mangum WA, Brooks RW (1997) First records of Megachile (Callomegachile) sculpturalis Smith (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in the continental United States. J Kans Entomol Soc 70:140–142
Matsumura C, Yokoyama J, Washitani I (2004) Invasion status and potential impacts of an invasive alien bumblebee, Bombus terrestris L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) naturalized in southern Hokkaido, Japan. Global Environ Res 8:51–66
Matthews E (1984) To bee or not? Bees in National Parks – the introduced honeybee in conservation parks in South Australia. Magazine of South Australian National Parks Association, Adelaide, pp 9–14
McDade LA, Kinsman S (1980) The impact of floral parasitism in two neotropical hummingbird-pollinated plant species. Evolution 34:944–958
McFarlane RP, Grundell JM, Dugdale JS (1992) Gorse on the Chatham islands: seed formation, arthropod associates and control. In: Proceedings of the 45th New Zealand plant protection conference, pp 251–255
McGregor SE, Alcorn EB, Kuitz EB Jr, Butler GD Jr (1959) Bee visitors to Saguaro flowers. J Econ Entomol 52:1002–1004
McNally LC, Schneider SS (1996) Spatial distribution and nesting biology of colonies of the African honey bee Apis mellifera scutellata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Botswana. Afr Environ Entomol 25:643–652
Menke HF (1954) Insect pollination in relation to alfalfa seed production in Washington. Wash Agric Exp Stn Bull 555:1–24
Michener CD (1965) A classification of the bees of the Australian and South Pacific regions. Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 130:1–324
Michener CD (1974) The social behavior of the bees: a comparative study, 2nd edn. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 404 pp
Michener CD (1979) Biogeography of bees. Ann Mo Bot Gard 66:277–347
Moller H, Tilley JAV (1989) Beech honeydew: seasonal variation and use by wasps, honey bees and other insects. NZ J Zool 16:289–302
Morris WF (1996) Mutualism denied? Nectar-robbing bumble bees do not reduce female or male success of bluebells. Ecology 77:1451–1462
Newton SD, Hill GD (1983) Robbing of field bean flowers by the short-tongued bumble bee Bombus terrestris L. J Apicult Res 22:124–129
O’Toole C, Raw A (1991) Bees of the world. Blandford, London
Oldroyd BP, Lawler SH, Crozier RH (1994) Do feral honey-bees (Apis mellifera) and regent parrots (Polytelis anthopeplus) compete for nest sites. Aust J Ecol 19:444–450
Oldroyd BP, Smolenski A, Lawler S, Estoup A, Crozier R (1995) Colony aggregations in Apis mellifera L. Apidologie 26:119–130
Oldroyd BP, Thexton EG, Lawler SH, Crozier RH (1997) Population demography of Australian feral bees (Apis mellifera). Oecologia 111:381–387
Ono M (1998) Why is now the bumblebees? Nat Insects 33:2–3 (in Japanese)
Otis GW (1991) Population biology of the Africanized honey bee. See Spivak et al 1991, pp 213–234
Parker FD (1981) A candidate for red clover, Osmia coerulescens L. J Apicult Res 20:62–65
Parker FD, Torchio PF, Nye WP, Pedersen M (1976) Utilization of additional species and populations of leafcutter bees for alfalfa pollination. J Apicult Res 15:89–92
Parker FD, Batra SWT, Tepedino VJ (1987) New pollinators for our crops. Agric Zool Rev 2:279–304
Pascarella JB, Waddington KD, Neal PR (1999) The bee fauna (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Everglades National Park, Florida and adjacent areas: distribution, phenology, and biogeography. J Kans Entomol Soc 72:32–45
Paton DC (1990) Budgets for the use of floral resources in mallee heath. In: Noble JC, Joss PJ, Jones GK (eds) The Mallee lands: a conservation perspective. CSIRO, Melbourne, pp 189–193
Paton DC (1993) Honeybees in the Australian environment: does Apis mellifera disrupt or benefit the native biota? Bioscience 43:95–103
Paton DC (1995) Impact of honeybees on the flora and fauna of Banksia heathlands in Ngarkat Conservation Park. SASTA J 95:3–11
Paton DC (1996) Overview of feral and managed honeybees in Australia: distribution, abundance, extent of interactions with native biota, evidence of impacts and future research. Australian Nature. Conservation Agency, Canberra
Pearson WD, Braiden V (1990) Seasonal pollen collection by honeybees from grass shrub highlands in Canterbury, New Zealand. J Apicult Res 29:206–213
Percival M (1974) Floral ecology of coastal scrub in Southeast Jamaica. Biotropica 6:104–129
Pimm SL, Russell GJ, Gittleman JL, Brookes TM (1995) The future of biodiversity. Science 269:347–350
Pleasants JM (1981) Bumblebee response to variation in nectar availability. Ecology 62:1648–1661
Prys-Jones OE (1982) Ecological studies of foraging and life history in bumblebees. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, UK
Prys-Jones OE, Ólafsson E, Kristja’nsson K (1981) The Icelandic bumble bee fauna (Bombus Latr., Apidae) and its distributional ecology. J Apicult Res 20:189–197
Pyke GH, Balzer L (1983) The effects of the introduced honeybee (Apis mellifera) on Australian native bees. Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Richmond, pp 18–22
Pyke GH, Balzer L (1985) The effects of the introduced honey-bee on Australian native bees. In: NSW national parks wildland Service Occasional Paper No. 7
Ramsey MW (1988) Differences in pollinator effectiveness of birds and insects visiting Banksia menziesii (Protaceae). Oecologia 76:119–124
Reddy MS (1999) Revival of beekeeping in Karnataka. Beekeep Dev 52:14–15
Richards KW, Krunic MD (1990) Introduction of alfalfa leafcutter bees to pollinate alfalfa in Yugoslavia. Entomologist 109(3):130–135
Richardson DM, Allsop N, D’Antonio CM, Milton SJ, Rejmanek M (2000) Plant invasions – the role of mutualisms. Biol Rev Cambr Philos Soc 75:65–93
Robertson P, Bennett AF, Lumsden LF, Silveira CE, Johnson PG, et al (1989) Fauna of the Mallee study area north-western Victoria. In: National parks wildland division technical Report Series, No. 87. Department of Conservation Forests, Lands, Victoria, pp 41–42
Roubik DW (1978) Competitive interactions between neotropical pollinators an Africanized honeybees. Science 201:1030–1032
Roubik DW (1980) Foraging behavior of commercial Africanized honeybees and stingless bees. Ecology 61:8336–8345
Roubik DW (1981) Comparative foraging behaviour of Apis mellifera and Trigona corvine (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Baltimorarecta (Compositae). Rev Biol Trop 29:177–184
Roubik DW (1982a) Ecological impact of Africanized honeybees on native neotropical pollinators. In: Jaisson P (ed) Social insects of the tropics. Universit´e Paris-Nord, Paris, pp 233–247
Roubik DW (1982b) The ecological impact of nectar robbing bees and pollinating hummingbirds on a tropical shrub. Ecology 63:354–360
Roubik DW (1983) Experimental community studies: time-series tests of competition between African and neotropical bees. Ecology 64:971–978
Roubik DW (1988) An overview of Africanized honey-bee populations: reproduction, diet and competition. In: Needham GR, Page RE Jr, Delfinado-Baker M, Bowman C (eds) Africanized honey bees and bee mites. Westview, Boulder, pp 45–54
Roubik DW (1989a) Ecology and natural history of tropical bees. Cambridge University Press, New York, p 514
Roubik DW (1989b) Ecology and natural history of tropical bees. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Roubik DW (1990) Niche preemption in tropical bee communities: a comparison of neotropical and Malesian faunas. In: Sakagami SF, Ohgushi R, Roubik DW (eds) Natural history of social wasps and bees in equatorial Sumatra. Hokkaido University Press, Sapporo, pp 245–257
Roubik DW (1991) Aspects of Africanized honey bee ecology in tropical America. In: Spivak M, Breed MD, Fletcher DJC (eds) The African honey bee. Westview Press, Boulder, pp 147–158
Roubik DW (1996a) Measuring the meaning of honey bees. In: Matheson A, Buchmann SL, O’toole C, Westrich P, Williams IH (eds) The conservation of bees. Academic Press, Ltd, London, pp 163–172
Roubik DW (1996b) African honey bees as exotic pollinators in French Guiana. See Matheson et al 1996, pp 173–182
Roubik DW (2009) Ecological impact on native bees by the invasive africanized honey bee. Acta Biol Colomb 14(2):23–29
Roubik DW, Aluja M (1983) Flight ranges of Melipona and Trigona in tropical forests. J Kans Entomol Soc 56:217–222
Roubik DW, Buchmann SL (1984) Nectar selection by Melipona and Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and the ecology of nectar intake by bee colonies in a tropical forest. Oecologia 61:1–10
Roubik DW, Wolda H (2001) Do competing honey bees matter? Dynamics and abundance of native bees before and after honey bee invasion. Popul Ecol 43:53–62
Roubik DW, Schmalzel RJ, Moreno JE (1984) Estudio apibotanico de Panam´a: cosecha y fuentes de polen y nectar usados por Apis mellifera y sus patrones estacionales y anuales. In: Bol. T´ec. No. 24. Org. Int. Reg. Sanidad Agropecuaria Mex., Centro Am. Panama, 73 pp
Roubik DW, Holbrook NM, Parrav G (1985) Roles of nectar robbers in reproduction of the tropical treelet Quassia amara (Simaroubaceae). Oecologia 66:161–167
Roubik DW, Moreno JE, Vergara C, Wittman D (1986) Sporadic food competition with the African honey bee: projected impact on neotropical social species. J Trop Ecol 2:97–111
Ruz L, Herrera R (2001) Preliminary observations on foraging activities of Bombus dahlbomiiand Bombus terrestris (Hym: Apidae) on native and non-native vegetation in Chile. Acta Horticulturae 561:165–169
Sakagami SF (1959) Some interspecific relations between Japanese and European honeybees. J Anim Ecol 28:51–68
Sakai T (1992) Apis cerana beekeeping in Japan. In: Verma LR (ed) Honeybees in mountain agriculture. Oxford/IBH Publishing Co, New Delhi
Saville, Naomi M (2000) Farmer-participatory extension in Jumla, Western Nepal. In: Matsuka M (ed) Asian bees and beekeeping: progress of research and development. Oxford/IBH, New Delhi, pp 230–236
Schaffer WM, Jensen DB, Hobbs DE, Gurevitch J, Todd JR, Valentine SM (1979) Competition, foraging energetics, and the cost of sociality in three species of bees. Ecology 60:976–987
Schaffer WM, Zeh DW, Buchmann SL, Kleinhans S, Valentine Schaffer M, Antrim J (1983) Competition for nectar between introduced honey bees and native North American bees and ants. Ecology 64:564–577
Schemske DW (1983) Limits to specialization and coEvolution in plant-animal mutualisms. In: Nitecki MH (ed) CoEvolution. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 67–109
Schmitt D (1980) Pollinator foraging behaviour and gene dispersal in Senecio (Compositae). Evolution 34:934–943
Schrader M, Reid M (1986) Control of honey bee diseases and pests in New Zealand. Am Bee J 126(11):742–745
Schwarz MP, Hurst PS (1997) Effects of introduced honey bees on Australia’s native bee fauna. Vic Nat 114:7–12
Schwarz MP, Gross CL, Kukuk PF (1991) Assessment of competition between honeybees and native bees. Progress Report World Wildland Fund, Australian Project P158, July 1991
Schwarz MP, Gross CL, Kukuk PF (1992a) Assessment of competition between honeybees and native bees. Progress Report World Wildland Fund, Australian Project P158, Jan 1992
Schwarz MP, Gross CL, Kukuk PF(1992b) Assessment of competition between honeybees and native bees. Progress Report World Wildland Fund, Australian Project P158, July 1992
Seeley TD (1985) The information-center strategy of honeybee foraging. Fortschritte der Zoologie 31:75–90
Semmens TD (1996) Flower visitation by the bumble bee Bombus terrestris (L) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Tasmania. Aust Entomol 23:33–35
Semmens TD, Turner E, Buttermore R (1993) Bombus terrestris (L) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) now established in Tasmania. J Aust Entomol Soc 32:346
Silander J, Primack R (1978) Pollination intensity and seed set in the evening primrose (Oenothera fruticosa). Am Midl Nat 100(1):213–216
Singh S (1961) Appearance of American foul brood disease in Indian honey bee (Apis cerana indica Fabr.). Indian Bee J 23(7/9):46–50
Stanley RG, Liskens HF (1974) Pollen: biology, biochemistry, management. Springer Verlag, Berlin
Stanton ML (1987) Reproductive biology of petal color variants in wild populations of Raphanus sativus II: Factors limiting seed production. Am J Bot 74:188–196
Stephen WP (1987) Megachile (Eutricharea) apicalis, an introduced bee with potential as a domesticable alfalfa pollinator. J Kans Entomol Soc 60:583–584
Stibick JNL (1984) Animal and plant health inspection service strategy and the African honey bee. Bull Entomol Soc Am 30:22–26
Stimec J, ScottDupree CD, McAndrews JH (1997) Honey bee, Apis mellifera, pollen foraging in southern Ontario. Can Field-Nat 111:454–456
Stout JC (2000) Does size matter? Bumblebee behaviour and the pollination of Cytisus scoparius L. (Fabaceae). Apidologie 31:129–139
Stout JC, Goulson D (2000) Bumble bees in Tasmania: their distribution and potential impact on Australian flora and fauna. Bee World 81:80–86
Stout JC, Allen JA, Goulson D (2000) Nectar robbing, forager efficiency and seed set: bumblebees foraging on the self incompatible plant Linaria vulgaris Mill. (Scrophulariaceae). Acta Oecol 21:277–283
Stout JC, Kells AR, Goulson D (2002a) Pollination of the invasive exotic shrub Lupinus arboreus (Fabaceae) by introduced bees in Tasmania? Biol Conserv 106:425–434
Stout JC, Kells AR, Goulson D (2002b) Pollination of a sleeper weed, Lupinus arboreaus, by introduced bumblebees in Tasmania. Biol Conserv 106:425–34
Stubbs CS, Drummond FA, Osgood EA (1994) Osmia ribifloris biedermannii and Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) introduced into the lowbush blueberry agroecosystem in Maine. J Kans Entomol Soc 67:173–185
Sugden EA, Pyke GH (1991) Effects of honey bees on colonies of Exoneura asimillima, an Australian native bee. Aust J Ecol 16:171–181
Sugden EA, Thorp RW, Buchmann SL (1996) Honey bee native bee competition: focal point for environmental change and apicultural response in Australia. Bee World 77:26–44
Switzer PV (1993) Site fidelity in predictable and unpredictable habitats. Evol Ecol 7:533–555
Taylor G, Whelan RJ (1988) Can honeybees pollinate Grevillea? Aust Zool 24:193–196
Telleria MC (1993) Flowering and pollen collection by the honeybee (Apis mellifera L. var ligustica) in the Pampas region of Argentina. Apidologie 24:109–120
Tepedino VJ, Stanton NL (1981) Diversity and competition in bee-plant communities on short-grass prairie. Oikos 36:35–44
Thomson JD, Thomson BA (1992) Pollen presentation and viability schedules in animal pollinated plants: consequences for reproductive success. In: Wyatt R (ed) Ecology and evolution of plant reproduction: new approaches. Chapman and Hall, New York, pp 1–24
Thorp RW (1987) World overview of the interactions between honeybees and other flora and fauna. In: Blyth JD (ed) Beekeeping and land management. Department of Conservation of Land Management, Como, pp 40–47
Thorp RW, Wenner AM, Barthell JF (1994) Flowers visited by honeybees and native bees on Santa Cruz Island. See Halvorson and Maender 1994, pp 351–365
Tierney SM (1994) Life cycle and social organization of two native bees in the subgenus Brevineura. Unpublished BSc (Hons) thesis, Flinders University South Australia
Torchio PF (1987) Use of non-honey bee species as pollinators of crops. Proc Entomol Soc Ont 118:111–124
Velthuis HHW, van Doorn A (2006) A century of advances in bumblebee domestication and the economic and environmental aspects of its commercialization for pollination. Apidologie 37:421–451
Verma LR (1994) Honeybee pollination strategies for sustainable agriculture and conservation of biodiversity in Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region. In: Proceedings of regional conference. Environment and Biodiversity, Kathmandu, Nepal, 1994, pp 157–162
Visscher PK, Seeley TD (1982) Foraging strategy of honeybee colonies in a temperate deciduous forest. Ecology 63:1790–1801
Vitousek PM (1994) Beyond global warming: ecology and global change. Ecology 75:1861–1876
Vogel S, Westerkamp C (1991) Pollination: an integrating factor of biocenoses. In: Seitz A, Loeschoke V (eds) Species conservation: a population-biological approach. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel
von Frisch K (1967) The dance language and orientation of bees. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Waser NM (1982) A comparison of distances flown by different visitors to flowers of the same species. Oecologia 55:251–257
Waser NM, Chittka L, Price MV, Williams NM, Ollerton J (1996) Generalization in pollination systems, and why it matters. Ecology 77:1043–1060
Washitani I (1998) Conservation-ecological issues of the recent invasion of Bombus terrestris into Japan. Jpn J Ecol 48:73–78 (in Japanese)
Washitani I, Morimoto N (1993) Alien plants and animals naturalized in Japan. Hoikusya, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Washitani I, Suzuki K, Kato M, Ono M (1997) A field guide to bumblebees. Bun-ichi-sogo shuppan, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Wenner AM, Thorp RW (1994) Removal of feral honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies from Santa Cruz Island. See Halvorson and Maender 1994, pp 513–522
Westerkamp C (1991) Honeybees are poor pollinators – 2 why? PI Syst Evol 177:71–75
Whitten M (1979) Genetics of the honey bee in Australia. Rockefeller Foundation, New York, USA
Williams PA, Timmins SM. 1990. Weeds in New Zealand protected natural areas: a review for the Department of Conservation. Science Research Series No. 14, Department of Conservation, Wellington, 114 pp
Wills RT, Lyons MN, Bell DT (1990) The European honey bee in Western Australian kwongan: foraging preferences and some implications for management. Proc Ecol Soc Aust 16:167–176
Wilms W, Wiechers B (1997) Floral resource partitioning between native Melipona bees and the introduced Africanized honey bee in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest. Apidologie 28:339–355
Wilms W, Wendel L, Zillikens A, Blochtein B, Engels W (1997) Bees and other insects recorded on flowering trees in a subtropical Araucaria forest in southern Brazil. Stud Neotrop Fauna Environ 32:220–226
Wilson P, Thomson JD (1991) Heterogeneity among floral visitors leads to discordance between removal and deposition of pollen. Ecology 72:1503–1507
Winston ML (1994) The Africanized “Killer” bee: biology and public health. Invited review, Q. Rev. Medicine 87:263–267
Wolda H, Roubik DW (1986) Nocturnal bee abundance and seasonal bee activity in a Panamanian forest. Ecology 67:426–433
Woodward DR (1996) Monitoring for impact of the introduced leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (F) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), near release sites in South Australia. Aust J Entomol 35:187–191
Wratt EC (1968) The pollinating activities of bumble bees and honey bees in relation to temperature, competing forage plants, and competition from other foragers. J Apicult Res 7(61):66
Yokoyama J, Matsumura C, Nakajima M, Sugiura N, Matsumoto M, Kato M, Suzuki K, Washitani I (2004) Evaluation of present status on naturalization of introduced bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, and development of extermination procedure against the species for conservation of native bumblebee species (2). Ann Rep Pro Natura Fund 13:47–54 (in Japanese)
Zhen-Ming J, Guanhang Y, Shuangxiu H, Shikui L, Zaijin R (1992) The advancement of apicultural science and technology in China. In: Verma LR (ed) Honeybees in mountain agriculture. Oxford/IBH Publishing Co Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, pp 133–147
Zimmerman M, Cook S (1985) Pollinator foraging, experimental nectar-robbing and plant fitness in Impatiens capensis. Am Midl Nat 113:84–91
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Abrol, D.P. (2012). Consequences of Introduced Honeybees Upon Native Bee Communities. In: Pollination Biology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1942-2_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1942-2_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-1941-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-1942-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)