Effect of apitoxin extraction on the development of hypopharyngeal glands in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)

• Grant number: 14/10403-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2014
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo de Oliveira Orsi
• Grantee: Paula Onari
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The apitoxin extraction is a stressful management to beehives of Apis mellifera L. This activite promote the liberation of alarm pheromones, isopentilacetate and 2-heptanon, which change the behavior, comunication and routine activites of hive, like the divisonal labor, that implies negatively on development of hypopharyngeal glands of honeybees inside the hive. This glands are responsable for the proteic phase shyntesis of the royal jelly (food resource to young larvae and queen), and therefore, its integrity is important for the development of hives. The main objective of the present project is: investigate if the apitoxin extraction can influence the development (acini size) of hypopharyngeal glands in Apis mellifera L. The apitoxin will be extracted from 5 experimental hives, in the morning period, starting 9 a.m., lasting one hour, by an eletrical collector during 3 months. For the hypopharyngeal glands development evaluation, will be collected monthly, 20 honeybees from the 5 hives, which will be euthanized and your heads prepared for resin morphometrical analysis, stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Other 5 hives were utilized as control. The diameter of acini from hypopharyngeal glands will be measured, using a microscope attached with digital camera and an image software to analysis. The obtained results will be compared by ANOVA and Turkey analysis, to check possible difference between the average and only will be considered statistically different when p<0.05.