Arguably the most ecologically and economically valuable pollinators worldwide, honey bees play a significant role in food production and enrich biodiversity through pollination. Varroa destructor is an invasive ectoparasitic mite that attacks and feeds on European honey bee, Apis mellifera. Because literature on the effectiveness and sustainability of various treatment modalities available for Varroa mite control in honey bee colonies are scattered, this scoping review was conducted to serve as a guiding document with a focus on: (1) identifying the detrimental impact Varroa mites have on the European honey bee; (2) determining current methods for Varroa mite control and their limitations; (3) examining current market landscape and key players in the pesticide market; and (4) identifying opportunities for more sustainable Varroa mite control methods. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, 397 articles published between 1998 and 2022 were screened; of which 65 articles were retained using inclusion/exclusion criteria, which were systematically analyzed in-depth, information extracted, and included in this scoping review. The results suggest that Varroa mites are one of the predominant causes of global honey bee decline as they lack natural resistance to Varroa mites, thereby negatively affecting honey bee reproduction and immunity, killing broods, and transmitting pathogenic viruses to colonies. Further, our findings suggest that: apiarists have many options for Varroa control, but no method has proven to be effective, safe and nonpersistent in the environment; adoption of nano-pesticides and development of sustainable alternatives to traditional pesticides are key drivers for growing pesticide market; and nano-pesticides may have potential to serve as an effective, safe and non-ecopersistent pesticide for Varroa mite and associated virus control. In conclusion, this review highlights an unmet need for effective and sustainable control strategies and tools for Varroa mite and virus control.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Electromagnetic fields coming from electric and electronic devices, mobile telephony antennas, or electrical installations are continuously growing and are in direct relation with population growth. In that sense, the purpose of this investigation was to determine what are the effects of artificial electromagnetic fields on the behavior and viability of bees through a global perspective (1968-2022). <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The methodology used in this research consisted of the review of literature obtained from platforms such as Scopus, EBSCO, IEEE, Wiley, Google Scholar and Taylor & Francis. <b>Results:</b> It was possible to review 36 studies on the field and to state that investigations on this topic have increased in 2019, at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.86% (in a period of 54 years). Poland and USA are the leading countries in the number and importance of investigations on this topic. Keywords were grouped on the basis of the advancement of the research (honeybee, animals, <i>Apis mellifera</i> and apoideos). <b>Conclusion:</b> The study of the effects of electromagnetic fields on bees makes it possible to understand its impact on the metabolism and viability of bees.

Honeybee venom is a source of proteins with allergenic properties which can result in in various symptoms, ranging from local reactions through to systematic life-threatening anaphylaxis, or even death. According to the World Allergy Organization (WAO), honeybee venom allergy is one of the most common causes of anaphylaxis. Among the proteins present in honeybee venom, 12 protein fractions were registered by the World Health Organization\'s Allergen Nomenclature Sub-Committee (WHO/IUIS) as allergenic. Most of them are highly immunogenic glycoproteins that cross-react with IgE and, as a consequence, may give false positive results in allergy diagnosis. Allergenic fractions are different in terms of molecular weight and biological activity. Eight of these allergenic fractions have also been identified in honey. This explains frequent adverse reactions after consuming honey in people allergic to venom and sheds new light on the causes of allergic symptoms in some individuals after honey consumption. At the same time, it also indicates the possibility of using honey as a natural source of allergen in specific immunotherapy.

Numerous honeybee (Apis mellifera) products, such as honey, propolis, and bee venom, are used in traditional medicine to prevent illness and promote healing. Therefore, this insect has a huge impact on humans\' way of life and the environment. While the population of A. mellifera is large, there is concern that widespread commercialization of beekeeping, combined with environmental pollution and the action of bee pathogens, has caused significant problems for the health of honeybee populations. One of the strategies to preserve the welfare of honeybees is to better understand and protect their natural microbiota. This paper provides a unique overview of the latest research on the features and functioning of A. mellifera. Honeybee microbiome analysis focuses on both the function and numerous factors affecting it. In addition, we present the characteristics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as an important part of the gut community and their special beneficial activities for honeybee health. The idea of probiotics for honeybees as a promising tool to improve their health is widely discussed. Knowledge of the natural gut microbiota provides an opportunity to create a broad strategy for honeybee vitality, including the development of modern probiotic preparations to use instead of conventional antibiotics, environmentally friendly biocides, and biological control agents.

Like other invertebrates, honey bees too are poikilothermic animals; they cannot regulate their body temperature and they have to undergo a period of inactivation when atmospheric temperature is un-tolerable. During this period, their nutritional requirements and metabolic activities are minimized due to highly restricted foraging activities. The egg-laying by queen and rearing of unsealed and sealed brood are decreased, however their extent is governed by the quantum of stored food available. The problems of deleterious influence of adverse weather conditions and non-availability of bee flora all round the year, in a particular locality, have been realized by the researchers/beekeepers and migration concept has been developed to solve this problem. But again, migration itself is not an easy task. The provision of artificial feeding as an alternate of migration. Scientists all over the world have formulated different artificial food recepies for bees on the basis of nutrient composition of honey and pollen, acceptability, palatability, digestibility and affordability of ingredients. This may help to maintain all colony parameters enough to derive maximum advantage of forthcoming floral rich season. However, a standard balanced diet for commercial beekeeping that is accepted worldwide is still awaited.

Honey bee mortality and colony losses have been reported worldwide. Although this phenomenon is caused by a combination of factors, agrochemicals have received special attention due to their potential effects on bees. In agricultural and urban environments bees are exposed to several compounds that may interact in unexpected ways, but information on the extent of pesticide exposure remains unclear. Several monitoring studies have been conducted to evaluate the field-realistic exposure of bees to pesticides after their release on the market. However, their outputs are difficult to compare and harmonize due to differences in the analytical methodologies and the sampling protocols (e.g. number of screened compounds and analysed samples, and detection limits (LODs)). Here, we hypothesize that the analytical methodologies used in the monitoring studies may strongly affect the pesticide occurrences in pollen underestimating the real pesticide exposure. By mean of a systematic literature review, we have collected relevant information on pesticide contaminations in the honey bee-collected pollen. Our findings showed that the pesticide occurrences were associated with the analytical methodologies and the real pesticide exposure has likely been underestimated in some monitoring studies. For four highly toxic compounds, the LOD used in these monitoring studies exceeded the doses that cause toxic effects on honey bees. We recommend that, especially for the highly toxic compounds, the LODs used in the monitoring studies should be low enough to exclude lethal or sublethal effects on bees and avoid \"false negative\" samples.

The emergence of collective behavior from local interactions is a widespread phenomenon in social groups. Previous models of collective behavior have largely overlooked the impact of variation among individuals within the group on collective dynamics. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) provide an excellent model system for exploring the role of individual differences in collective behavior due to their high levels of individual variation and experimental tractability. In this review, we explore the causes and consequences of individual variation in behavior for honey bee foraging across multiple scales of organization. We summarize what is currently known about the genetic, developmental, and neurophysiological causes of individual differences in learning and memory among honey bees, as well as the consequences of this variation for collective foraging behavior and colony fitness. We conclude with suggesting promising future directions for exploration of the genetic and physiological underpinnings of individual differences in behavior in this model system.

The ability of animals to explore landmarks in their environment is essential to their fitness. Landmarks are widely recognized to play a key role in navigation by providing information in multiple sensory modalities. However, what is a landmark? We propose that animals use a hierarchy of information based upon its utility and salience when an animal is in a given motivational state. Focusing on honeybees, we suggest that foragers choose landmarks based upon their relative uniqueness, conspicuousness, stability, and context. We also propose that it is useful to distinguish between landmarks that provide sensory input that changes (\"near\") or does not change (\"far\") as the receiver uses these landmarks to navigate. However, we recognize that this distinction occurs on a continuum and is not a clear-cut dichotomy. We review the rich literature on landmarks, focusing on recent studies that have illuminated our understanding of the kinds of information that bees use, how they use it, potential mechanisms, and future research directions.

BACKGROUND: The red propolis (RdProp) is a resin produced by Apis mellifera bees, which collect the reddish exudate on the surface of its botanic source, the species Dalbergia ecastophyllum, popularly known in Brazil as \"rabo de bugio\". Considered as the 13th type of Brazilian propolis, this resin has been gaining prominence due to its natural composition, rich in bioactive substances not found in other types of propolis.
OBJECTIVE: This review aims to address the most important characteristics of RdProp, its botanical origin, the main constituents, its biological properties and the patents related to this natural product.
METHODS: By means of the SciFinder, Google Patents, Patus® and Spacenet, scientific articles and patents involving the term \"red propolis\" were searched until August 2017.
RESULTS: A number of biological properties, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antitumor, antioxidant, metabolic and nutraceutical activities are attributed to RdProp, demonstrating the great potential of its use in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
CONCLUSIONS: The available papers are associated to pharmacological potential of RdProp, but the molecular mechanisms or bioactive compounds responsible for each activity have not yet been fully elucidat ed. The RdProp patents currently found are directed to components for the pharmaceutical industry (EP2070543A1; WO2014186851A1; FR3006589A1; CN1775277A; CN105797149A; CN1879859A), cosmetic (JP6012138B2; JP2008247830A; JP6012138B2) and food (JP5478392B2; CN101380052A; WO2006038690A1).