NHM entomologist co-authors new research on parasitic phorid fly, a new threat to honey bees Public release date: 3-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kristin Friedrich kfriedri@nhm.org 213-763-3532 Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Understanding infections from flies may shed light on bee colonies' hive abandonment behaviors seen in Colony Collapse Disorder
Jan. 2, 2012 A paper to be published on January 3, 2012 in the authoritative magazine PLoS ONE, co-authored by NHM entomologist Dr. Brian Brown, reveals a new threat to honey bees and perhaps, a partial explanation for the bees' well-publicized Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a syndrome characterized by worker bees abandoning their hive. The threat is the tiny but dangerous phorid fly, which may pose an emerging threat to North American beekeeping.
The honey bee Apis mellifera has experienced recent unexplained die-offs around the world. Although catastrophic losses of honey bee colonies have occurred in the past, the magnitude and speed of recent hive losses appear unprecedented. So far, the main causal suspects have been parasitic mites, fungal parasites, viral diseases and interactions amongst them.
In this paper, the authors provide the first documentation that the phorid fly Apocephalus borealis, previously known to only parasitize bumble bees, also infects and eventually kills honey bees by leading them to abandon their hives at night.
Brown is a world authority on phorid flies, and blogs about the weird creatures at http://flyobsession.net. He has received reports of nighttime bee activity in Los Angeles. "It seems to be concentrated near the coast," he said, "which is where our collecting has also encountered the flies."
The authors prove that parasitized honey bees show hive abandonment behavior, leaving their hives at night and dying shortly thereafter. On average, seven days later, up to 13 phorid larvae emerge from each dead bee and pupate away from the bee. Using DNA barcoding, the authors confirmed that phorids that emerged from honey bees and bumble bees were the same species.
Understanding details of phorid infection may shed light on similar hive abandonment behaviors seen in CCD. Further, knowledge of this parasite could help prevent its spread into regions of the world where nave hosts may be easily susceptible to attack.
###
In addition to Brown, the paper's authors include Andrew Core, Charles Runckel, Jonathan Ivers, Christopher Quock, Travis Siapno, Seraphina DeNault, Joseph DeRisi, and John Hafernik from the San Francisco State University.
About the NHM Research and Collections:
Natural history museums are powerhouses of research. As the last bastions of taxonomy in which new species and families are described, and thought is given to how the old and new fit together museums provide the brick and mortar of all biodiversity research.
At NHM, curators and collections staffs are widely-recognized authorities in their fields. They win major grants. They serve as faculty and research associates at universities, museums and other institutions, and publish regularly in journals and magazines. They are engaged in field and onsite research, teaching, and public speaking. They also preserve and strengthen the Museum's collections the platform upon which exhibitions, public programs and membership are built.
About the Entomology Department:
With over 800,000 described species more than half of all known living organisms insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth. The Museum's entomology collection has more than 5.8 million specimens of insects and spiders. It is the largest in Southern California and has specimens from all over the world.
The collection's strength lies in its holdings of specimens of ants, phorid flies, scarab beetles, and moths from North and Central America. Museum scientists conduct world-class research on systematics, studying species and their relationships, the evolution of major groups, and fossil insects in amber. They conduct field work on insect biodiversity at home and in tropical countries. Entomology was one of the Museum's founding departments, dating back to the institution's opening in 1913.
About the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County:
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is at 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Open seven days a week 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets $12 for adults, $5-8 for children. Admission is free the first Tuesday of every month. For more information, call 213-763-DINO or visit http://www.nhm.org.
Visit us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/nhmla
Follow us on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/nhmla
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NHM entomologist co-authors new research on parasitic phorid fly, a new threat to honey bees Public release date: 3-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kristin Friedrich kfriedri@nhm.org 213-763-3532 Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Understanding infections from flies may shed light on bee colonies' hive abandonment behaviors seen in Colony Collapse Disorder
Jan. 2, 2012 A paper to be published on January 3, 2012 in the authoritative magazine PLoS ONE, co-authored by NHM entomologist Dr. Brian Brown, reveals a new threat to honey bees and perhaps, a partial explanation for the bees' well-publicized Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a syndrome characterized by worker bees abandoning their hive. The threat is the tiny but dangerous phorid fly, which may pose an emerging threat to North American beekeeping.
The honey bee Apis mellifera has experienced recent unexplained die-offs around the world. Although catastrophic losses of honey bee colonies have occurred in the past, the magnitude and speed of recent hive losses appear unprecedented. So far, the main causal suspects have been parasitic mites, fungal parasites, viral diseases and interactions amongst them.
In this paper, the authors provide the first documentation that the phorid fly Apocephalus borealis, previously known to only parasitize bumble bees, also infects and eventually kills honey bees by leading them to abandon their hives at night.
Brown is a world authority on phorid flies, and blogs about the weird creatures at http://flyobsession.net. He has received reports of nighttime bee activity in Los Angeles. "It seems to be concentrated near the coast," he said, "which is where our collecting has also encountered the flies."
The authors prove that parasitized honey bees show hive abandonment behavior, leaving their hives at night and dying shortly thereafter. On average, seven days later, up to 13 phorid larvae emerge from each dead bee and pupate away from the bee. Using DNA barcoding, the authors confirmed that phorids that emerged from honey bees and bumble bees were the same species.
Understanding details of phorid infection may shed light on similar hive abandonment behaviors seen in CCD. Further, knowledge of this parasite could help prevent its spread into regions of the world where nave hosts may be easily susceptible to attack.
###
In addition to Brown, the paper's authors include Andrew Core, Charles Runckel, Jonathan Ivers, Christopher Quock, Travis Siapno, Seraphina DeNault, Joseph DeRisi, and John Hafernik from the San Francisco State University.
About the NHM Research and Collections:
Natural history museums are powerhouses of research. As the last bastions of taxonomy in which new species and families are described, and thought is given to how the old and new fit together museums provide the brick and mortar of all biodiversity research.
At NHM, curators and collections staffs are widely-recognized authorities in their fields. They win major grants. They serve as faculty and research associates at universities, museums and other institutions, and publish regularly in journals and magazines. They are engaged in field and onsite research, teaching, and public speaking. They also preserve and strengthen the Museum's collections the platform upon which exhibitions, public programs and membership are built.
About the Entomology Department:
With over 800,000 described species more than half of all known living organisms insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth. The Museum's entomology collection has more than 5.8 million specimens of insects and spiders. It is the largest in Southern California and has specimens from all over the world.
The collection's strength lies in its holdings of specimens of ants, phorid flies, scarab beetles, and moths from North and Central America. Museum scientists conduct world-class research on systematics, studying species and their relationships, the evolution of major groups, and fossil insects in amber. They conduct field work on insect biodiversity at home and in tropical countries. Entomology was one of the Museum's founding departments, dating back to the institution's opening in 1913.
About the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County:
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is at 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Open seven days a week 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets $12 for adults, $5-8 for children. Admission is free the first Tuesday of every month. For more information, call 213-763-DINO or visit http://www.nhm.org.
Visit us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/nhmla
Follow us on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/nhmla
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The family of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has only "a few weeks" left in control of the strife-torn country, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told MPs on Monday.
"The Assad family has no more than a few weeks to remain in control in Syria," Barak told the parliament's prestigious foreign affairs and defense committee in remarks quoted by the committee spokesman.
"There is no possibility in the current situation of evaluating what will happen the day after Bashar's fall," he said.
Syria has been pressing a bloody and brutal crackdown against pro-democracy activists which the United Nations estimates has killed more than 5,000 people in 2011.
Barak also warned that the fall of the Assad family could have implications for the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
"In the north, there may be possible implications from Syria on the Golan Heights and a broader area as the result of the loss of control," he said on Monday in a separate statement released by his office.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
For live updates on the Syrian uprising, follow @NOW_Syria on Twitter or click here.
ShareAmobi Okoye is a Nigerian Psychology graduate of the University of Louisville, United States, who is today, a top defensive player in the United States? National Football League (NFL). Amobi, within his short period of playing in the US as a student and professional footballer has set indelible records. SEYI GESINDE reports.
ANigerian, Amobi Okoye,who emerged the youngest player in the American National Football League (NFL), is still waxing stronger as a defensive player for the Chicago Bears.
Born June 10, 1987, the 24-year-old Anambra State indigene became the United States? Houston Texans? tenth overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He had earlier played college football at Louisville.
At age 12, Amobi moved to Huntsville, Alabama in the US. His adaptation to the American environment was so fast that just after 14 days in God?s own country; he was tested and passed into the 9th grade. He began playing football as a second year student at Lee High School, when he knew virtually nothing about the game.
But his high school coach who was quick to discover his talent advised him to start learning how to play in the NFL.
He heeded, and as of the time he became a senior student, he won first-team All-State honours as both a defensive lineman and offensive lineman.
When he turned 15 years of age, Amobi got an offer to study at the prestigious Harvard University, but he opted for University of Louisville as a result of his interest in developing a strong football programme.
While at Louisville, he started off as a biology student, but he eventually changed his course to psychology. Amobi had an interesting academic pursuit at Louisville that he graduated a semester earlier than his normal academic programme, meaning that instead of spending four years for his degree course, he completed his degree in three and a half years.
At 16, he became the youngest player in the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Okoye played in all the 13 games at the competition not minding the fact that he entered as a freshman in the defensive. He had 17 tackles and a sack to his credit.
As a second year player, Amobi appeared in 11 of 12 games, recording 26 tackles and a sack. He only missed a game because of a shoulder injury.
In 2005 during his junior season, Amobi had a record of 23 tackles and four tackles for a loss. In the most popular game of that year played against the West Virginia Mountaineers, Amobi recorded only four tackles.
Entering the senior level in 2006, Amobi finally featured in all the 13 games played for the tournament and in all, he recorded 55 tackles, eight sacks, and recovered three fumbles.
He garnered Associated Press Second-Team All-American honours and first-team All-Big East honours. As the NCAA?s youngest senior at 19 years old, Okoye garnered first-round draft status during the season. During the Senior Bowl, Amobi?s stock rose dramatically with strong practice and game performances.
He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. He became the youngest player to ever be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft at only 19 years old, while also emerging the highest draft pick to come out of the University of Louisville since the AFL-NFL merger.
YANGON, Myanmar ? Myanmar set parliamentary by-elections for April 1, scheduling a highly anticipated vote that will return pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party to mainstream politics after two decades.
Before state media reported the date late Friday, Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy had said they planned to run in every seat in the by-election.
Her party boycotted last year's general elections because of restrictive rules that among other things prevented Suu Kyi from being a candidate. The government has since lifted many of those restrictions.
Most of the 48 Parliament seats being contested were vacated by MPs who became Cabinet ministers after the first parliamentary session in January.
The military is guaranteed 110 seats in the 440-seat lower house, and 56 seats in the 224-seat upper house, and the pro-military party now occupies 80 percent of the remaining 498 elected seats, so the 48 seats up for grabs, even if the NLD wins them all, will not change the balance of power.
The official announcement said political parties that will contest in the by-election must submit their candidate list by Jan. 31.
The NLD reregistered as a political party on Dec. 23.
Allowing Suu Kyi's party back into the political fold will likely give the government greater legitimacy at home and abroad.
The by-elections will also be a test of the popularity of the NLD, and Suu Kyi has cautioned that "the road ahead is full of difficulties and the road to democracy is endless."
The NLD won an overwhelming majority in elections in May 1990, but the results were ignored by the military government in power at that time.
Last year's elections were the first since 1990, but Suu Kyi was under house arrest and disqualified as a candidate.
Twitter / NewsChannel 9 ElPaso: With Christmas and Hannuka ...With Christmas and Hannukah behind us and New Year?s Eve approaching, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission... Il y a environ 1 heurevia Facebook
Apple Planning Media Event In New York This Month [Report] cultm.ac/sEkLnI 
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Public release date: 3-Jan-2012
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has set indelible records. SEYI GESINDE reports. 