Bee cups 2.0: P-cups as single-use cages for honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) experiments

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Entomology
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Honey bees face significant threats including pesticides, poor nutrition, parasites, and pathogens.
• Honey bees serve as a crucial model organism for research in development, social behavior, microbiology, and aging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce novel, small-scale, inexpensive, and disposable rearing arenas for honey bees.
• To demonstrate the utility of these arenas for conducting numerous bioassays with large numbers of bees.
• To highlight the advantages of these arenas compared to existing hoarding cages.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of small-scale, disposable rearing arenas.
• Utilization of arenas for hundreds of bioassays involving thousands of honey bees.
• Comparative analysis of new arenas against traditional hoarding cages.

Main Results:

• The developed arenas are cost-effective, disposable, and suitable for large-scale bioassays.
• These arenas offer significant advantages over conventional hoarding cages for honey bee research.
• Videos demonstrating the practical applications and versatility of the arenas are provided.

Conclusions:

• The perfected rearing arenas provide a valuable tool for honey bee research.
• These arenas facilitate efficient and effective bioassays for studying pollinator health and behavior.
• The study offers a practical solution for researchers investigating threats to honey bees and their role as a model organism.