• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 1999

Queens of Korean native bumblebee species, Bombus ignitus were collected from the field in the spring of 1998 to investigate their ecological characteristics and reared under the laboratory conditions; 3 0 f 1$^{\circ}$C, 55 25% of relative humidity and darkness. As a result, 94.4% of the queens laid eggs in 6.00f 2.41 days after the field collection. The first worker and the first drone from the egg cell of the collected queens appeared in 18.90 f 1.16 and 68.96 f 3.94 days, respectively. In the colony foundation, 86.1% of the collected queens founded their colony, and 96.8% of them produced new queens in 71.14f 6.88 days. The life span of the colony-founded queen covered for 86.90f24.35 days, whereas that of non-colonized queen for 15.67 f 7.37 days. One colony sized as big as 987.82f 145.84 in number, composing of workers (188.79f 18.23), drones (691.10f 159.24) and queens (107.93 f47.48). Copulation lasting time of queen and drone took 23.00f 7.33 minutes in average. In a new queen emergence, there were two patterns; single peak type of new queen emergence in 12.31 k6.95 days and two peaks type of it in 74.00f 17.61 days. The number of eggs per egg cell of new queen averaged as 8.86f 4.00 grains and an egg period covered 3 days after oviposition. An egg cell sized as 7.15 f0.88 mm in a width, 7.79 f 1 .l 1 mm in a length and 3.33 f 0.23 mm in a height. An egg shaped as banana and sized as 1.22 f 0.09 mm in a width and as 3.5 1 f 0.21 mm in a length, weighing as 2.70 + 0.30 mg.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.117-121
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• 2004

Chilling temperature and colony development in Korean native bumblebee, Bombus ignitus and introduced B. terrestris were firstly investigated. Among four chilling temperatures of -2.5, 0, 2.5 and 5$^{\circ}C$, 2.5$^{\circ}C$ showed the best result at the survival rate after artificial hibernation in both species. The survival rate after chilling was somewhat higher in B. ignitus until three months of cold treatment, but it was higher in B. terrestris at four months of cold treatment. In colony development of queens broken diapause by CO$_2$ treatment, oviposition rate and preoviposition period of B. ignitus were 72.5％ and 17.4 days, respectively. These values were 6.1％ higher and 7.4 days shorter than those of B. terrestris. The period up to colony foundation, the first male and queen emergence of B. ignitus were 62.8,66.4 and 63.0 days, respectively, and these values were 2.1-29.5 days shorter than those of B. terrestris. But, the duration up to first worker emergence of B. ignitus and B. terrexrris did not differ as 28.6 and 28.4 days, respectively. On the other hand, the rate of colony foundation and progeny-queen production of B. terrestris, which are the important indication in evaluating the quality of colony, were 14.2 and 13.5％, respectively and these values are 3.8 to 5.7 fold higher than those of B. ignitus. Besides, the numbers of progenies of B. terrestris reached 104.2 workers, 317.9 males and 21.1 queens, which corresponded to 1.1-1.8 fold those at B. ignitus. Therefore, above results showed that colony development of B. terrestris is superior to that of B. ignitus.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.95-100
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• 2008

We compared colony development and survival rate after artificial hibernation between the bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, produced from domestic and foreign companies. The number of worker and queen produced from foundation colony of three domestic and one foreign companies was 232.4-270.8 and 62.0-181.8, respectively, but there was no statistical difference. In colony development of B. terrestris queens which were terminated diapause by $CO_2$ narcosis at different companies, oviposition rate, colony foundation and progeny-queen production of bumblebees produced from domestic companies were superior to those from foreign company. But foreign company in the number of worker and queen was superior to domestic companies. On the other hand, survival rate and colony development of B. terrestris queens, which were terminated diapause by artificial hibernation at three domestic and two foreign companies, were no significant differences. These results indicate that oviposition, colony foundation, progeny-queen production, and survival rate after artificial hibernation showed no differences between the bumblebees produced from domestic and foreign companies.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2010

Bumblebees are widely used to pollinate crops in greenhouses and fields. Here we firstly developed an apparatus for the oviposition induction of the bumblebee Bombus ignitus using electricity. The apparatus consists of boxes for colony initiation, part of temperature control, part of heat transfer, and moving shelf. The result shows that the rates of oviposition and colony foundation in the newly developed apparatus are respectively 3.9% and 5.2% higher than in the existing apparatus using hot water. More importantly, the newly developed apparatus is 75% cheaper in costs and can more save energy than existing apparatus. These results indicate that the newly developed apparatus could serve as an effective apparatus for the oviposition induction of B. ignitus.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.239-245
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• 2002

It was investigated whether or not such helpers as worker bee, bee-cocoon and egg-cup etc, have any effects on oviposition and colony foundation of the bumblebee queen, Bombus ignitus. Among the helpers tested, the callow workers of B. ignitus and B. terrestris showed the most remarkable effects on the oviposition rates to 92% and 88%, respectively. The live cocoon as a helper improved oviposition rate over 60%. A narcotized old worker 10-20 days-aged after emergence, showed similar effects to a callow worker on the colony development such as oviposition rate, colony foundation and progeny-queen production. On the other hand, dried cocoon, callow honeybee worker or egg-cup did not show a positive effect as a helper. In the number of workers recruited to a foundation queen, two workers showed better effect than one worker on the colony development, with no difference between two and more.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.49-53
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• 2002

Paenibacillus larvae is a gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that is etiological agent for american foulbrood disease (AFB), which is the most severe disease in honey bee. To detect P. larvae from infected honeybee-comb or larvae, polyclonal antibody against whole bacterium was produced from guineapig and its specificity was evaluated. After optimization of ELISA-based detection system using these antibodies, a number of different P. larvae strains were analysed. Polyclonal antibody against P. larvae ATCC 25747 showed high affinity to most strains of P. larvae including P. larvae. strain ATCC 9545 (type strain), ATCC 25747 and other korean strain, SJl5 but exhibited no cross-reaction with other bacterial species. Additionally, this type of ELISA system was used for the detection of AFB in field-application The results have shown that this antibody could be useful for the rapid identification and monitoring of P. larvae in honeybee-comb.