• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2003

Cuticular hydrocarbons of antenna, legs and wings from two species of honeybee worker of Apis mellifera L. and Apis cerana F. can be analyzed directly with gas chromatograph and GC/MS without solvent extraction. The saturated hydrocarbons identified in selected part of both species were nC22, nC23, nC25-nC3O, nC32 and nC34 except nC24. Two saturated hydrocarbons, nC26 (23.0-42.6%) and nC28 (16.8-54.8%), were major compounds in both species and others were minor compounds. A. mellifera can be distinguished from A. cerana F. by having higher proportion of nC30, nC32 and nC34 by having lower proportion of nC25 from three selected part of both species.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.126-126
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2005.09a
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• pp.112-112
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• 2005

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 2020

Bee (Apis mellifera L.) venom is used for the treatment of various human diseases due to its known anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. This study investigated the effect of purified bee venom (PBV) on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. There was no cytotoxicity while cells were treated with PBV by various concentrations. In the PBV treated cells increases in fat storage were inhibited and also confirmed by oil red o staining. To understand the underlying mechanism at the molecular level were examined on the expression of the genes involved in adipogenesis by using real-time PCR. In this cell model, the mRNA level of adipogenic genes such as peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors gamma (PPARγ) and CAAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha(C/EBPα) were decreased by PAE treatment, comparing with those of control group. Theses results suggest that PBV inhibits adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells and can be used as an efficient natural substance to manage anti-obesity.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.295-302
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• 2017

Avoidance behavior is an important life history strategy to survive hazardous environment. The experiment was conducted to detect the avoidance tendency of the honeybee Apis mellifera against commonly used pesticides in apple production. Choice test given only 50% sucrose solution and pesticide-mixed sucrose solution as food estimated the avoidance in laboratory. Most of the acaricides and fungicides tested were shown avoided. Among insecticides, honeybee showed strong avoidance to cyhexatine, carbosulfan and fenpyroximate but low to diflubenzuron, tebufenpyrad, and acrinathrin. Avoidance behavior to neonicotinoid insecticides showed bifurcated; highly avoided from thiacloprid, acetamiprid while less avoided from imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and dinotefuran. From the field study, abamectin, fenthion, amitraz and acequinocyl showed highly avoided while fungicide of fenarimol, acaricides of acrinathrin and phosphamidon, IGR insecticide of diflubenzuron, neonicotinoid insecticide of imidacloprid, and carbamate insecticide of carbaryl showed less avoidance in the field. These results partly explained high bee poisoning from carbaryl in apple flowering period, and neonicotinoids during season.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.161-167
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• 2019

There is an urgent need for novel protein sources as an alternative to meat production. Insects, such as honeybees, hold potential as a safe, nutritious and reliable protein source for the future. In the present study, we established optimal powder preprocessing conditions of drone pupae (Apis mellifera L.) for use as a novel food. The content of moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, carbohydrate and crude fiber in drone pupae(Apis mellifera L.) were analyzed. The crude protein content ranged from 48.5 to 51.8% was found in both freeze-dried and hot-air powdered drone pupae. However, the protein content in the freeze-dried powder was higher than that in the hot-air powder by 3.3%. According to the Korean Food Standard Codex test method, coliforms, Salmonella spp. Staphylcoccus aureus, and Enterohamorrhagice Escherichia coli were not detected in both freeze-dried and hot-air powder. Therefore, we suggest that the high protein content of the powdered drone pupae prepared in this study can serve as a novel food.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.144-148
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• 2021

This study aimed to analyze the content and composition of a biological amine, cadaverine, isolated from the venom of worker honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). This biological amine―which has diverse functionality, such as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects―has not been previously reported in bee venom. An assay completed in 13 minutes was developed for the cadaverine present in the bee venom using an ultra-performance liquid chromatograph and a Halo C18 column with acetonitrile and water as the mobile phase. The specificity, accuracy, and precision of the assay were verified, and the assay was validated. The linearity for cadaverine in the bee venom was R2=0.99 or above, indicating a moderate level. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were both 0.3 ㎍/ml, and the rate of recovery was 97.6%-99.1%. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the intra-day precision and inter-day precision for cadaverine was 0.25%-0.44% and 0.25%-1.25%, respectively, with an RSD that fell within 5% indicating excellent precision. Through this novel assay, it was found that the mean content of cadaverine was 1.10±0.05 mg/g. Our results indicated that the linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and rate of recovery of the cadaverine assay were of a satisfactory level, and the cadaverine content of the bee venom was ably determined. This study provides basic data on cadaverine in bee venom, which will prove useful in further studies on the bioactivity of this component.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.64-69
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• 2020

The European honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) has multiple anti-microbial peptides, but many were unknown and demands for their characterization have increased. This study therefore focused on identifying novel anti-microbial peptides (AMPs) from A. mellifera L. To obtain high-throughput transcriptome data of the honeybee, we implemented next-generation sequencing (NGS), isolating novel AMPs from total RNA, and generated 15,314 peptide sequences, including 44 known, using Illumina HiSeq 2500 technology. The uncharacterized peptides were identified based on specific features of possible AMPs predicted in the sequencing analysis. AMP5, one such uncharacterized peptide, was expressed in the epidermis, body fat, and venom gland of the honeybee. We chemically synthesized this peptide and tested its anti-bacterial activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (KACC 10005) and Gram-positive Bacillus thuringiensis (KACC 10168) by anti-microbial assay. AMP5 exhibited anti-bacterial activity against E. coli (MIC50=22.04±0.66 μM) but not against B. thuringiensis. When worker bees were injected with E. coli, AMP5 was up-regulated in the body fat. This study therefore identified AMP5 in adult European honeybees and confirmed its anti-bacterial activity against Gram-negative E. coli.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.99-102
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• 2012

Bee venom (Apis mellifera L. BV) has been used as a cosmetic ingredient for anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity after a single dermal administration of BV, BV was administered to 2 groups of Sprague-Dawley (SD) male and female rats (5 animals/group) at doses of 0 and 1,500 mg/kg body weight (BW). Mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes and gross findings were continually monitored for 15 days following the single dose. There were no unscheduled deaths in any groups during the study period. No BV related clinical signs and body weight changes were observed in any groups during the study period. There were no abnormal gross findings at necropsy on day 15 after the treatment. On the basis of the above results, it was concluded that there were no treatment-related effect on mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes and gross findings in SD rats treated with a single dermal dose of BV at dose of 1,500 mg/kg BW. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose of BV was considered to be over 1,500 mg/kg/day for both sexes of rats. BV may provide a developmental basis for a cosmetic ingredient or external application for topical uses.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.305-313
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• 2019

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) forage in agricultural areas, and are exposed to diverse pesticide poisoning. Toxic effects on Apis mellifera of different groups of pesticides were tested in the laboratory; fungicide (Metconazole), herbicide (Glyphosate), acaricide (Amitraz), organophosphate insecticide(Fenitrothion) and neonicotinoid insecticides(Thiacloprid, Thiamethoxam, Imidacloprid, Acetamiprid, Dinotefuran and Clothianidin). Commercial formulations were serially diluted from the recommended concentration (RC) to 10-6 times to carry out feeding and contact tests. Toxicity was transformed into lethal dose (LD50) and hazard question (HQ). The acute toxicity of pesticides showed similar patterns between feeding and contact tests. But feeding tests showed greater toxic to honey bee than contact test. The organophosphate and nitro-neonicotinoid insecticides were highly toxic with HQ values ranging greater than 1. However, cyano-neonicotinoids of Thiacloprid and Acetamiprid showed low toxicity. Even at the RC, 24 hr mortalities were 18 and 30%. The acaricide (Amitraz) showed intermediate level of toxicity at RC but negligible at the concentration lower than 10-1 times. A fungicide(Metconazole) and herbicide(Glyphosate) showed minimal impacts. The results imply that the selective use of pesticides could help conservation of pollinators in agricultural production systems.