• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

Background: Honey bees play a crucial role in pollination and ecological balance. Apis mellifera L. colonies, especially those located in specific geographic regions, such as the palm garden in Eastern Thailand, are susceptible to potential threats from microbial contaminants. Understanding and detecting microbial organisms in these beehives is essential for the preservation of bee health, honey production, and the broader ecosystem. However, the problem of microbial infection and antibiotic-resistant bacteria is more severe and continuously increasing, resulting in a health, economic, and social crisis. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of microorganisms in A. mellifera beehives in palm gardens in Rayong province, Eastern Thailand. Results: Ten swabs in transport media were swabbed and obtained from different parts of each beehive (1 swab per beehive), for a total of 10 hives. Traditional microbial culture-based methods, biochemical tests, and antimicrobial susceptibility (disc-diffusion) tests were used to detect microbial organisms and antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The swab tests from nine beehives resulted in the detection of Gram-positive bacteria (63.64%), Gram-negative bacteria (27.27%), and fungi/yeast (9.09%). These microorganisms are classified as a group of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. and made up 40.91% of the bacteria discovered. Other bacteria found were Coryneform bacteria (13.64%), Pantoea spp. (13.64%), Bacillus spp. (9.09%), yeast (9.09%), glucose non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli (9.09%), and Pseudomonas spp. (4.55%). However, due to the traditional culture-based and 0biochemical tests usually used to identify the microbial organisms in clinical specimens and the limitation of identifying some environmental microbial species, the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test cannot reveal if the organism is resistant or susceptible to the drug. Nevertheless, drug-sensitive inhibition zones were formed with each antibiotic agent. Conclusions: Overall, the study supports prevention, healthcare, and public health systems. The contamination of microorganisms in the beehives may affect the quality of honey and other bee products or even the health of the beekeeper. To avoid this kind of contamination, it is therefore necessary to wear personal protective equipment while harvesting honey and other bee products.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2017

Background: Though the biomass of floral vegetation in understory plant communities in a forested ecosystem only accounts for less than 1% of the total biomass of a forest, they contain most of the floral resources of a forest. The diversity of understory honey plants determines visitation rate of pollinators such as honey bee (Apis mellifera) as they provide rich food resources. Since the flower visitation and foraging activity of pollinators lead to the provision of pollination service, it also means the enhancement of plant-pollinator relationship. Therefore, an appropriate management scheme for understory vegetation is essential in order to conserve pollinator population that is decreasing due to habitat destruction and disease infection. This research examined the diversity of understory honey plant and studied how it is related to environmental variables such as (1) canopy density, (2) horizontal heterogeneity of canopy surface height, (3) slope gradient, and (4) distance from roads. Vegetation survey data of 39 plots of mixed forests in Chuncheon, Korea, were used, and possible management practices for understory vegetation were suggested. Results: This study found that 113 species among 141 species of honey plant of the forests were classified as understory vegetation. Also, the understory honey plant diversity is significantly positively correlated with distance from the nearest road and horizontal heterogeneity of canopy surface height and negatively correlated with canopy density. Conclusions: The diversity of understory honey plant vegetation is correlated to vegetation structure and human impact. In order to enhance the diversity of understory honey plant, management of density and height of canopy is necessary. This study suggests that improved diversity of canopy cover through thinning of overstory vegetation can increase the diversity of understory honey plant species.

• Mycobiology
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.204-208
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• 2017

Nosema ceranae is an obligate intracellular fungal parasite that causes mortality in honey bees and enhances the susceptibility of honey bees to other pathogens. Efficient purification of Nosema spores from the midgut of infected honey bees is very important because Nosema is non-culturable and only seasonably available. To achieve a higher yield of spores from honey bees, in this study, we considered that the initial release of spores from the midgut tissues was the most critical step. The use of 2 mm beads along with enzymatic treatment with collagenase and trypsin enhanced the homogenization of tissues and the yield of released spores by approximately 2.95 times compared with the use of common 3 mm beads alone. The optimal time for the enzyme treatment was determined to be 1 hr as measured by the yield and viability of the spores. A one-step filtration using a filter paper with an $8-11{\mu}m$ pore size was sufficient for removing cell debris. This method may be useful to purify not only N. ceranae spores but also other Nosema spp. spores.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제45권4호
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• pp.287-292
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• 2021

Background: References to insects in myths, stories, and idioms can be found in almost any culture, but with regard to references involving honey bee species in the Asia-Australian region, little information is available. Such references to bees can be highly informative by revealing attitudes of admiration, fear, ignorance, or even revulsion towards these insects. Results: The subject is briefly reviewed and examples of references to bees of selected cultural communities are given. Although folkloristic references to honey bees were found to be mostly positive highlighting fearlessness, cleverness, and industriousness of the bees, some also touch upon their ability to cause pain. Conclusions: Owing to the decreasing contacts and increasing alienization regarding insects generally, a plea is made to collect whatever information is still available about references to bees in songs, myths, stories, proverbs, and idioms and to compare such uses from different regions, e.g., North and South Korea. This would support other fields of research aiming to discover and to describe cultural relationships, migrations, and contacts between different peoples of the Asian/Australian region.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.7-11
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• 2015

Objectives: Bee venom (BV) is a complex mixture of proteins and contains proteins such as phospholipase and melittin, which have an effect on blood clotting and blood clots. The mechanism of action of honey bee venom (HBV, Apis mellifera) on human plasma proteins and its anti-thrombotic effect were studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-coagulation effect of BV and its effects on blood coagulation and purification. Methods: Crude venom obtained from Apis mellifera was selected. The anti-coagulation factor of the crude venom from this species was purified by using gel filtration chromatography (sephadex G-50), and the molecular weights of the anti-coagulants in this venom estimated by using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Blood samples were obtained from 10 rabbits, and the prothrombin time (PT) and the partial thromboplastin time (PTT) tests were conducted. The approximate lethal dose (LD) values of BV were determined. Results: Crude BV increased the blood clotting time. For BV concentrations from 1 to 4 mg/mL, clotting was not observed even at more than 300 seconds, standard deviations $(SDs)={\pm}0.71$; however, clotting was observed in the control group 13.8 s, $SDs={\pm}0.52$. Thus, BV can be considered as containing anti-coagulation factors. Crude BV is composed 4 protein bands with molecular weights of 3, 15, 20 and 41 kilodalton (kDa), respectively. The $LD_{50}$ of the crude BV was found to be $177.8{\mu}g/mouse$. Conclusion: BV contains anti-coagulation factors. The fraction extracted from the Iranian bees contains proteins that are similar to anti-coagulation proteins, such as phospholipase $A_2(PLA_2)$ and melittin, and that can increase the blood clotting times in vitro.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.165-171
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• 1976

Experimental approaches on the effectiveness of thimerosal to control growth of Nosema apis (Zander, 1909) were carried out in the rearing honey bees. The rearing honey bees were artificially infected with various levels of spore isolated from local honey bees. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. In the experiments of therapeutic chemicals for Nosema disease, 0.01% and 0.02% thimerosal of sucrose-honey mixture was the most effective agent but the each concentration of amprolium, furazolidone, hygiene, sulfadimethoxine and terramycin did not show the any effects 2. It showed very high therapeutic effectiveness (over than 90%) that the treatment of three times every other day after the treatment of three times consecutive every day with 0.01% thimerosal, or the treatment of three times consecutive every day with 0.02% thimerosal. 3. When 0.02% thimerosal was administered three times consecutive every day to honey bees at the 4th day before artificial inoculation of N. apis, it showed very high degree (100%) of prevalence control effectiveness, and it also showed high degree (over than 90%) in administration at the 7th day before, and over than 80% at the 10th day before. Then authors found that thimerosal has the prevalence control effectiveness as well as the treatment effectiveness. 4. In the rearing honey bee colony, 0.02% thimerosal showed the high degree (over than 80%) of therapeutic effectiveness with the various levels which contained from the light decree of infection to the severe degree of it.

• 대한임상약리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한임상약리학회 1994년도 정기총회 및 추계학술대회
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• pp.30-30
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• 1994

• 한국응용곤충학회지
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• 제57권3호
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• pp.233-233
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• 2018

• 분석과학
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2013

많은 양봉업자들이 그들의 벌을 보호하기 위해 동물성의약품들을 사용한다. 우리나라에서 벌에 사용되는 동물성 의약품은 아미트라즈, 브로모프로필레이트, 쿠마포스, 시미아졸 등이다. 2006년 중반에 한국 정부에서는 아미트라즈와 쿠마포스의 최대잔류허용기준을 각각 0.2, 0.1 ppm으로 설정하였다. 해마다 양봉환경이 변하고 있으므로 꿀 속의 동물성 의약품들에 대한 지속적인 모니터링이 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 2011년에 지역시장이나 인터넷을 통해 모은 10개 벌꿀 시료들에 대하여 아미트라즈, 브로모프로필레이트, 쿠마포스, 시미아졸 잔존량을 HPLC-DAD로 조사하였다. 조사한 10종의 벌꿀에서는 살충제로 사용되는 이들 성분이 25 ppb 이상으로는 검출되지 않았다.

• 생물환경조절학회지
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.83-88
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• 2005

참외 착과 생력화 및 품질향상을 위하여 사계절꿀참외에 성주토좌호박을 합접하여 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구와 착과제 처리구를 비교하였다 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구에 비하여 착과제 처리구에서 과중이 무겁고 과육두께가 두꺼운 경향이었으나 당도 및 경도는 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구에서 높은 경향이었다. 2월 하순부터 3월 상순까지의 착과율은 착과제 처리구의 $95\%$에 비하여 꿀벌은 $46\%$, 호박벌은 $45\%$로 착과율이 낮았으나, 3월 중순부터는 꿀벌, 호박벌 방사구 및 착과제 처리구 공히 착과율이 $98\%$이상으로 높아 참외 시설재배시 벌을 이용한 착과 시기는 3월 중순이후가 적당한 것으로 판단되었다. 과실의 색도는 착과제 처리구에 비하여 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구에서 우수한 경향이었으며 특히 a값이 높았다. 발효과율은 착과제 처리구의 $28.1\%$에 비하여 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구에서 각각 $95\%,\;9.1\%$천 매우 낮았으며, 백립중은 착과제 처리구의 0.08g에 비하여 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구에서 각각 0.17g, 0.15g으로 무거워 백립중이 무거우면 무거울수록 발효과율이 감소하였다. 기형과율은 착과제 처리구에 비하여 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구에서 다소 높았으나 상품과율은 착과제 처리구의 $62.5\%$에 비하여 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구에서 각각 $82\%$ 및 $80.3\%$로 높았다. 과실의 감모율을 조사한 결과, 착과제 처리구에 비하여 꿀벌 및 호박벌 방사구에서 수확한 과실의 감모율이 적었다. 이상의 결과를 종합해 볼 때 꿀벌 및 호박벌의 도입으로 참외 착과 생력화가 가능하고 품질향상이 가능함을 알 수 있었다. 포장재 종류별로 포장재가 두꺼울수록 greening의 진행이 지연되는 경향을 보였다. Greening을 수치화 할 수 있는 엽록소 함량은 역시 저장온도가 낮은 $1^{\circ}C$가 $10^{\circ}C$보다 낮았고, 역시 이산화탄소 농도가 가장 높았던 50um LDPE필름에서 가장 낮은 함량을 보였는데 포장재 내부의 이산화탄소 함량과 총 엽록소 함량과의 상관관계를 조사한 결과 상관계수(r)가 $1^{\circ}C$에서 0.926 $10^{\circ}C$에서는 0.997로 고도의 상관이 있음을 알 수 있었다. Greening을 제외한 외관상 품질은 저온인 $1^{\circ}C$에서 높게 유지되었고 포장재별로는 $1^{\circ}C$에서는 50um LDPE 필름이 $10^{\circ}C$에서는 25um LDPE필름에서 가장 높은 점수를 나타내었다. 비타민 C 함량도 저온에서 높게 유지되었으며 필름종류별로는 25um와 50um LDPE 필름에서 가장 높았다. 이상의 결과로 보아 치콘의 저장 및 유통시 $1^{\circ}C$에서는 50um LDPE 필름이 $10^{\circ}C$에서는 25um LDPE 필름이 포장재로 적합한 것으로 사료된다. 또한 약간의 빛으로 greening이 급격히 진행되므로 판매과정에서 암조건을 유지하는 것이 필요하리라 생각된다.따라서 우리나라 집단급식소의 위생관리 실태를 완전하게 파악하기 위해서는 더 많은 연구자들이 급식소의 위생관리 실태조사에 참여하고, 이를 데이터베이스화하여 객관적으로 평가하는 작업이 필요할 것으로 사료된다.