• 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.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.115-122
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• 2021

Pollinators are not only crucial for plant reproduction, but also important for crop production. These pollinators are affected by the diversity of plants within orchards. Thus, the study investigated the effect of blooming on the ground cover on pollinator diversity, network, fruiting rates and subsequent apple size during harvest season in apple blooming period. Total ten orchards were selected; Five with ground covered mostly by dandelion while the another five without ground cover. The orchards with dandelion bloom showed 16 pollinator groups and 801 pollination network interaction, while 14 pollinator groups and 589 interaction were found from orchards without ground cover blooms. es. Overall pollinators' abundances were not different. But bumble bees and caliphorid flies were more abundant in orchards with ground cover blooming. There was no significant in fruiting rates, but the apple size was significantly bigger in orchards with ground cover. These results may indicate that blooming on the ground cover during apple flowering season would increase pollinator diversity and influence fruit quality later on in apple orchards, and pose importance of floral diversity for sustainable apple production system.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.171-180
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• 2017

Slow Bee Paralysis Virus (SBPV) is a pathogenic virus against honeybee and bumblebee, causes the death of adult bee by paralyzing the fore-leg of bee. In this study, for rapid detection of SBPV from bumblebee, SBPV-specific Ultra-rapid Reverse transcription PCR was developed. After optimizing of SBPV-specific Ultra-rapid PCR, the existence of $1.0{\times}10^8$ SBPV-specific DNA molecules could be recognized in 3 minute and 35 seconds. Even $1.0{\times}10^1$ molecules of SBPV-specific DNA could be measured with quantitative manner. Meanwhile, from both imported bumblebee and bumblebee produced in Korea, SBPV were detected using proposed method. In the laboratory as well as in the field, SBPV-specific Ultra-rapid Reverse transcription PCR would be applied and might be expected as useful tools at production of bumblebee or inspection for the import and export system of bumblebee.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.119-131
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• 2017

For the Rapid detection of small hive beetle (SHB; Aethina tumida) and for the mass-survey against SHB invasion, SHB-specific ultra-rapid PCR system was developed. Three different pairs of Aethina tumida-specific primers were deduced from cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene in mitochondrial DNA of SHB. Using optimized SHB-specific ultra-rapid PCR, $2.1{\times}10^1$ molecules of COI gene belonged to SHB could be detected specifically and quantitatively within 18 minutes 40 seconds. For the purpose of the application in apiary field, a DNA extraction method from bee debris was separatedly developed. When $10^5$ SHB-specific COI molecules (1/1000 body of SHB larvae) are existed in 1g of bee debris, it could be verified inner 10 minutes as qualitative and quantitative manner. SHB-specific ultra-rapid PCR we proposed would be expected to apply widely, either in apiary field or laboratory, for the rapid detections and the control against SHB-invasion.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2019

Honey bees use propolis to defend against invaders and pathogens. Propolis, a resinous mixture, has been widely used for its antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. This research was carried out to evaluate the propolis productivity in Apis mellifera lines to select superior honeybee lines. For the study, which were collected from three regions in Korea were evaluated for the productivity of propolis. The results showed that, the average propolis per colony was highest in the line P2 (10.1 g/hive), which was inbed line derived from isolated region, compared to other lines. We also measured brood development one the basis of population size of eggs, brood, and adult bees to further probe for relation between population size and propolis yield, in that larger population generally have more foragers. Also, adult population expended more greatly in the line P2 compared to that in the control.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.189-195
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• 2019

Plants release a large variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the surrounding atmosphere. Floral volatile compounds (FVCs) emitted from many plants is the critical factors for pollinator attraction and defense for adaptation in environments. Recent studies indicate that the chemical components contributing to FVCs play an important role in the honeybee attractiveness to flowers. Olfactory signals are rapidly learned, indicating that foraging behavior results from the association of plant chemicals acting as chemosensory cues for the bees. Solid phase microextraction(SPME)-GC/MS method was applied to analyze the chemical composition of FVCs according to the different species of Robinia spp. The abundant compounds identified in R. pseudoacacia were (Z)-β-ocimene (34.86%) and linalool (35.47%). Those of the tetraploid R. pseudoacacia were (Z)-β-ocimene (35.42%) and α-Farnesene (33.94%). The volatiles of R. margarettae 'Pink Cascade' comprised an abundance of (Z)-β-ocimene (42.73%), (E)-4,8-Dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene (37.23%). Differences in FVCs of the different species of Robinia spp. are discussed in light of biochemical constraints on volatile chemical synthesis and of the role of flower scent in ecology of pollination.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.371-382
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• 2020

The A, C, F colonies of Apis mellifera ligustica Spin. and D, V colony of Apis mellifera caucasia Gorb. bees were collected from 2005-2007. Consequently, inbred lines were derived from the bees of original colonies by matting in the isolated island with due regard for pure breeding. This project helps in the selection of colonies with higher production capacity, aiming to improve honey and royal jelly production and breeding programs. Twenty-three standard morphological traits of honeybee were evaluated, and samples were compared with the data of the two original subspecies. The result suggested that 8 traits partly preserved in bees of inbred lines, and the bees from A. m. ligustica preserved more traits than bees from A. m. caucasia. Among the studied inbred lines, the F line is distinguished by an increase in leg parameters, considered as a favorable phenotypic trait of inbred lines. Importantly, bred of beelines in the same area can be classified as remote and isolated areas. Therefore, we observed differences of inbred lines with the origin subspecies in description acquired with morphometric characteristics as a result of adaptation, breeding, purebred individual lines used as an important resource for breeding novel cross-breeding colonies.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.867-874
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• 2023

Recently, many problems are occurring in the bee ecosystem due to rapid climate change. The decline in the bee population and changes in the flowering period are having a huge impact on the harvest of bee-keepers. Since it is impossible to continuously observe the beehives in the hive with the naked eye, most people rely on knowledge based on experience about the state of the hive.Therefore, interest is focused on smart beekeeping incorporating IoT technology. In particular, with regard to swarming, which is one of the most important parts of beekeeping, we know empirically that the swarming time can be determined by the sound of the queen bee, but there is no way to systematically analyze this with data.You may think that it can be done by simply recording the sound of the queen bee and analyzing it, but it does not solve various problems such as various noise issues around the hive and the inability to continuously record.In this study, we developed a system that records queen bee sounds in a real-time cloud system and analyzes sound patterns.After receiving real-time analog sound from the hive through multiple channels and converting it to digital, a sound pattern that was continuously output in the queen bee sound frequency band was discovered. By accessing the cloud system, you can monitor sounds around the hive, temperature/humidity inside the hive, weight, and internal movement data.The system developed in this study made it possible to analyze the sound patterns of the queen bee and learn about the situation inside the hive. Through this, it will be possible to predict the swarming period of bees or provide information to control the swarming period.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.332-338
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• 2009

A xylan-decomposing bacterium, HY-20, was isolated from the gut of a honeybee, Apis mellifera, and identified as Bacillus sp. The extracellular GH11 xylanase (XylP) gene (687-bp) of strain HY-20 encoded a protein of 228 amino acids with a deduced molecular mass of 25,522 Da and a calculated pI of 9.33. The primary structure of XylP was 97% identical to that of B. pumilus xylanase (GenBank accession no.: AY526092) that has not been characterized yet. The recombinant His-tagged enzyme (rXylP) overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 harboring pET-28a(+)/xylP was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by cation exchange and gel permeation chromatographies. The purified enzyme exhibited the highest catalytic activity toward birchwood xylan at pH 6.5 and $50^{\circ}C$ and retained approximately 50% of its original activity when pre-incubated at $55^{\circ}C$ for 15 min. The recombinant enzyme was completely inactivated by $Hg^{2+}$ (1 mM) and N-bromosuccinimide (5 mM), while its activity was slightly stimulated by approximately 10% in the presence of $Mn^{2+}$ (1 mM), $Fe^{2+}$ (1 mM), and sodium azide (5 mM). rXylP was able to efficiently degrade various polymeric xylose-based substrates but PNP-sugar derivatives and glucose-based polymers were not susceptible to the enzyme.