Institute of Apiculture Research

Genetic and Biological Basis of High Royal Jelly-Producing Bees Apis mellifera ligustica: From Larval Signal Perception to Glandular Secretion

Royal jelly (RJ), the glandular secretion that determines honeybee caste, is also a high-value apicultural product. China supplies about 90% of the world production volume, almost entirely through high RJ-producing bees (RJBs) selected from Apis mellifera ligustica over four deca...

Developmental exposure to amitraz impairs reproductive development and metabolic homeostasis in honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens

Chemicals used within managed pollinator systems can become developmental stressors for non-target organisms, yet their effects on reproductively specialized individuals remain insufficiently understood. Here, we examined the developmental ecotoxicity of the in-hive acaricide ami...

Morphology, Distribution and Sexual Dimorphism of Sensilla in the Tea Leaf Beetle Basilepta melanopus (Coleoptera: Eumolpidae)

The tea leaf beetle Basilepta melanopus is a devastating leaf-feeding pest of tea plants, with its infestation area and damage severity in Chinese tea plantations continuously increasing. Characterizing the morphology and distribution of sensilla provides a morphological basis fo...

Unraveling umami and kokumi: taste characteristics and molecular mechanisms of milk-derived peptides

Although taste-active peptides have been isolated from enzymatic hydrolysates of defatted high-protein milk powder, their sensory properties, processing stability, and receptor-binding mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, we synthesized milk-derived taste- active...

Baseline Detection of Honey Bee Viruses and Nosema ceranae in Apis Species from Cambodia and Laos

Honey bees provide essential pollination services in natural and agricultural ecosystems, yet little is known about honey bee-associated pathogens in Cambodia and Laos. Here, we screened 53 colonies from 10 sites, including Apis cerana (n = 28), A. mellifera (n = 18), A. dorsata...

Integrated metabolomic and proteomic profiling reveals density-dependent variation in development and chemical composition of queen bee larvae

Queen bee larvae (QBL), a byproduct of royal jelly production, are gaining prominence as a functional food due to their health-promoting effects. Beekeepers routinely adjust queen cell numbers per colony to maximize the yield of royal jelly during commercial production, yet the i...

Metagenomics reveals biogeography and functional potential of phage communities in bee gut

Bacteriophages (phages) are pivotal regulators of microbiome ecology and function, yet their distribution, diversity and ecological roles within the bee gut remain largely unexplored, particularly across diverse bee species and geographic regions. Here, we used a large-scale meta...