[Ethological-physiological effects of hypoxia on the honeybee Apis mellifera L].

Abstract

Information on the effect of hypoxia on the behavior and physiological state of the honeybee was compiled and systematized. It was shown that, in the course of colonization of temperate and cold climate zones by the honeybee, natural selection favored the acquisition of an effective mechanism of thermoregulation and high tolerance to hypoxia. It was noted that bees can develop under conditions when the CO2 concentration exceeds the content of this gas in the surface layer of the Earth by more than three orders of magnitude; however, this leads to deviations in the morphometric traits from the norm. At the adult stage, anesthesia with carbon dioxide was found to reduce the body weight and the water content in it. It was shown that the effect of anesthesia in adult bees increases with temperature and that hypoxia in adult bees and queens accelerates their senescence and reduces viability.