Apidologie最新文献

{"title":"Influence of bee pollen supplement on health and immunity of the honeybee Apis mellifera L","authors":"Aida A. Abd El-Wahed,&nbsp;Rasha S. Sakla,&nbsp;Sobhia S. Sayed,&nbsp;Wael M. Aboulthana","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01278-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01278-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the current study, the effect of a supplemented diet (artificial protein cake) administered during autumn and winter was evaluated. The histological examination of the midgut tissue was performed. Measured parameters included gene expression of antimicrobial peptides (defensin-1, abaecin, and hymenoptaecin), activities of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH). In addition, lipid peroxidation (LPO), total protein carbonyl content<b> (</b>TPC), vitellogenin (Vg), glucose oxidase activity, and total polyphenols were measured in newly emerged, nurse, and forager worker bees from both supplemented and control colonies. Colonies that did not receive dietary supplementation served as controls. The histological analysis revealed morphological alterations in the midgut cells of treated bees. On the other hand, there are noticeable increases in the gene expression of antimicrobial peptides, antioxidants, glucose oxidase, and total polyphenols content in colonies fed the supplemented diet compared with control colonies. In contrast, Vg and LPO levels were lower in the treatment group than in the control group. Generally, there was a clear improvement in the gene expression of antioxidant enzymes and antimicrobial peptides in bee colonies that received a supplemental diet compared to control colonies. The honeybee workers supplemented with the artificial diet may possess mechanisms that reduce oxidative stress. Together, the results indicate that supplemental feeding can enhance colony health during the overwintering period, a time marked by increased colony losses. However, this practice appears to impact the physiological state of the workers’ midgut. In conclusion, it is crucial to feed honeybees diets that contain the essential elements required to maintain bee health.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-026-01278-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prison or self-protection? The role of cerumen chamber construction for young queens in the stingless bee Plebeia flavocincta","authors":"Maria da Conceição Parente,&nbsp;Epifânia Emanuela de Macêdo Rocha,&nbsp;Janaely Silva Pereira,&nbsp;Felipe Jackson de Farias-Silva,&nbsp;Paloma Eleutério,&nbsp;Dejaime Teófilo,&nbsp;Breno M. Freitas","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01279-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01279-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A poorly understood aspect in several stingless bee species is the construction of cerumen chambers in which virgin queens are found. The present study aimed to investigate the role of these chambers in <i>Plebeia flavocincta</i> and their association with dominance behaviors displayed by newly emerged virgin queens. Eleven queens emerging in protocolonies (nine normal-sized and two miniature queens) were observed from emergence until 5 days of age, at which point they were no longer attacked by workers. The construction of chambers was observed in ten (90.9%) of these monitored queens, who led their construction and used them as shelters, but exited freely to recruit workers through various dominance behaviors. However, only nine of these females could be included in the final dataset. Changing in behaviors frequency and composition across observation days was analyzed by generalized linear mixed models and Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) for ten behaviors, across nine gynes and 5 days of monitoring. The model results showed that dominance behavior frequency decreased significantly on days 4 and 5, and the NMDS did not present a consistent pattern in the set of behaviors. This reflects that dominance-related actions declined over time (or as queens aged); however, the composition of these behaviors for each gyne is variable. We concluded in our experimental context that the events associated with chamber construction in <i>P. flavocincta</i> likely functioned as an innate and immediate self-protective strategy of virgin queens, probably acting as a potential mechanism for survival and hierarchical consolidation. Our discussion reinforces that virgin queens in certain groups of meliponine bees, particularly those that establish early dominance, may play an important role in selection of new reproductive females, suggesting that this process is not exclusively mediated by workers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-026-01279-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148281145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of protein and amino acid composition of pollen and its use by domestic honey bees (Apis mellifera)","authors":"Matías Francisco Ledesma-González,&nbsp;Sandra Karina Medici,&nbsp;Gisela Grandinetti,&nbsp;Guillermina Inés Schulz,&nbsp;Elian Tourn,&nbsp;Francisco José Reynaldi,&nbsp;Leticia Andrea Fernández","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01277-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01277-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Pollen is the main source of proteins and amino acids for <i>Apis mellifera</i> L. However few studies have evaluated the use of these nutrients by domestic honey bees. This study examined protein content, amino acid profile, and their apparent digestibility of various pollen types foraged by honey bees in an apicultural region of Argentina. To achieve this purpose, bee pollen was collected, identified and separated into monofloral pollen loads which were used to formulate pollen diets with TiO₂ as an inert marker. Crude and soluble protein contents, as well as amino acid profiles, were analyzed in the diets. Subsequently, we conducted three in vitro trials using caged bees fed with these diets. Feces were collected and analyzed for soluble proteins and amino acid profiles. The soluble and crude protein of the diets varied according to their botanical origin, but amino acid profiles were consistent among diets. Caged bees, especially spring bees, used efficiently the protein in the diets (83.6 ± 24.2% apparent digestibility). No significant differences in the apparent digestibility were detected among the 19 amino acids evaluated. This suggests either bees do not selectively absorb specific amino acids from food, or modifications of the amino acids profile by endogenous secretions or gut microbiota activity. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how honey bees utilize dietary proteins, providing valuable information for improving apicultural nutrition strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Flupyradifurone-based insecticide influences foraging behaviour but does not alter chemosensory orientation of Bombus terrestris","authors":"Brigitta Juhász,&nbsp;Zsolt Bertók,&nbsp;Magdolna O. Szelényi,&nbsp;Zsolt Kárpáti,&nbsp;Zoltán Tóth","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01276-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01276-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In recent decades, pollinating insect populations have drastically declined, partly due to the extensive use of various agrochemicals. Flupyradifurone is a systemic butanolide insecticide that has been considered to pose low risk to bees; however, recent studies have shown that it can cause various sublethal effects (e.g. reduced learning ability and memory) in various pollinators. In this study, we examined how exposure to a flupyradifurone-based insecticide formulation for 1, 2, or 3 weeks affected peripheral olfactory detection of a synthetic floral blend and the foraging behaviour of buff-tailed bumblebee (<i>Bombus terrestris</i>) workers. We found that pesticide-treated bumblebees approached the two visually cued target locations (scentless or scented with the floral blend) significantly less frequently, but they did not choose the floral blend at a lower rate than the control animals did. The latency to first approach a target location also differed between treatment groups as pesticide-treated bees reached the first location with a 37% lower probability than control animals at any time during the behavioural trial. The antennal response of bumblebees was dose-dependent, but time also modulated its magnitude at higher doses, and this effect was observed in both control and treated individuals. Overall, exposure to a low concentration of flupyradifurone altered some aspects of bumblebees’ foraging behaviour regardless of exposure length, but did not influence their chemosensory perception or orientation. Future investigations should examine whether these sublethal effects identified at the individual level may scale up to impair colony growth or reproductive output in this important pollinator species.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-026-01276-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sublethal chronic exposure and lethal acute exposure to indoxacarb-based insecticide cause histopathological and cytopathological changes in the midgut of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae)","authors":"Matheus Tudor Candido Santos de Resende,&nbsp;Jamile Fernanda Silva Cossolin,&nbsp;Luiz Carlos Martínez,&nbsp;Raissa Santana Serra,&nbsp;André Henrique Oliveira,&nbsp;Amanda Martins Cruz Souza,&nbsp;José Eduardo Serrão","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01275-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01275-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bees play essential roles in ecosystems, and agriculture benefits from their pollination services. However, populations of species like <i>Apis mellifera</i> are in decline, with insecticides being a major contributing factor. During foraging, bees can be acutely exposed to insecticides in the field or chronically to contaminated nectar and pollen, which they transport to the hive. While insecticides often target specific organs, non-target organs such as the midgut can also be affected. Indoxacarb is a pro-insecticide with neurotoxic activity that requires enzymatic activation and is considered safe for many non-target organisms. This study assessed the effects of acute-lethal and chronic-sublethal oral exposure to an indoxacarb-based insecticide on the midgut of Africanized <i>A. mellifera</i> workers. We estimated a concentration-mortality curve and conducted histopathological and cytopathological analyses using LC₅₀ for 24 h and LC₅/₁₀₀ for 8 days in 3-day-old workers. Both treatments caused alterations consistent with damage to the midgut, including vacuolization, apical cell protrusions, cell elimination, and epithelial disorganization. Ultrastructural analysis revealed cytotoxicity, vacuolization with autophagic morphology, reticulum endoplasmic with typical characteristics of vesiculated rough reticulum, and basal labyrinth disorganization. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that, even sublethal concentrations, the indoxacarb-based insecticide cause alterations in intestinal histology and ultrastructure, consistent with detrimental damage to bee health. This suggests that prolonged exposure to indoxacarb-based insecticide residues has the potential to negatively affect worker bees and, consequently, the colony.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-026-01275-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148172298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pollen diet diversity in sympatric honeybees and stingless bees","authors":"Kavya Mohan Nadumthottiyil,&nbsp;Malavika Jayakrishnan,&nbsp;Hema Somanathan","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01267-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01267-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><i>Apis</i><i> cerana</i> and <i>Tetragonula iridipennis</i> are sympatric, widely distributed eusocial bees in the Asian tropics that differ markedly in body and colony size. Body size differences are associated with differences in visual and flight capabilities and may influence interspecific competition and coexistence. We analysed the pollen collected by managed colonies of both species and wild colonies of <i>T. iridipennis</i> in a farmland–forest mosaic in the Eastern Ghats, India. We hypothesised that the smaller <i>T.</i> <i>iridipennis</i> would exhibit more restricted diel foraging activity, collect less diverse pollen, show higher pollen constancy, and have low resource overlap with <i>A.</i> <i>cerana</i>. We further expected flower abundance, richness, and diversity to modulate (a) diel foraging activity and (b) pollen diversity, constancy, and resource overlap. Foraging activity began later in <i>T.</i> <i>iridipennis</i> than in <i>A.</i> <i>cerana.</i> Overall, <i>A.</i> <i>cerana</i> exploited a broader range of pollen resources and exhibited low pollen overlap with both wild and managed <i>T.</i> <i>iridipennis.</i> However<i>,</i> the weekly diversity of pollen morphotypes collected per hive was similar between <i>A.</i> <i>cerana</i> and wild <i>T. iridipennis</i>, and pollen constancy did not differ between species. Furthermore, pollen diet breadth in <i>A.</i> <i>cerana</i> increased with floral richness, while flower diversity did not influence the effective pollen morphotype diversity at the hive-level, constancy, or resource overlap. Overall, the smaller body size of <i>T.</i> <i>iridipennis</i>, along with its associated visual and flight constraints, might limit its foraging potential even though they exhibit similar hive-level resource generalisation relative to <i>A.</i> <i>cerana.</i></p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148009198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides to honey bees: a network meta-analysis","authors":"Mohammad Razmkabir,&nbsp;Shima Youzi,&nbsp;Farid Adnani,&nbsp;Skala Idrees Hama Faraj,&nbsp;Peyman Mahmoudi,&nbsp;Fani Hatjina","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01273-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01273-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Honey bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) are essential pollinators vital to ecosystem health and crop production. Neonicotinoid insecticides have raised concerns due to their potential effects on honey bee populations. This study compared the toxicity of six neonicotinoids including imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid, thiacloprid, and dinotefuran using a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Data from 31 studies were analyzed with Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations. Toxicity outcomes were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) for mortality and standardized mean differences (SMDs) for median lethal dose (LD₅₀) and median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) values, with 95% credible intervals. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was used to rank the compounds and determine their relative toxicity to honey bees. For honey bee mortality, dinotefuran had the highest SUCRA value (0.76), indicating the greatest probability of being the most lethal compound (OR = 0.07 compared with control) within the mortality network. On the other hand, clothianidin, scoring 0.38, was found to have the lowest hazard for honey bees among the neonicotinoids assessed. In terms of LD₅₀ values, thiamethoxam had the highest SUCRA value (0.76), indicating the greatest probability of being the most toxic (SMD range − 28.68 to − 34.85 µg/bee compared with other compounds) compound in the LD₅₀ network, while acetamiprid was the least toxic, with a score of 0.05. For LC₅₀ values, imidacloprid, with a score of 0.84, was the most toxic (SMD = − 76.94 ppm compared with acetamiprid), whereas thiacloprid, scoring 0.22, was the least toxic neonicotinoid among those evaluated. Furthermore, a moderate consistency (Spearman’s <i>ρ</i> = 0.72, <i>p</i> = 0.136) was observed between official and literature-based toxicity rank correlations. This network meta-analysis indicates that dinotefuran poses the highest mortality risk to honey bees among neonicotinoids, underscoring the need for cautious use in pollinator-active areas. Conversely, acetamiprid and thiacloprid showed the lowest toxicity among the neonicotinoids evaluated.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148009393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temperature-driven influence on overwintering performance of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in South Korea","authors":"Minwoong Son,&nbsp;Heeji Kim,&nbsp;Dong Hee Lee,&nbsp;Sung Hyun Min,&nbsp;Su Jin Lee,&nbsp;Su-bae Kim,&nbsp;You-young Jo,&nbsp;Kyeong Yong Lee,&nbsp;Young-Bo Lee,&nbsp;Bo-sun Park","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01266-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01266-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Honey bee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) colonies are increasingly exposed to climatic instability and landscape changes, posing significant threats to their overwintering success. This study examined how winter temperature variability and landscape composition influence overwintering outcomes in managed colonies across 40 apiaries in South Korea during the winter of 2024–2025. The average overwintering success rate was 69.1%, and colonies experienced a 41.3% decline in strength. While mean winter temperature did not significantly affect survival or strength, increased temperature variability showed a marginally negative association with overwintering success. Landscapes with greater proportions of crops and wetlands within a 2-km radius exhibited weak positive trends toward improved colony survival. Additionally, interaction analyses suggested that the ecological role of landscape features may depend on the degree of temperature stability. These findings underscore the importance of stable winter conditions and autumn floral resource availability for honey bee survival, highlighting the need for region-specific management strategies to enhance colony resilience under ongoing climate change.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-026-01266-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147938854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lethal and sublethal effects of chlorpyrifos exposure on mason bee (Osmia cornifrons) larval development","authors":"Kelly L. Bennett,&nbsp;Jaya Sravanthi Mokkapati,&nbsp;Natalie K. Boyle","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01249-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01249-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Solitary bees are vital for the pollination of many crops but face decline due to global change drivers such as land use change, global warming, and pathogens. While much research has focused on social bees and adult solitary bee exposure, limited studies address the impact of pesticide-contaminated pollen on developing bee larvae. Understanding these effects is crucial for protecting pollinators and ensuring global food security and ecosystem stability. Our study reports on the effects of realistic doses of chlorpyrifos, a commonly used insecticide, on mason bee biology. Specifically, we investigated how exposure to three different concentrations of chlorpyrifos influences larval survival, developmental timing, and pupal body size in mason bees (<i>Osmia cornifrons</i>) using manipulated larval diets. A significant reduction in survival was observed among mason bees consuming pollen containing the highest experimental chlorpyrifos dose (830 parts per billion; ppb) but not among treatments at lower doses. Chlorpyrifos exposure also significantly impacted pupal size, although some of these effects were not dose-dependent. Our findings indicate that certain insecticides (such as chlorpyrifos) can affect the development of <i>O. cornifrons</i> at field-relevant doses. This work highlights a need for more comprehensive assessments of pesticide impacts on diverse bee species to inform future pollinator conservation efforts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-026-01249-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147797159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characteristics of black woodpecker cavities chosen and not chosen by honeybee swarms","authors":"Benjamin Rutschmann,&nbsp;Patrick L. Kohl","doi":"10.1007/s13592-026-01268-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-026-01268-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The black woodpecker (<i>Dryocopus martius</i>) is an important excavator of tree cavities across much of the Palearctic. Honeybees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) are frequent secondary occupants of black woodpecker cavities in managed forests dominated by beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i>) in Germany; however, it is unclear how well the tree holes fulfil the bees’ requirements and whether honeybees discriminate among black woodpecker cavities according to their characteristics. Here we report on the tree diameter, cavity height above the ground, cavity entrance direction, cavity entrance size, cavity volume, and relative entrance position of <i>N</i> = 20 black woodpecker cavities, half of which were used at least once by honeybees within a previous 2 to 4-year monitoring period. Black woodpecker cavities chosen by honeybee swarms had higher volumes (median volume 41 L vs. 19 L) and smaller entrances (44 cm² vs. 67 cm²) than cavities not recently chosen by bees, and entrances were positioned at the bottom rather than in the middle or top of the cavity body. We conclude that black woodpecker cavities can serve as suitable nest sites for honeybees, provided they have time to enlarge through secondary decay. The mapping, labelling, and long-term preservation of black woodpecker cavity trees can promote populations of wild-living honeybees in managed forests, which are otherwise largely depleted of suitable tree cavities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"57 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-026-01268-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147797211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}