Robin Owen

By Robin E. Owen

Part of the book: Morphometrics

By Robin E. Owen

The commercial production of bumble bee colonies is a multi-million dollar business worldwide. The pollination of greenhouse tomatoes is largely dependent on this industry. However, microparasites are prevalent in many of these colonies and can spread to wild populations of bumble bees. Academic researchers now commonly purchase colonies for their work. I believe that this raises some questions: (a) What is the danger of exacerbating the problem of spread of parasites and pathogens to wild population of bumble bees from field studies using purchased colonies? (b) How representative studies are done on only a few species, for example, B. terrestris, B. impatiens? (c) Does the purchase and use of these colonies give tacit approval to the industry, which may be having a detrimental effect on the native populations of bumble bees? This is an ethical issue. (d) Loss of “feeling for the organism” by researchers and particularly graduate students. These issues were discussed, and the classical method of bumble bee rearing which avoids these problems was described.

Part of the book: Beekeeping and Bee Conservation

By Robin E. Owen

The Codex Alimentarius Commission defines honey as: “… the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of plants … which the bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature”. Honey, produced in all regions of the world varies widely in its chemical and physical properties, which depend on the plants the bees visit and on the species of Apis themselves. The Codex sets standards for the composition of honeys, levels of contaminants permitted, and the correct labelling according to floral source and geographic origin. The growth of stingless bee (Meliponidae) domestication in Central and South America, Asia and Australia has led to another significant source of honey, which is very variable in its properties. Here I review of the properties of honeys and the techniques used to analyze the geographical, entomological and botanical origins of honey, discuss some of the properties and features of the honeys made by the stingless bees, and discuss unusual honeys, the so-called “mad honeys”, made from nectar containing toxic compounds, and the effect of toxic nectar on bees (bumble bees) and humans.

Part of the book: Honey