Journal
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 51, Issue 9, Pages 953-957Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2005.04.003
Keywords
soybean trypsin inhibitor; hypopharyngeal gland; midgut enzyme activity; honey bee; Apis mellifera
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Insecticidal properties of protease inhibitors have been established in transgenic plants. In the wake of continuous research and rapid development of protease inhibitors it is important to assess possible effects on beneficial insects like the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.). In this study, newly emerged caged bees were fed pollen diets containing three different concentrations (0.1%, 0.5% and 1% w:w) of soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI). Hypopharyngeal gland protein content, total midgut proteolytic enzyme activity of these bees, and survival were measured. Bees fed 1% SBTI had significantly reduced hypopharyngeal gland protein content and midgut proteolytic enzyme activity. There were no significant differences between control, 0.1% and 0.5% SBTI treatments. Bees fed a diet containing 1% SBTI had the lowest survival, followed by 0.5% and 0.1%, over a 30-day period. We concluded that nurse bees fed a pollen diet containing at least 1% SBTI would be poor producers of larval food, potentially threatening colony growth and maintenance. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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