Publications

Jan 2012

Genotypic diversity in queenless honey bee colonies reduces fitness

Bratkowski, J., Pirk, C. W. W., Neumann, P., Wilde, J.

Journal of Apicultural Research

Honey bee queens mate with many males. The resulting genotypic diversity appears to enhance fitness of queenright colonies (those...

Jul 2012

Waggle dances in absconding colonies of the red dwarf honeybee, Apis florea

Duangphakdee, O., Hepburn, H. R., Radloff, S. E., Pirk, C. W. W. et al.

Insectes Sociaux

Feb 2012

Honeybees and nectar nicotine: Deterrence and reduced survival versus potential health benefits

Köhler, Angela, Pirk, Christian W. W., Nicolson, Susan W.

Journal of Insect Physiology

Secondary metabolites produced by plants for herbivore defence are often found in floral nectar, but their effect on the foraging...

Jul 2012

Simultaneous stressors: Interactive effects of an immune challenge and dietary toxin can be detrimental to honeybees

Köhler, A., Pirk, C. W. W., Nicolson, S. W.

Journal of Insect Physiology

Recent large-scale mortality of honeybee colonies is believed to be caused by multiple interactions between diseases, parasites,...

2012

'Toxic nectar': harmful and beneficial effects of nicotine on an important pollinator, the African honeybee

Köhler, A., Pirk, C. W. W., Nicolson, S. W.

South African Journal of Botany

Dec 2012

Temporal patterns of den use suggest polygamous mating patterns in an obligate monogamous mammal

Kotze, Robynne, Bennett, Nigel C., Cameron, Elissa Z., Low de Vries, J. et al.

Animal Behaviour

Mating systems in animal societies contain both social and genetic components. Deviations between these components may have...

2012

How healthy are our honeybees - Health check of a major pollinator

Pirk, C. W. W., Human, H.

South African Journal of Botany

May 2012

Reproductive Biology of the Cape Honeybee: A Critique of Beekman et al

Pirk, Christian W. W., Lattorff, H. Michael G., Moritz, Robin F. A., Sole, Catherine L. et al.

Journal of Heredity

Laying workers of the Cape honeybee parthenogenetically produce female offspring, whereas queens typically produce males. Beekman...

2012

The pheromones of laying workers in two honeybee sister species: Apis cerana and Apis mellifera

Tan, Ken, Yang, Ming-Xian, Wang, Zheng-Wei, Radloff, Sarah E. et al.

Journal of Comparative Physiology A

When a honeybee colony loses its queen, workers activate their ovaries and begin to lay eggs. This is accompanied by a shift in...