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Reproductive disturbance of Japanese bumblebees by the introduced European bumblebee Bombus terrestris

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Abstract

The European bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, is an invasive eusocial species whose distribution is expanding greatly beyond its native range because numerous colonies are imported to or locally produced in non-native countries for pollination of agricultural crops. Closely related species exist in Japan where the unrestricted import and use of B. terrestris has resulted in the establishment of wild colonies. Laboratory studies previously showed that B. terrestris and Japanese native species can copulate and produce fertilized eggs. Although these eggs do not hatch, the interspecific mating can cause a serious reproductive disturbance to native bumblebees. In this study, we determined the frequencies of interspecies mating between B. terrestris males and native bumblebee queens in the wild on the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu by analyzing the DNA sequences of spermatozoa stored in spermathecae of native queens. We found that 20.2% of B. hypocrita hypocrita queens and 30.2% of B. hypocrita sapporoensis queens had spermatozoa of B. terrestris males in their spermathecae. Given that a Bombus queen generally mates only once in her life, such high frequencies of interspecific mating with B. terrestris pose serious threats to the populations of native bumblebees in Japan.

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Acknowledgments

We thank J. Yokoyama, T. Koide, M. Mitsuhata, Y. Saito, Y. Kida, I. Dohzono, M. N. Inoue, and L. Kawaguchi for kindly providing insect specimens, and K. Suzuki, N. Yoshiuchi, A. Nakane, and M. Kaieda for technical and secretarial support. We also thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on this manuscript. This research was part of the Research Project for Sophistication of Study for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, entitled “Development of Control Methods against Ecological Risks of Commercial Bumblebee for Pollination” (2005–2007, no. 1701, chief K.G.).

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Author notes

  1. Yuya Kanbe

    Present address: Asia and Life Science Business Group, Arysta LifeScience Corporation Bio Systems, 418-404 Nishioka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0832, Japan

  2. Yoko Kawate Kunitake

    Present address: Department of Management Science, Faculty of Management and Information Sciences, Josai International University, 1 Gumyo, Togane, Chiba, 283-8555, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Population Ecology Section, Environmental Biology Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan

    Natsuko Ito Kondo

  2. Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan

    Daisei Yamanaka & Koji Tsuchida

  3. Bumblebee Section, Apiculture Department, Api Co. Ltd., 8-38 Nakano-machi, Honjo, Gifu, 500-8364, Japan

    Yuya Kanbe & Masahiro Yoneda

  4. Invasive Alien Species Research Team, Research Center for Environmental Risk, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan

    Yoko Kawate Kunitake, Masahiro Yoneda & Koichi Goka

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  1. Natsuko Ito Kondo
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Correspondence to Natsuko Ito Kondo.

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Kondo, N.I., Yamanaka, D., Kanbe, Y. et al. Reproductive disturbance of Japanese bumblebees by the introduced European bumblebee Bombus terrestris . Naturwissenschaften 96, 467–475 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-008-0495-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-008-0495-4

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