2nd Bangalore Meeting on Asian Bees

Friday 01/03/2019

Location: Department of Entomology, UAS-GKVK

9:15     Welcome (V.V. Belavadi, Hema Somanathan, Axel Brockmann, John Ascher)

Session 1: Bees, Diversity, Taxonomy (chair John S. Ascher)

9:30 – 10:00

Natapot Warrit (Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok) (25+5 talk)

Cryptic Species, Sexual Dimorphism, and Taxonomy of Neon Cuckoo Bees genus Thyreus in Thailand

10:00 – 10:30

Michael Orr (Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing) (25+5 talk)

Extreme nesting behaviors in bees

10:30 – 11:00

John S. Ascher  and Hai Xiang Liew (National University of Singapore, Singapore) (25+5 talk)

Bee species-richness and endemism in India from a global perspective

11:00 – 11:30              Coffee/Tea Break

Session 2: Pollination and Ecology (chair Hema Somanathan)

11:30 – 12:00

Parthiba Basu (Centre for Pollination Studies University of Calcutta) (25+5 talk)

Bees in Eastern Indian agricultural landscapes.   

12:00 – 12:30

Suresh Raina (Centre of Sericulture & Biological Pest Management Research (CSBR, RTM Nagpur University) (25+5 talk)

Diversity of Honeybee species in Agriculture & Forest Ecosystem supporting pollination services in India  

12:30 – 13:00

Omkar Babu (Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur) (25+5 talk)

Genetic diversity and population genetic structure of Indian honey bee

species in selected ecoregions of India.

13:00 – 14.30         Lunch

14:45 – 15:30

Short presentation by students

1. Kavya (Hema Lab):  Plant-pollinator networks in an arid landscape

2. Pradeep S.D. (Belavadi lab): Bee pollen as indicator of floral diversity: studies using solitary and social bees

4.  Jewel Johnson (Hema Lab): Amino acid preferences in honey bees

5. Manoj, K. (Sinu Lab): Plant characteristics predict leafcutter bees’ preference of leaf foraging plants: an Indian scenario

6. Sangeetha Varma (Sinu Lab): Nectar robbing in bellflower (Sesamum radiatum) benefited pollinators but unaffected maternal function of plant reproduction

7. Kavya Mohan (Hema Lab): Plant-pollinator mutualisms in a tropical arid forest

8. Nontawat Chatthanabun (Natapot lab): Report on Megachile bicolor (Fabricius, 1781) nest from Thailand

9. Pakorn Nalinrachataka (Natapot lab): Behind the scene of Bees and Spider Research Unit (Thailand) specimens collection

15:30 – 16:00  Coffee/Tea Break

16:00 – 18:00   Round Table Discussion

Pollination and conservation of bees in India: what are the problems and what has to be done? (tentative title)

19:00  Dinner (Speakers only, “Urban Flavours “Attide Boutique Hotel)

Saturday 02/03/2019

Location: NCBS (Haapus Lecture Hall)

Session 3: Honey bees – Ecology (chair Axel Brockmann)

09:30 – 10:00

P.A. Sinu (Central University of Kerala, Calicut) (10 + 5 talk)

Foraging sources of leafcutter bees in three contrasting geographic regions in the world: Plant clade predicts leaf choice

10:00 – 10:15

Mahua Ghara (Postdoc in Renee Borges lab / pollination) (10 + 5 talk)

The role of bees in pollination of Indian medicinal plants

10:15 – 10:30

Shashidar Viraktamath (Department of Entomology, UAS, Bangalore) (10 + 5 talk)

A technique to collect males of stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini)

10:30 – 10:45

Kedar Devkota (Thribuvan University, Kirtipur Nepal) (10 + 5 talk)

Effect of climate factors on the migratory behavior of the Giant Honey Bee (Apis dorsata) in Chitwan District, Nepal

10:45 – 11:00

Basavarajappa S. (Apidology Laboratory, University of Mysore) (10 + 5 talk)

Threats to wild honeybee population and conservation of wild honeybees in their preferred habitats in Southern Karnataka, India

11:00 – 11:30am         Coffee/Tea Break

Session 3: Honey bees - Behaviour and Physiology (chair Hema Somanathan)

11:30 – 12:00

Joby Joseph (Center for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hyderabad) (25 + 5 talk)  

Apis dorsata olfactory system is ‘very smilar’ to that of Apis mellifera

12:00 – 12:15

Axel Brockmann (NCBS) (10 + 5 talk)

Expression of olfactory receptor genes in drone antennae and the evolution of sex-pheromone communication in honey bees.

12:15 – 12:30

Rocio Fatas (Sristhi Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore) (10 + 5 talk)

Citizen Science project: Smartphone app to monitor A. dorsata colonies

12:30  – 13:00

Short presentation by students

1. Prabhudev MV (Axel Lab): Diversity of A. dorsata and A. laboriosa along the Himalayas

2. Allison Young (Axel Lab): Night dances in A. dorsata

3. Sajesh Vijayan (Hema Lab): Landscape features affecting nest site choice in Apis dorsata.

4. Awanti Shastri (Hema Lab): Behavioural ontogeny of Apis cerana

5. Asmi Jezeera (Hema Lab): Spatial resolution in Tetragonula iridipennis

6. Thomas Jose (Sinu Lab): Are ants really not attracted to flowers?

7. Anjana P. Unni (Sinu Lab): Arms race between ants and bees for floral nectar

13:00 – 14.30              Lunch

15:00  – 18:00   Round Table Discussion (Location: Nucleus Meeting Room)

Prospects for a joined initiative of bee researchers in India (Asia)

(tentative title; tea and coffee will be served in the meeting room)

19:30 –  Dinner at NCBS (Speakers and Students; 30-40 people NCBS Canteen, Organised by Axel’s lab)