Oldroyd B P, Thexton E G, Lawler S H, Crozier R H
School of Biological Sciences, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney N.S.W. 2006, Australia. (Address for correspondence), , , , , , AU.
Riparian Australia, Technology Park, LaTrobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia, , , , , , AU.
Oecologia. 1997 Jul;111(3):381-387. doi: 10.1007/s004420050249.
Honey-bees are widespread as feral animals in Australia. Their impact on Australian ecosystems is difficult to assess, but may include competition with native fauna for floral resources or nesting sites, or inadequate or inappropriate pollination of native flora. In this 3-year study we examined the demography of the feral bee population in the riparian woodland of Wyperfeld National Park in north-west Victoria. The population is very large but varied considerably in size (50-150 colonies/km) during the study period (1992-1995). The expected colony lifespan for an established colony is 6.6 years, that for a founder colony (new swarm), 2.7 years. The population is expected to be stable if each colony produces 0.75 swarms per year, which is less than the number predicted on the basis of other studies (2-3 swarms/colony per year). Therefore, the population has considerable capacity for increase. Most colony deaths occurred in the summer, possibly due to high temperatures and lack of water. Colonies showed considerable spatial aggregation, agreeing with earlier findings. When all colonies were eradicated from two 5-ha sites, the average rate of re-occupation was 15 colonies/km per year. Ten swarms of commercial origin were released and were found to have similar survival rates to founder colonies. However, the feral population is self-sustaining, and does not require immigration from the domestic population.
蜜蜂作为野生动物在澳大利亚分布广泛。它们对澳大利亚生态系统的影响难以评估，但可能包括与本土动物争夺花卉资源或筑巢地点，或对本土植物进行不充分或不适当的授粉。在这项为期3年的研究中，我们调查了维多利亚州西北部怀珀费尔德国家公园河岸林地中野生蜜蜂种群的种群统计学。该种群数量非常大，但在研究期间（1992 - 1995年）规模差异很大（每公里50 - 150个蜂群）。一个成熟蜂群的预期寿命为6.6年，新分蜂群（新蜂群）为2.7年。如果每个蜂群每年产生0.75个蜂群，种群预计将保持稳定，这一数字低于根据其他研究预测的数量（每年每个蜂群2 - 3个蜂群）。因此，该种群有相当大的增长潜力。大多数蜂群死亡发生在夏季，可能是由于高温和缺水。蜂群表现出相当程度的空间聚集，这与早期研究结果一致。当从两个5公顷的区域根除所有蜂群后，重新占据的平均速率为每年每公里15个蜂群。释放了10个商业来源的蜂群，发现它们的存活率与新分蜂群相似。然而，野生种群能够自我维持，不需要来自家养种群的迁入。
