Methoprene, a Juvenile Hormone Analog, Causes Winter Diapause Elimination in Univoltine Bee Species Osmia bicornis L.

Abstract

Osmia bicornis syn. O. rufa is a univoltine bee species in which adults fly in spring and the offspring overwinter as cocooned imagoes. The flight period of solitary bees is short, so methods of control for development and emergence time are needed to synchronize the activity of managed pollinators with blooming. In our study, we tested the effectiveness of a juvenile hormone analog for the prevention of winter diapause. Bees developed in settled nests outdoors or in the laboratory (22 °C) until the end of the pre-pupa stage, then cocoons were removed from the nest cells and treated with a JH analog—methoprene—during the pupa and young imago stages. Then, bees were activated at 25 °C until the adults left the cocoons. Topical application of methoprene to the cocoon at the pupa or imago stage induced the emergence of some adult bees in the pre-diapause period, while no adults emerged when the bees were not treated with methoprene. Most adults emerged (about 50%) when treated with methoprene on 3-week-old cocooned imagoes. Bees treated in the pupal stage had a lower emergence rate (20–30%), but adult bees emerged earlier. The emergence time of adults for the laboratory group was, on average, from 70 to 91 days, and that for outdoor groups was from 57 to 72 days.