Bombella intestini: A probiotic honeybee(Apis mellifera)gut bacterium

Abstract

Honey bee colonies are facing increasing environmental stressors that threaten their health and lifespan. While the gut microbiota may play a role in honey bee physiology, the specific functions of certain bacterial species remain unclear. This study investigates whether Bombella intestini, a bacterium highly enriched in the queen gut but nearly absent in worker bees, can act as a probiotic to promote honey bee growth, metabolism, and lifespan. Our results show that B. intestini can survive in larval food and the larval gut. When larval food is inoculated with B. intestini there is increased tryptophan in both the larval diet and larval hemolymph. Bees fed this diet had a longer lifespan. This study identifies B. intestini as a potential probiotic for honey bees, providing a microbiome-based strategy to enhance their growth and longevity. These findings open new avenues for improving honey bee health management through microbial supplementation.