Apidologie最新文献

How long can Varroa destructor survive on its host Apis mellifera? 毁灭瓦螨能在宿主蜜蜂身上存活多久？

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-29 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01198-5

Silvia Parenzan, Davide Frizzera, Elisa Seffin, Virginia Zanni, Francesco Nazzi, Desiderato Annoscia

{"title":"How long can Varroa destructor survive on its host Apis mellifera?","authors":"Silvia Parenzan, Davide Frizzera, Elisa Seffin, Virginia Zanni, Francesco Nazzi, Desiderato Annoscia","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01198-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01198-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><i>Varroa destructor</i> is the major ectoparasite of honey bees causing extensive colony losses worldwide. Despite the importance of this threat to honey bees some crucial aspects of the mite’s biology are still poorly known, including the longevity of the parasite on the different developmental stages of its host. This study aimed at determining, under standard conditions, the lifespan of <i>V. destructor</i> on the larvae, pupae, and adults of the honey bee. In our study, <i>V.</i><i> destructor</i> survival varied depending on the host life stage, with the longest survival observed on honey bee larvae, where median and maximum survival up to 45 and 100 days were recorded, respectively. A declining survival of <i>V. destructor</i> during the summer season was also noted, possibly linked to deteriorating honey bee health, associated with higher viral infection levels. This study emphasizes the importance of establishing an artificial rearing system to advance research on <i>V. destructor</i> biology and facilitate the development of innovative control strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-025-01198-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Past, present, and future of SSR molecular markers in bee studies SSR分子标记在蜜蜂研究中的过去、现在和未来

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-29 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01220-w

Rafaela M. Assunção, Isabela Filgueira, Maria E. F. de Moura, Pedro H. B. Togni, Carmen S. S. Pires, Débora P. Paula, Patricia S. Sujii

{"title":"Past, present, and future of SSR molecular markers in bee studies","authors":"Rafaela M. Assunção, Isabela Filgueira, Maria E. F. de Moura, Pedro H. B. Togni, Carmen S. S. Pires, Débora P. Paula, Patricia S. Sujii","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01220-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01220-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Understanding bees, with their extensive morphological, phylogenetic, and behavioral diversity and their significant economic and ecological roles, requires integrating classical and modern scientific methods. Microsatellite (SSR—Simple Sequence Repeat) markers are a low-cost tool useful for various investigations at individual, colony, population, and species levels. However, a comprehensive review on the applications, trends, and Limitations of molecular markers in bee studies is lacking. We aimed to systematize the knowledge about microsatellite markers in bee research, characterize research trends, discuss their applications, and present their advantages and Limitations to address major knowledge gaps across various research themes. Additionally, we aimed to establish a preliminary database of microsatellite primers and their transferability across related species. We conducted a systematic review of research articles on microsatellites and bees published until 2023. Our review included 576 articles from all biogeographical realms, which covered 173 species from 19 families. Apidae (94.1%) and Halictidae (3.4%) were the most frequent bee families in studies, with a strong dominance of <i>Apis</i> and <i>Bombus</i> species, followed by Meliponini species. Future research should include more solitary species and additional species from underrepresented tribes. The reviewed articles spanned 11 research themes, ranging from basic bee biology to applied and multi-disciplinary research, with reproduction, conservation, behavior, evolution, breeding, and beekeeping being the most frequent themes. Microsatellite markers are a suitable choice for most research themes and show a promising trend for continued use in future bee studies.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Modeling the effects of stress and premature hive exiting behavior on honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony survival 模拟应激和过早出巢行为对蜜蜂群体生存的影响

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-23 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01201-z

Jordan Twombly Ellis, Juliana Rangel

{"title":"Modeling the effects of stress and premature hive exiting behavior on honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony survival","authors":"Jordan Twombly Ellis, Juliana Rangel","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01201-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01201-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Honey bees have a complex social structure, with many factors affecting colony survival. Mathematical models are therefore valuable for understanding how individual variables affect honey bee colony dynamics. Previous honey bee population models have shown that accelerated aging due to stress can lead to colony decline. Our previous work showed that general developmental stress causes a previously undocumented behavior whereby very young workers exit the colony before they can fly, leading them to die prematurely on the ground outside the hive. In this study, we modeled the effects of this premature hive exiting behavior on colony survival. We used parameters from previous studies to inform our model and incorporated empirical data regarding the rate of premature hive exiting behavior driven by various developmental stressors. An equation to link premature exit with accelerated aging was also introduced to mirror population dynamics across different worker age groups. We found that higher rates of premature hive exiting behavior can accelerate colony collapse. A feeding variable (provisioning colonies with extra sugar syrup) and a brood break variable (preventing the queen from laying eggs for a given time period to decrease <i>Varroa</i> mite levels) were added to the model to examine ways to counteract the negative effects of premature hive exiting behavior and to assess their effectiveness at regulating the progression of worker aging. Our results suggest that both supplemental feeding and implementing brood breaks can bring a colony back from the brink of collapse.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Effects of live yeasts and their metabolic products on bumble bee microcolony development 活酵母及其代谢产物对大黄蜂微群落发育的影响

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-16 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01214-8

Danielle Rutkowski, Makena Weston, Rachel L. Vannette

{"title":"Effects of live yeasts and their metabolic products on bumble bee microcolony development","authors":"Danielle Rutkowski, Makena Weston, Rachel L. Vannette","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01214-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01214-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Yeasts are common symbionts of bumble bees and their nests, sometimes providing health benefits to their bee hosts. The mechanisms underlying these yeast-derived benefits remain unknown, though hypotheses include direct nutrition from ingestion of fungal cells, resource supplementation, or pathogen protection. We tested how adding living yeasts or their metabolic products to <i>Bombus impatiens</i> diets affects microcolony performance, including survival, reproduction, and pathogen presence. We additionally assessed effects of yeast treatments on diet (nectar and pollen) chemical composition using untargeted metabolomics. Yeasts had minimal impacts on colony performance. While yeasts slightly accelerated offspring production, some treatments also interacted with <i>Aspergillus</i> to reduce reproductive output. Yeast treatments slightly altered chemical composition of nectar, but most distinguishing compounds were unidentified. Our results suggest limited effects of yeasts via direct nutrition, resource supplementation, or modification of diets, instead suggesting that the effects of yeast supplementation are context-dependent, and more research is necessary to better understand the mechanisms underlying their impacts on bee hosts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145062240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Color choice and preference in the tropical orchid bee Euglossa dilemma 热带兰花蜜蜂颜色选择与偏好的困境

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-16 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01195-8

Andreia F. Dexheimer, Aimee S. Dunlap

{"title":"Color choice and preference in the tropical orchid bee Euglossa dilemma","authors":"Andreia F. Dexheimer, Aimee S. Dunlap","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01195-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01195-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Pollinators assess their environment and make decisions on which flowers to visit. Several factors can affect flower choices, such as floral availability throughout a season, time of day, and temperature. Biological factors particular to a pollinator, such as the pollinator’s sex, their previous experiences during a foraging trip, and learning, can also play a role in decision-making mediated by color. Orchid bee pollination is intimately linked to foraging behavior. This paper presents the first study of orchid bee color vision use in <i>Euglossa dilemma</i>, and we focused on two aspects of color vision: (individual) color choice and preference (overall bias for a color). Blue and yellow emerged as the most effortless pair of colors to test, with 26.3% of males and 32.3% of females tested on this color completing the protocol. Our results show that humidity and time of day played a role on color choice. Individual male and female orchid bees showed variability in their color preferences in our tested colors. However, no clear patterns emerged for these bees overall. We also found that the preferences of bees are not significantly affected by the abiotic or biotic factors measured. Further, a bee’s preference was not predicted by its initial color choice. Decision-making and preference are complex aspects of pollinator behavior, with fitness consequences for the pollinator and the plants they visit. By testing orchid bees in the field with non-invasive tests, we can better understand how these tropical pollinators interact with their environment and make decisions based on their color vision.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145062241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Spatio-temporal patterns of Varroa destructor prevalence in Germany inferred from 10-year survey data explain geographic and annual variance in winter colony loss rates of honeybees 从10年调查数据中推断出的德国破坏瓦螨流行的时空格局解释了蜜蜂冬季群体损失率的地理和年度差异

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-12 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01208-6

Jes Johannesen, Valon Mustafi, Saskia Wöhl, Christoph Otten

{"title":"Spatio-temporal patterns of Varroa destructor prevalence in Germany inferred from 10-year survey data explain geographic and annual variance in winter colony loss rates of honeybees","authors":"Jes Johannesen, Valon Mustafi, Saskia Wöhl, Christoph Otten","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01208-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01208-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The parasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> is a main cause for honeybee colony losses. While population dynamics of <i>V. destructor</i> have been studied comprehensively within colonies and/or apiaries, little is known about spatio-temporal dynamics at larger geographic scales. In this paper, we demonstrate that surveys using ranked judgements of <i>V. destructor</i> prevalence and reported online by beekeepers can be used for analyses of population dynamics of <i>V. destructor</i> on a geographic scale. Prevalence indices calculated from the surveys’ data correlated significantly with published quantitative estimates of prevalence between 2013 and 2022 and predicted annual loss rates of honeybee winter colonies at regional and national geographic scales. The annual prevalence evolved in a similar manner among German regions but also revealed substantial variance in prevalence levels among regions. Retrospective epidemiological mapping revealed that geographic clusters of prevalence explained the variance within years. Between years, clusters with relatively low prevalence in 1 year tended to experience relatively higher prevalence than other regions in the following year. The pattern of population dynamics resembles spatial synchrony with population fluctuations and implies an auto-correlative response in annual prevalence trends and hence annual colony losses of honeybees. Online surveys using ranked judgements of <i>V. destructor</i> offer a low-cost method for estimating prevalence trends, which can be disseminated rapidly to beekeepers.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-025-01208-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145037212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

A scientific note on Bombus haemorrhoidalis: a long-tongued pocket-maker species 一种长舌口袋制造者的科学注释

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-12 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01211-x

Kiran Rana, Ruchi Sharma, Harish Kumar Sharma, Meena Thakur

{"title":"A scientific note on Bombus haemorrhoidalis: a long-tongued pocket-maker species","authors":"Kiran Rana, Ruchi Sharma, Harish Kumar Sharma, Meena Thakur","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01211-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01211-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Survey and diversity studies carried out in four agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh revealed that <i>Bombus haemorrhoidalis</i> Smith is the native bumble bee species widely spread from low lands to high altitude regions of the Himalayas. Therefore, rearing of bumblebees in captivity to produce mass culture is an important aspect to overcome the pollination services in greenhouse conditions. The efforts are being undertaken to commercialize the rearing of potential indigenous bumblebee species in India by the University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, for its use in pollination. It was observed that the colony growth and development of this species in captivity were impeded due to their different feeding behavior and nutrition choice. Therefore, feeding behavioral studies of laboratory-reared colonies and natural nests of <i>B. haemorrhoidalis</i>, Smith, 1952 enable us to identify it as long-tongued species, as the average tongue length for the queen, male, and worker was found to be 13.30 ± 0.08, 11.15 ± 0.03, and 10.21 ± 0.03 mm, respectively, and also confirmed it as a pocket maker that forms pollen pockets near the brood clumps from which the larvae feed on the pollen mass itself. Therefore, identification of this feeding behavior makes us to understand its nutritional requirements and also enhances the possibility of rearing this species successfully under captivity by managing its nutritional stress and requirements.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145037211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

The invasion of the red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea) in Egypt: morphometric assessment and nesting preferences in urban environments 红矮蜜蜂（Apis florea）在埃及的入侵：形态计量学评估和在城市环境中的筑巢偏好

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-12 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01215-7

Hatem Sharaf El-Din, Yasser Ibrahim, Yahya Al Naggar

{"title":"The invasion of the red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea) in Egypt: morphometric assessment and nesting preferences in urban environments","authors":"Hatem Sharaf El-Din, Yasser Ibrahim, Yahya Al Naggar","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01215-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01215-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The red dwarf honey bee (<i>Apis florea</i>), an open-nesting Asian species, has recently expanded its range beyond native regions, with populations documented in Egypt. Throughout 2023 and 2024, the public observed <i>A. florea</i> nests in Greater Cairo, despite previous predictions that suggested a likely distribution in the eastern, western, and northern regions, as well as the Nile Delta region. To gain a better understanding of their invasion and urban adaptation, we examined the morphometric characteristics of these populations in Egypt, as well as their preferred nesting sites in the urbanized areas of Greater Cairo. To do that, ten <i>A. florea</i> nests were sampled throughout Greater Cairo from 2023 to 2024, and 19 morphometric traits on worker honey bees were measured. Notably, all the nests investigated were found in highly urbanized areas of Greater Cairo, typically located on building hangings and balconies, metal pipes and railings, and home windows and doors, in contrast to previously reported common nest sites on vegetation (trees and shrubs). Significant morphometric variation was observed in 15 out of 19 traits among workers. Traits such as wing dimensions and body measurements exhibited regional variation, suggesting local adaptations influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Principal Component Analyses revealed clear geographic structuring among <i>A. florea</i> populations from Egypt and other countries, indicative of urban adaptations. These results emphasize the adaptability of <i>A. florea</i> to human-modified landscapes and its potential for further expansion and overall underscore the importance of monitoring <i>A. florea</i>’s spread, evaluating its ecological impacts, and assessing potential competition with native pollinators.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145037213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Impact of Cannabis sativa (L.) inflorescences on the control of artificial Nosema (= Vairimorpha) ceranae infection in honey bees Apis mellifera ligustica (Spinola, 1806) 大麻（L.）花序对控制蜜蜂人工微孢子虫感染的影响（Apis mellifera ligustica, 1806）

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-09 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01216-6

Flavia Fulvio, Laura Zavatta, Rossella Tiritelli, Roberta Paris, Giovanni Cilia

{"title":"Impact of Cannabis sativa (L.) inflorescences on the control of artificial Nosema (= Vairimorpha) ceranae infection in honey bees Apis mellifera ligustica (Spinola, 1806)","authors":"Flavia Fulvio, Laura Zavatta, Rossella Tiritelli, Roberta Paris, Giovanni Cilia","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01216-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01216-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In light of the significant threat posed by declining honey bee populations to global ecosystems and agriculture, this study explores an innovative approach to face emerging pathogen threats. The present study investigates the efficacy of ground inflorescences from two <i>Cannabis sativa</i> genotypes as potential natural treatments for <i>Nosema</i> (= <i>Vairimorpha</i>) <i>ceranae</i> infection in honey bees. The plant genotypes analysed included a chemotype III selection, V1, with high cannabidiolic acid, and a chemotype I selection, V2, with a prevalence of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. The inflorescences were incorporated into sugar candy at three concentrations <i>w/w</i> (1%, 2%, and 4%) and fed to bees that had been artificially infected with <i>N. ceranae</i>. Results showed significant differences in the survival of honey bees across treatments. All cannabis treatments reduced longevity compared to the control group. Notably, <i>N. ceranae</i> spore counts decreased in all treatment groups. Statistical analyses indicated that the control group experienced the highest increase in pathogen copies, while the fumagillin treatment maintained the lowest infection. Water and food consumption varied among treatment groups, with V1-2, V2-2, and V2-4 formulations leading to increased intake. The median lethal time for untreated bees was significantly longer than that for those treated with cannabis, while the survival of bees treated with V1-1 and V1-2 was longer than that of bees treated with fumagillin. These preliminary findings highlight the antimicrobial properties of cannabis inflorescences, highlighting cannabis as a potential natural intervention.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145021675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees 缠绕在天然和合成微纤维中：蜜蜂的流行、梳理和传播

IF 2.2 3区农林科学

Apidologie Pub Date : 2025-09-09 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w

Micaela Buteler, Andrea Marina Alma, María Celeste Manattini, Mariana Laura Allasino, Grecia Stefanía de Groot, Fernando Federico Locatelli, Marcelo Sosa Morales, Juan Pablo Tomba

{"title":"Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees","authors":"Micaela Buteler, Andrea Marina Alma, María Celeste Manattini, Mariana Laura Allasino, Grecia Stefanía de Groot, Fernando Federico Locatelli, Marcelo Sosa Morales, Juan Pablo Tomba","doi":"10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plastic and microplastic (MP) pollution have emerged as a global environmental and health concern. Among these contaminants, textile microfibers (MF) constitute a major proportion of MP pollution. This study examines the presence of synthetic and natural MF in <i>Apis mellifera</i> bees and honey across Argentina, analyzing forager and nurse bees in three provinces and honey from multiple sources. Additionally, we investigated grooming behavior upon plastic microspheres and MF exposure as the transfer of these microplastics between exposed and cleaned bees. We detected similar levels of MF contamination in forager (206 MF) and nurse bees (186 MF). Honey samples were also contaminated (12.3 ± 8.67 MF in 500 g) and no correlation between population density and number of MF was found. Raman spectroscopy identified the origin of these MF as including both natural (cotton and wool) and synthetic (polyethylene terephthalate and polyacrylonitrile) MF. We also identified several dyes in the MF: anthraquinone-based pigments, copper-based phthalocyanines, and Indigo blue, which are commonly used to color synthetic polymers and natural fibers. Grooming frequency was significantly higher for bees exposed to plastic microspheres than for those exposed to MF. Additionally, our findings confirmed the transfer of both MF and microspheres from contaminated to clean bees, highlighting a potential pathway for MP dispersion inside hives. This work underscores the urgency of comprehensively addressing synthetic microplastics and natural textile fibers in ecosystems, and their long-term ecological implications given their risks to honeybee health, pollination efficiency, and food safety.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8078,"journal":{"name":"Apidologie","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145021676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0