stayingstillwhenlost t1_iwffk72 wrote on November 15, 2022 at 5:50 AM

Reply to comment by Digital-Bridges in The lifespans of honey bees living in laboratory environments has dropped about 50% over the last 50 years, hinting at possible causes for the worrisome trends across the beekeeping industry, according to new research by University of Maryland entomologists. by Wagamaga

I’m curious if Apis mellifera has had a loss in healthy gut bacteria like other species? Do we know of any bacterial symbiotic relationships?

Digital-Bridges t1_iwg8gvu wrote on November 15, 2022 at 12:23 PM

There are definitely Apis-specific bacteria. Microbiome research is still in its infancy but will be one of the "next big things" in bee research. I don't think we can say that Honey bees have lost good bacteria on any global scale as of yet. Most of the current research suggests that gut populations can change in various situations, like starvation or disease exposure. We have yet to make a solid link to how shifts in the microbiome can affect whole colonies, though.