Low Levels of Hive Stress Are Associated with Decreased Honey Activity and Changes to the Gut Microbiome of Resident Honey Bees.

ABSTRACT: Honey bees (Apis mellifera) face increasing threats to their health, particularly from the degradation of floral resources and chronic pesticide exposure. The properties of honey and the bee gut microbiome are known to both affect and be affected by bee health. Using samples from healthy hives and hives showing signs of stress from a single apiary with access to the same floral resources, we profiled the antimicrobial activity and chemical properties of honey and determined the bacterial and fungal microbiome of the bee gut and the hive environment. We found honey from healthy hives was significantly more active than honey from stressed hives, with increased phenolics and antioxidant content linked to higher antimicrobial activity. The bacterial microbiome was more diverse in stressed hive

SUBMITTER: Fernandes KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10434159 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature