Metagenomic analysis of the honey bee queen microbiome reveals low bacterial diversity and Caudoviricetes phages.

ABSTRACT: In eusocial insects, the health of the queens-the colony founders and sole reproductive females-is a primary determinant for colony success. Queen failure in the honey bee Apis mellifera, for example, is a major concern of beekeepers who annually suffer colony losses, necessitating a greater knowledge of queen health. Several studies on the microbiome of honey bees have characterized its diversity and shown its importance for the health of worker bees, the female non-reproductive caste. However, the microbiome of workers differs from that of queens, which, in comparison, is still poorly studied. Thus, direct investigations of the queen microbiome are required to understand colony-level microbiome assembly, functional roles, and evolution. Here, we used metagenomics to comprehensivel

SUBMITTER: Caesar L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10878037 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature