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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
Peter Loring Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 16 Nov 2014 08:53:27 -0500
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Hi all

Based on the following and other work, it seems clear that as much emphasis should be placed on nutrition as on pesticide impacts on bee colonies. As in most species, adequate nutrition is crucial for optimal health. And the opposite is so, that inadequate nutrition makes the organism susceptible to disorders and leads to diminished defense response.

Excerpts:

We explored the impact of coumaphos and fluvalinate, the two most abundant and frequently detected pesticides in the hive, on genome-wide gene expression patterns of honey bee workers. We found significant changes in 1118 transcripts, including genes involved in detoxification, behavioral maturation, immunity, and nutrition.  

We demonstrated that expression levels of several of the putative pesticide detoxification genes identified in our study and previous studies are also upregulated in response to pollen feeding, suggesting that these pesticides and components in pollen modulate similar molecular response pathways.  

Our results demonstrate that pesticide exposure can substantially impact expression of genes involved in several core physiological pathways in honey bee workers. Additionally, there is substantial overlap in responses to pesticides and pollen-containing diets at the transcriptional level, and subsequent analyses demonstrated that pollen-based diets reduce workers’ pesticide sensitivity. Thus, providing honey bees and other pollinators with high quality nutrition may improve resistance to pesticides.  

Importantly, our study reveals a robust and significant overlap between transcriptional responses to diet and pesticides, and demonstrates that diet, specifically pollen-based diets, can significantly reduce the sensitivity of bees to pesticide exposure. Thus, improving the complexity and nutritional value of the diet available to honey bees through optimized supplementary feeding or encouraging flowering plant diversity in agricultural fields may help buffer bee populations from the impacts of pesticide exposure and other stressors. 


Daniel R. Schmehl, Peter E.A. Teal, James L. Frazier, Christina M. Grozinger. 
Genomic analysis of the interaction between pesticide exposure and nutrition in honey bees (Apis mellifera). 
Journal of Insect Physiology (2014)

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