A non-invasive method for profiling the gut microbiome and virome of honey bee queens

Abstract

High honey bee colony mortality worldwide has underscored the critical role of queen bee health in colony survival, with poor queen quality frequently linked to colony losses. The gut microbiome plays fundamental roles in immunity, nutrition, and reproduction, making its characterization essential for understanding stressors that impact queen health, longevity, and fecundity, yet its role in mediating stress responses remains poorly understood. Here, we present a novel, non-invasive method for collecting feces from queen honey bees and demonstrate its potential as a powerful tool for profiling the gut microbiome, detecting stressor exposure, and screening for viral infections. This approach permits repeated, longitudinal assessments of individual queens, providing unprecedented insights into how environmental and pathogenic pressures influence queen health, longevity, and reproductive capacity. Beyond research applications, benefits include evaluating queens before colony introduction and mitigating disease transmission risks in international trade, where pathogen spread remains a major regulatory challenge.