Insect and Pesticide Research

First report on Tropilaelaps mercedesae presence in Turkiye and insight into potential westward invasion corridors

This study reports the first detection of Tropilaelaps mercedesae in Turkiye and analyzes potential pathways for its westward spread.

Dietary ethanol produces endpoint-specific dose responses in honeybees

This study shows that honeybees exposed to ethanol diets exhibit performance changes that depend on the ethanol concentration, with impairment only at 10%.

Sublethal effects of the organosilicone surfactant Silwet L-77 and its interactions with acetamiprid and sulfoxaflor on honeybee (Apis mellifera) gustatory responsiveness and olfactory learning

Pervasive and dynamic gut dysbiosis in wild bumble bees

This study identifies pervasive and dynamic gut dysbiosis in wild bumble bees, linked to environmental changes and life cycle transitions, but causality remains unclear.

Virus specific impacts on honey bee flight performance are mediated by the octopamine pathway

This study shows that sacbrood virus (SBV) and deformed wing virus (DWV) affect honey bee flight performance through different interactions with the octopamine pathway.

Rapid host switching by Varroa destructor: implications for pathogen transmission and contact-based Varroa control

This study quantifies Varroa destructor host residence time, finding it increases with days post-exposure, driven by initial exposure rather than host type or density, with implications for pathogen transmission and control.

Nosema ceranae infection disrupts nestmate recognition in honey bees

This study shows that Nosema ceranae infection reduces nestmate recognition in honey bees by altering cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and decreasing rejection rates in behavioral assays.

Vineyard footprint revealed by honey bees used as sentinels for organic and inorganic pollutants in contrasted environments

This study uses honey bees as sentinels to assess contaminant exposure in different environments, finding higher contaminant diversity and loads in vineyards.

Temporal, spatial, and parasitic drivers of microbial variation in European honey bees

This study analyzes 1442 European honey bee colonies to identify factors driving microbiome variation, finding that season, year, location, and Varroa destructor load significantly influence microbiome composition.

Laboratory evolution enhances resilience of a symbiont yeast and its honeybee host against agrochemical exposure

The paper uses laboratory evolution to identify yeast resistance mechanisms against agrochemicals and shows how evolved yeast can protect honeybee hosts.

First estimates of the population growth rate of the parasitic honey bee mite Tropilaelaps mercedesae in Apis mellifera colonies

This study estimates the population growth rate of Tropilaelaps mercedesae in honey bee colonies and compares it to Varroa destructor, finding higher potential growth rates for T. mercedesae.

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) gut microbiome associations with viruses and pesticides across Canadian agroecosystems

This study examines how pesticide exposure and RNA virus loadings affect the honey bee gut microbiome across Canadian agroecosystems, identifying consistent bacterial-virus and pesticide-microbe associations.

Primary and secondary antiviral RNAi responses throughout Varroa destructor life stages reveal the vertical transmission of viruses

The paper analyzes small RNA sequencing data from Varroa destructor mites to identify primary and secondary antiviral RNAi responses and reveal vertical virus transmission.

Comparative Proteomics Across Tissues and Crop Agroecosystems Reveals Agricultural Stressor Responses in the Western Honey Bee

The paper uses tissue-resolved proteomics to analyze how pesticide and pathogen stressors affect honey bee tissues across crop ecosystems, finding stable tissue-specific patterns and crop-associated changes.

Coordinated neural, metabolic and muscular transcriptomic signatures associated with mite-biting behavior in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)

This study identifies gene expression differences and pathways associated with mite-biting behavior in honeybees, showing coordinated activation of neural, metabolic, and muscular systems.

Spatiotemporal variation in honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) virome composition across landscape types and seasons

This study examines how landscape types and seasons affect the virome composition of honeybees, finding higher viral abundance in conventional farms and late seasons.

A Putative Single-Locus Determinant of the Suppressed In Ovo Virus Infection (SOV) Trait in Apis mellifera

The paper identifies a genetic locus associated with reduced vertical virus transmission in honey bees by analyzing drone pupae from a hybrid colony.

Diet-dependent mortality and cognitive impairment reveal species-specific vulnerabilities to a microbial biopesticide in social bees

This study assesses the impact of a microbial biopesticide on two bee species under varying nutritional conditions, revealing species-specific lethal and sublethal effects.

Landscape viromics of introduced honeybees and bumblebees reveal distinct environmental and host-specific effects

This study compares viral communities in introduced honeybees and bumblebees across Tasmania, finding environmental factors shape bumblebee viromes more than honeybees and evidence of interspecies viral transmission.

Acoustic phenotyping reveals sublethal pesticide stress in bees using BEEhaviourLab

The paper uses acoustic phenotyping with BEEhaviourLab to detect sublethal pesticide stress in bees by analyzing buzzing behavior.

Genetic Diversity of Cytochrome P450 Genes in Apis mellifera Subspecies

The paper analyzes CYP genetic diversity in 1,467 Apis mellifera subspecies to identify adaptive variation and pesticide resistance potential.

Reduced body size of Varroa destructor associated with varroa-resistant honey bee colonies across Europe

The study finds that Varroa destructor mites from varroa-resistant honey bee colonies are consistently smaller than those from non-resistant colonies across Europe.

Propidium monoazide (PMA) with quantitative PCR to detect and quantify viable Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius in honeybee hive samples

This study evaluates PMA-qPCR for quantifying viable Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius in honeybee hive samples, showing reduced dead-cell detection but needing optimization at high cell densities.

Hive-associated bacteria improve honeybee survival during Paenibacillus larvae infection

This study identifies Bacillus species that enhance honeybee larval survival during Paenibacillus larvae infection and show potential for adult bee survival with minimal impact on gut microbiome.

High Sensitivity of Tropilaelaps mercedesae to Lithium Chloride: A Novel Acaricidal Candidate for Honey Bee Health

This study shows lithium chloride is highly effective against Tropilaelaps mercedesae mites, with a lower LC50 than Varroa destructor, and confirms its efficacy in field conditions.

Integrative Genome-Wide Association Analysis Reveals Polygenic Basis and Novel Candidate Genes for Uncapping Behavior in Varroa-Resistant in Worker Bees

The paper performs genome-wide association analysis to identify genetic loci and candidate genes associated with uncapping behavior in Varroa-resistant honeybees, highlighting a polygenic basis for this trait.

Pesticide-exposed bees fail to thermoregulate leading to cold colonies with consequences for offspring development

This study shows pesticide exposure impairs bumblebee thermoregulation, leading to cold colonies and reduced offspring development.

Bacterial supplementation shapes honey bee gut microbiota, metabolism and proteome under controlled and field conditions

This study shows bacterial supplementation affects honey bee gut microbiota, proteome, and metabolome differently under controlled, semi-controlled, and field conditions.

A TaqMan Assay That Knows Its Mite: Specific Detection of Tropilaelaps mercedesae Clade I

The paper develops a TaqMan assay for specific detection of Tropilaelaps mercedesae Clade I using synthetic DNA fragments.

Hot and Bothered, Bees Gut Microbiome Shifts Under Thermal Stress and Pathogen Infection.

This study examines how thermal stress and pathogen infection affect the gut microbiome of bumble bees, finding significant shifts in microbial composition under these conditions.