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Bee declines have been partly attributed to the impacts of invasive or emerging parasite outbreaks. For western honeybees,Apis mellifera, major losses are associated with the virus-vectoring mite,Varroa destructor. In response, beekeepers have focused breeding efforts aimed at conferring resistance to this key parasite. One method of many is survival-based beekeeping where colonies that survive despite significantVarroainfestations produce subsequent colonies. We argue that this ‘hands-off’ approach will not always lead toVarroaresistance evolving but rather tolerance. Tolerance minimizes host fitness costs of parasitism without reducing parasite abundance, whereas resistance either prevents parasitism outright or keeps parasitism intensity low. With clear epidemiological distinctions, and as honeybee disease dynamics impact other wild bees owing to shared pathogens, we discuss why tolerance outcomes in honeybee breeding have important implications for wider pollinator health. Crucially, we argue that unintentional selection for tolerance will not only lead to more spillover from honeybees but may also select for pathogens that are more virulent in wild bees leading to ‘tragedies of tolerance’. These tragedies can be avoided through successful breeding regimes that specifically select for lowVarroa. We emphasize how insights from evolutionary ecology can be applied in ecologically responsible honeybee management.
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Honeybee visitation to shared flowers increases Vairimorpha ceranae prevalence in bumblebees
Abstract Vairimorpha (=Nosema) ceranaeis a widespread pollinator parasite that commonly infects honeybees and wild pollinators, including bumblebees. Honeybees are highly competentV. ceranaehosts and previous work in experimental flight cages suggestsV. ceranaecan be transmitted during visitation to shared flowers. However, the relationship between floral visitation in the natural environment and the prevalence ofV. ceranaeamong multiple bee species has not been explored. Here, we analyzed the number and duration of pollinator visits to particular components of squash flowers—including the petals, stamen, and nectary—at six farms in southeastern Michigan, USA. We also determined the prevalence ofV. ceranaein honeybees and bumblebees at each site. Our results showed that more honeybee flower contacts and longer duration of contacts with pollen and nectar were linked with greaterV. ceranaeprevalence in bumblebees. Honeybee visitation patterns appear to have a disproportionately large impact onV. ceranaeprevalence in bumblebees even though honeybees are not the most frequent flower visitors. Floral visitation by squash bees or other pollinators was not linked withV. ceranaeprevalence in bumblebees. Further,V. ceranaeprevalence in honeybees was unaffected by floral visitation behaviors by any pollinator species. These results suggest that honeybee visitation behaviors on shared floral resources may be an important contributor to increasedV. ceranaespillover to bumblebees in the field. Understanding howV. ceranaeprevalence is influenced by pollinator behavior in the shared floral landscape is critical for reducing parasite spillover into declining wild bee populations.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2134910
- PAR ID:
- 10491361
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Ecology and Evolution
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2045-7758
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10528
