Disease associations between honeybees and bumblebees as a threat to wild pollinators

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Fürst, M. A.; McMahon, D. P.; Osborne, J. L.; Paxton, R. J.; Brown, M. J. F.

Source:

Nature, Nature Publishing Group, Volume 506, Issue 7488, p.364-366 + supplemental online (2014)

Call Number:

A14FUR02IDUS

URL:

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v506/n7488/full/nature12977.html

Keywords:

Apis mellifera, Bombus spp., Bombus terrestris, bumblebee, deformed wing virus, emerging infectious disease, honeybee, Pollinator

Abstract:

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) pose a risk to human welfare, both directly and indirectly, by affecting managed livestock and wildlife that provide valuable resources and ecosystem services, such as the pollination of crops. Honeybees (Apis mellifera), the prevailing managed insect crop pollinator, suffer from a range of emerging and exotic high-impact pathogens, and population maintenance requires active management by beekeepers to control them. Wild pollinators such as bumblebees (Bombus spp.) are in global decline, one cause of which may be pathogen spillover from managed pollinators like honeybees or commercial colonies of bumblebees. This study combines laboratory infection experiments and field studies to demonstrate infectivity of two serious honeybee pathogens in a wild pollinator, the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). Data from across the United Kingdom show that there is co-localization of deformed wing virus (DWV) and the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae in the two types of pollinator and that the honeybee disease can be infectious in bumblebees. Lessons learned from vertebrates highlight the need for increased pathogen control in managed bee species to maintain wild pollinators, as declines in native pollinators may be caused by interspecies pathogen transmission originating from managed pollinators. It is essential to ensure that those managing bees (including commercial producers, growers and beekeepers) have access to the methods and skills to monitor, manage, and control EIDs for the benefit of their managed colonies and the wider pollinator community.

Notes:

Reference Code: A14FUR02IDUS

Full Generic Citation: Fürst, M.A, D. P. McMahon, J. L. Osborne, R. J. Paxton, and M. J. F. Brown. 2014. Disease associations between honeybees and bumblebees as a threat to wild pollinators. Nature 506(7488):364-366 plus 7 pp supplemental info online.

Location: ELECTRONIC FILE - Zoology