Honeybee viruses are a risk for wild bees

Research shows that viruses associated previously with managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) (Figure 1) have now spread to wild bumblebees (Bombus) (Figure 2). Prior studies showed that deformed wing virus had likely transferred from honeybees to wild bumblebees, but researchers at University of London and Queen's University, Belfast identified several interconnected viral diseases that have expanded to affect bumblebees in the wild.

Five viruses in particular were identified from analysis of wild bumblebees and managed honeybees at more than 20 locations across Great Britain: black queen cell virus, deformed wing virus, acute bee paralysis virus, slow bee paralysis virus and sacbrood virus.

Mark Brown of the University of London said, "Our results confirm a recent review of potential threats to pollinators, indicating that so-called honey bee viruses are widespread in wild bees." 

Figure 1. Honeybee (A. mellifera). Central Indiana, 4/2015.

Figure 2. Bumblebee (Bombus). Central Indiana, 4/2015.

"Our findings are important because they indicate that many viruses can spread easily between pollinator species and, furthermore, that they can reach very high disease levels in wild bumblebees," Dino McMahon, from Queen's University, Belfast, added.

These results are of great interest to ecologists and plant-pollinator biologists, as it now appears that transmission of viruses across bee species may occur more frequently and easier than originally thought. Also, wild bumblebees are critical pollinators in the wild and their loss could be detrimental to plant populations dependent on them for pollination.  In addition, as in humans, travel of the bees over long distances could promote widespread infections across bees species in a short amount of time. Further study is necessary, but this initial research highlights the urgency and potential complexity of the situation at hand.

Does anyone with first hand experience with bee-keeping or studying plant-pollinator interactions have any thoughts about this research? What potential implications are there to these findings that may be of importance from a local or regional perspective?

McMahon et al. (2015) A sting in the spit: widespread cross-infection of multiple RNA viruses across wild and managed bees. Journal of Animal Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12345.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12345/fullhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12345/full

#pollinators   #bees   #honeybee   #bumblebee   #viruses   #ecology   #biology   #science