Feral honeybees can provide us with better genetics, for our colonies
Feral honey bee colonies those that have escaped from managed hives and established themselves in the wild offer some incredibly insightful information in the continuous endeavor to enhance honey bee resilience and health. These wild populations serve as living laboratories, demonstrating to us how genetic diversity and environmental stresses influence honey bees' capacity to endure and adapt outside of controlled environments.
By examining these colonies, scientists and beekeepers can contrast their behavioral characteristics, disease resistance, and survival tactics with those of their domesticated counterparts. It's intriguing because selective breeding methods aimed mainly at honey production and docility may have reduced or eliminated characteristics and adaptations in managed bees.
The genetic pool of managed honey bee populations has unintentionally been reduced, according to some experts and beekeepers, as a result of domestication and selective breeding. It is possible that alleles associated with disease resistance, hygienic behavior, or environmental adaptability have been inadvertently bred out by prioritizing characteristics like high honey yields, gentle behavior, and production efficiency. This genetic narrowing may increase the susceptibility of managed colonies to a variety of viral infections and pests such as Nosema and Varroa mites. It seems as though we may have weakened the bees' general resilience in an attempt to maximize particular traits, making them less able to withstand the difficulties they encounter.
Complex networks of pathogen exchange are created by the ongoing interactions between feral honey bees and other wild bee species as well as managed colonies. These interactions affect the evolution and spread of diseases in bee populations. Because honey bees and wild pollinators share diseases like Varroa mites, deformed wing virus, and Nosema, managing disease is a shared concern. Over time, feral colonies often develop natural defenses because they are not routinely treated or managed.
Behavioral traits like hygienic behavior, in which bees identify and eliminate diseased or parasitized brood to help stop the spread of pathogens, may be part of these defenses. It's also possible that feral bees have resistance-granting genetic traits and epigenetic variations derived from the relentless pressure of parasites and other threats, that enable them to naturally withstand any hits.
"Although mechanisms of virus tolerance are still unknown for insects, one possible explanation is the ability of highly infected bees to limit the overreaction of immune responses. Immune effectors, such as pro-phenoloxidase, produced by insects can have cytotoxic effects that work to limit infections, but also cause damage to host tissues . This self-damage can lead to increased aging and higher mortality as a result of increased inflammation Virus-tolerant colonies may therefore have mechanisms to limit inflammation-induced damage. A second possible mechanism includes transgenerational immune priming, the development of immune memory via vertical transmission of immunological experiences, and its effects have been demonstrated in several invertebrates
Vertical transmission of DWV and the fact that queens may preside over a colony for several years would favor immune-primed offspring in feral colonies, in contrast to beekeeping operations where queens are replaced frequently. Another potential mechanism includes changes in the virulence of DWV and Varroa mites in feral colonies. Genotypes of DWV are known to differ in virulence and Varroa mite transmission can favor certain strains of the virus"
Because feral colonies aren't cared for or managed by humans, they are entirely dependent on their natural defenses against pests and diseases, even though both managed and feral bees are at risk. Beekeeper-led interventions like chemical treatments, narrow selective breeding, and hive management techniques like swarming suppression, are not that beneficial for managed colonies. Despite the fact that these interventions have kept colonies alive, they occasionally cause natural resilience to decline over generations. When a small portion of the population breeds, a phenomenon known as genetic bottlenecking takes place, which lowers genetic diversity and may eventually make it more difficult for the colony to adapt and survive on its own.
"While managed honey bee colonies have low probability of survival in the absence of disease treatments, feral colonies commonly survive in the wild, where pathogen pressures are expected to be higher due to the absence of disease treatments.Higher pathogen levels were associated with increased immune gene expression'
The idea that feral bees are a source of genes linked to disease and pest resistance is becoming more and more popular. But we must accept the fact that those bees are resilient mainly due to their particular lifestyle. Feral populations appear to have higher rates of traits like parasite resistance, hygienic behavior, and grooming, which may give them an advantage in fending off pest invasions. Furthermore, feral bees may display distinct behavioral characteristics like frequent swarming behaviors that aid in their escape from congested or diseased colonies . They usually live quite far the one from the other, in undisturbed natural or man made areas , filled with propolis and naturally built combs.
Their microbiome, a community of advantageous microorganisms that reside in their guts and hive environment and support immunological function and general health, is another fascinating feature. Particularly inside the living tree or natural cavity, the microbial community in a feral hive may play a crucial role in bolstering disease resistance.
" It is unclear how the expression of different immune phenotypes in managed and feral conditions is associated with colony survival and resistance or tolerance to parasites. Honey bees rely on both individual and social mechanisms of immunity to protect the colony from pests and pathogens, and management likely has an influence on both types of defenses"
Many beekeepers are now attempting to restore and preserve feral genetics within managed populations after realizing the potential of these naturally resilient feral traits. We hope to restore some of the lost resilience and enhance the general health of the colony by introducing traits from feral colonies into the domesticated bees' genetic composition. In an effort to draw in and create new colonies with desirable genetic traits, swarm traps are frequently placed in locations known to harbor feral honey bees.
Capturing feral genetics without acquiring entire colonies ,is another useful and more sustainable technique. This is achieved by establishing tiny mating stations , with colonies equipped with a few frames of bees , some brood, and a virgin queen, (known as mating nuclei,) and putting them close to areas that harbour feral populations.
Beekeepers must remove all drones and drone cells from these nuclei in order to effectively incorporate the genetic traits of feral bees. By doing this, the new virgin queen will only mate with feral drones from the neighborhood, which will help her offspring develop natural resistance traits. Honey bee queens usually only mate once in their lifetime, so obtaining sperm from several feral drones ,increases the genetic diversity of her offspring. She returns to her colony to lay fertilized eggs containing these feral genes after her mating flight. Beekeepers can progressively raise the percentage of feral genetics in their colonies by repeating this process over a number of generations, possibly regaining lost traits like disease resistance and environmental adaptability.
Evidence indicates that a mix of behavioral characteristics, microbiome interactions, genetic diversity, and environmental acclimatization all contribute to feral bees' survival advantage, even though the precise mechanisms underlying their resilience are still being investigated. The push to restore these advantageous characteristics to managed bee populations has been sparked by this realization. The objective is to create disease-resistant, more robust colonies that can withstand environmental stressors and need fewer chemical treatments.
References:
- Büchler, R., Berg, S., & Spivak, M. (2014). Genetic diversity and disease resistance in honey bees: A review. *Journal of Apicultural Science*
- Harbo, J. R., & Harris, J. C. (2009). Honey bee resistance to Varroa destructor. *Annual Review of Entomology*
- Koch, H., & Schmid-Hempel, P. (2011). Microbiome diversity and disease resistance in honey bees. *PLoS One*
- McFrederick, Q. S., & LeBuhn, G. (2006). Are urban parks refuges for native bee communities? *Conservation Biology*
- Oldroyd, B. P., & Starks, P. T. (2009). The value of genetic diversity in honey bees. *Insect Science*
- Rangel, J., & Guzmán-Novoa, E. (2014). Beekeepers’ practices in feral bee conservation. *Journal of Apicultural Research*
- Spivak, M., & Reuter, G. S. (2001). Hygienic behavior of honey bees and its application for control of Varroa destructor. *Bee World*
Comments
Post a Comment