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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Baton Rouge, Louisiana » Honey Bee Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #398428
Research Project: Using Genetics to Improve the Breeding and Health of Honey Bees

Location: Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research

Title: Effects of honey bee queen exposure to Deformed wing virus-A on queen and juvenile infection and colony strength metrics

Author
item LANG, SARAH - Louisiana State University
item Simone-Finstrom, Michael
item HEALY, KRISTEN - Louisiana State University

Submitted to: Journal of Apicultural Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2023
Publication Date: 12/21/2023
Citation: Lang, S., Simone-Finstrom, M., Healy, K. 2023. Effects of honey bee queen exposure to Deformed wing virus-A on queen and juvenile infection and colony strength metrics. Journal of Apicultural Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2023.2284034.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2023.2284034

Interpretive Summary: Honey bees face contend with various threats that cause significant annual colony losses. The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, and the viruses it transmits to honey bees are the most significant factor influencing honey bee health. One of the most common viruses infecting honey bees is Deformed wing virus (DWV). DWV infects all developmental stages (i.e. egg, larvae, pupae and adult) and castes (i.e. workers, drones and queens). Further, the virus spreads through a colony not just from parasites like Varroa, but also is orally exchanged between adult bees and from adults to larvae and can be passed from the queen to the eggs that she lays. A queen can be exposed to the virus when being fed by workers but also during the mating process through virus-contaminated drone semen. However, little information currently exists on how queen exposure to virus via oral or sexual transmission impacts queen health or her colony’s health and productivity. Here, queens reared from three different source colonies were given DWV through controlled oral feeding or mixed into semen during the process of artificial insemination. Queens were tracked to determine how these exposures led to infection or they were placed into colonies where infection of her offspring was analyzed along with colony growth and survival. We found that for two of the three queen sources tested, a queen’s exposure to DWV did not significantly impact colony health. However, for one queen source, all the colonies died. These results indicate that differences in susceptibility to viral infection exist that need to be understood more fully. Overall, results indicate that queens in general appear to be resilient to viral exposure and that unless a colony is particularly susceptible to viruses, a single queen exposure to viruses via feeding or through sexual transmission may not be a major factor in colony losses. Continued work needs to be conducted on effects of multiple exposures and determining what influences colony susceptibility to infection.

Technical Abstract: Varroa destructor and the pathogens they vector have contributed significantly to high annual honey bee colony losses. Deformed wing virus (DWV) is the most prevalent honey bee virus and has been associated with overwintering colony loss. DWV is capable of infecting honey bees at all life stages and castes via horizontal and vertical transmission. Few studies have been conducted to determine the effect that pathogens have on honey bee queen health and performance. Our results suggest that queens may have mechanisms that reduce the establishment of DWV infection. A queen’s exposure to DWV-A prior to colony establishment did not significantly negatively impact colony strength metrics for two of three queen genotypes tested. Additionally, brood showed little subsequent infection. These findings suggest that when queens experience a single oral or venereal inoculation of DWV-A, vertical transmission may not result in significant brood infection and that overall colony strength may be largely unaffected. Increased colony loss experienced by colonies derived from one queen source indicates that differences in susceptibility exist due to factors that need to be investigated more fully. These findings contribute to a greater understanding of host-pathogen interactions in honey bees and suggest a context-dependent variability on the influence of queen exposure to viruses on colony health.