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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Baton Rouge, Louisiana » Honey Bee Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410255
Research Project: Using Genetics to Improve the Breeding and Health of Honey Bees

Location: Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research

Title: Honey bee stressor networks are complex and dependent on crop and region

Author
item FRENCH, SARAH - York University
item PEPINELLI, MATEUS - York University
item CONFLITTI, IDA - York University
item HIGO, HEATHER - University Of British Columbia
item COMMON, JULIA - University Of British Columbia
item BIXBY, MIRIAM - University Of British Columbia
item Walsh, Elizabeth
item GUARNA, MARTA - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item PERNAL, STEPHEN - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item HOOVER, SHELLEY - University Of Lethbridge

Submitted to: Current Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/2024
Publication Date: 5/6/2024
Citation: French, S.K., Pepinelli, M., Conflitti, I.M., Higo, H., Common, J., Bixby, M., Walsh, E.M., Guarna, M.M., Pernal, S.F., Hoover, S.E. 2024. A systems approach to honey bee health. Current Biology. Volume 34 Page 1893-1903. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.039.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.039

Interpretive Summary: Honey bees are crucial pollinators, yet the causes underlying declines in their health are difficult to identify and manage. Instead of focussing on the effects of single stressors on bee health – a common research approach that may be overly simplistic – we applied emerging tools from systems theory to quantify the stressor networks affecting bee colonies and how they changed over space and time. We found that bees were always exposed to complex networks of stressors that were often unique to specific crops. We also found that the most influential stressors with respect to stressor network architecture are currently unmanaged by beekeepers. Our research highlights the importance of considering multiple stressors when developing strategies to manage honey bee health.

Technical Abstract: Honey bees play a major role in crop pollination but have experienced declining health throughout most of the globe. Despite decades of research on key honey bee stressors (e.g., parasitic Varroa destructor mites, viruses), researchers cannot fully explain or predict colony mortality, potentially because these events are caused by exposure to multiple interacting stressors in the field. Understanding how multiple stressors interact to influence bee health is therefore of profound importance. Here, we used the emerging field of systems theory to characterize and study the stressor networks found in honey bee colonies as they were exposed to economically valuable crops in Canada. Honey bee stressor networks were often highly complex with hundreds of potential interactions between stressors. Proximity to crops generally exposed honey bee colonies to more complex stressor networks, with an average of 23 stressors and 307 interactions. We discovered that the most influential stressors – those that substantively impacted stressor network architecture – are often not currently managed by beekeepers. Finally, the stressor networks showed substantial divergence among different crop systems, which is consistent with the knowledge that some crops (e.g., highbush blueberry) are traditionally riskier to bee health. Our approach sheds light on the stressor networks that influence honey bee health in the field and underscores the importance of considering interactions among stressors when evaluating bee health. Clearly, addressing and managing issues in bee health will require solutions that are tailored to the specific crops and stressor networks that honey bees are exposed to.