Genetic diversity within honey bee colonies affects pathogen load and relative virus levels in honey bees, Apis mellifera L

Abstract

The evolution of polyandry is one of most highly debated topics in sociobiology. One hypothesis suggests genetic diversity increases resistance against the wide range of parasites and diseases affecting colonies. We investigated effects of manipulating genetic diversity on colony population size, fall Varroa population, Varroa and bee mortality rates, virus prevalence and concentration, and prevalence of Nosema apis Z. and Nosema ceranae F. Sister queens selected for resistance to Varroa were inseminated with either mixed semen from 12 drone sources (genetically diverse colonies, GDC) or single drone inseminated from 12 drone sources (genetically similar colonies, GSC), and colonies from these queens were compared to unrelated queens that were open-mated. When exposed to parasites and pathogens, open-mated colonies (OMC) and GDCs had larger worker populations before winter than GSCs. The bees of GDCs had higher Varroa mortality rates than those of GSCs in the field study. Within the instrumentally inseminated treatments, three pathogens occurred at lower prevalence (acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and N. ceranae) or concentrations (deformed wing virus, DWV) in GDCs than in GSCs. Both GDCs and GSCs that had been selected for resistance to Varroa had lower DWV concentration in spring when compared to unselected OMCs. Colonies inseminated by multiple drones and having greater within-colony genetic diversity showed reduced prevalence, concentrations in about a quarter of the pathogens assayed relative to genetically uniform colonies, and the reverse pattern was never observed.