Abstract
The small hive beetle (SHB) is an opportunistic parasite that feeds on bee larvae, honey, and pollen. While SHBs can also feed on fruit and other plant products, like its plant‐feeding relatives, SHBs prefer to feed on hive resources and only reproduce inside bee colonies. As parasites, SHBs are inevitably exposed to bee‐associated microbes, either directly from the bees or from the hive environment. These microbes have unknown impacts on beetles, nor is it known how extensively beetles transfer microbes among their bee hosts. To identify sets of beetle microbes and the transmission of microbes from bees to beetles, a metagenomic analysis was performed. We identified sets of herbivore‐associated bacteria, as well as typical bee symbiotic bacteria for pollen digestion, in SHB larvae and adults. Deformed wing virus was highly abundant in beetles, which colonize SHBs as suggested by a controlled feeding trial. Our data suggest SHBs are vectors for pathogen transmission among bees and between colonies. The dispersal of host pathogens by social parasites via floral resources and the hive environment increases the threats of these parasites to honey bees.
Highlights
The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Murray, 1867, hereafter SHB) is a honey bee nest parasite belonging to the family Nitidulidae, whose members feed mainly on decay‐ ing vegetable matter, over‐ripe fruit, or sap (Mckenna et al, 2015)
Unlike other plant‐feeding beetles, SHBs can survive on fruit but thrive on resources found in honey bee colonies (Cuthbertson et al, 2013; Neumann & Elzen, 2004)
Honey bee gut bacteria are dominated by nine species/clus‐ ters, some of which are likely to be involved in honey and pollen digestion, along with many low‐frequency opportunistic microbes (Kwong & Moran, 2016; Powell, Martinson, Urban‐Mead, & Moran, 2014; Raymann & Moran, 2018)
Summary
The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Murray, 1867, hereafter SHB) is a honey bee nest parasite belonging to the family Nitidulidae (sap beetles; c. 4,500 species), whose members feed mainly on decay‐ ing vegetable matter, over‐ripe fruit, or sap (Mckenna et al, 2015). SHB larvae are the most damaging stage for bee hives, by tunneling through combs and causing honey to ferment (Hood, 2004). These infestations can be destructive to wax combs, stored honey, and pollen. Honey bee gut bacteria are dominated by nine species/clus‐ ters, some of which are likely to be involved in honey and pollen digestion, along with many low‐frequency opportunistic microbes (Kwong & Moran, 2016; Powell, Martinson, Urban‐Mead, & Moran, 2014; Raymann & Moran, 2018). As SHBs rely on food sources stored by their honey bee hosts, we predicted that SHBs might acquire honey bee‐associated microbes, which could aid in food digestion. These results shed light on beetle microbe communities and help identify risks to both bees and beetles from a communal existence, as well as complex pathogen transmission routes in this ecosystem
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