Sunflower pollen reduces a gut pathogen in worker and queen but not male bumble bees

Abstract

1. Social insect castes and sexes differ in many ways, including morphology, behavior, and sometimes ploidy level. Recent studies have found that consuming sunflower pollen reduces the gut pathogen Crithidia bombi in workers of the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens). Here, this work is extended to the reproductive individuals that represent colony fitness – males and queens – to assess if the medicinal effects of sunflower pollen vary with bee caste and sex.2. This study examined the effect of sunflower pollen compared to a diverse wildflower pollen mix on infection in worker, male, and daughter queen commercial B. impatiens. Bees were infected, fed either sunflower pollen or wildflower pollen for 7 days, and then infection levels were assessed.3. Compared to wildflower pollen, sunflower pollen dramatically reduced Crithidia infection in workers and daughter queens, but not males. Infection levels were very low for both diets in males; this could be due to low pollen consumption or other mechanisms.4. Reducing Crithidia infection in young queens before they undergo hibernation is important for population dynamics since infected queens are less likely to survive hibernation, and those that do are less likely to successfully establish a nest the following spring. Because sunflowers bloom in late summer when new queens are emerging, sunflowers could provide an important dietary component for queens during this critical life stage. Deepening our understanding of how diet impacts pathogens in reproductive bees, as well as workers, is crucial to maintain healthy pollinator populations.