The Importance of Microbes in Nutrition and Health of Honey Bee

摘要

Underlying a healthy and vibrant honey bee colony is a community of microbes that are responsible for the vigor we see. In the first part of this series, we discussed the importance of microbes in maintaining the health of honey bee colonies. The bacteria, yeasts and molds that live in a healthy colony and in the bees themselves are needed for food processing and digestion and help control the growth of pathogens. The microbes provide bees with essential amino acids, enzymes vitamins and other nutrients. The types and numbers of microbes in honey bees are affected by environmental and possibly genetic factors. In part-2 of this series, we will discuss factors that affect the number and diversity of microbes in a colony, and the possible effects on colony health and survival. We hope that after reading Part-2, beekeepers will think of the impacts that colony management practices and environmental contaminants might have on the microbial community in a colony. Those effects might be expressed in reduced brood survival and worker longevity, increased incidents of diseases (e.g., foulbrood and chalkbrood), limited population growth and ultimately colony population collapse.