Honey bee bacteriome in agricultural and pristine environments

Abstract

[EN] In order to get new information about the effect that agricultural environments and beekeeping practices have on the microbiota of honey bees and its implications on honey bee health, different samples of the hive (gut, pollen bread, brood, air from inside the colony, microorganisms stuck to the entrance of the hive, etc.) were collected from two apiaries: one located in a pristine island with virtually no inhabitants and not managed in any way, and the other one located in a completely agricultural environment with a commercial management. DNA from this samples was extracted and a fragment of the ribosomal gene 16S rRNA (universal for the detection of prokaryotes) was amplified and sequenced, in order to perform a comparative characterization of the bacteriome in each location. The results obtained in this study provide a better understanding of the effect that agriculture and beekeeping practices have on the bacteriome of different parts of the hive, which may give us new insights into how to keep and improve honey bee health, possibly through the integrated management of honey bee microbial systems.