Do managed bees drive parasite spread and emergence in wild bees?

Abstract

Bees have been managed and utilised for honey production for centuries and, more recently, pollination services. Since the mid 20th Century, the use and production of managed bees has intensified with hundreds of thousands of hives being moved across countries and around the globe on an annual basis. However, the introduction of unnaturally high densities of bees to areas could have adverse effects. Importation and deployment of managed honey bee and bumblebees may be responsible for parasite introductions or a change in the dynamics of native parasites that ultimately increases disease prevalence in wild bees. Here we review the domestication and deployment of managed bees and explain the evidence for the role of managed bees in causing adverse effects on the health of wild bees. Correlations with the use of managed bees and decreases in wild bee health from territories across the globe are discussed along with suggestions to mitigate further health reductions in wild bees.

Massively Introduced Managed Species and Their Consequences for Plant–Pollinator Interactions

“…The use of managed pollinators to pollinate crops has become more and more common with the increased dependency of agriculture crop production on animal pollination (Aizen et al, 2008;Lautenbach et al, 2012). Further, numerous managed honeybee colonies are brought into agricultural landscapes for honey production (Graystock et al, 2016;Morse, 1991). This translates into important fluxes of pollinators into agricultural and adjacent seminatural habitats during the flowering season of crops (Box 3).…”

“…Since the 19th century, colonies of B. terrestris have been introduced in many parts of the world for commercial purpose (Graystock et al, 2016;Lye et al, 2011). It has originally a West Palearctic distribution, but populations are now present from the tip of the Argentinean Patagonia (Geslin and Morales, 2015) to the North of the Arctic Circle (Martinet et al, 2015).…”

A 2018 Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation and Biological Diversity

“…There are currently no records of bumblebee invasions in South Africa, yet the import of bumblebee colonies for agricultural use has been promoted, despite non-native bumblebees posing a substantial risk to native South African species, including carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.). Bumblebees can also act as vectors, introducing novel infectious diseases as they spread to new regions [27].…”

“…There are currently no records of bumblebee invasions in South Africa, yet the import of bumblebee colonies for agricultural use has been promoted, despite non-native bumblebees posing a substantial risk to native South African species, including carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.). Bumblebees can also act as vectors, introducing novel infectious diseases as they spread to new regions [27].Extensive Use of Bacteria and Fungi to Manage Agricultural Pests Biological pest control is currently widely used in forestry, horticulture, and intensive glasshouse production of fruits and vegetables, but it has been successfully used on outdoor field crops in relatively few cases (e.g., control of cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti in Africa [28]). Recent advances in genetic screening and engineering are now enabling the widespread use of biological pest control or growth stimulation treatments based on bacteria or fungi.…”

Evidence of Varroa-mediated deformed wing virus spillover in Hawaii

“…Negative strands of DWV, suggestive of viral replication in the host, have been found only in 5 genera of non-Apis insects (Levitt et al, 2013;Tehel et al, 2016). However, the discovery of DWV among a wide range of species has created concerns about a possible "viral spillover" from honey bee colonies to other insect species, especially economically important pollinators such as bumble bees (Graystock et al, 2016a, Graystock et al, 2016b. Work on viral spillover has been conducted, so far, in regions where V.…”