Towards Precision Nutrition: A Novel Concept Linking Phytochemicals, Immune Response and Honey Bee Health

Abstract

The high annual losses of managed honey bees (Apis mellifera) has attracted intensive attention, and scientists have dedicated much effort trying to identify the stresses affecting bees. There are, however, no simple answers; rather, research suggests multifactorial effects. Several works have been reported highlighting the relationship between bees’ immunosuppression and the effects of malnutrition, parasites, pathogens, agrochemical and beekeeping pesticides exposure, forage dearth and cold stress. Here we analyze a possible connection between immunity-related signaling pathways that could be involved in the response to the stress resulted from Varroa-virus association and cold stress during winter. The analysis was made understanding the honey bee as a superorganism, where individuals are integrated and interacting within the colony, going from social to individual immune responses. We propose the term “Precision Nutrition” as a way to think and study bees’ nutrition in the search for key molecules which would be able to strengthen colonies’ responses to any or all of those stresses combined.

Characterization of Apis mellifera Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Lactic Acid Bacteria for Honeybee Protection—A Review

“…In the simplest terms, bee nutrition is based on nectar and pollen, the former supplying bees with carbohydrates and the latter a source of proteins, lipids, and other micronutrients. In order to obtain optimal nutrition, bees balance the intake of nutrients from these complementary food sources [ 18 ]. Adequate nutrition is crucial for the proper growth and development of a honeybee colony, while any deficits contribute to aggravation of the negative impacts of viral and fungal diseases [ 19 ].…”

A expansão do agronegócio: impactos nefastos do desmatamento, agrotóxicos e transgênicos nas abelhas

“…Dentre outros fatores, pode-se destacar a desnutrição e a escassez de alimentos como eventos estressores que reduzem a imunidade das abelhas (Negri et al, 2019;Zaluski et al, 2020). Assim, abelhas que forrageiam áreas de monocultura têm uma dieta pouco diversificada, podendo não obter todos os nutrientes necessários (Brodschneider & Crailsheim, 2010).…”

“…Assim, abelhas que forrageiam áreas de monocultura têm uma dieta pouco diversificada, podendo não obter todos os nutrientes necessários (Brodschneider & Crailsheim, 2010). Uma boa nutrição depende da diversidade de recursos florais presentes na alimentação desses insetos (Negri et al, 2019), do mesmo modo que a ausência dessas condições pode ocasionar a redução populacional da colmeia, comprometer o equilíbrio fisiológico e a resistência ao estresse das abelhas, aumentando sua vulnerabilidade a doenças e agrotóxicos (Archer et al, 2014).…”

Ameliorative Effects of Phytochemical Ingestion on Viral Infection in Honey Bees

“…In addition to developing pharmaceutical approaches to treat viruses, there is also evidence that natural components of the honey bee diet can provide protection against pathogens. For example, the diversity and quality of pollens consumed by individual bees can have a significant effect on their ability to tolerate infections [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Individual secondary plant metabolites, or phytochemicals, are also routinely collected by foragers in nectar, pollen, and resins, and are typically present in honey [ 15 ].…”

“…Individual secondary plant metabolites, or phytochemicals, are also routinely collected by foragers in nectar, pollen, and resins, and are typically present in honey [ 15 ]. Many of these phytochemicals have immune-boosting effects in Apis species and may even serve as part of a self-medication strategy among social bees [ 14 ].…”