Wild bumblebees in Turkey carry the same viruses decimating honeybee colonies
Akpınar RK, Akturk S, Okuyan S, Solmaz S, Ozan E
Pollinators
Every third bite of food you eat depends on a pollinator, and the bumblebees doing much of that work in your garden are quietly carrying the same viruses that collapse managed honeybee colonies.
Scientists collected wild queen bumblebees in Turkey and tested them for diseases. They found that most bees were infected with at least one virus, and more than half carried a gut parasite. These diseases appear to spread between wild bumblebees and farmed honeybees, which means keeping honeybee hives near wild bee habitats could be a two-way risk for both populations.
Key Findings
Sacbrood Virus was the most common viral pathogen, detected in 65.22% of Bombus terrestris individuals tested.
Crithidia bombi, a gut parasite, infected 60.87% of sampled bumblebees, while Apicystis bombi and Nosema spp. were absent.
Phylogenetic analysis linked detected pathogens to honeybee strains from Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Argentina, indicating cross-species and cross-border pathogen circulation.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers in northern Turkey tested wild bumblebees for common bee viruses and parasites, finding that most individuals carried at least one pathogen, with Sacbrood Virus and a gut parasite called Crithidia bombi being the most widespread. The bumblebee pathogens were genetically related to strains found in honeybees from Turkey as well as from distant countries, suggesting shared disease pools between managed and wild bees.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Investigation of viral and parasitic pathogens in Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) populations.
In recent years, with the increase in both abiotic and biotic stress factors, there has been a significant decline in honey bee and bumblebee populations worldwide, which in turn threatens pollinat...
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