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10-Minute Presentation

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

10-min: P-IE, Apiculture

Nosema ceranae infection alters honey bee (Apis mellifera) queen behavior and reproductive capacity

Sunday, November 10, 2024
1:00 PM – 1:12 PM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 221 C, PCC
Oral Presentation
The takeover of Nosema ceranae over N. apis as the primary honey bee (Apis mellifera) gut pathogen has revealed a knowledge gap regarding how N. ceranae affects colony health. While the general health consequences of Nosemosis are well-substantiated, the long-term effects, specifically on queen behavior, are understudied. In this study, we explored the effects of N. ceranae infection on queen egg-laying capacity, mobility, and retinue behavior. We hypothesized that queens would lay fewer eggs, be less mobile, and elicit a smaller worker retinue after inoculation with N. ceranae compared to their baseline response. We set up observation colonies headed by sister queens and fed each a sucrose solution. We monitored the queens’ egg-laying capacity, mobility, and retinue behavior for six days. Then each queen was inoculated with a sucrose solution containing N. ceranae spores and measured the same parameters. After inoculation there was a significant increase in mobility and egg-laying capacity with a significant decrease in retinue size.