Do honey bee workers prefer virus-contaminated nectar in the field?

Honey bees (Apis mellifera, L.) are the premier insect pollinators globally and are rapidly declining due to many health challenges, but particularly due to Varroa and the viruses they vector. Some viruses, such as DWV, are primarily vectored by Varroa but also transmitted horizontally and vertically by the bees themselves. One method of bee to bee infection is through contaminated nectar sources in the field. We simulated DWV contaminated nectar sources using DWV-laced sucrose solutions and assessed forager recruitment to these sources or non-viral contaminated controls by measuring consumption rates. Field results will be compared to our caged laboratory results, where foragers prefer viral-contaminated sucrose solution to virus-free controls. This has implications for viral control efforts and sustainability, especially as DWV can be transmitted from honey bees to other pollinators.