Honey bee hives have ‘living immune systems’ which defend against disease
Healthy honey bee colonies are remarkably good at keeping harmful microbes under control. A new study shows how they do it.
Honey bee colonies possess an intricate immune system that helps them defend against disease. This system is composed of various materials created and collected by the bees, including honey, propolis, pollen, and wax, which work together to create a coordinated defence mechanism. A recent study published in ISME Communications examined 24 honey bee colonies from five apiaries in New South Wales, analyzing honey, propolis, pollen, wax, and both nurse and forager bees.
Using DNA sequencing, the researchers mapped bacterial and fungal communities within the hive, while nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to investigate the composition of these materials. The study found that healthy hives maintain a diverse array of microorganisms, both harmful and beneficial, rather than striving for sterility.
Different hive materials possess unique antimicrobial properties, such as hydrogen peroxide found in honey and flavonoids in propolis. The strongest predictor of the hive's antimicrobial potency was the surrounding landscape, as bees forage from local plants, determining the raw materials available for their chemical defenses. This suggests that the ecological complexity of the landscape surrounding a hive may play a significant role in the colony's ability to cope with disease.
Maintaining diverse habitat around bee colonies could contribute to healthy colonies, and this concept may extend to other insects like ants, termites, and stingless bees, which also utilize antimicrobial compounds to protect their colonies.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
