Assessment of the condition and relationships of the western honey bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, in northern Sweden

• Main Author: Valeria, Ciurcina
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap 2021
• Subjects: pollination ecology microbiology honeybee lactobacillus; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap; North Sweden; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-182644

Honey bees play an important role in pollination ecology but the conditions of health and genetic purity in North Sweden are not very clear because most honey bees are not native to boreal environments. Emerging studies on insect microbiomes are focusing on the role of lactobacillus as a health factor, given its connection with nectar digestion processes. The aim of this thesis is an assessment of the genetic purity of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) and the understanding of implications between non-pathogenic microorganisms and the honey bee's health status. Additionally, the relationships between hive’s colony size, environment, and health status are tested to understand any possible linkages, following the idea that different environments might affect the quantity of lactobacillus and thus immunity and resistance patterns in honey bees. For this project, 15 beehives were sampled in the region of Västerbotten in the summer of 2019/2020, in different types of habitats, with different purposes: analyzing the genetic purity with the wing morphometry method, cultivating the microorganisms that are present in the guts of bees, and comparing the results between urban and agricultural environments. The wing morphometry genetic assessment results showed that up to 80% of the bee keepers who took part in this study breed the subspecies A. mellifera mellifera with no significant level of hybridization with other subspecies. Therefore, honey bee purity status depends on the beekeeper’s choices. Microscopy and the analysis of the microbiomes showed the presence of lactobacillus and minor microorganisms. Cultivable lactic acid bacteria are more present in healthy honey bees in locations with higher plant biodiversity. In fact, the bacillus microbiomes are present in both agricultural and semi-urban areas but are more abundant and diverse in long-lived honey bees from hives in semi-urban area. This could depend on the higher plant diversity in these sites. Finally, the purity of subspecies does not ...