Genetic Factor? Honey Bee Life Spans 50% Shorter Now Compared to 50 Years Ago

 


Bees Entomology Genetics Popular University of Maryland By UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. In a new study, entomologists demonstrate that individual honey bees kept in a controlled laboratory environment have a lifespan that is 50% shorter than it was in the 1970s


Colony losses and lower honey production in recent decades could be explained by a drop in longevity for lab-kept honey bees



According to a new study by entomologists at the University of Maryland, the lifespan of individual honey bees kept in a controlled laboratory environment is 50% shorter than it was in the 1970s. Bee colonies naturally age and die off, making colony turnover an accepted factor in the beekeeping industry. When scientists modelled the effect of today's shorter lifespans, the results corresponded with the trends of decreased honey production and increased colony loss observed by US beekeepers in recent decades. However, beekeepers in the United States have reported high loss rates over the past decade, necessitating the replacement of additional colonies to maintain operations' viability. Researchers have focused on pesticide exposure, environmental stressors, parasites, diseases, and nutrition in an effort to comprehend why. 


This is the first study to demonstrate a decline in the lifespan of honey bees as a whole that may not be caused by environmental stressors. This suggests that genetics may be influencing the general trends in the beekeeping industry. The study will be published today. UMD research shows that caged bees have shorter lifespans than they did 50 years ago, suggesting that something other than environmental conditions could be causing higher rates of honey bee colony loss for commercial beekeepers. This is despite improved standards for keeping honey bees in the lab


According to researchers, honey bees' shorter lifespan is linked genetically. In a laboratory, researchers raised bee pupae from honey bee hives as adults


When near man noticed that, regardless of diet, the median lifespan of his caged bees was half that of caged bees in similar 1970s experiments, he evaluated the effect of supplementing the sugar water diet of the bees with plain water to better mimic natural conditions. (17.7 days now, compared to 34.3 in the 1970s). This prompted a more in-depth examination of laboratory studies published in the past 50 years. 


Nearman stated, "When I plotted the lifespans over time, I realized, wow, there is actually this huge time effect". Since laboratory rearing of honey bees didn't really get standardized until the 2000s, you'd think that lifespans would stay the same or grow longer because we're getting better at it, right? In contrast, the mortality rate doubled


This is the first study to link colony turnover rates, which are crucial for beekeeping, to those factors.


According to Nearman and van Engelsdorp, their lab-kept bees may have been exposed to pesticides or a low-level virus during their larval stage, when they are brooding in the hive and worker bees are feeding them. However, the bees have not displayed any obvious signs of these exposures, and other insects, such as fruit flies, have demonstrated that there is a genetic component to longevity. 


The next step for the scientists will be to look for patterns in bumblebee life expectancies across the US and in different nations. They can isolate and compare potential contributing factors, such as genetics, pesticide use, and the presence of viruses in the local bee stocks, if they discover differences in longevity

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