Pollinator protection: improving the health of commercially produced bumblebees to enhance pollination services and reduce the pathogen spillover risk
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sussex
Department Name: Sch of Life Sciences
Abstract
Bumblebees are amongst the most ecologically and economically important groups of pollinators, but many species are suffering serious declines. The importance of bumblebees for the pollination of many high-value crops has led to the commercial production and importation of over a million bumblebee colonies pa globally, with ca. 40,000 colonies being imported into the UK each year. These commercially produced bumblebees can carry with them a diversity of infectious and virulent parasites which reduce the crop pollination services provided by the bumblebees and can also pose a significant spillover risk to wild pollinators. Addressing this problem is difficult because there are currently no methods of controlling bumblebee diseases, and the roles that nutritional and other stresses may play in regulating disease in bumblebees are poorly understood. It is essential to develop methods of reducing disease levels in these colonies in order to maximise the pollination service they can provide to farmers and minimise the risk of any impact on native pollinators. This project will work with Biobest NV, one of the major producers of bumblebee colonies, to investigate the effects of diet and stress on the resistance to disease of commercially produced bumblebees, and develop methods to control their diseases. We will utilise controlled laboratory experiments to precisely determine the effects of diet and nutritional stress on resistance to disease, examine whether stress during transit may cause colonies to suffer more from parasites (analogous to shipping fever), and investigate whether RNA interference may provide a method of controlling diseases. The project will make a significant contribution to improving the commercial production of bumblebees such as to both maximise the crop pollination services they can provide and reduce the pathogen spillover risk they pose to wild pollinators, and will provide a first-class training experience to the student including the development of unique skills not otherwise available in the UK.
People |
ORCID iD |
| William Hughes (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Rosaline Hulse (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/M015386/1 | 01/10/2015 | 30/09/2019 | |||
| 1646519 | Studentship | BB/M015386/1 | 01/10/2015 | 30/09/2019 | Rosaline Hulse |
| Description | Bumblebees are ecologically and economically important pollinators, which are produced commercially for crop pollination. Commercially produced bumblebees can carry parasites which reduce crop pollination services and pose a spillover risk to wild pollinators. Addressing this problem is difficult because there are no methods of controlling bumblebee diseases, and the roles that nutritional and other stresses play in regulating disease in bumblebees are poorly understood. Working with Biobest NV, one of the major producers of bumblebee colonies, this project investigated the relationship between diet, immune health and infectious disease. Experiments using commercially reared Bombus terrestris audax individuals and colonies were used to develop methods of controlling the spread, and mitigating the effect, of diseases. The major findings were: 1) There was an effect of diet enhancement at both individual and colony levels, with improved colony development and individual body size in bees fed an improved diet. 2) Diet enhancement was also found to increase fat reserves, immune health, and improve larval survival in pathogen challenge experiments. 3) Incorporation of probiotics in diet provided some improvements in colony fitness. |
| Exploitation Route | The results demonstrate that diet can have important direct and indirect effects on the health and immunity of commercially reared bumblebees. This suggests that nutritional enhancements may produce a significant improvement in colony health as well conferring a protective effect against infectious disease. The outcomes are being taken forward initially by the project's industrial partner and will become available to the broader industry following publication of the results in academic journals. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
| Description | The results have informed the production and utilisation of diets for the commercial production of bumblebee colonies. This has direct benefits for the bumblebee production industry by enabling more effective production of a higher quality bumblebee colony product, with consequent benefits for the agricultural sectors that employ commercially-produced bumblebee colonies for crop pollination. The improved health and reduced disease levels in resulting colonies then also has indirect environmental benefits by reducing the potential for pathogen spillover from commercially-produced bumblebee colonies to wild pollinators. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
| Description | Biobest |
| Organisation | Biobest |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Provision of expertise and data to inform the improvement of the partner's husbandry practices for the commercial production of bumblebees for the provision of pollination services. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of training to the research student in bumblebee husbandry and enterprise, and assistance, facilities, bumblebee colonies and logistical support for the research student to carry out research experiments. |
| Impact | Publication doi 10.1016/bs.aiip.2020.09.003 |
| Start Year | 2015 |