Bumbles & Honeybee diseases

[itma]

New study finds DWV & Nosema ceranae in bumblebees.

Study done at Royal Holloway, published in Nature.

BBC Report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26242960




Oddly (to me anyway) they make the link with neonics and with honeybee health - which they would like to see improved

"We cannot say it definitively, but because of the epidemiology, the most likely explanation is that the honeybees are acting as the source of the virus for the bumblebees."
...
"We have to, at national and international levels, support management policies that enable our beekeepers to keep their bees as free of diseases as possible," Prof Brown said.

... but (the BBC report anyway) makes no mention of imported bumblebees for greenhouse pollination not being health screened in any way whatsoever, or the commercial raising of those bumbles on stores taken from honeybees ... which seems to me like a plausible route for the introduction.

Seems like these problems are only too ready to jump to new species. B*gger.

 

[Percymerlin]

I was rather put out by the statement in the BBC report:
"Writing in the journal Nature, the team says that beekeepers should keep their honeybees as free from disease as possible to stop the spread."

A rather odd if not insulting thing to say as if we don't give a damn about the health of our bees..

 

[Russel]

What a shame they don't read previous BBC reports?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23347867
"The imported bumblebee colonies carried a range of parasites including the three main bumblebee parasites (Crithidia bombi, Nosema bombi and Apicystis bombi), three honeybee parasites (Nosema apis, Ascosphaera apis and Paenibacillus larvae), and two parasites that infect both bumblebees and honeybees (Nosema ceranae and deformed wing virus).

Also talking to beek's in Thornbury on BBC 1 news this morning " I've Lost one hive this winter from DWV as they can't fly out to get nectar and pollen"

 

[Heather]

Pleased they pushed the thought of planting wild and primary pollinating flowers for the bees.. we had such a good talk at last nights meeting pushing same theme.
Brighton, Sussex is improving with central reservations and verges emerging with wild flowers. Just need to get the UK to think similar actions.
Shame the bee keeper on the BBC had such filthy leather gloves!!! She wouldn't be allowed near my hives.

 

[farbee]

What a shame they don't read previous BBC reports?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23347867
"The imported bumblebee colonies carried a range of parasites including the three main bumblebee parasites (Crithidia bombi, Nosema bombi and Apicystis bombi), three honeybee parasites (Nosema apis, Ascosphaera apis and Paenibacillus larvae), and two parasites that infect both bumblebees and honeybees (Nosema ceranae and deformed wing virus).

Also talking to beek's in Thornbury on BBC 1 news this morning " I've Lost one hive this winter from DWV as they can't fly out to get nectar and pollen"

Yes that did cross my mind.

But Nature is just about the most prestigious science journal there is so it is clearly well conducted research. The key I think is the phenotyping of the virus/fungi which shows that infection from honeybee to bumbles occurs. Of course the opposite it also likely.

Must say I do not find this surprising but showing it is another ball game.

 

[Russel]

There are a few threads running on this one.
Been on Radio 4's "Inside Science" or podcast http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/inscience
But after several studies and £3mil + maybe someone should have checked what had been published some months earlier saying it's the other way round.
.....and as to the beek's claim of loss to DWV in the winter, whilst we all know bee's are mainly inactive at this time of year, there's no nectar to collect as temp's , as a rule,too low for flying and nectar production and pollens in limited supply; the general public don't.

 

[Chris B]

I would like to know what practical value this has. Even before the project started they already knew DWV and nosema could affect bumbles.

Remember how the whole IPI came about - beekeeper lobbying asking for help to keep our bees healthier, and what is the outcome? "Beekeepers you need to keep your bees healthier!" Thanks for that. Not that I blame the scientists who had money thrown at them.

 

[mbc]

I agree it seems more plausible that parasites find it easier to jump hosts between closely related species, ie. imported bumbles to native bumbles, rather than from honey bees to bumbles, certainly for dwv anyway, I suppose nosema spores could transfer more easily.
How definitive is this "phenotyping" ?

 

[mbc]

I would like to know what practical value this has.

??? I dont think "practical value" registers apart from perhaps in a funding bid to get a foot in the door of the gravy train.
The advice to beekeepers to keep their colonies "as free of disease as possible" shows a massive lapse in comprehending real life practicalities, or its just a throw away comment to provide some sort of conclusion.