STD In Queen bees

[Greengage]

I recently posted some questions on queen rearing on this forum and found the answers interesting, (I have being thinking dangerous thing)
Ok a virgin queen leaves to hive to be mated she then mates with a number of drones some say up to 15, whatever, if she is this promiscuous like this, is it possible she could pick up some STD from these drones which would have some adverse effects on her laying ability, eg Drones only, infertile altogether, or some other STD that we dont know about yet which could slowly kill her during the season or effect the whole colony throughout the season. Maybe i think too much.

[Kate Atchley]

... a virgin queen leaves to hive to be mated she then mates with a number of drones some say up to 15, whatever, if she is this promiscuous like this, is it possible she could pick up some STD from these drones which would have some adverse effects on her laying ability ...

Interesting question ... mating-transmission of disease. I haven't seen any mention of this ... have others?

[Jon]

It is certainly possible.
DWV can be transmitted from drones to the queen during copulation.
There is a reference paper on the forum somewhere.
Fatshark would be able to add a lot of info on this topic.

[Jon]

Deformed wing virus and drone mating flights
in the honey bee (Apis mellifera): implications for sexual
transmission of a major honey bee virus. (https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofBiologicalSciences/People/DrRJPaxton/SelectedPublications/PDFs/Filetoupload,388371,en.pdf) - Yañez et al

Localization of deformed wing virus infection in queen and drone Apis mellifera L (http://www.virologyj.com/content/3/1/16) -Fievet et al

Venereal and vertical transmission of deformed wing virus in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002220110800044X) - Miranda et al

Detection of viral sequences in semen of honeybees (Apis mellifera): Evidence for vertical transmission of viruses through drones (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022201106000504) - Yue et al

[prakel]

Nosema:

The First Evidence for STDs in Honeybees:
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDkQFjADahUKEwjZy-uVkvbHAhXCQhQKHYYOC1U&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearscience.com%2Fjourna l_club%2F2015%2F07%2F02%2Fthe_first_evidence_for_s tds_in_honeybees_109291.html&usg=AFQjCNGOPUEVd0b73Tn_VIpO12-u-slBRw&sig2=JQiEYMs4te25prikt_9D-A

Which is a report by the 'Real Clear Science Journal' on this paper:

The cost of promiscuity: sexual transmission of Nosema microsporidian parasites in polyandrous honey bees
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQFjAAahUKEwipkej-kvbHAhXwjtsKHRWQAyc&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farti cles%2FPMC4485198%2F&usg=AFQjCNFVo8AojNexhM5_RQ_xKfOp8DXfmw&sig2=dyqD9nlIGC9zYKxkqOVIGg

[Jon]

Virus and/or nosema offer a very likely explanation for unexpected queen failure or early supersedure.
Roger Patterson claims that queen problems are far more common now than they used to be when he started beekeeping in the early 1960s.
We did not have varroa and nosema ceranae to contend with in the 1960s.

[SDM]

Nosema apis and N.ceranae can be sexually transmitted , but they only infect the queen and not her offspring.

[prakel]

Roger Patterson claims that queen problems are far more common now

Beekeeping in the 1960s: The halcyon days of youth or historical fact?


In October 1947 number of the American Bee Journal appeared this article:

"This is the season of disastrous queen failures. From every direction come reports of supersedure and queenlessness on an unprecedented scale. With an abundance of clover the bees have failed at a very critical time. The failure of the queens results in heavy loss to the colony. When egg laying ceases for ten days to two weeks in the spring much of the productive force is lost. Losses have been especially heavy with package bees. The cold and backward spring was unfavorable for replacement and in too many cases the colony has been lost entirely. Most certainly we need to know more about the reason for this serious condition which has cost the beekeepers a substantial portion of the possible 1947 Harvest."

Jay Smith: 'Better Queens' 1948

[prakel]

they only infect the queen and not her offspring.

What offspring, might be a good question where nosemic queens are concerned.

[mbc]

In one of Wally Shaw's presentations in Llangollen last year he expounded the theory that queens mated later in the season were more likely to fail due to std's passed on by drones who were more likely to be infectious later on due to expanding varroa populations. All sounded quite plausible and fits with many people's observations of queen longevity.

[Jon]

What offspring, might be a good question where nosemic queens are concerned.

From the 'Realclearscience' article:


Luckily for the colony, infected queens do not pass Nosema onto their young. None of the 400 eggs laid by queens in the experiment carried the parasite. However, unluckily for parasite-ridden queens, their days are usually numbered once they take on the parasite. An infected queen's ovaries quickly degenerate, severely reducing her egg-laying capacity. Sensing the queen's infertility, workers then set about rearing replacement queens.

[prakel]

mbc, I'd say that the later queens (here, where we usually have calmer weather than earlier in the season) are probably better, all round. I wonder whether it could be argued that earlier drones might be more susceptable as a result of the initial varroa expansion after winter and possibly lower level of care comenserate with the smaller population?

[prakel]

An infected queen's ovaries quickly degenerate, severely reducing her egg-laying capacity. Sensing the queen's infertility, workers then set about rearing replacement queens.

Screwed if that's how she comes out of winter.

[masterbk]

Nosema apis and N.ceranae can be sexually transmitted , but they only infect the queen and not her offspring.

Nosema spores can probably go on to infect workers from the queen when she defaecates as the workers eat her faeces.

[Greengage]

Thanks to everyone for their replies I have to go read the papers before I think of my next question , sure this is better than open university, will i get a paper out of it from you guys for educating me. Appreciate the responses.

[Greengage]

I read through the reports in the Cost of Promescuity it states that Nosema ceranea is an emerging parasite following a host jump from Apis ceraena which reduces the fitness of a colony and has been associated with colony losses. Both species of Nosema mentioned are feacal-orally transmitted parasites but unknown as of yet wheather they are sexually transmitted.
In AI queens could drones be screened for carring the parasite (If they do carry it) If not then what guarantees does a buyer of new queens have that the new queen is not going to bring more harm to your colony than good.
I was not aware that workes also ingest queen feacal, if it is a spore then would something like a feed ogf Tymol give them something like the shits where they could clear it from their systems.

[SDM]

Nosema spores can probably go on to infect workers from the queen when she defaecates as the workers eat her faeces.
Yes but that wouldn't be " sexually " transmitted. Unless your girls are into really kinky stuff.

[SDM]

I read through the reports in the Cost of Promescuity it states that Nosema ceranea is an emerging parasite following a host jump from Apis ceraena which reduces the fitness of a colony and has been associated with colony losses. Both species of Nosema mentioned are feacal-orally transmitted parasites but unknown as of yet wheather they are sexually transmitted.
In AI queens could drones be screened for carring the parasite (If they do carry it) If not then what guarantees does a buyer of new queens have that the new queen is not going to bring more harm to your colony than good.
I was not aware that workes also ingest queen feacal, if it is a spore then would something like a feed ogf Tymol give them something like the shits where they could clear it from their systems.

It was through AI that they proved sexual transmission, so I guess there's no guarantee.

[alclosier]

New market for thornes, bee condoms...

[Kate Atchley]

So we could find DWV among our so-far Varroa-free bees as it gets closer? Drones with Varroa fly miles to mate with our bees but don't transfer mites, just the viruses they bring? Wonder if this might be picked up by the research being carried out at Warwick Uni?

[Greengage]

Did I not read somewhere that drones do not travel that far to mate, some do it within the vicinity of their own apiary and not as high as people think could this be another myth of drones flying miles to mate. Im collecting these myths for a later post.

[Mellifera Crofter]

So we could find DWV among our so-far Varroa-free bees as it gets closer? Drones with Varroa fly miles to mate with our bees but don't transfer mites, just the viruses they bring? Wonder if this might be picked up by the research being carried out at Warwick Uni?
If drones from outside your varroa-free area come all that way to mate, might they not also visit your colonies and so transfer the mites? Or, might your continued absence of varroa and DWV be an indication that you've not been visited by far-away drones?
Kitta

[prakel]

Did I not read somewhere that drones do not travel that far to mate, some do it within the vicinity of their own apiary and not as high as people think could this be another myth of drones flying miles to mate. Im collecting these myths for a later post.

Sounds like you're getting your myths and current scientific knowledge back to front :).

That said, drones do tend to travel to closer DCAs while queens head to DCAs at a greater distance from their nest; all to do with energy/refueling requirements:

Mating Biology of Honeybees: Gudrun Koeniger (National Honey Show video)


https://youtu.be/cI26DLS2CyM

for some reason I still can't get videos to show as screen images...probably got a restriction on my account for uploading too many!

[SDM]

Did I not read somewhere that drones do not travel that far to mate, some do it within the vicinity of their own apiary and not as high as people think could this be another myth of drones flying miles to mate. Im collecting these myths for a later post.

Apiary vicinity mating(AVM) is what you're talking about, I think it's limited to Amm strains and is used as a bad weather compromise.

[Calluna4u]

Did I not read somewhere that drones do not travel that far to mate, some do it within the vicinity of their own apiary and not as high as people think could this be another myth of drones flying miles to mate. Im collecting these myths for a later post.

Not one who collects all these documents to be able to quote exactly where I got things from, but...

On a visit to Denmark I recall being told of experiments marking drones to see where they turned up. Their colony loyalty was very poor, and the marked drones were found in colonies at surprising distances from their hives of origin. I remember clearly being told of a marked drone being found in a colony at the quite astonishing distance of 70 kilometres.

I presume it to be no more than an interesting fact of little practical use, and still flood the area round our mating unit with colonies that we see as being 'the right stuff'.

[prakel]

Not sure if this has been linked elsewhere but if not then it should certainly be tied into this thread:


Chemicals in bee semen analysed

The authors used molecular technologies called proteomics to see what kind of chemicals were in the honeybee semen.

They found both a protein that caused the Nosema spore to germinate prematurely preventing infection of the queen bee, and a small molecule that could kill the spore outright.

Separate research by team members also identified the Nosema spores in the honeybee semen.

"Ejaculation is fatal for the male honeybee causing major trauma and tissue damage and allowing contamination by the spores," Dr Baer said.

The new research used florescent dyes to distinguish between live and dead spores, which allowed the authors to quantify what effect the semen had on the spores.

"We found as soon as you present seminal fluid to these spores the spores are killed and the exciting thing is they're killed at a very high proportion," Dr Baer said.

However, he said it was unknown whether bees exposed to the fungus elsewhere in the world have the same antimicrobial molecules in their immune system as the Australian-bred bees.

Australian study reveals the disease fighting powers of bee semen; ABC Rural By Clint Jasper and Stuart Gary
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-20/new-study-reveals-disease-fighting-properties-of-bee-semen/7100104

Another press release, with further links:

Immune-boosted bee spunk could help hives stay healthy; scimex.org
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/immune-boosted-bee-spunk-could-help-hives-stay-healthy

[Kate Atchley]

Not sure if this has been linked elsewhere but if not then it should certainly be tied into this thread:

Chemical in bee semen analysed ...

Immune-boosted bee spunk could help hives stay healthy; scimex.org
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/immune-boosted-bee-spunk-could-help-hives-stay-healthy

Thanks Prakel. Fascinating and haven't seen this elsewhere though my SBAi following is erratic.

Been studying nosema for my microscopy exam: information about its impact on queens seems confused/even contradictory. If the Australian bees' defences are replicated in our UK bees, this could explain.