Accedi

USDA-ARS, Vegetable Crop Research Unit

2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

JoVE Journal

Empirical, Metagenomic, and Computational Techniques Illuminate the Mechanisms by which Fungicides Compromise Bee Health

Shawn A. Steffan^1,2, Prarthana S. Dharampal², Luis Diaz-Garcia^3,4, Cameron R. Currie⁵, Juan Zalapa^1,3, Chris Todd Hittinger^6,7,8

¹Vegetable Crop Research Unit, USDA-ARS, ²Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ³Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ⁴Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias, ⁵Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ⁶Laboratory of Genetics, Genome Center of Wisconsin, ⁷DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, ⁸J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Microbial consortia within bumble bee hives enrich and preserve pollen for bee larvae. Using next generation sequencing, along with laboratory and field-based experiments, this manuscript describes protocols used to test the hypothesis that fungicide residues alter the pollen microbiome, and colony demographics, ultimately leading to colony loss.

Environment

In Vitro Rearing of Solitary Bees: A Tool for Assessing Larval Risk Factors

Prarthana S. Dharampal¹, Caitlin M. Carlson², Luis Diaz-Garcia^3,4, Shawn A. Steffan^1,5

¹Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ²Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ³Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ⁴Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agricolas y Pecuarias, ⁵USDA-ARS, Vegetable Crop Research Unit

Fungicide sprays on flowering plants may expose solitary bees to high concentrations of pollen-borne fungicide residues. Using laboratory-based experiments involving in vitro-reared bee larvae, this study investigates the interactive effects of consuming fungicide-treated pollen derived from host and non-host plants.