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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Tucson, Arizona » Carl Hayden Bee Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #355734
Title: Honey bee colony performance and health are enhanced by apiary proximity to US Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands

Author
item Ricigliano, Vincent
item Mott, Brendon
item MAES, PATRICK - University Of Arizona
item FLOYD, AMY - University Of Florida
item FITZ, WILLIAM - University Of Florida
item Copeland, Duan
item Meikle, William
item Anderson, Kirk

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/22/2019
Publication Date: 3/20/2019
Citation: Ricigliano, V.A., Mott, B.M., Maes, P., Floyd, A.S., Fitz, W., Copeland, D.C., Meikle, W.G., Anderson, K.E. 2019. Honey bee colony performance and health are enhanced by apiary proximity to US Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands. Scientific Reports. 9. Article 4894. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41281-3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41281-3

Interpretive Summary: The US Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) incentivizes reassignment of marginal croplands to long-term conservation covers in exchange for annual payment to private landowners. Recent evidence suggests that the CRP has a positive impact on landscape suitability for supporting honey bee apiaries. We tested the effects of CRP landscapes versus agriculturally intensive landscapes on honey bee colony physiology. Using a pooled-sampling method to overcome individual variation, we monitored colony-level molecular biomarkers during critical pre- and post-winter time points. Exposure of colonies to either CRP or agriculturally intensive foraging environments revealed that major categories of bee physiology (nutrition, oxidative stress resistance, and immunity) were significantly impacted by landscape. In particular, colonies exposed to CRP landscapes exhibited improved performance and elevated gene expression that was indicative of augmented health status. Our study highlights the utility of colony-level molecular diagnostics as a means of assessing landscape suitability for honey bees. Furthermore, removal of land from agricultural production and enrollment into the CRP may improve pollinator health.

Technical Abstract: Honey bee colony performance and health are intimately linked to the foraging environment. Recent evidence suggests that the US Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has a positive impact on environmental suitability for supporting honey bee apiaries. However, relatively little is known about the influence of habitat conservation efforts on honey bee colony health. Identifying specific factors that influence bee health at the colony level incorporates longitudinal monitoring of physiology across diverse environments. Using a pooled-sampling method to overcome individual variation, we monitored colony-level molecular biomarkers during critical pre- and post-winter time points. Major categories of colony health (nutrition, oxidative stress resistance, and immunity) were impacted by apiary site. In general, apiaries within foraging distance of CRP lands showed improved performance and higher gene expression of vitellogenin (vg), a nutritionally regulated protein with central storage and regulatory functions. Mirroring vg levels, gene transcripts encoding antioxidant enzymes and immune-related proteins were typically higher in colonies exposed to CRP environments. Our study highlights the potential of CRP lands to improve pollinator health and the utility of colony-level molecular diagnostics to assess environmental suitability for honey bees.