State University of Sao Paulo Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil.
Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz", University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
Sci Rep. 2022 Dec 5;12(1):20948. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-25482-x.
Stingless bees are the largest group of eusocial bees in the world. They play an essential role as crop pollinators and have been considered for inclusion in pesticide risk assessments (RAs). Beyond the mutualism involving stingless bee larvae and fungi, the fungivorous mite Proctotydaeus (Neotydeolus) alvearii proved to be interesting for studies of associations with stingless bees. Their presence is related to colony strength and health, showing a permanent-host-association level. Here, we tested whether the coexistence with P. (N.) alvearii affects stingless bee larvae survivorship and development, including when fed pesticide-dosed food. We chose dimethoate, the reference standard for toxicity tests, and thiamethoxam, widely used in neotropical crops and listed to be reassessed in RAs. Bees associated with the mites showed higher larval survivorship rates, even in the dosed ones, and revealed changes in the developmental time and body size. Our study represents the first approach to stingless bee responses to the coexistence of fungivorous mites inside brood cells, leading us to believe that these mites play a beneficial role in stingless bees, including when they are exposed to pesticides.
无刺蜂是世界上最大的群居蜜蜂群体。它们作为农作物传粉者发挥着重要作用，并被认为应纳入农药风险评估（RAs）。除了涉及无刺蜂幼虫和真菌的共生关系外，食真菌螨 Proctotydaeus (Neotydeolus) alvearii 与无刺蜂的关联研究也很有趣。它们的存在与群体的强弱和健康有关，显示出永久性的宿主关联水平。在这里，我们测试了与 P. (N.) alvearii 的共存是否会影响无刺蜂幼虫的存活率和发育，包括在喂食施药食物的情况下。我们选择了乐果，这是毒性测试的标准参考物质，以及噻虫嗪，它广泛用于新热带作物，并被列入 RAs 重新评估的名单。与螨虫共存的蜜蜂幼虫存活率更高，即使在施药的情况下也是如此，而且发育时间和体型也发生了变化。我们的研究代表了首次研究食真菌螨在育雏细胞内共存对无刺蜂的影响，这使我们相信这些螨虫在无刺蜂中发挥着有益的作用，即使它们接触到农药也是如此。
