Najarpoor Arezoo, Mohamadzade Namin Saeed, Ghosh Sampat, Jung Chuleui
Department of Plant Medicals, Gyeongkuk National University, Andong, Republic of Korea.
Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 12;15(1):29532. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15325-w.
Carbohydrates are vital for honey bee energy, fitness, and survival, influencing colony dynamics and resilience. This study examined the effects of various carbohydrate sources on honeybee longevity, hypopharyngeal gland size, gene expression, and gut microbiome composition. Newly emerged bees were fed white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup (CS), maltose, acacia honey, chestnut honey, and oligosaccharide ad libitum. Bees fed CS showed the highest longevity, followed by acacia honey and white sugar, while oligosaccharide-fed bees had the lowest longevity. CS-fed bees also exhibited larger hypopharyngeal glands, correlating with improved survival. Gene expression analysis revealed upregulation of Ilp2 and Vg and downregulation of Ilp1 in 14-day-old bees fed with CS which may be linked to enhanced longevity. Gut microbiome analysis showed the higher composition of Frischella in honey fed treatment groups and Bartonella in processed carbohydrates treated groups, potentially compensating for dietary amino acid deficiencies. However, the absence of core symbionts like Snodgrassella in CS-fed bees may weaken immunity and heighten disease susceptibility. These findings suggest starch-derived corn syrup as a promising carbohydrate source under laboratory conditions, however, long-term colony-level studies are essential to fully understand its benefits and potential risks. This research provides valuable insights for honey bee management and conservation strategies.
碳水化合物对蜜蜂的能量、健康和生存至关重要，影响着蜂群动态和恢复力。本研究考察了不同碳水化合物来源对蜜蜂寿命、下咽腺大小、基因表达和肠道微生物群组成的影响。新羽化的蜜蜂被随意喂食白糖、红糖、玉米糖浆（CS）、麦芽糖、刺槐蜜、板栗蜜和低聚糖。喂食CS的蜜蜂寿命最长，其次是刺槐蜜和白糖，而喂食低聚糖的蜜蜂寿命最短。喂食CS的蜜蜂下咽腺也更大，这与存活率提高相关。基因表达分析显示，在喂食CS的14日龄蜜蜂中，Ilp2和Vg上调，Ilp1下调，这可能与寿命延长有关。肠道微生物群分析表明，在喂食蜂蜜的处理组中弗氏菌的组成更高，在喂食加工碳水化合物的处理组中巴通体的组成更高，这可能补偿了饮食中的氨基酸缺乏。然而，喂食CS的蜜蜂中缺乏像斯诺德格拉斯菌这样的核心共生菌可能会削弱免疫力并增加疾病易感性。这些发现表明，在实验室条件下，淀粉衍生的玉米糖浆是一种有前景的碳水化合物来源，然而，长期的蜂群水平研究对于充分了解其益处和潜在风险至关重要。这项研究为蜜蜂管理和保护策略提供了有价值的见解。
