Everett Griner talks about another parasite attacking honeybees in today’s Agri View.
Problem for Honeybees
From: Kelley Beekeeping
Zombie Flies: A Potential New Threat to Beekeeping?
By Jon Zawislak, EAS Master Beekeeper and Program Associate – Apiculture, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service
As though parasitic mites, hive beetles, a new strain of Nosema, and a legion of microbes weren’t enough for beekeepers to contend with, scientists recently announced a potentially devastating new honeybee parasite in North America. The so-called “zombie” fly parasite, Apocephalus borealis, is a native species of phorid fly known to attack bumble bees and paper wasps, but not honeybees. Researchers in California caused a bit of a buzz when they suggested the case is changing.
Hafernik
Dr. John Hafernik, a biology professor at San Francisco State University, had collected a few honeybees to feed a captive praying mantis. After few days in a jar, fly larvae began to emerge from the bees’ bodies. The discovery prompted him to identify the fly, which led to further investigations with other scientists.
Genetic tests confirmed that the flies emerging from captured bumble bees and honeybees were the same species of parasite. Its ability to attack honeybees was previously unknown, and is believed to be a recent adaptation to a new host. Normally, dying honeybees remain in one place with little or no movement. Bees attacked by the fly parasite remained alive, but disoriented. They walked in circles or were unable stand. Researchers who observed the bees compared their uncoordinated movements to those of movie zombies.
The researchers noted that bees which left their hive at night, attracted to nearby lights, were more likely to contain the parasites than those foraging during daylight hours. The scientists studying the fly-bee interactions are hoping to shed light on similar hive-abandonment behaviors associated with Colony Collapse Disorder. While some have been quick to associate this discovery as a significant culprit behind CCD, there is no evidence that the fly is a major contributing factor.
So what does it all mean for beekeepers? Is this the dawn of the next major catastrophe for a struggling industry? Will it reach the epidemic scale of Varroa mites, or remain a minor pest like the bee louse, Braula coeca? None of us can predict the future, but the problem is far from epidemic. So far.
The presence of A. borealis is nothing new. Since the 1920s, specimens have been collected by entomologists from diverse habitats across the United States and Canada. It was not until 2008 that it was found killing honeybees in the San Francisco area. Some parasitized bees were also confirmed in samples from South Dakota, but so far, no other data concerning honeybee attacks have been confirmed. The fly itself is a widely distributed native species whose natural hosts include bumble bees and paper wasps. While the fly has presumably been here for ages, honeybees are relative newcomers in the new world. As Apis mellifera is among the most closely studied animals on the planet, if this relationship with the fly was not novel, it’s reasonable to expect it would have been observed in hives before now.
Videos from: San Francisco State University
Join us and become a Zombee hunter! ZombeeWatch.org is asking for help from the public to report sightings of infected honeybees. These “zombees” abandon their hives at night, gathering near lights before dying after a bout of disoriented “zombie-like” behavior.
Watch this video to learn more about zombie-bees and how you can join the effort.
Watch this video to learn how to make a light trap to attract zombie-bees.
Watch this video to learn how to report your findings through http://www.zombeewatch.org.
ZombeeWatch is a project of San Francisco State University, led by Professor of Biology John Hafernik. Visit us at http://www.zombeewatch.org.
Image credits: (top right) By Core A, Runckel C, Ivers J, Quock C, Siapno T, et al. (2012). “A new threat to honey bees, the parasitic phorid fly Apocephalus borealis“. PLoS ONE 7 (1). DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0029639. Retrieved on 04 January 2012. – Fig. 1A of Core A, Runckel C, Ivers J, Quock C, Siapno T, et al. (2012). “A new threat to honey bees, the parasitic phorid fly Apocephalus borealis“. PLoS ONE 7 (1). DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0029639. Retrieved on 04 January 2012., CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17904126
(bottom left) By Core A, Runckel C, Ivers J, Quock C, Siapno T, et al. (2012). “A new threat to honey bees, the parasitic phorid fly Apocephalus borealis“. PLoS ONE 7 (1). DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0029639. Retrieved on 04 January 2012. – Fig. 1B of Core A, Runckel C, Ivers J, Quock C, Siapno T, et al. (2012). “A new threat to honey bees, the parasitic phorid fly Apocephalus borealis“. PLoS ONE 7 (1). DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0029639. Retrieved on 04 January 2012., CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17904125