Do viral infections cause queen failure?

Honey bee queens are the only reproductive female in a beehive – if a queen dies or is unable to lay eggs then the whole colony will slowly die. A queen’s lifetime reproductive capacity, or fecundity, is imperative for maintaining a strong, healthy colony, but declining queen quality is a growing concern among beekeepers. Beekeepers typically replace queens every one to two years but often do so without knowing whether it is needed or not. There are many possible causes of poor fecundity in queens, including infectious diseases. Evidence is mounting that queens are vulnerable to infections from pathogens such as deformed wing virus (DWV), sacbrood virus (SBV), and black queen cell virus (BQCV). We have previously shown that levels of virus in queens that are not themselves lethal still lead to poor fecundity. Here, we will investigate short-term (in the laboratory) and long-term (in the field) effects of experimental virus infections on queen performance to determine if there is a link between infection and queen quality.

Faculty Supervisor:

Leonard Foster

Student:

Partner:

Canadian Honey Council

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: