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Honey Bee Viruses—Pathogenesis, Mechanistic Insights, and Possible Management Projections

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Beekeeping – From Science to Practice

Abstract

Honey bee viruses have gained substantial attention due to their involvement in the collapse of honey bee colonies. This chapter focuses on honey bee viruses linked to honey bee colony losses, specifically those that cause paralysis, those carried by Varroa mites, and those that cause deformed wings. Often virus infections in the colony are dormant and asymptomatic. Asymptomatic infections can convert to active (and visible) symptomatic infections when colonies are exposed to various stresses. These stresses include biological, such as Varroa destructor, mechanical, such as the utilization of bee colonies for pollination in net-covered crops, and chemical, such as the use of insecticides harmful to bees. These stresses enable viruses to overcome natural honey bee defenses, by facilitating viral access to the bee blood (hemolymph) and by weakening its immune system. Knowledge and understanding of the cause-and-effect interactions between viruses, stress factors, and honey bees will promote the use of antistress measures to help ameliorate collapse of honey bee colonies. This chapter is the result of intense collaboration between Y.S., instructor in beekeeping for the Extension Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and N.C., researcher of insect viruses and particularly honey bee viruses at ARO. The subjects presented below try to integrate the beekeeping and virus pathology perspectives.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Reut Bernheim for her support in drawing Fig. 1. This work was partially supported by Grants of the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture (NC, YS) number 131-1723 and 131-1815.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Nor Chejanovsky

  2. Beekeeping Division, Extension Service Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Yossi Slabezki

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  1. Nor Chejanovsky
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  2. Yossi Slabezki
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Correspondence to Nor Chejanovsky .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bickering Bees Farm, Belle Haven, VA, USA

    Russell H. Vreeland

  2. Tucson, AZ, USA

    Diana Sammataro

Glossary

Genome

A DNA or RNA molecule, depending on the virus, bearing all the information the virus needs to replicate in the cells of its host

Viral genomic copies

Number of viral genomes that bear the genetic information that allows the virus to produce more viral particles

Viral loads

Usually refers to the number of viral genomic copies which is the most common method of estimating honey bee viruses, but it could also refer as well to the number of infectious virus particles

Viral genomic replication

The process by which the virus produces new copies, replicas, of itself, that are packed in new viral particles

Immunosuppression

Weakening of the immune system, body defenses

Down-regulation of genes

A molecular process that results in lower expression of the proteins that are products of these genes

Genomic homology

Similarity of nucleotide sequences between virus genomes

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Chejanovsky, N., Slabezki, Y. (2017). Honey Bee Viruses—Pathogenesis, Mechanistic Insights, and Possible Management Projections. In: Vreeland, R., Sammataro, D. (eds) Beekeeping – From Science to Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60637-8_7

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