The signature of environment and parasite stresses on the wings of Apis mellifera

Abstract

The decline of pollinators, particularly Apis mellifera, poses a serious threat to both global ecosystems and agricultural productivity. This study investigated the responses to environmental stress (low vegetation cover, high internal hive temperatures, high internal hive humidity, and high parasitism rate by the mite Varroa destructor) on the fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of honey bee wings in seven apiaries located in Dom Joaquim, one of the reference cities for wild honey production in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. To this end, we evaluated the FA of 18 wing venations of 30 bees from each beehive box (five beehive boxes) of each apiary (seven apiaries). Our results revealed that the FA venations that differentiated between the apiaries are M4 (P = 0.013), M12 (P = 0.014), M13 (P = 0.020), M14(P =0.014), M18 (P = <0.001), probably associated with one or more stress factors. We note here that the apiaries with lower native forest cover (<50%) and lower floral diversity presented higher FA in the M17 venation. Furthermore, internal hive conditions, such as increased temperature, humidity and mite infestation, were associated with increased FA in the M2, M4, M17 and M18 venations. In general, the results highlight that the FA of the M4, M17and M18wing venations are associated with multiple stress factors, suggesting that the FAs of these venations are the most recommended for use. This research also highlights the importance of maintaining native vegetation and managing hive conditions to ensure the health and stability of honey bee populations. These results also demonstrate the potential of FA as a bioindicator of environmental stress in A. mellifera, which may help improve beekeeping management practices.