Recently, the Resource Insects Protection Innovation Team from the Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) uncovered the interaction of Varroa destructor, Nosema ceranae, and acetamiprid. The research result was published in Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Health of honey bees is threatened by a variety of stressors, including pesticides and parasites. Here, we investigated effects of acetamiprid, Varroa destructor, and Nosema ceranae, which act either alone or in combination. Our results suggested that interaction between the three factors was additive, with survival risk increasing as the number of stressors increased. Although exposure to 150 μg/L acetamiprid alone did not negatively impact honey bee survival, it caused severe damage to midgut tissue. Among the three stressors, V. destructor posed the greatest threat to honey bee survival, and N. ceranae exacerbated intestinal damage and increased thickness of the midgut wall. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that different combinations of stressors elicited specific gene expression responses in honey bees, and genes involved in energy metabolism, immunity, and detoxification were altered in response to multiple stressor combinations. Additionally, genes associated with Toll and Imd signaling, tyrosine metabolism, and phototransduction pathway were significantly suppressed in response to different combinations of multiple stressors. This study enhances our understanding of the adaptation mechanisms to multiple stressors and aids in development of suitable protective measures for honey bees.

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2022YFD1600202, P.D.), Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (CAAS-ASTIP−2021-IAR, P.D.) and National Natural Science and Foundation of China (31802146, J.G.).

Link to this paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134380