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Updated: Oct 19, 2025
Monitoring Colony-level Effects of Sublethal Pesticide Exposure on Honey Bees
Published on: November 15, 2017
Honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies as bioindicators of environmental SARS-CoV-2 occurrence
Giovanni Cilia1, Laura Bortolotti1, Sergio Albertazzi1
1CREA Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Saliceto 80, 40128 Bologna, Italy.
Abstract:
SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Airflows sustain the infection spread, and in densely urbanized areas airborne particulate matters (PMs) are deemed to aggravate the viral transmission. Apis mellifera colonies are used as bioindicators as they allow environmental sampling of different nature, PMs included. This experiment demonstrates for the first time the possible use of honey bee colonies in the SARS-CoV-2 monitoring. The trial was conducted in Bologna on 18 March 2021, when the third wave of the Italian pandemic was at its peak and environmental conditions allowed high PM concentrations in the air. Sterile swabs were lined up at the hive entrance to sample the dusty material on the body of returning foragers. All of them resulted positive for the target genes of viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Likewise, internal samples were taken, but they resulted in no amplification of the target sequences. This experiment does not support speculations about the role of honey bees or their products in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. However, it indicates a novel use of A. mellifera colonies in the environmental detection of airborne human pathogens, at least in a densely urbanized area, deserving better understanding and possible integration with data from automatic air samplers.
Insights
Honey bee colonies can detect airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urban environments. Foragers collected viral RNA on their bodies, indicating potential for environmental pathogen monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Virology
- Apiculture
Background:
- Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, is a significant concern, particularly in urban settings where particulate matter (PM) may exacerbate spread.
- Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies serve as effective bioindicators for environmental sampling, including airborne particulate matter.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of using honey bee colonies for monitoring airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a densely urbanized area.
- To assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on honey bees returning to their hives.
Main Methods:
- Sterile swabs were used to collect dusty material from the bodies of foraging honey bees at hive entrances during the peak of the third COVID-19 wave.
- Samples were analyzed for the presence of target genes specific to SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
Main Results:
- All external swabs collected from returning foragers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
- Internal samples from the hives did not show amplification of the target viral RNA sequences.
Conclusions:
- Honey bee colonies can be utilized for the environmental detection of airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urban areas.
- This study does not support the role of bees or bee products in SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
- Further research is warranted to understand and potentially integrate honey bee bio-monitoring with traditional air sampling methods for pathogen detection.
