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Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Empirical, Metagenomic, and Computational Techniques Illuminate the Mechanisms by which Fungicides Compromise Bee Health
Published on: October 9, 2017
Squash bees host high diversity and prevalence of parasites in the northeastern United States
Laura J Jones1, Avehi Singh1, Rudolf J Schilder2
1Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Abstract:
The squash bee Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa is emerging as a model species to study how stressors impact solitary wild bees in North America. Here, we describe the prevalence of trypanosomes, microsporidians and mollicute bacteria in E. pruinosa and two other species, Bombus impatiens and Apis mellifera, that together comprise over 97% of the pollinator visitors of Cucurbita agroecosystems in Pennsylvania (United States). Our results indicate that all three parasite groups are commonly detected in these bee species, but E. pruinosa often exhibit higher prevalences. We further describe novel trypanosome parasites detected in E. pruinosa, however it is unknown how these parasites impact these bees. We suggest future work investigates parasite replication and infection outcomes.
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