Antibiotic Use in Beekeeping: Implications for Health and Environment from a One-Health Perspective

The use of antibiotics in beekeeping has potential implications for honeybee health and environmental contamination. Recent research indicates that extensive antibiotic use in beekeeping, especially oxytetracycline, promotes antimicrobial resistance in bee-related bacteria. Honeybees can transport oxytetracycline-resistance genes during foraging, potentially establishing reservoirs of resistance in the colony and facilitating intergeneric gene transfer among various gut bacteria as well as in the microbiome of the flowers and the wider environment, where honeybees can spread antibiotic-resistance genes over a large distance. This study investigates the effects of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) treatment on honeybees from a One Health perspective, examining antibiotic residues in honey, environmental spread, and the presence of tetracycline-resistance genes (TET-RGs).

In the spring of 2022, two groups of four honeybee hives were placed near an almond grove in Central Italy. One group was treated with 1.68 g of OTC, while the other remained untreated. Samples were collected from bees, honey, hive entrances, and flowers before treatment and at 3 as well as 9 days post-treatment. OTC residues and TET-RGs were analyzed to assess contamination and resistance gene dissemination.

OTC residues were detected in honey from both treated (day 3: 263,250.0 ± 100,854.3 µg/kg; day 9: 132,600 ± 146,753.9 µg/kg) and untreated hives (day 3: 20.5 ± 8.2 µg/kg; day 9: 135.8 ± 198.6 µg/kg), suggesting cross-contamination. Residues were also found in almond tree flowers (0.7 ± 0.1 µg/kg), with TET-RGs (tet(K), tet(L), tet(M), tet(B), tet(O), tet(D)) detected pre- and post-treatment. In honeybee gut bacteria, resistance genes (tet(M), tet(A), tet(D), tet(B)) appeared post-treatment in both groups. No significant correlation was observed between hive distance and resistance gene presence in flowers, although the presence of other farms located within the bees' flight range, in which OTC might have been used in the past, could have influenced the results.

These findings highlight the risk of OTC-induced antibiotic cross-contamination and the spread of TET-RG, raising concerns for bee health and environmental safety. Given honeybees' social nature and the negative effects of antibiotics on their health, an antibiotic-free management approach is recommended for sustainable apiculture.