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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Published on: December 12, 2012

Microbial Succession on Honey Bee Body Surfaces Reflects Behavioral Maturation.

Wenbo Wang^1,2, Chonghui Zhao², Yane Zhou²

¹College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.

|February 27, 2026

Summary

Honey bee surface microbes change as bees mature. Nurse bees have lower microbial diversity, while foragers have higher diversity, indicating distinct microbial signatures linked to behavioral development.

Keywords:

Apis cerana Apis mellifera behavioral maturation body surface microbiota

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Last Updated: May 6, 2026

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

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Published on: December 12, 2012

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Behavioral Ecology
Entomology

Background:

Honey bee societies rely on behavioral maturation, influenced by factors like juvenile hormone (JH).
Insect surface microbiota can impact host behavior, but its role in honey bee behavioral maturation is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate shifts in honey bee body surface microbial communities during behavioral maturation.
To compare microbial profiles across different behavioral stages (newly emerged, nurse, forager) in two honey bee species.

Main Methods:

16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to analyze surface microbiota.
Worker bees from *Apis cerana* and *Apis mellifera* at distinct behavioral stages were sampled.

Main Results:

Microbial diversity varied with behavioral stage: lowest in nurses, highest in foragers, intermediate in newly emerged bees.
Body surface microbiota composition significantly differed across behavioral stages and between honey bee species.
Dominant phyla included Pseudomonadota, Bacillota, and Actinobacteriota; foragers showed higher *Gilliamella*, nurses higher *Lactobacillus*.

Conclusions:

Distinct microbial signatures emerge on honey bee body surfaces correlating with behavioral maturation.
These findings highlight the dynamic relationship between honey bee development and their associated microbiota.