Bumblebees With Parasites Can Benefit From Sunflower Pollen in the Same Way They Would From Medicine

Bumblebees and other pollinators are at risk from a variety of factors, such as exposure to pesticides, climatic change, habitat loss from agriculture and development, and viruses that wreak havoc on numerous species.

But a recent discovery might make things easier for them.

Previous research has demonstrated that sunflower pollen can act as a treatment for bumblebees with the parasite Crithidia bombi, a single-celled organism that settles in the bee's gut and negatively impacts its health.

Parasite known as Varroa Mites

(Photo : Bianca Ackermann/Unsplash)

Adult honeybees and honeybee brood are parasitized by the varroa mite.

It can also spread the viruses that harm and kill honeybee colonies, as per Bee Aware.

The parasitic Varroa mite needs a honeybee host to survive and procreate,  but only mature female Varroa mites can feed on adult honeybees, and the Varroa mite can only breed on honeybee brood.

Once they have hatched, adult males remain in the brood chamber and solely consume larvae and pupae.

Female mature mites, in contrast, can move quickly over combs or in between adult honeybees.

Because of its behavior, the Varroa mite can effectively serve as a virus vector, facilitating the transmission of viruses from one bee to another.

One important effect of Varroa mites is the propagation of viruses.

The female mite crawls onto a honeybee and feeds on the bee's haemolymph thereby moving between the sclerites of the bee's abdomen.

Due to honeybees' swarming, robbing, and drifting behaviors, Varroa mites can quickly travel to new locations by riding on adult honeybees.

Also Read: Here Are Bumblebees' Favorite Flowers to Aid Bee Conservation

Bee excrement is abundant in sunflowers

According to lead author Jonathan Giacomini, plant materials like nectar and pollen contain a wealth of potential insect medications that scientists are only now beginning to comprehend, as per the National Geographic.

They are sociable insects that reside in colonies and love a good crevice; the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) is yellow and black striped and has a rump covered in soft hairs.

Bumblebees endure numerous dangers, much like other pollinators do, including C. bombi, bigger than the bumblebee bugaboo.

A bumblebee's health is not significantly impacted by the parasite on its own.

But when food is in short supply, C. bombi can decrease a bee's life expectancy and even the number of future queens a colony can raise

Giacomini made the discovery of the impact of sunflower pollen. Sunflower pollen significantly decreased C. bombi parasite load in common eastern bumblebees, which frequently completely cures the infection.

Several investigations conducted over the years disregarded immune system enhancements and failed to identify any chemical components in sunflower pollen that could have rendered C. bombi fatal

Giacomini fed both healthy and C. bombi-infected bumblebees' sunflower pollen, there are many techniques to induce bowel movement: osmotic laxatives add water to the stool to make it softer, while stimulant laxatives cause the muscles of the gut to pump the contents of the stomach.

The extremely spikey outer shell of sunflower pollen may irritate the stomach lining and cause it to produce lubricating mucus or displace the parasite in some other manner.

Related Article: New Study: Honey Bees Are Protected From the Varroa Mite by Selective Breeding