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Molecular characterization of emerging bacterial communities associated with honey bees
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Journal Article
Molecular characterization of emerging bacterial communities associated with honey bees
2026
Overview
Honey bees are vital pollinators essential for ecosystems and global agriculture, but their populations are declining due to pressures caused by pests. This study reports the presence of
Escherichia coli
,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
,
Proteus terrae
, and
Pseudomonas spp
. in four different honey bee species in Pakistan for the first time, uncovering a previously neglected aspect of honey bee microbiology. From January 2023 to June 2024; 1190 honey bees were collected from four districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and they were identified. Molecular screening based on PCR targeting the microbial 16 S rDNA resulted in the detection of potential bacterial pathogens across different districts. In Buner,
K. pneumoniae
and
E. coli
were detected in
Apis mellifera
and
Apis cerana
individuals while
Apis florea
was positive only for
K. pneumoniae
. In Swat,
Pseudomonas spp
. was identified in
A. mellifera
,
Apis dorsata
and
A. florea
, while in
A. cerana
no pathogen was detected. In Lower Dir,
A. mellifera
and
A. florea
were positive for
Pseudomonas spp.
, and
A. cerana
for
K. pneumoniae
, with
A. dorsata
being pathogen-free. In Malakand,
K. pneumoniae
and
E. coli
was found in
A. mellifera
and
A. cerana
, while
A. florea
harbored only
Pseudomonas spp
., and
A. dorsata
had no pathogens. Finally,
P. terrae
was detected exclusively in
A. mellifera
from Buner and Swat. Morphological analysis revealed significant interspecies variation, with
A. dorsata
exhibiting the largest values in tongue length (4.27 ± 0.21 mm), forewing size (12.8 ± 0.19 mm), and the highest cubital index (2.71 ± 0.04 mm).
A. mellifera
was classified in second place, followed by
A cerana
and
A
. florea, which characterized by the lowest measurement values. In the present study significant bacterial pathogens were identified representing emerging threat to honey bees in Pakistan while data regarding their phenotypic characterization and phylogenetic position were provided for the first time in the region.
