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  • Review Article
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Ecological and evolutionary approaches to managing honeybee disease

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 1, pages 1250–1262 (2017)Cite this article

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A Publisher Correction to this article was published on 04 December 2017

This article has been updated

Abstract

Honeybee declines are a serious threat to global agricultural security and productivity. Although multiple factors contribute to these declines, parasites are a key driver. Disease problems in honeybees have intensified in recent years, despite increasing attention to addressing them. Here we argue that we must focus on the principles of disease ecology and evolution to understand disease dynamics, assess the severity of disease threats, and control these threats via honeybee management. We cover the ecological context of honeybee disease, including both host and parasite factors driving current transmission dynamics, and then discuss evolutionary dynamics including how beekeeping management practices may drive selection for more virulent parasites. We then outline how ecological and evolutionary principles can guide disease mitigation in honeybees, including several practical management suggestions for addressing short- and long-term disease dynamics and consequences.

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Fig. 1: Honeybee colony losses.

Photo credit: K.S.D.

Fig. 2: Parasites threatening honeybees.

Photo credits: Jennifer Berry (a); Mariano Higes (b); Jamie Ellis (c); Paul Kruse at KnackbockBlog (d); Western Australian Agriculture Authority (Department of Agriculture and Food, WA (e); Ron Snyder at the Bee Informed Partnership (f); USDA (g); John Hafernik (h).

Fig. 3: Beekeeping results in high bee densities and movement.
Fig. 4: Management applications.

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Change history

  • 04 December 2017

    In the HTML version of this Review originally published, a technical error led to the images in Box 2 being swapped over. This was corrected on 28 August 2017.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01GM109501. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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  1. Berry J. Brosi and Jacobus C. de Roode contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Berry J. Brosi

  2. Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Keith S. Delaplane

  3. Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Michael Boots

  4. Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Jacobus C. de Roode

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Brosi, B.J., Delaplane, K.S., Boots, M. et al. Ecological and evolutionary approaches to managing honeybee disease. Nat Ecol Evol 1, 1250–1262 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0246-z

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