title: Pathogen prevalence and abundance in honey bee colonies involved in almond pollination.
abstract: Honey bees are important pollinators of agricultural crops. Since 2006, US beekeepers have experienced high annual honey bee colony losses, which may be attributed to multiple abiotic and biotic factors, including pathogens. However, the relative importance of these factors has not been fully elucidated. To identify the most prevalent pathogens and investigate the relationship between colony strength and health, we assessed pathogen occurrence, prevalence, and abundance in Western US honey bee colonies involved in almond pollination. The most prevalent pathogens were Black queen cell virus (BQCV), Lake Sinai virus 2 (LSV2), Sacbrood virus (SBV),Nosema ceranae, and trypanosomatids. Our results indicated that pathogen prevalence and abundance were associated with both sampling date and beekeeping operation, that prevalence was highest in honey bee samples obtained immediately after almond pollination, and that weak colonies had a greater mean pathogen prevalence than strong colonies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cavigli
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
authors.forename: Katie F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Daughenbaugh
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
authors.forename: Madison
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lerch
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Banner
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ; Institute on Ecosystems, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Brutscher
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ; Institute on Ecosystems, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Flenniken
keywords: Black queen cell virus; Lake Sinai virus; almond pollination; honey bee colony health; honey bee viruses