Metagenome or environmental sample from honeybee gut under different treatments in colonies in the field
In a previous study, we isolated and characterised bacterial strains from the native gut microbiota of honey bees. Four Apilactobacillus kunkeei strains were mixed and administered in laboratory models to evaluate their potential beneficial effect on larvae and adult bees. This beneficial microbes mixture was safe, it did not affect the expression of immune-related genes, and it was able to decrease the mortality caused by Paenibacillus larvae infection in larvae and reduced the Nosema ceranae spore number in infected adult honey bees. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the impact of administering this beneficial microbes mixture on honey bee colonies under field conditions. The mixture was administered in sugar syrup using fresh cultures, sprayed and in the feeder once a week for three consecutive weeks in autumn 2019. We have a total of 3 groups, OBM (Beneficial Microbes mixture), OC (control), and OV (vehicle of BM that was sugar syrup). All the colonies were treated with oxalic acid commercial strips.