Medicinal value of sunflower pollen against bee pathogens

Giacomini, Jonathan J.; Leslie, Jessica; Tarpy, David R.; Palmer‐Young, Evan C.; Irwin, Rebecca E.; Adler, Lynn S.

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-32681-y

Cited by 101 publications

(165 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…In the second experiment, we demonstrated that 7 days of sunflower pollen, post-infection, suppressed C. bombi infections to nearly undetectable levels while 7 days of buckwheat pollen resulted in a relatively high C. bombi infection, consistent with previous work (Giacomini et al, 2018). Although exposure to 3.5 days of sunflower pollen immediately following infection was not as effective as exposure for 7 days, it was more effective than consuming only buckwheat pollen.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Palmer-Young et al 2017). Furthermore, sunflower pollen reduced two pathogens in two different hosts, C. bombi in B. impatiens and N. ceranae in A. mellifera (Giacomini et al, 2018). Furthermore, sunflower pollen reduced two pathogens in two different hosts, C. bombi in B. impatiens and N. ceranae in A. mellifera (Giacomini et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…We used single pollen species comparisons because sunflower pollen and buckwheat pollen (both from Changge Hauding Wax Industry, Henan, China) have similar (low) protein and amino acid concentration , but consuming buckwheat pollen results in much higher C. bombi infection than consuming sunflower pollen (Giacomini et al, 2018;LoCascio et al, 2019). To evaluate how the duration and timing of sunflower pollen consumption after infection affected C. bombi counts, we inoculated individual worker bees from commercially available hives that were confirmed to be C. bombi-free via weekly subsamples of five bees.…”

Section: Duration and Timing Of Exposure After Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, mice experienced decreased lung inflammations if they were medicated within 48 h after inhaling the irritant ragweed pollen, but not after 48 h (Sur et al, 1996). Previous work found that exposure to 7 days of sunflower pollen suppressed C. bombi in B. impatiens both when administered immediately after infection, and after waiting 1 week for infection to build (Giacomini et al, 2018). With insects, timing of exposure to potentially medicinal secondary compounds can have different benefits at different ontogenetic stages (Mason & Singer, 2015); for example, a compound may be more effective against larval than against adult parasites.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We focused on sunflower pollen given its consistent beneficial effects of reducing C. bombi in B. impatiens across multiple sunflower pollen sources and strains of C. bombi (Giacomini et al, 2018). We focused on sunflower pollen given its consistent beneficial effects of reducing C. bombi in B. impatiens across multiple sunflower pollen sources and strains of C. bombi (Giacomini et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of timing and exposure of sunflower pollen on a common gut pathogen of bumble bees

LoCascio

Pasquale

Amponsah

et al. 2019

Ecological Entomology

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1. Several bee species are declining due to multiple factors, including pathogens. Ingestion of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) pollen can dramatically reduce the bumble bee gut pathogen Crithidia bombi, but little is known about how timing and exposure to sunflower pollen consumption affects pathogen load.2. Two experiments were carried out to investigate how exposure to sunflower pollen relative to pathogen exposure affects Crithidia bombi in Bombus impatiens. Foraging trials with pollen-producing and male-sterile (pollen absent) sunflower lines were performed to investigate whether sunflower pollen affected pathogen transmission in a single foraging bout, and 7-day laboratory trials were done to investigate whether timing and duration of exposure to sunflower pollen after infection affected C. bombi.3. In foraging trials, pollen presence on inflorescences inoculated with C. bombi did not affect transmission (pathogen cell counts of foraging workers) 1 week later, suggesting that a brief experience with sunflower pollen concurrent with pathogen exposure is insufficient to reduce infection. In laboratory trials, consuming sunflower pollen for the first 3.5 days or all 7 days after infection reduced cell counts compared with a negative control pollen, but consuming sunflower pollen starting 3.5 days after infection did not. Consuming sunflower pollen for 7 days was significantly and substantially more effective than any other treatment. Thus, both duration and timing of exposure to sunflower pollen may affect pathogen load.4. These results are important for understanding ecological disease dynamics in natural settings with free-flying bumble bees, and may inform decisions about using medicinal diets to manage bumble bee health commercially.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Duration and Timing Of Exposure After Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Effect of timing and exposure of sunflower pollen on a common gut pathogen of bumble bees

LoCascio

Pasquale

Amponsah

et al. 2019

Ecological Entomology

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Bumble bee parasite prevalence but not genetic diversity impacted by the invasive plantImpatiens glandulifera

et al. 2019

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While many bee species are experiencing population declines, some host plant generalist bees remain common in Europe, partly because they seem able to shift to new resources. However, foraging on a new alternative plant, such as an invasive species, can modify diet quality and have a potentially detrimental effect on bee health. Herein, we investigated whether the spread of the invasive plant Impatiens glandulifera affects Bombus pascuorum population regarding parasite prevalence, genetic structure, and nest density in Belgium. While no difference in bumble bee genetic structure was detected between invaded and uninvaded sites, we show that I. glandulifera occurrence was significantly correlated with a decrease in the prevalence of Apicystis bombi but not the prevalence of three other parasite species (i.e., Crithidia bombi, Nosema bombi, Nosema ceranae, and Nosema sp.). Regarding our investigations, this effect was likely not due to variation in local bumble bee population fitness before I. glandulifera flowering, nor to the relative abundance of other pollinators such as Apis mellifera, but the unique chemical composition (i.e., polyphenol rich) of the pollen of I. glandulifera remained as an interesting hypothesis. Whereas B. pascuorum queens probably colonize all the potential nesting sites in an area, invaded by I. glandulifera or not, the abundance of polyphenol ampelopsin in pollen from I. glandulifera pollen might reduce local parasite prevalence. Our field study confirms that bumble bee parasite prevalence is potentially related to the particular chemical composition of collected pollen. Plant traits such as secondary metabolite occurrence could play a key role in the health and conservation of bumble bees.

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The costs and benefits of sunflower pollen diet on bumble bee colony disease and health

et al. 2021

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Pathogen transmission between domesticated and wild host species has important implications for community ecology, agriculture, and wildlife conservation. Bumble bees provide valuable pollination services that are vital for both wildflowers and agricultural production. Intense concerns about pathogen spillover from commercial bumble bees to wild bee populations, and the potential harmful effects of pathogen spillback to commercial bees, has stimulated a need for practical strategies that effectively manage bumble bee infectious diseases. Here, we assessed the costs and benefits of a medicinal sunflower pollen diet (Helianthus annuus) on whole-colony bumble bee disease and performance using commercial colonies of the common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens, and its protozoan pathogen, Crithidia bombi (Trypanosomatida). We first found that a 1:1 mixture of sunflower combined with wildflower pollen reduced C. bombi infection prevalence and intensity within individual B. impatiens workers by nearly 4-fold and 12-fold, respectively, relative to wildflower pollen. At the colony level, a 1:1 mixture of sunflower and wildflower pollen reduced C. bombi infection prevalence by 11% averaged over a 10week period and infection intensity by 30% relative to wildflower pollen. Colony performance was similar between pollen diets and infection treatments, including the number of workers and immatures produced, and size and weight of workers, drones, and queens. Infection significantly reduced the probability of queen production in colonies fed a pure wildflower pollen diet, but not colonies fed a mixed sunflower pollen diet, suggesting that the medicinal benefits of a mixed sunflower pollen diet can reverse the negative effects of infection on reproductive success. This study provides evidence that sunflower pollen as part of a mixed pollen diet can reduce infection in individual bees and whole colonies with no significant nutritional trade-offs for colony worker production and most aspects of colony reproduction. A supplemental mixed sunflower pollen diet may provide a simple and effective solution to reduce disease and improve the health of economically and ecologically important pollinators.

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Medicinal value of sunflower pollen against bee pathogens

Cited by 101 publications

References 66 publications

Effect of timing and exposure of sunflower pollen on a common gut pathogen of bumble bees

Effect of timing and exposure of sunflower pollen on a common gut pathogen of bumble bees

Bumble bee parasite prevalence but not genetic diversity impacted by the invasive plantImpatiens glandulifera

The costs and benefits of sunflower pollen diet on bumble bee colony disease and health

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