Examination of Intestinal Microbiota Abundance of Honey Bees Supplemented and Unsupplemented with Probiotic Bacteria by QPCR

Abstract Aim The aim of this study is to compare the bacterial load in the intestines of honey bees supported and unsupplemented with probiotic supplements. Methods and Results To investigate the effects of a commercial bee probiotic containing different Lactobacillus species and different spice extracts on the composition of the gut microbiota of honey bees, QPCR counts of Lactobacillus spp. and Firmicutes phylum gene copies in gut mixtures from 12 different bee groups with and without probiotic supplementation were performed. There was a significant difference between the levels of lactic acid bacteria in the intestines of both groups. When the lactic acid bacteria levels in the intestines of honey bees not given probiotics were compared to the lactic acid bacteria levels in the intestines of honey bees given probiotics, it was determined that there was an approximately 5.5-fold difference. However, it was observed that there was no significant difference in the total bacterial load in the bee intestines of both groups. Conclusion These findings show that the applied probiotic formulation significantly affects the intestinal microbiome of healthy individuals and provides a proportional change in microbial abundance, especially in terms of Lactobacillus spp. Impact Statement Although probiotic bacteria are very important for the health of honey bees, if they are applied to honey bees as a supplement, they may not create abundance in the intestines of honey bees. In this study, we showed that there was a proportional increase in total microorganisms in the intestines of honey bees to which honey bee probiotics were applied, and the findings confirm the positive effect that bee producers see on bee health after the application.