Peter Neumann1, Dorothee Hoffmann2, Mark K. Greco3, Sebastian Spiewok4, Katharina Merkel4, Jeffery S. Pettis5, Robert Spooner-Hart3, Anne Dollin6, and Michael Duncan7. (1) Swiss Bee Research Centre, Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Nutztiere und Milchwirtschaft (ALP), Schwarzenburgstrasse 161, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland, (2) Dept. of Zoology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany, (3) Centre for Plant and Food Science, College of Science Technology and Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, Australia, (4) Department of Zoology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, Halle (Saale), 06099, Germany, (5) USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Bldg. 476 BARC-E, Beltsville, MD 20705, (6) Australian Native Bee Research Centre, North Richmond, Australia, (7) Centre for Plant and Food Science, College of Science Technology and Environment,, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, Australia
When parasites of social insect colonies become invasive species, they may cause severe damage to non-sympatric hosts due to the lack of co-evolutionary history. The small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida, is a parasite and scavenger of honeybee, Apis mellifera, colonies native to Africa and has a higher impact in populations of European-derived hosts in North America and Australia. Frequent collapses of European-derived colonies probably result from quantitative differences in a range of behaviours between African and European honeybee subspecies. Thus, the higher susceptibility of European-derived honeybees, being itself an invasive species in North America and Australia, seems to facilitate the spread of SHB, another invasive species. Bumblebees and stingless bees naturally occur in the new SHB ranges and share important features with honeybees, suggesting that a host switch from honeybees may occur. Experiments were conducted using colonies of Bombus impatiens and Trigona carbonaria. The data show that both bumblebee and stingless bee colonies are attractive to free-flying SHB, indicating that they can actually serve as alternative hosts. However, removal of SHB eggs and larvae was found in B. impatiens and social encapsulation of adult SHB in T. carbonaria. This suggests that general behavioural defence mechanisms against nest intruders may also provide protection against invasive species despite the lack of host-parasite co-evolution. Nevertheless, our results indicate a potential for an invasion meltdown in social bees. The actual impact of this on native biodiversity will depend on the infestation levels of bumblebee and stingless bee colonies by SHB in the field.
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