Book Description

In 2017, federal laws (Veterinary Feed Objective) were updated to classify the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) as a livestock species overseen by veterinarians. This change aimed to enhance antimicrobial stewardship over antibiotics prescribed for honey bee colonies. The inclusion of veterinarians in honey bee medicine provides a unique opportunity to utilize their combined skills in population medicine, epidemiology, and diagnostics. The purpose of this study was to highlight some of the ways in which a multidisciplinary approach can benefit honey bee health. For example, using the tools of veterinary pathology, a colony of western honey bees was diagnosed with Amoebic disease caused by the poorly understood amoeba Malpighamoeba mellificae. Using a combination of techniques, including histopathology and next-generation sequencing, major contributions were made to the characterization of this disease. This kind of multimodal approach to diagnosing honey bee diseases is paramount to understanding the complex interactions between the multiple stressors bees concurrently face. For this reason, a multiplex reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction for the simultaneous detection of four common bee viruses was developed. This assay will allow further investigation into the numerous viruses that infect bees, often concurrently. The projects described herein provide two examples of the broad positive impact that veterinarians can have on apiculture.