The worldwide decline in the honey bee species Apis mellifera threatens both natural ecosystems and crops grown globally. Previous studies have examined how parasites, such as Nosema ceranae and Varroa Destructor mites, and chemicals such as pesticides impact the health of bees. There have also been studies exploring how the two may be related to one another with respect to health. This study takes a novel approach to investigating honey bee health by using silicone bands as passive samplers. Silicone wristbands have previously been employed to quantify the exposure of workers to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, and other volatile compounds. Our study characterizes the distribution of volatile hydrocarbon compounds that sorb onto silicone wristbands when placed in honey bee hives. After placement in hives for 24 hours, silicone bands were solvent extracted and the hydrocarbon compounds extracted were identified via gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons with C19 - C33 chain lengths were quantified via gas chromatography coupled to a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and compared to 12 different disease indicators, including N. ceranae infections and Deformed Wing Virus. Preliminary data indicates that there are differences in hydrocarbon profiles between healthy hives and those infected with certain diseases. Further investigation will explore whether individual hydrocarbon ratios or distributions can be used to provide information about specific diseases or the overall health state of honey bee colonies.

Investigating the utility of silicone bands as passive samplers to monitor the health of honey bee hives

2019 Spring National Meeting

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