What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to identify and characterize bacterial communities associated with honey bees in Pakistan.

April 7, 2026Scientific Reports0 citationsOpen Access

Molecular characterization of emerging bacterial communities associated with honey bees

SAShazia Amin SUShafi UllahBalochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences NNNasreen NasreenAbdul Wali Khan University Mardan

Key Points

The research aims to identify and characterize bacterial communities associated with honey bees in Pakistan.
Collected 1190 honey bees from four districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from January 2023 to June 2024.
Conducted molecular screening using PCR targeting the microbial 16 S rDNA.
Identified various bacterial species including potential pathogens across different honey bee species.
Detected Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus terrae, and Pseudomonas spp. in various honey bee species.
Apis mellifera and Apis cerana showed significant pathogen presence, while Apis dorsata exhibited no pathogens.
Morphological analysis revealed interspecies variations in tongue length and forewing size, with A. dorsata being the largest.

Abstract

Honey bees are vital pollinators essential for ecosystems and global agriculture, but their populations are declining due to pressures caused by pests. This study reports the presence of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus terrae, and Pseudomonas spp. in four different honey bee species in Pakistan for the first time, uncovering a previously neglected aspect of honey bee microbiology. From January 2023 to June 2024; 1190 honey bees were collected from four districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and they were identified. Molecular screening based on PCR targeting the microbial 16 S rDNA resulted in the detection of potential bacterial pathogens across different districts. In Buner, K. pneumoniae and E. coli were detected in Apis mellifera and Apis cerana individuals while Apis florea was positive only for K. pneumoniae. In Swat, Pseudomonas spp. was identified in A. mellifera, Apis dorsata and A. florea, while in A. cerana no pathogen was detected. In Lower Dir, A. mellifera and A. florea were positive for Pseudomonas spp., and A. cerana for K. pneumoniae, with A. dorsata being pathogen-free. In Malakand, K. pneumoniae and E. coli was found in A. mellifera and A. cerana, while A. florea harbored only Pseudomonas spp., and A. dorsata had no pathogens. Finally, P. terrae was detected exclusively in A. mellifera from Buner and Swat. Morphological analysis revealed significant interspecies variation, with A. dorsata exhibiting the largest values in tongue length (4.27 ± 0.21 mm), forewing size (12.8 ± 0.19 mm), and the highest cubital index (2.71 ± 0.04 mm). A. mellifera was classified in second place, followed by A cerana and A. florea, which characterized by the lowest measurement values. In the present study significant bacterial pathogens were identified representing emerging threat to honey bees in Pakistan while data regarding their phenotypic characterization and phylogenetic position were provided for the first time in the region.

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