Global Trends and Scientific Evolution in Honey Bee Disease Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Web of Science Publications (2000–2025)

Honey bee diseases pose serious threats to colony health, sustainable apiculture and pollination services. However, the global scientific structure and thematic evolution of this research field are still insufficiently characterized. Therefore, the present study assessed the scientific development, collaboration structure, conceptual organization and thematic evolution of honey bee disease research using 1,659 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) between the years 2000 and 2025. Bibliometric performance analysis and science mapping were conducted using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. Scientific production exhibited an increasing trajectory and reached its greatest annual output in 2020, with 108 publications. Entomology was identified as the dominant Web of Science category (70.64%). The USA was the most productive country (390 publications; 23.51%) and the USDA was the most productive institution (257; 15.49%). International co-authorship accounted for 30.86% of the dataset and country-level co-authorship analysis revealed extensive cross-national collaboration. Author Keyword analysis revealed 3,073 unique standardized Author Keywords and 235 of which met the minimum occurrence threshold and were organized into 12 clusters. Apis mellifera and Varroa destructor occupied prominent positions in the conceptual network. On the other hand, deformed wing virus, Nosema spp., bacterial brood diseases, host immunity, disease resistance and management-related topics contributed to a diversified research structure. Thematic evolution indicated continuity of major disease-related topics alongside increasing differentiation toward pathogen-specific, host-response, diagnostic and disease-management themes. Honey bee disease research has developed into an increasingly inter-connected and multidisciplinary field in which disease-specific investigations are progressively integrated into broader host, environmental and management-related perspectives.