IBRA, the world's longest established apicultural research publishers, promotes the value of bees by providing information on bee science and beekeeping worldwide. A not-for-profit organisation founded in 1949

In the past centuries, viruses have benefited from globalization to spread across the globe, infecting new host species and populations. A growing number of viruses have been documented in the western honey bee, Apis mellifera. Several of these contribute significantly to honey bee colony losses. This review synthetizes the knowledge of the diversity and distribution of honey-bee-infecting viruses, including recent data from high-throughput sequencing (HTS). After presenting the diversity of viruses and their corresponding symptoms, we surveyed the scientific literature for the prevalence of these pathogens across the globe. The geographical distribution shows that the most prevalent viruses (deformed wing virus, sacbrood virus, black queen cell virus and acute paralysis complex) are also the most widely distributed. We discuss the ecological drivers that influence the distribution of these pathogens in worldwide honey bee populations. Besides the natural transmission routes and the resulting temporal dynamics, global trade contributes to their dissemination. As recent evidence shows that these viruses are often multihost pathogens, their spread is a risk for both the beekeeping industry and the pollination services provided by managed and wild pollinators.

SummaryPollination by honey bees plays a key role in the functioning of ecosystems and optimisation of agricultural yields. Severe honey bee colony losses worldwide have raised concerns about the sustainability of these pollination services. In many cases, bee mortality appears to be the product of many interacting factors, but there is a growing consensus that the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor plays the role of the major predisposing liability. We argue that the fight against this mite should be a priority for future honey bee health research. We highlight the lack of efficient control methods currently available against the parasite and discuss the need for new approaches. Gaps in our knowledge of the biology and epidemiology of the mite are identified and a research road map towards sustainable control is drawn. Innovative and challenging approaches are suggested in order to stimulate research efforts and ensure that honey bees will be able to sustainably fulfil their role in the ecosystem. ResumenLa polinización por las abejas melíferas tiene una importante relevancia en el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas y en la optimización de los rendimientos agrícolas. Se ha expresado la preocupación acerca de la sostenibilidad de estos servicios de polinización, debido a las graves pérdidas de colonias de abejas melíferas a nivel mundial. En varios de estos casos, la pérdida de estas abejas parece ser el resultado de la interacción de muchos factores, existiendo un creciente consenso en que el ácaro ectoparásito Varroa destructor desempeña alguna responsabilidad predisponente. Proponemos que la lucha contra éste ácaro debe ser una prioridad para futuras investigaciones relacionadas con la salud de las abejas. Resaltamos la actual necesidad de contar con métodos de control eficientes contra éste parásito y discutimos también la necesidad de nuevos enfoques. Se identificó la falta de conocimiento acerca de la biología y epidemiología del ácaro y se propuso una ruta de investigación para su control sost...

Numerous studies have recently reported on the discovery of bee viruses in different arthropod species and their possible transmission routes, vastly increasing our understanding of these viruses and their distribution. Here, we review the current literature on the recent advances in understanding the transmission of viruses, both on the presence of bee viruses in Apis and non-Apis bee species and on the discovery of previously unknown bee viruses. The natural transmission of bee viruses will be discussed among different bee species and other insects. Finally, the research potential of in vivo (host organisms) and in vitro (cell lines) serial passages of bee viruses is discussed, from the perspective of the host-virus landscape changes and potential transmission routes for emerging bee virus infections.