The impact of agricultural intensification on bee health and abundance

Abstract

Beepopulations are declining due to agricultural expansion, habitat loss, anddiseases such as nosemosis caused by microsporidian Vairimorpha spp. Weevaluate how agricultural intensification affects the abundance of wild(Augochloropsis spp.) and managed (Apis mellifera) bees and how landscapemodification impacts bee health quality by altering their susceptibility to beinfected by Vairimorpha spp. Bees were collected using pan traps in nine fieldswith varying management intensities from Argentina, while landscape managementintensity was assessed using satellite imagery for each field. We found theabundance of one wild bee species increases as the proportion of landscapeswith low intensity management increases. Vairimorpha spores were only found inmanaged bees. We also found that prevalence of Vairimorpha increases as theproportion of intensive management increases. Our results suggest thatagricultural intensification negatively impacts the abundance of wild beepopulations and makes managed bees more susceptible to Vairimorpha spp.infection.