Comparing virome composition between honey bees ( Apis mellifera L.) and small carpenter bees ( Ceratina calcarata Robertson) in response to various agricultural landscapes

Managed pollinators, such as honeybees ( Apis mellifera L.) and wild pollinators, such as small carpenter bees ( Ceratina calcarata Robertson), are important for food and agriculture in North America. Viral prevalence as a pathogenic stress and agricultural landscapes such as organic and conventional farms as foraging resources for pollinators are important for their health. However, it is unclear if the virus is distributed differently between managed and wild pollinators when they share similar foraging area resources. We investigated the virome composition of Apis and Ceratina collected from conventional, organic farms, or roadside (as a control without agricultural activity) using RNA-Seq analysis. The result demonstrates that honeybees carry a wide range of insect and plant viruses. The black queen cell virus is the only pathogenic virus discovered from both species in one conventional farm. Three novel insect viruses (1 entomopoxvirus and 2 iflaviruses) were detected in small carpenter bees, 1 novel iflavirus of which was identified in honey bee samples. The biological and ecological significance of novel viruses are yet to be studied. The results of our project shed light on the status of the biotic stress of viruses on pollinators.