Antibiotic treatment (Tetracycline) effect on bio-efficiency of the larvae honey bee (Apis mellifera jemenatica)

Honey bees are important for ecological health, biodiversity preservation, and crop output. Antimicrobials, like Tetracyclines, are commonly used in agriculture, medicine, and beekeeping, bees might be exposed to Tetracycline residues in the environment either directly or indirectly. This study aimed to determine the effect of antibiotic treatment (Tetracycline) effect on the Bio-efficiency of the larvae honey bee (Apis mellifera jemenatica), when larvae honeybee workers were exposed to different concentrations of it, to see how long they survived after being exposed to it and affected this antibiotic to the histological structure of the midgut. The results demonstrated that the concentration (LC50 = 125.25 mu g/ml) of antibiotics Tetracycline leads to kills half of the individuals. Our data indicate that the high concentrations of Tetracycline have a significant effect on the histological composition of the cells of the midgut of honeybee larvae. Antibiotic exposure can negatively impact the health of honey bees, especially Tetracycline because it is the most used antibiotic in apiculture. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of antibiotic treatment on the bio-efficiency and histological structure of honeybee larvae. The results demonstrate that high concentrations of Tetracycline can lead to larval mortality and significant histological changes in the midgut cells. Antibiotic exposure can have negative impacts on the health of honeybees.