High abundance of lactobacilli in the gut microbiome of honey bees during winter.

Honey bee gut microbiota play specific roles in promoting host growth and physiology by regulating the immune system, behavior, metabolism, and neurological processes. While the gut microbiota of honey bee queens, workers, and larvae has been extensively studied, less is known about the composition of gut microbiota in the winter worker bees. This study investigates the dynamics of the gut microbiota in overwintering adult worker bees, focusing on two commercial bee strains: Bolton™ bees and Mann Lake™ bees.