Assessing pollinator health in urban and rural areas in Louisiana: Using honeybees as bioindicators

Honey bees are crucial pollinators and bio-indicators of environmental health; however, their populations are declining due to multiple factors including urban pollution and pesticide use, pathogens and parasites, malnutrition and habitat loss, and climate change. Louisiana is a leading state for industrial pollution which can negatively affect bee populations and reduce crop yield and honey production. This research aims to investigate bee health along a pollution gradient in rural and urban areas in Louisiana. We will establish apiaries in different locations in Summer 2025: 1) Baton Rouge (urban, high pollution), 2) St. Francisville (rural, clean site), and 3) St. James (rural, high pollution). Health parameters will be recorded in field-collected bees, brood and pollen from the three apiaries over a two-year study. Colony health will be assessed by counting frames of adult worker bees, calculating brood area, and monitoring weight with hive scales. Bee workers, pollen, and brood samples will be analyzed for heavy metals using ICP-MS. Colonies will be inspected for varroa mites by washing adult worker samples with soapy water and counting mites. Brood infestation will be measured by dissecting 200 cells containing purple-eyed pupae. Vitellogenin (Vg), stress-response, and detoxification pathway-gene expression will be evaluated following RNA extraction from the bee worker and brood samples and qPCR. Results from this study will assist beekeepers to identify site-specific environmental stressors and develop strategies to improve bee health. In addition, this information will guide policy makers and environmental scientists to provide evidence-based solutions to environmental issues in Louisiana.