Directed evolution of Metarhizium fungus improves its biocontrol efficacy against Varroa mites in honey bee colonies

Entomopathogenic fungi show great promise as pesticides in terms of their relatively high target specificity, low non-target toxicity, and low residual effects in agricultural fields and the environment. However, they also frequently have characteristics that limit their use, especially concerning t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2021-05, Vol.11 (1), p.10582-10, Article 10582
Main Authors: Han, Jennifer O., Naeger, Nicholas L., Hopkins, Brandon K., Sumerlin, David, Stamets, Paul E., Carris, Lori M., Sheppard, Walter S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Abiotic factors
Agricultural land
Animals
Apis mellifera
Beehives
Beekeeping
Bees
Bees - parasitology
Biological control
Biological Evolution
Chemical pest control
Colonies
Directed evolution
Ectoparasites
Entomopathogenic fungi
Field tests
Fungi
Honey
Humanities and Social Sciences
Metarhizium - physiology
Metarhizium brunneum
Mites
multidisciplinary
Pest control
Pest Control, Biological
Pesticides
Pests
Residual effects
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Temperature tolerance
Toxicity
Ultraviolet radiation
Varroa destructor
Varroidae
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Summary:Entomopathogenic fungi show great promise as pesticides in terms of their relatively high target specificity, low non-target toxicity, and low residual effects in agricultural fields and the environment. However, they also frequently have characteristics that limit their use, especially concerning tolerances to temperature, ultraviolet radiation, or other abiotic factors. The devastating ectoparasite of honey bees, Varroa destructor, is susceptible to entomopathogenic fungi, but the relatively warm temperatures inside honey bee hives have prevented these fungi from becoming effective control measures. Using a combination of traditional selection and directed evolution techniques developed for this system, new strains of Metarhizium brunneum were created that survived, germinated, and grew better at bee hive temperatures (35 °C). Field tests with full-sized honey bee colonies confirmed that the new strain JH1078 is more virulent against Varroa mites and controls the pest comparable to current treatments. These results indicate that entomopathogenic fungi are evolutionarily labile and capable of playing a larger role in modern pest management practices.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-89811-2