Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are key pollinators that support global agriculture and are long-established models for developmental and behavioural research. Recently, they have emerged as models for studying gut microbial communities. Earlier research established that hindguts of adult worker bees harbour a conserved set of host-restricted bacterial species, each showing extensive strain variation. These bacteria can be cultured axenically and introduced to gnotobiotic hosts, and some have basic genetic tools available. In this Review, we explore the most recent research showing how the microbiota establishes itself in the gut and impacts bee biology and health. Microbiota members occupy specific niches within the gut where they interact with each other and the host. They engage in cross-feeding and antagonistic interactions, which likely contribute to the stability of the community and prevent pathogen invasion. An intact gut microbiota provides protection against diverse pathogens and parasites and contributes to the processing of refractory components of the pollen coat and dietary toxins. Absence or disruption of the microbiota results in altered expression of genes that underlie immunity, metabolism, behaviour and development. In the field, such disruption by agrochemicals may negatively impact bees. These findings demonstrate a key developmental and protective role of the microbiota, with broad implications for bee health.

蜜蜂 ( Apis mellifera ) 是支持全球农业的关键授粉媒介，也是发育和行为研究的长期建立的模型。最近，它们已成为研究肠道微生物群落的模型。早期的研究表明，成年工蜂的后肠含有一组保守的宿主限制性细菌物种，每种细菌都表现出广泛的菌株变异。这些细菌可以进行无菌培养并引入到限菌宿主中，其中一些细菌具有可用的基本遗传工具。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了最新的研究，显示微生物群如何在肠道中建立并影响蜜蜂的生物学和健康。微生物群成员占据肠道内的特定生态位，在那里它们彼此之间以及与宿主相互作用。它们进行交叉喂养和对抗性相互作用，这可能有助于群落的稳定并防止病原体入侵。完整的肠道微生物群可以提供针对多种病原体和寄生虫的保护，并有助于处理花粉衣的难降解成分和膳食毒素。微生物群的缺失或破坏会导致免疫、新陈代谢、行为和发育的基因表达发生改变。在田间，农用化学品的这种破坏可能会对蜜蜂产生负面影响。这些发现证明了微生物群的关键发育和保护作用，对蜜蜂健康具有广泛影响。