Isolation of Bacillus From the Gut of Bombus terrestris and Its Correlation in Queen Mating

The gut of bumblebees harbors bacteria that play a crucial role in physiology, nutrition, and health. The mating rate is important for the reproductive activity of a colony; however, few studies have investigated the relationship between mating and gut bacteria. In this study, bacterial functions were identified in the intestinal tract of bumblebees, and biochemical identification and screening were performed using genetic detection technology. By isolating and identifying bacteria, we obtained a single strain and fed it to queens. The results indicated that Bacillus cereus and Bacillus pumilus are present in the gut. The queen mating rates were 48.89% at the period of 4 days and higher than 28.89% mating rates of the control group (P < 0.05), and the latency time were 16.90 min (from entering the mating cage to mating success) and decreased than control (P < 0.05) which was 28.20 min. This finding confirmed that Bacillus was important in Bombus terrestris mating.