This article, published in NeoBiota, explores the possibility of honey bees as potential vectors of Austropuccinia psidii, the causative agent of myrtle rust. The study found that A. psidii urediniospores can be transported into and stored in pollen in hives by foraging honey bees and may remain viable for at least nine days. It also found that bees derive a nutritional benefit from collecting and consuming these urediniospores. It recommends further research to establish whether or not host infection via bee-vectored spores is possible and if so, to quantify the relative contribution of insect-mediated versus windborne dispersal across different landscapes and seasons. It also proposes that honey bees be explicitly considered in both epidemiological models of A. psidii spread and the formulation of management and containment strategies.
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