The makeup of microbial species—the microbiome—in a honey bee queen's gut changes slowly as she ages, while a worker bee's microbiome changes much more rapidly, according to a new study published by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists.

Learning the details of the honey bee gut microbiome is offering potential for a whole new set of tools for managing honey bee colonies, explained ARS microbial ecologist Kirk E. Anderson at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona.