Using pollen DNA metabarcoding to investigate the foraging preferences of honey bees

Honey bees contribute to human wellbeing; through the use of honey, wax and propolis, and as the pollinator of both wild and crop plants. The increased rate of honey bee colony loss has caused worldwide concern, caused by the interacting effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, agrochemicals, pests and diseases, and climate change. DNA metabarcoding provides a tool for identifying the pollen in honey and therefore the plants the honey bees are foraging upon. The DNA is amplified using the rbcL marker using a two-step protocol and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Sequences are compared to our Barcode UK reference library using BLAST. Using the National Botanic Garden of Wales as o…