(Braunschweig/Stuttgart, Germany - 1. September 2026): Germany is home to more than 600 species of wild bees, many of which play an essential role as pollinators and contribute to maintaining biodiversity. At the same time, wild bee population faces increasing pressures from habitat loss, intensive agriculture and climate change. One still poorly understood aspect of wild bee biology is their microbiome – the community of microorganisms associated with the bees and their nests. With funding of €2,000 Bienenschutz Stuttgart e. V. is supporting a joint research project by the Leibniz Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures and the Institute for Bee Protection at the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants. The project focuses on the largely unexplored role of yeasts and other fungi in the lives of wild bees.
An overlooked component of wild bee biology
Microorganisms are among the less well-studied components of wild-bee ecology. The new project aims to systematically investigate the functions that fungi perform in larval development, nutrition and health of wild bees. In addition, the researchers will examine how yeasts and other fungi, through their metabolic activities, may enable specialised wild-bee species to utilise a highly restricted pollen diet.
Building on award-winning foundation of the collaboration
The research initiative builds on a recently published article in the journal Basic and Applied Ecology (1) studying the fungal microbiome of the grey-backed mining bee (Andrena vaga). Joint research by scientists at the DSMZ in Braunschweig and the JKI Institute for Bee Protection provided the first strong evidence that particular yeasts associated with bees are vertically transmitted between bee generations. “Our data suggest that these microorganisms perform important protective function: they preserve pollen provisions, detoxify potentially harmful plant compounds and may protect brood against pathogens or other harmful organisms,” explains Dr. Hanna Gardein, scientist at the Institute for Bee Protection. The underlying study received the BAAE Best Student Paper Award 2025 from the GfÖ, the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (2).
Preserving microbial resources for future research
The current project extends the previous work to several specialist and generalist wild-bee species. Samples will be collected across different developmental stages, from pollen provisions and eggs to larvae and adult bees. Yeasts and other fungi will be cultivated from these samples in the laboratory and identified using modern microbiological and molecular-methods. A particular benefit for global research is the preservation of the newly isolated microbial strains in the DSMZ collection. This ensures that the strains remain available to researchers internationally and can be used in future experimental studies well beyond the duration of the current project. “With our funding we want to make a modest contribution to innovative research that opens up new, practice-oriented perspectives for the protection of wild bees and other hymenopterans, while also generating knowledge and long-lasting resources for science,” says Maike Khosrawi of Bienenschutz Stuttgart e. V. - the Stuttgart Bee Protection Association. Supported by 25 committed private individuals, Bienenschutz Stuttgart is involved in a range of activities linking practical with public engagement, including the Stuttgart Wasp Citizen Advisory Service and the Stuttgart “Sensenschwinger” initiative promoting traditional scything. In 2026, the association is awarding its research funding for the second time. Its aim is to strengthen exchange between academic research and practical conservation and to help make scientific findings more readily available for conservation practices.
New perspectives on wild-bee health and conservation
“The data new data generated in the project and the collection of yeast and fungal strains will provide an important basis for experimentally testing the significance of these microorganisms for wild bee nutrition, development and health. This also presents an important step towards understanding how microbial communities associated with wild bees may mitigate the effects of anthropogenic environmental stressors and what this could mean for the survival of wild-bees and conservation of their diversity,” explains Dr. Andrey Yurkov, head of the Fungi and Fungal Systematics research group at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ.
Literature/Source:
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179125000313
- https://gfoe.org/en/gfoe-awards/baae-best-student-paper-award
Press contacts:
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ
Science Communication Department
E-Mail: press(at)dsmz.de - Julius Kühn Institute, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants
Institute for Bee Protection
E-Mail: bs(at)julius-kuehn.de - Bienenschutz Stuttgart e. V.
E-Mail: info(at)bienenschutz-stuttgart.de
Press contact
PhDr. Sven-David Müller, Head of Public Relations, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH
Phone: ++49 (0)531/2616-300
Mail: press(at)dsmz.de
About the Leibniz Institute DSMZ
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures is the world's most diverse collection of biological resources (bacteria, archaea, protists, yeasts, fungi, bacteriophages, plant viruses, genomic bacterial DNA as well as human and animal cell lines). Microorganisms and cell cultures are collected, investigated and archived at the DSMZ. As an institution of the Leibniz Association, the DSMZ with its extensive scientific services and biological resources has been a global partner for research, science and industry since 1969. The DSMZ was the first registered collection in Europe (Regulation (EU) No. 511/2014) and is certified according to the quality standard ISO 9001:2015. As a patent depository, it offers the only possibility in Germany to deposit biological material in accordance with the requirements of the Budapest Treaty. In addition to scientific services, research is the second pillar of the DSMZ. The institute, located on the Science Campus Braunschweig-Süd, accommodates more than 94,400 bioresources and has around 210 employees. www.dsmz.de
The Leibniz Association
The Leibniz Association connects 96 independent research institutions that range in focus from natural, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance. They conduct basic and applied research, including in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Research Alliances, maintain scientific infrastructure, and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer, particularly with the Leibniz research museums. It advises and informs policymakers, science, industry and the general public. Furthermore, a special focus is placed on technologically relevant research and active technology transfer: Leibniz Institutes bring innovative developments into targeted application and promote the implementation of new technologies in society through cooperation with business and industry. Leibniz institutions collaborate intensively with universities – including in the form of Leibniz ScienceCampi – as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to a transparent, independent evaluation procedure. Because of their importance for the country as a whole, the Leibniz Association Institutes are funded jointly by Germany’s central and regional governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 21,400 people, including 12,200 researchers. The financial volume amounts to 2,3 billion euros. www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de