The insect fat body is a key organ underpinning multiple facets of bee biology, with functions ranging from metabolism and energy storage to immunity and biosynthesis of critical hemolymph proteins. In bees, the fat body is central not only to individual health and longevity but also to the regulation of division of labor within social species and, ultimately, the overall fitness of colonies. Given the urgency of global pollinator decline, there is a pressing need to synthesize emerging knowledge about the bee fat body—especially as this organ mediates the impacts of diet and environmental stressors, including pesticides and pathogens, on bee health and behavior.
Despite its importance, research on the bee fat body remains scattered across a wide range of entomological and non-entomological journals. This dispersion diminishes visibility, hinders interdisciplinary collaboration, and slows the formation of a cohesive research community—particularly one that bridges studies of the well-characterized Apis mellifera and the growing body of work on diverse wild and managed bee species.
Frontiers in Bee Science offers a unique platform for uniting research threads across international and species boundaries. This Research Topic seeks to assemble cutting-edge studies that span the molecular, physiological, and applied aspects of fat body function in bees, ultimately serving both basic and translational science.
The scope of this Research Topic is primarily physiological but closely intersects with bee protection, health, and pollination ecology. We particularly encourage submissions addressing:
Energy Storage and Life Cycle Transitions: The role of fat body stores (lipids, glycogen, proteins) across bee life stages, including metamorphosis, non-feeding phases (e.g., overwintering and diapause), reproductive maturation, and behavioral development. We encourage research in to how fat body physiology supports the unique challenges faced by solitary, social, and primitively eusocial bees.
Biosynthesis and Molecular Function: Recent advances in understanding biosynthetic output of the fat body, including vitellogenin and its variants, antimicrobial peptides, and other hemolymph proteins, are central. What are the links between fat body gene expression, immunity, and bee longevity?
Environmental Stressors and Applied Perspectives: How do environmental factors—such as dietary quality, agrochemical exposure, climate change, and parasites (e.g., Varroa spp.) modulate fat body function? What are the implications for bee resilience, productivity, and pollination services? How can this knowledge inform beekeeping, conservation, and mitigation of stressors?
Transcriptomics and Systems Approaches: Insights from fat body gene expression studies, comparative transcriptomics, and integrative 'omics are increasingly driving discovery in this field.
Submissions may include original research, brief reports, mini-reviews, perspectives, and comprehensive reviews. We welcome contributions on all bee species and strongly encourage reporting on less-studied, non-Apis taxa to foster a more inclusive understanding.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Case Report
Classification
Clinical Trial
Editorial
FAIR² Data
FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
General Commentary
Hypothesis and Theory
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
