Dietary p-Coumaric Acid Modulates Non-Core Gut Microbiota and Sucrose Solution Consumption in Apis cerana

As the predominant native pollinator across Asia, Apis cerana is essential for the maintenance of biodiversity and agricultural productivity. The gut microbiota of honeybees plays a central role in host nutrition, detoxification, and immune function. p-Coumaric acid, a widespread phenolic acid enriched in pollen and nectar, has been reported to promote honeybee health by prolonging lifespan and increasing the expression of detoxification-related genes, hence improving tolerance to pesticides. Its influence on gut microbial communities, however, remains insufficiently characterized in A. cerana. This study evaluated the effects of dietary p-coumaric acid on survival, sucrose solution consumption, and gut microbiome composition in A. cerana workers using absolute quantification sequencing. Bees were provided sucrose solutions containing p-coumaric acid at concentrations of 41.0, 82.0, and 164.0 mg/L for durations of 5 and 10 days. The results indicated no effect on survival but revealed time-dependent changes in sucrose solution consumption. p-Coumaric acid exposure altered the abundance of non-core bacterial taxa, including Bombella and Apilactobacillus, whereas the core gut microbiota (Lactobacillus, Gilliamella, Snodgrassella, Apibacter, and Bifidobacterium) remained stable. These results suggest that p-coumaric acid modulates sucrose solution consumption and selectively influences non-core gut bacteria without disrupting survival or core microbiota stability, underscoring its role in regulating host–microbe interactions in honeybees.