Bacterial diversity and antimicrobial resistance profiles in beehives from Spring Flowers, Thyme, and Sidr areas of Misurata city, Libya

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are essential pollinators that sustain biodiversity and global food security but are increasingly threatened by bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study investigated the bacterial composition and resistance profiles of beehives from three floral micro-regions of Misurata city, Libya: Spring Flower, Thyme, and Sidr. A total of 120 isolates (40 per area) were identified using biochemical assays and tested for susceptibility to tetracycline, erythromycin, ampicillin, and chloramphenicol. Bacillus species predominated (56.7%), followed by Staphylococcus (28.3%), with minor occurrences of Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, and Acinetobacter. Marked interspecific differences were detected for tetracycline, erythromycin, and ampicillin, while no chloramphenicol resistance occurred (0/120; 0%, 95% CI upper bound ≈ 3.1%). Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus spp. exhibited the highest resistance, contrasting with the largely susceptible Bacillus isolates, except for ampicillin resistance in B. cereus (34/40; 85.0%) and B. subtilis (6/28; 21.4%). Less frequent species tended to display stronger resistance, whereas no significant differences were observed among the three sampling areas. These findings establish the first baseline of bacterial diversity and AMR in Libyan beehives, emphasizing the need for responsible antibiotic use and continuous monitoring within apicultural ecosystems.