Microbes play a substantial role in insect development, especially in regard to nutritional supplementation. Interestingly, many insects form associations with two major bacterial clades – the Lactobacillaceae and the Acetobacteraceae. Where these microbes have been studied, they have been observed to promote the growth of their insect host through metabolic cooperation. Specifically, Lactobacillus strains are auxotrophic for certain amino acids which are supplied by Acetobacter species in exchange for lactate. The honey bee, similarly, hosts members of these two bacterial families – Bombella apis and Lactobacillus kunkeei. GEMS trainee Jillian Lewis hypothesizes that mutualistic cross-feeding between these microbes promotes the growth of Apis mellifera larvae.