Prevalence of Nosema and Virus in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies on Flowering Period of Acacia in Korea

Honey production from approximately 1.6 million colonies owned by about 199,000 Korean beekeepers was almost 23,000 metric tons in 2009. Nosema causes significant losses in honey production and the virus decreases population size. We initiated a survey of honey bee colonies on the blooming period of Acacia to determine the prevalence of Nosema and virus in 2011. Most Korean beekeepers have moved from the south to north of Korea to get Acacia nectar for 2 mon. This provided a valuable opportunity to sample bees originating from diverse areas in one location. Twenty hives owned by 18 beekeepers were sampled in this year. Nosema spore counts ranged from zero to 1,710,000 spores per bee. The average number of nosema spores per bee was 580,000. Approximately 95% of the colonies were infected with Nosema, based on the presence of spores in the flowering period of Acacia. This indicates that Nosema is the predominant species affecting honeybee colonies. Also, the seven most important honeybee viruses were investigated by reverse transcription-PCR. Among them, four different viruses were detected in samples. Black queen cell virus was present in all samples. Chronic bee paralysis virus was detected in 10% of samples. Deformed wing virus was present in only 5% of the samples. Prevalence of Sacbrood virus was 15%. However, Cloudy wing virus, Israel acute paralysis virus and kashmir bee virus were not detected in any of samples.

Tipos polínicos encontrados em colônias de abelhas africanizadas sujeitas à doença cria ensacada brasileira / Pollen types found in africanized honeybees colonies submitted to brazilian sac brood disease

O pólen de algumas espécies de Stryphnodendron (Mimosoidea), conhecidas popularmente por barbatimão, tem sido apontado como agente causador da mortandade de larvas pré-pupas observada na cria ensacada brasileira (CEB). Neste estudo, objetivou-se identificar os tipos polínicos encontrados em amostras de pólen coletadas em colméias de Apis mellifera L., no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, a fim de elucidar as fontes florais utilizadas por essa espécie de abelhas em períodos sujeitos a CEB, com especial atenção para a presença do pólen de Stryphnodendron spp. Foram coletadas amostras de pólen apícola e pão de abelhas em sete apiários, em três municípios do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. A amostragem foi tomada um mês antes e durante a ocorrência da CEB. As famílias botânicas mais representativas foram: Leguminosae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Poaceae e Myrtaceae. O pólen de Stryphnodendron não esteve presente nas amostras analisadas. A ausência de Stryphnodendron no menu floral das colônias africanizadas acometidas pela CEB em condições naturais sugere outro fator causal para a CEB no Estado do Rio de Janeiro.

The pollen of some Stryphnodendron species (Mimosoidea), commonly known as barbatimão, has been identified as a causative agent of pre-pulps larvae mortality, observed in Brazilian sac brood disease (BSB). The goal of this study is to identify the pollen types found in samples of pollen collected by Apis mellifera L. to elucidate the floral diet used by this honeybee specie in Rio de Janeiro state during the periods where BSB usually occurs. Particular attention was given to the pollen of Stryphnodendron spp presence. Samples of pollen and bee bread were collected from seven apiaries located in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Sampling procedures were done a month before BSB usual occurrence and also during its occurrence. Leguminosae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Poaceae and Myrtaceae were most representative botanical families on pollen sampling. Pollen from Stryphnodendron was not presented at the analyzed samples. In order to Stryphnodendron absent at the floral diet of Africanized hives affected by BSB in natural conditions, it is proposed another causal factor for BSB in the state of Rio de Janeiro.