ABSTRACT
We analysed 251 early spring and winter storage honey samples, individually collected from the apiaries of 9 districts of Malopolska province in South Poland and revealed that 51 of these specimens were contaminated with different levels of P. larvae larvae spores Among these samples 8.8% were classified as a category I contamination and 11.5% as a category II--reperesenting 22 (43.1%) and 29 (56.9%) of the total positives, respectively. We conclude from these analyses that: (1)--the total number of new outbreaks of AFB in Poland are most likely to be higher than previously reported, (2)--the quantitative examination of samples of winter stored or early spring honeys for the presence of P. larvae, larvae spores can improve the detection rate of AFB outbreaks, (3)--the high percentage of apiaries that were found to be free of P. larvae larvae (80%) may facilitate the implementation of an AFB eradication programme on a large scale in Poland.
