scholarly journals Infestation and distribution of the mite Varroa destructor in colonies of africanized bees

2003 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Moretto ◽  
J. de M. Leonidas
Keyword(s):  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Current Level ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
The World ◽  
Major Pest ◽  
Africanized Bees ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bee Colonies

Whereas in several parts of the world varroa is the major pest affecting apiculture, in others the parasite is unknown to many beekeepers because its damage to bees is minor. The impact of the mite Varroa destructor is related to the climatic conditions and the races of Apis mellifera bees in each region where the pest exists. In the present study, the current level of infestation by the mite was assessed to determine the evolution of the pest in Africanized bee colonies in Southern Brazil. This level of infestation was considered low: approximately two mites per one hundred adult bees. This result is similar to that obtained for the same apiary almost five years ago and for others distributed in various regions of Brazil. In the present study, we also estimated the total varroa population and its distribution among brood and adults in each bee colony.

scholarly journals Sublethal concentrations of clothianidin affect honey bee colony growth and hive CO2 concentration

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Meikle ◽  
John J. Adamczyk ◽  
Milagra Weiss ◽  
Janie Ross ◽  
Chris Werle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Weight Losses ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractThe effects of agricultural pesticide exposure upon honey bee colonies is of increasing interest to beekeepers and researchers, and the impact of neonicotinoid pesticides in particular has come under intense scrutiny. To explore potential colony-level effects of a neonicotinoid pesticide at field-relevant concentrations, honey bee colonies were fed 5- and 20-ppb concentrations of clothianidin in sugar syrup while control colonies were fed unadulterated syrup. Two experiments were conducted in successive years at the same site in southern Arizona, and one in the high rainfall environment of Mississippi. Across all three experiments, adult bee masses were about 21% lower among colonies fed 20-ppb clothianidin than the untreated control group, but no effects of treatment on brood production were observed. Average daily hive weight losses per day in the 5-ppb clothianidin colonies were about 39% lower post-treatment than in the 20-ppb clothianidin colonies, indicating lower consumption and/or better foraging, but the dry weights of newly-emerged adult bees were on average 6–7% lower in the 5-ppb group compared to the other groups, suggesting a nutritional problem in the 5-ppb group. Internal hive CO2 concentration was higher on average in colonies fed 20-ppb clothianidin, which could have resulted from greater CO2 production and/or reduced ventilating activity. Hive temperature average and daily variability were not affected by clothianidin exposure but did differ significantly among trials. Clothianidin was found to be, like imidacloprid, highly stable in honey in the hive environment over several months.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a thymol formulation efficacy against Varroa destructor under Central Greek climatic conditions

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
N. BACANDRITSOS (Ν. ΜΠΑΚΑΝΔΡΙΤΣΟΣ) ◽  
I. PAPANASTASIOU (Ι. ΠΑΠΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΟΥ)
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Active Ingredient ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Eucalyptus Oil ◽  
Central Greece ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Bee Colonies

The acaricidical formulation based on thymol crystals (main active ingredient) in combination with eucalyptus oil, menthol and camphor crystals was evaluated for its efficacy for two consecutive years (2002 and 2003) the period from 25th May to 25th June. The experimental apiaries are located in Locrida (Central Greece) where the temperatures during summer are usually high. Naturally infected by the mite Varroa destructorbee colonies with similar population were used. The formulation was placed on the upper part of the frames at a rate of one dose every 15 days for two times. The average value of the formulation efficacy was 90.5%±1.0 and 90.6%±0.8 for 2002 and 2003, respectively. In 2002 the temperature in the area where the experiment took place ranged from 17.0°C up to 27.0 °C, while in 2003 it ranged from 16.3°C up to 27.5°C. The results showed that when the bee colonies were treated with two tablets, one every 15 days at the beginning of the summer, the efficacy of the thymol formulation was 90.5% with minimal side effects and toxicity. Additionally, at the beginning of its use, the observed bee agitation at the hive entrance can be reduced by placing 1/20 of the dosage one day before the main treatment.

scholarly journals Chronic exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide and a synthetic pyrethroid in full-sized honey bee colonies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Odemer ◽  
Peter Rosenkranz
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Synthetic Pyrethroid ◽  
Social Resilience ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bee Colonies

ABSTRACTIn the last decade, the use of neonicotinoid insecticides increased significantly in the agricultural landscape and meanwhile considered a risk to honey bees. Besides the exposure to pesticides, colonies are treated frequently with various acaricides that beekeepers are forced to use against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Here we have analyzed the impact of a chronic exposure to sublethal concentrations of the common neonicotinoid thiacloprid (T) and the widely used acaricide τ-fluvalinate (synthetic pyrethroid, F) - applied alone or in combination - to honey bee colonies under field conditions. The population dynamics of bees and brood were assessed in all colonies according to the Liebefeld method. Four groups (T, F, F+T, control) with 8-9 colonies each were analyzed in two independent replications, each lasting from spring/summer until spring of the consecutive year. In late autumn, all colonies were treated with oxalic acid against Varroosis. We could not find a negative impact of the chronic neonicotinoid exposure on the population dynamics or overwintering success of the colonies, irrespective of whether applied alone or in combination with τ-fluvalinate. This is in contrast to some results obtained from individually treated bees under laboratory conditions and confirms again an effective buffering capacity of the honey bee colony as a superorganism. Yet, the underlying mechanisms for this social resilience remain to be fully understood.

THE QUALITY OF BEE QUEENS OBTAINED BY DIFFERENT METHODS

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. P. Kucheryavyy ◽  
O. O. Salyuk ◽  
S. V. Skrypnyk
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Biological Integrity ◽  
Fallopian Tubes ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Mobile Vehicle ◽  
Queen Bees ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bee Colonies

Honeybees can only live and work in a bee colony. There is normally only one queen bee in a standard bee colony. It is the family's only fully matured female and the mother of young queen, drone, and worker bees. When a bee colony loses its queen bee and is unable to reproduce a new one, it eventually dies. Timely change of queen bees every 2 years, as well as increasing and maintaining the strength of bee colonies are the main zootechnical measures to maintain optimal life of bees and get the maximum amount of products from them. The presence of the queen bee in the bee family of honey bees fully influences their flight activity in collecting bee pollen. In its absence, the harvesting of pollen and its processing, as well as the extraction of wax and the construction of honeycombs, the cultivation of brood, and the collection of nectar are significantly slowed down and then completely stopped. With the advent of the uterus, all the functions of the family as a whole biological system are restored. Therefore, the quality of queens is a determining factor in the viability and productivity of the bee colony. The aim of the study was to compare the quality of reproductive function of queen bees of Apis mellifera sossimai and Apis mellifera carpatica breeds in different ways of obtaining them, and the impact on productivity of the bee colony. To carry out experimental work in the apiary, three control groups and two experimental groups were formed, with nine bee colonies in each group. In the first group, the queen bees were artificially breeded from the nursery, in the second group - fistulous queens bees, and in the third - the swarm queen bees. The apiary is situated on a 50-50 meter plot of land. Hives are used to keep bee colonies. Bees are kept in the apiary of the Ukrainian field breed. A pollinating honey area is available at the apiary. A winter house, a mobile vehicle, and a suitable chamber for honey pumping are all available at the apiary. Mustard is sown around the apiary every year. According to the study, big full-fledged queen bees are born in a healthy, physiologically complete bee colony. When the strength of a bee colony was increased, the queen bees were born 30 mg lighter. The number of fallopian tubes of queen bees raised with a biological integrity breach is 185,1 ± 7,3, while the number of fallopian tubes of queen bees raised with biological integrity is 207,6 ± 7,4. If the bees bring nectar and pollen during the breeding process, the queen bees are born huge, but without the forage а little and with poor executive abilities. It makes no difference how strong the foraging is; even 200 – 300 g of nectar and pollen per day has a positive impact on the quality of queen bees produced. Fistula uteruses had higher egg production compared to swarms in the same conditions of colony development.

scholarly journals Monitoring of Honey Bee Colony Losses: A Special Issue

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 403
Author(s):  
Aleš Gregorc
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Colony Losses ◽  
Colony Management ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Honey Bee Colony ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Honey Bee Colony Losses

In recent decades, independent national and international research programs have revealed possible reasons for the death of managed honey bee colonies worldwide. Such losses are not due to a single factor, but instead are due to highly complex interactions between various internal and external influences, including pests, pathogens, honey bee stock diversity, and environmental change. Reduced honey bee vitality and nutrition, exposure to agrochemicals, and quality of colony management contribute to reduced colony survival in beekeeping operations. Our Special Issue (SI) on ‘’Monitoring of Honey Bee Colony Losses’’ aims to address specific challenges facing honey bee researchers and beekeepers. This SI includes four reviews, with one being a meta-analysis that identifies gaps in the current and future directions for research into honey bee colonies mortalities. Other review articles include studies regarding the impact of numerous factors on honey bee mortality, including external abiotic factors (e.g., winter conditions and colony management) as well as biotic factors such as attacks by Vespa velutina and Varroa destructor.

Two commercial formulations of natural compounds for Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) control on Africanized bees under tropical climatic conditions

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sóstenes R Rodríguez-Dehaibes ◽  
Violeta T Pardío Sedas ◽  
Gonzalo Luna-Olivares ◽  
Juan A Villanueva-Jimenez
Keyword(s):  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Africanized Bees

scholarly journals The effect of oxalic acid applied by sublimation on honey bee colony fitness: a comparison with amitraz

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-260
Author(s):  
Ivana Papežíková ◽  
Miroslava Palíková ◽  
Stanislav Navrátil ◽  
Radka Heumannová ◽  
Michael Fronc
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Oxalic Acid ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Colony Fitness ◽  
Honey Bee Colony ◽  
Bee Colonies

Oxalic acid is one of the organic acids used for controlling Varroa destructor, a mite parasitizing the honey bee (Apis mellifera). The aim of this work was to examine the effect of oxalic acid applied by sublimation on honey bee colony fitness, and to compare it with the effect of amitraz, a routinely used synthetic acaricide. Bee colonies of equal strength were randomly divided into two groups. In December 2014, one group was treated with amitraz in the form of aerosol, and the second group was treated with oxalic acid applied by sublimation. The colonies were monitored over winter. Dead bees found at the bottom of the hive were counted regularly and examined microscopically for infection with Nosema sp. (Microsporidia). At the end of March 2015, living foragers from each hive were sampled and individually examined for Nosema sp. infection. Colony strength was evaluated at the beginning of April. No adverse effect of oxalic acid on colony strength was observed despite the fact that the total number of dead bees was non-significantly higher in the oxalic acid-treated group. Examination of dead bees for Nosema infection did not reveal significant differences in spore numbers between the experimental groups. There was a substantial difference in living individuals, however, with a significantly higher amount of spores per bee found in the amitraz-treated colonies compared to the oxalic acid-treated colonies. Compared to amitraz, oxalic acid applied by sublimation showed no adverse effects on bee colony fitness or on successful overwintering.

scholarly journals Large-scale monitoring of resistance to coumaphos, amitraz and pyrethroids in Varroa destructor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Sara Hernández-Rodríguez ◽  
Óscar Marín ◽  
Fernando Calatayud ◽  
María José Mahiques ◽  
Ana Mompó ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The Other ◽  
List Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Evolution Of Resistance ◽  
Bee Colonies

ABSTRACTVarroa destructor is an ectoparasitic mite causing devastating damages to honey bee colonies around the world. Its impact is considered a major factor contributing to the significant seasonal losses of colonies recorded every year. Beekeepers are usually relying on a reduced set of acaricides to manage the parasite, usually the pyrethroids tau-fluvalinate or flumethrin, the organophosphate coumaphos and the formamidine amitraz. However, the evolution of resistance in the populations is leading to an unsustainable scenario with almost no alternatives to reach an adequate control of the mite.Here we present the results from the first, large-scale and extensive monitoring of the susceptibility to acaricides in the Comunitat Valenciana, one of the most prominent apicultural regions in Spain. Our ultimate goal was to provide beekeepers with timely information to help them decide what would be the best alternative for a long-term control of the mites in their apiaries. Our data show that there is a significant variation in the expected efficacy of coumaphos and pyrethroids across the region, indicating the presence of a different ratio of resistant individuals to these acaricides in each population. On the other hand, the expected efficacy of amitraz was more consistent, although slightly below the expected efficacy according to the label.HIGHLIGHTSVarroa destructor is causing severe damages to honey bee colonies worldwide.There are very few acaricides available to manage the parasite.The evolution of resistance is limiting our capacity to control the mite.We estimated the expected efficacy of the main acaricides in many Spanish apiaries.The information was shared with beekeepers for them to decide the best treatment to control the mite.

scholarly journals Biogas Production Experimental Research by Using Sewage Sludge Loading with Biochar Additive

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitalij Kolodynskij ◽  
Pranas Baltrėnas
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Plant Materials ◽  
Alternative Energy Sources ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

Biogas – ecological fuel, which is assigned to alternative energy sources. It should be noted, that biogas – renewable energy source, which does not require any specific climatic conditions or geographical position of a country. This power source is available and can be successfully produced and used in all countries of the world. The main components of biogas – methane CH4 and carbon monoxide CO2. This gas is formed under anaerobic conditions, when microorganisms decompose biodegradable biomass. In biological sciences biomass means a living matter content, expressed in grams per unit area. Meanwhile, in the energy sector, the definition of biomass is limited and biomass is characterized as fuel source, produced from plant materials and organic waste (food waste, wood, sludge, manure, vegetables, etc.). Currently, to produce biogas from biomass, bioreactors are used worldwide. However, in order to increase the quality and yield of biogas, in the world practice various bioload additives are used: vegetable waste, clay minerals, and a large amount of the protein-containing waste. The goal – to evaluate the impact of biochar on biogas quality and yield using sewage sludge load. It was found, that 10% biochar additive increased average CH4 concentration of 7.9%, reduced the CO2 concentration of 3–4% and totally removed H2S from biogas.

scholarly journals Factors Associated with Honey Bee Colony Losses: A Mini-Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hristov ◽  
Rositsa Shumkova ◽  
Nadezhda Palova ◽  
Boyko Neov
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Colony Losses ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
Honey Bee Colony ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Honey Bee Colony Losses

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera L., Hymenoptera: Apidae) is a species of crucial economic, agricultural and environmental importance. In the last ten years, some regions of the world have suffered from a significant reduction of honey bee colonies. In fact, honey bee losses are not an unusual phenomenon, but in many countries worldwide there has been a notable decrease in honey bee colonies. The cases in the USA, in many European countries, and in the Middle East have received considerable attention, mostly due to the absence of an easily identifiable cause. It has been difficult to determine the main factors leading to colony losses because of honey bees’ diverse social behavior. Moreover, in their daily routine, they make contact with many agents of the environment and are exposed to a plethora of human activities and their consequences. Nevertheless, various factors have been considered to be contributing to honey bee losses, and recent investigations have established some of the most important ones, in particular, pests and diseases, bee management, including bee keeping practices and breeding, the change in climatic conditions, agricultural practices, and the use of pesticides. The global picture highlights the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor as a major factor in colony loss. Last but not least, microsporidian parasites, mainly Nosema ceranae, also contribute to the problem. Thus, it is obvious that there are many factors affecting honey bee colony losses globally. Increased monitoring and scientific research should throw new light on the factors involved in recent honey bee colony losses. The present review focuses on the main factors which have been found to have an impact on the increase in honey bee colony losses.

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