Effect of “EM® PROBIOTIC FOR BEES” on the dynamics viability of bee in an entomological cage experiment

At present, Ukraine is one of the first honey producing country in Europe. Around 100 thousand tonnes of honey are produced annually in Ukraine, therefore, maintaining the health of the bee colonies is an important issue. The use of different groups of drugs for the prevention of bee diseases is strictly controlled, now the known alternatives to antibiotics are probiotics. The micro-organisms in these preparats are able to synthesise vitamins and amino acids necessary for the growth and development of bees, which in turn activates the immunocompetent cells of the insects and prolongs their life. The immunomodulatory and immunostimulatory ability of such supplements of “beneficial” microorganisms is known, both in veterinary and human medicine. The use of such remedies is therefore promising in the field of modern beekeeping. “EM® PROBIOTIC FOR BEES” is a biopreparation that positively influences the microbiological environment of insects, as the preparation is based on Effective Microorganisms®. The ability of this probiotic to influence the dynamics of life span of Ukrainian steppe bees in a wooden entomological cage experiment (in vivo) was the main objective of the experiment. The effect of the probiotic on bee viability was determined by daily analysis and counting the number of dead insects. The study involved the settlement of bees in a wooden entomological cages and the creation of optimal conditions for their keeping (at a temperature of +24 – +25 °C and a humidity of 50–70 %). The product was diluted with buckwheat honey syrup solution and sugar syrup solution at concentrations of 5 %; 2.5 %; 1.25 %; control groups of bees received native solutions of the sugar syrup and buckwheat honey syrup. The analysis of the results shows a positive effect of “EM® PROBIOTIC FOR BEES” on the longevity of Ukrainian steppe worker bees of the winter generation in a entomological cage experiment. A beneficial effect of the probiotic product diluted in sugar syrup at concentrations of 1.25 % to 5 % has been detected on the bee organism, which increased their lifespan. When the product was diluted with buckwheat honey syrup, the best longevity of the insects was recorded at a concentration of 1.25 % compared to the control group of bees. The coefficient of average life expectancy of bees indicates the predominance of sugar syrup as a solvent for this probiotic compared to buckwheat honey syrup under laboratory conditions.

PENGARUH PENGGUNAAN LIMBAH SAYURAN DALAM RANSUM TERHADAP PERFORMA PRODUKSI ITIK PETELUR

The waste vegetables ration the effect to the performance production have been done in cage experiment of Poultry Production Farm in Agriculture Studi Programs Khairun University, Ternate, Maluku Utara. An exsperiment using laying ducks padjadjaran age 46 weeks as 64 ducks. The research used to Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 4 replications of, R0 (100% control rations); R1 (5% waste vegetables + 95% control rations); R2 (10% waste vegetables + 90% control rations); and R3 (15% waste vegetables + 85% control rations); and to see the effect of trend pattern of each treatment was done by orthogonal polynomial test. The results (1). Egg production average is R0 (63,04%); R1 (65,37%); R2 (69,79%) and R3 (70,57%) was significantly different (P<0.05); (2). Rations of consumption is R0 (154.36 gram); R1 (153.66 gram); R2 (151.48); and R3 (150.60 gram) was significantly different (P<0.05) between treatment of R0, R2 and R3; (3) Feed conversion rations is R0 (3.46); R1 (3.35); R2 (3.08) and R3 (3.03) was significantly different (P<0.05) R0, R2 and R3, but not significantly different between treatment of R2 and R3 (P>0,05). The use of waste vegetables ration up to 15% in laying ducks rations real increased egg production, improve consumption and feed conversion rations.

Field trial of a probiotic bacteria and a chemical, chitosan, to protect bats from white-nose syndrome

Tools for reducing wildlife disease impacts are needed to conserve biodiversity. White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungusPseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused widespread declines in North American bat populations and threatens several species with extinction. Few tools exist for managers to reduce WNS impacts. We tested the efficacy of two treatments, a probiotic bacterium,Pseudomonas fluorescens, and a chemical, chitosan, to reduce impacts of WNS in two simultaneous experiments conducted with caged and free-flyingMyotis lucifugusbats at a mine in Wisconsin, USA. In the free-flying experiment, treatment withP. fluorescensincreased apparent overwinter survival five-fold compared to the control group (from 8.4% to 46.2%) by delaying emergence of bats from the site by 30 days. Apparent overwinter survival for free-flying chitosan-treated bats was 18.0%, which did not differ significantly from control bats. In the cage experiment, chitosan-treated bats had significantly higher survival until release on March 8 (53%) than control andP. fluorescens-treated bats (both 27%). However, these differences were likely due to within-cage disturbance and not reduced WNS impacts, because chitosan-treated bats actually had significantly higher UV-fluorescence (a measure of disease severity), and body mass, not infection intensity, predicted mortality. Further, few of the bats released from the cage experiment were detected emerging from the mine, indicating that the survival estimates at the time of release did not carryover to overwinter survival. These results suggest that treatment of bats may reduce WNS mortality, but additional measures are needed to prevent declines.

Does larval aggregation pheromone of codling moth, Cydia pomonella, induce attraction or arrestment of receivers?

Cocoon-spinning larvae of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella, emit a pheromone that mediates aggregation by pupation site-seeking fifth-instar larvae. It was unknown and, thus, we tested whether the aggregation pheromone induces arrestment or attraction responses. In paired straight-tube experiment 1, fifth-instars moved faster and farther upwind toward cospecific cocoons compared to blank controls. In still-air cage experiment 2, fifth-instars selected more often as first and final choices of pupation sites those with cocooning conspecifics than those without. Finally, in Y-tube olfactometer experiment 3, fifth-instars anemotactically responded to, and preferred, side arms with cocooning conspecifics to those without. Our data provide evidence that codling moth larvae are attracted to, rather than merely arrested by, larval aggregation pheromone. These results help explain reported aggregations or clumped distributions of larvae on tree trunks, which would likely not occur if they were based merely on chance encounter of cocoon-spinning larvae by foraging larvae.

Predation by Hunting Spiders on Citrus Leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

Feeding efficiency of the three species of hunting spiders, Chiracanthium inclusum Hentz, Hibana velox (Becker), and Trachelas volutus (Gertsch), was investigated in laboratory, greenhouse, and field-cage experiments. Results of the laboratory feeding efficiency tests showed that the predation rates of these hunting spiders can be ranked as follows: H. velox &gt; C. inclusum &gt; T. volutus. A similar trend of predation rates was obtained from the feeding efficiency test under greenhouse conditions. The predation efficiency of H. velox was further tested in a field-cage experiment because it was found to be a more efficient predator than C. inclusum and T. volutus from the laboratory and greenhouse feeding efficiency tests. The results of the field-cage experiment indicated that as the population density of the citrus leafminer increases, the number of citrus leafminer consumed by H. velox also increases. In addition, significantly more citrus leafminer larvae were consumed when two to three H. velox were present inside the cage than when only one H. velox was present.