Honey bees are highly prone to infectious diseases, causing colony losses in the worst case. However, they combat diseases through a combination of their innate immune system and social defence behaviours like foraging for health-enhancing plant products (e.g. nectar, pollen and resin). Plant secondary metabolites are not only highly active against bacteria and fungi, they…
In Europe, approximately 84% of cultivated crop species depend on insect pollinators, mainly bees. Apis mellifera (the Western honey bee) is the most important commercial pollinator worldwide. The Gram-positive bacterium Melissococcus plutonius is the causative agent of European foulbrood (EFB), a global honey bee brood disease. In order to detect putative virulence factors, we sequenced…
Front of the new honey bee lab at the University of Florida. It was the tumultuous beginning to a long-awaited Florida Fall. Hurricane Michael headed toward the state’s panhandle in early October. Only a few short weeks previously, the grand opening of the honey bee Research and Extension Laboratory at the University of Florida took…
Today, scientists of the honey bee research association COLOSS1 have published an article2 in the peer reviewed journal Biological Invasions which provides an action plan on how to deal with new introductions of small hive beetles (Aethina tumida) into regions free of this honey bee pest. Their proposed course of action will help stakeholders all…
Abstract: This work was aimed at the detection of the differences in the occurrence of seven bee pathogens between bee colonies kept in commercial and traditional ways. The research was conducted on 120 apparently healthy, commercially kept colonies in DB hives and 24 traditionally kept colonies in primitive, so-called trmka hives on the Pester Plateau.…
Abstract: Protection of honey bees is of great economic importance because of their role in pollination. Crucial steps towards this goal are epidemiological surveys of pathogens connected with honey bee losses. In this study deformed wing virus (DWV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and sacbrood virus (SBV) were investigated in…
Cadmium and lead-based nanotechnologies are increasingly used in agricultural, industrial, and biological processes; however, potential adverse effects of nanomaterials on honey bees had not been assessed. In this study, effects of exposures to sublethal concentrations of PbO and CdO nanoparticles (NPs), either separately or in combination on honey bee (Apis mellifera) workers, were assessed. Honey…
Beside many beneficial applications in industry, agriculture and medicine, nanoparticles (NPs) released into the environment might cause adverse effects. In the present study, effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of PbO and CdO NPs, either separately or in combination on honey bee (A. mellifera) workers were assessed. Honey bee workers were fed sugar syrup contained…
Reference: Haddad, N. J., Adjlane, N., Saini, D., Menon, A., Krishnamurthy, V., Jonklaas, D., … & Horth, L. (2018). Whole
Reference: Haddad, N., Horth, L., Al-Shagour, B., Adjlane, N., & Loucif-Ayad, W. (2018). Next-generation sequence data demonstrate several pathogenic bee viruses in Middle East and African honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera syriaca, Apis mellifera intermissa) as well as their cohabiting pathogenic mites (Varroa destructor). Virus genes, 1-12. RNA viruses are associated with honey bee (Apis…