Abstract In this study we show that honey bee colonies placed in a greenhouse for pollination of strawberry can simultaneously be used to indicate the presence of the plant pathogenic bacterium Erwinia pyrifoliae. This was demonstrated by using two methods of qualitative sacrificial and non-sacrificial bio sampling of the honey bee colony. A novel method…
Abstract The Small Hive Beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida, is an invasive pest of honey bee colonies that causes significant damage to the beekeeping sector. SHB was detected in southern Italy (EU) in 2014 and despite adopted eradication measures, is still present there. After three years of observations of SHB in Calabria (2014-2016), we provide here…
Abstract We verified the acaricide efficacy on Varroa destructor and the toxicity on honey bees of summer treatments carried out in three different apiaries in Central Italy with an evaporator filled with 290 ml of formic acid 60%. Acaricide efficacy was evaluated counting the number of mites killed by the application of formic acid in the…
We here describe the results of the investigation of a honeybee hive that exhibited symptoms of poisoning in the July 2013. During the summer, only a few pesticides such as desiccants, typically quaternary ammonium (quat) and glyphosate formulations, are applied. We therefore analysed samples of not only a wide range of pesticides, but also desiccants. Additionally,…
We describe the identification by a metagenomics approach of Apis rhabdovirus, ARV-1, in A. mellifera, Bombus impatiens and in V. destructor mites from populations collected in the US and in Israel. By RT-PCR we found that ARV-1 can reach high titers of 107–108 viral genomic copies per individual in individual honey bees and mites . ARV-1…
Two new articles of our team: New article 1. Vejnovic Branislav, Stevanovic Jevrosima, Schwarz Ryan S, Aleksic Nevenka, Mirilovic Milorad, Jovanovic Nemanja M, Stanimirovic Zoran (2017) Quantitative PCR assessment of Lotmaria passim in Apis mellifera colonies co-infected naturally with Nosema ceranae. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2017.11.003. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022201117303245 New article 2. Glavinic Uros, Stankovic Biljana,…
Honeybee losses have been attributed to multiple stressors and factors including the neonicotinoid insecticides (NIs). Much of the study of hive contamination has been focused upon temperate regions such as Europe, Canada and the United States. This study looks for the first time at honey, pollen and bees collected from across the Nile Delta in…
In two recently published reports, hazards posed by dietary exposure to organophosphate and neonicotinoid plant protection products on the European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) in Egypt were investigated. Using concentrations reported in those studies, an assessment of hazards posed by these two classes of insecticides to humans due to consumption of Egyptian honey from…
In this study we measured in vitro honey bee enzyme activities in presence of the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) and some new benzodioxole and dihydrobenzofuran derivatives through absorbance and fluorescence spectrophotometric assays, to determine if and to what extent detoxification systems and acetylcholinesterases are affected by these compounds. Both Italian (Italy) and Carniolan (Czech Republic)…
Abstract Natural honey bee products, especially propolis are well known for their biological properties. However, less well known are the impact of propolis’ single phenolic substances and variation across different landscapes, geographic locations and botanical origins. Here, we determined the chemical composition of propolis samples collected in different geographic areas of Romania with a continental…