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Ants are ubiquitous and eusocial insects that exhibit frequent physical contact among colony members, thereby increasing their susceptibility to diseases. Some species are often found in beehives and in their surroundings, where they exploit the food resources of honey bees. This intricate relationship may facilitate the interspecific transmission of honey bee pathogens to ants, although ants themselves may contribute to spillback phenomena. The objective of this study was to assess the presence and abundance of honey bee pathogens in ants sampled from Italian apiaries. A total of 37 colonies within 24 apiaries across 7 regions were monitored. In total, 6 pathogens were detected in adult ants and 3 in the brood. In particular, the study revealed a high prevalence of honey bee pathogens in ants, with DWV, BQCV, and CBPV being the most commonly encountered. The brood also tested positive for the same viruses. Notably, all analyzed viruses were found to be replicative in both adult ants and ant broods. Furthermore, co‐infections were prevalent, suggesting complex pathogen interactions within ant populations. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences in pathogen prevalence and abundance among ant species and sample types. The findings highlight active infection in both the ants and the brood, suggesting a potential role of ants as reservoir hosts and vectors of honey bee pathogens emphasizing the need for further research to understand the implications of interspecific pathogen transmission on ant and bee health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small hive beetle Aethina tumida (SHB) Murray,1867, is an invasive bee pest that is expanding its range across Latin America, parts of Australia and the Philippines, and is now established in two regions in Italy. However, despite multiple recent introductions, there is scant information about the dynamics of the initial stages of colonization of the SHB and this knowledge gap could impact management and quarantine strategies decisions for many countries. This note describes the monitoring strategies and the patterns of SHB establishment in a previously SHB‐free apiary on the island of Oahu, Hawaii in 2010–2011. The weekly hive inspections, conducted over a ten‐month period, showed that beetle prevalence increased slowly at the apiary level, and adult beetles were more commonly found (87.9%) inside the oil traps that were placed inside the hives between the outermost frames of the hive. There were relatively few "free roaming" beetles detected at this point and they were more often found on the side frames and underneath the cover of the hive, not on the floor of the hive. The results also suggest that in the early stages of colonization careful visual inspections of the frames of each colony had relatively low detection success when compared to oil traps. Our results support previous modelling studies that suggest the need to inspect a high proportion of colonies per apiary (>80%) to ensure a 5% detection rate during the initial stages of invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is the most economically important parasitic pest of honey bees (Apis mellifera) that causes global colony decline and loss. Since its first detection in Ethiopia in 2010, little is known about the current infestation levels and contributing factors to the mite's distribution across the country. In this study, we conducted a large‐scale assessment of varroa prevalence and infestation levels in managed colonies across three potential beekeeping regions of Ethiopia; Oromia, Amhara and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). A total of 360 samples from 39 apiaries were collected following standard protocols and the mite prevalence and infestation levels were determined using the established method of varroa research. Overall, 89% of sampled colonies were infested by the mite, with varying prevalence rates across the regions: 95.8% in Oromia, 85.2% in Amhara and 71.9% in SNNPR, indicating the widespread nature of the parasite throughout the country. The varroa infestation levels were lower in local hives (2.6 ± 5.9) than in frame hives (5.0 ± 0.9), and significantly higher in brood bees (5.6 ± 0.8) than in adult bees (1.93 ± 0.17) (p < 0.001). Possible factors contributing to the varied mite prevalence and infestation levels in the country include differences in agro‐ecology, beekeeping practices, host age preference and the nature of bee hives. Therefore, our study provides insights into the current status of varroa prevalence and associated factors across regions in Ethiopia. Further investigation is required to explore the probable impact of the parasite on the health and productivity of local honey bees, in order to design future monitoring strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees are among the most effective pollinators that promote plant reproduction. Bees are highly active in the pollen collection season, which can lead to the transmission of selected pathogens between colonies. The clade Starmerella comprises yeasts that are isolated mainly from bees and their environment. When visiting plants, bees can come into contact with Starmerella spp. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and phylogenetic position of S. apis in bee colonies. Bee colonies were collected from nine apiaries in three regions. Ten colonies were sampled randomly from each apiary, and pooled samples were collected from the central part of the hive in each colony. A total of 90 (100%) bee colonies from nine apiaries were examined. Starmerella apis was detected in 31 (34.44%) samples, but related species were not identified. The 18S rRNA amplicon sequences of S. apis were compatible with the GenBank sequences of Starmerella spp. from India, Japan, Syria, Thailand, and the USA. The amplicon sequences of S. apis were also 99.06% homologous with the sequences deposited in GenBank under accession numbers JX515988 and NG067631.This is the first study to perform a phylogenetic analysis of S. apis in Polish honey bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), is a significant pest of managed honeybees in the USA and eastern Australia. The beetle damages hives by feeding on hive products and leaving behind fermented wastes. The beetle is consistently associated with the yeast Kodamaea ohmeri (Etchells & Bell) Yamada et al. (Saccharomycetales: Metschnikowiaceae), and this yeast is the presumed agent of the fermentation. Previous work has noted that the small hive beetle is attracted to volatiles from hive products and those of the yeast K. ohmeri. In this study, we investigated how the volatile compounds from the fermenting hive products change depending upon the source of the hive material and also how these volatiles change through time. We used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and choice‐test behavioural assays to investigate these changes using products sampled from apiaries across the established range of the beetle in eastern Australia. The starting hive products significantly affected the volatile composition of fermenting hive products, and this composition varied throughout time. We found 61.7% dissimilarity between attractive and non‐attractive fermenting hive products, and identified individual compounds that characterise each of these groups. Eleven of these individual compounds were then assessed for attractiveness, as well as testing a synthetic blend in the laboratory. In the laboratory bioassay, 82.1 ± 0.02% of beetles were trapped in blend traps. These results have strong implications for the development of an out‐of‐hive attractant trap to assist in the management of this invasive pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavioural flexibility plays a key role in facilitating the ability of invasive species to exploit anthropogenically‐created resources. In Australia, invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) often gather around commercial beehives (apiaries), whereas native frogs do not. To document how toads use this resource, we spool‐tracked cane toads in areas containing beehives and in adjacent natural habitat without beehives, conducted standardized observations of toad feeding behaviour, and ran prey‐manipulation trials to compare the responses of cane toads versus native frogs to honeybees as potential prey. Toads feeding around beehives travelled shorter distances per night, and hence used different microhabitats, than did toads from nearby control sites without beehives. The toads consumed live bees from the hive entrance (rather than dead bees from the ground), often climbing on top of one another to gain access to the hive entrance. Prey manipulation trials confirm that bee movement is the critical stimulus that elicits the toads' feeding response; and in standardized trials, native frogs consumed bees less frequently than did toads. In summary, cane toads flexibly modify their movements, foraging behaviour and dietary composition to exploit the nutritional opportunities created by commercial beehives, whereas native anurans do not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Honeybee viruses have been recognized as being among the most important factors leading to colony losses worldwide. Colony food and faeces are regarded as possible sources of infectious viruses able to contaminate the environment and equipment of apiaries. Thus, methods for elimination of viruses are required. No cell culture assay for testing the effect of disinfectants on honeybee viruses is yet available. Therefore, surrogate virus was employed for testing of the efficacy of iodophor- and peracetic acid-based disinfectants in combination with six organic contaminants at +6 °C and +22 °C. Moreover, we evaluated the persistence of the surrogate in honey at +6 °C, +22 °C, and +50 °C. RESULTS Iodophor-based disinfectant showed a maximum reduction of virus titre of 3.4 log10. Peracetic acid reduced the titre (≥4 log10) only at 22 °C and without yeast extract/bovine serum albumin. After 25 days of incubation of the virus − honey mix, no decrease of virus titre was observed at +6 °C, whereas a significant reduction (3.5 log10) was found at +50 °C already after 1 day. CONCLUSIONS Both tested disinfectants can serve as appropriate virucides in apiaries. The effect of peracetic acid significantly depended on temperature and organic contaminants. The iodophor-based disinfectant showed a stable antiviral effect at different temperatures and with different contaminants. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small hive beetles (SHBs) Aethina tumida are parasites of honeybee colonies native to sub‐Saharan Africa and have become an invasive species.SHB mass reproduction can destroy entire host colonies, although it is very rare in populations of African honeybee subspecies. However, there are no data available on SHB cryptic low‐level reproduction in African host colonies.In the present study, we dissected entire African honeybee (Apis mellifera adansonii) colonies in Benin.The data obtained show that nondestructive, low‐level SHB reproduction can be very common in Africa and is sufficient to explain local infestation levels of host colonies with adult SHBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Varroa destructor Linnaeus ( Acari: Varroidae) is one of the greatest threats to apiculture. This study examines the role of host density, natural resource availability for bees, the management and climate in driving spatial and annual variability in the abundance of Varroa, and the occurrence of colony losses, recorded in apiaries across a Mediterranean island over a 2-year period, using a hierarchical generalised linear model framework. 2. The seasonal abundance of Varroa showed a bimodal pattern with two peaks, the first one being in spring and larger than the second one located in summer/autumn. In contrast, bee colony losses were mainly concentrated in autumn/winter. 3. The abundance patterns of Varroa were best explained by models combining host, climate, and resource availability. A key novel finding was that low availability of natural flowering resources leads to high levels of infestation of Varroa, highlighting the importance of preserving natural resources around apiaries for the maintenance of pollination services in the landscape. Varroa abundance was also found to increase as bee density increased, probably as a result of the greater brood availability. Moreover, Varroa abundance increased as temperatures decrease and decreases as relative humidity increases, which is consistent with previous studies. Anti-varroa treatments were only found to impact Varroa levels in the second 6 months of the year. Organic treatments outperformed synthetic treatments. 4. Empirical research on optimal seasonal timing and combinations of treatments, as well as impacts of climate and resource availability on natural dynamics of bees and Varroa in different climate zones, is urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bee colonies are threatened by multiple factors including complex interactions between environmental and diseases such as parasitic mites and viruses. We compared the presence of honeybee-pathogenic viruses and Varroa infestation rate in four apiaries: commercial colonies that received treatment against Varroa and non-treated colonies that did not received any treatment for the last 4 years located in temperate and subtropical climate. In addition, we evaluated the effect of climate and Varroa treatment on deformed wing virus (DWV) amounts. In both climates, DWV was the most prevalent virus, being the only present virus in subtropical colonies. Moreover, colonies from subtropical climate also showed reduced DWV amounts and lower Varroa infestation rates than colonies from temperate climate. Nevertheless, non-treated colonies in both climate conditions are able to survive several years. Environment appears as a key factor interacting with local bee populations and influencing colony survival beyond Varroa and virus presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microorganisms Ascosphaera apis, Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius are the three most important pathogens that affect honeybee brood. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of these pathogens in honeybee colonies and to elucidate their role in the honeybee colony losses in Spain. In order to get it, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) assay was developed to simultaneously amplify the16 S ribosomal ribonucleic acid ( rRNA) gene of P. larvae and M. plutonius, and the 5.8 S rRNA gene of A. apis. The multiplex PCR assay provides a quick and specific tool that successfully detected the three infectious pathogens ( P. larvae, M. plutonius and A. apis) in brood and adult honeybee samples without the need for microbiological culture. This technique was then used to evaluate the prevalence of these pathogens in Spanish honeybee colonies in 2006 and 2007, revealing our results a low prevalence of these pathogens in most of the geographic areas studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honeybee colony collapse is a sanitary and ecological worldwide problem. The features of this syndrome are an unexplained disappearance of adult bees, a lack of brood attention, reduced colony strength, and heavy winter mortality without any previous evident pathological disturbances. To date there has not been a consensus about its origins. This report describes the clinical features of two professional bee-keepers affecting by this syndrome. Anamnesis, clinical examination and analyses support that the depopulation in both cases was due to the infection by Nosema ceranae ( Microsporidia), an emerging pathogen of Apis mellifera. No other significant pathogens or pesticides (neonicotinoids) were detected and the bees had not been foraging in corn or sunflower crops. The treatment with fumagillin avoided the loss of surviving weak colonies. This is the first case report of honeybee colony collapse due to N. ceranae in professional apiaries in field conditions reported worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental work was conducted at two apiaries located in Irbid district and in Shuna North, Jordan, during the years 2004–2006. The aims of these investigations were to estimate the seasonal changes in the infestation rates of the bee louse ( Braula sp.) and to develop an easy and rapid method of estimating the infestation rate on workers with bee Braula. Two major honey bee subspecies are reared in Jordan; Apis mellifera carnica and Apis mellifera syriaca were used in this study. The results showed that the infestation rate began to increase rapidly in May, reaching the season's maximum rate of 16.2%, 15.8% and 17.4% for A. m. carnica and 22.6%, 23.9% and 22.9% for A. m. syriaca in December of 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively. The maximum adult numbers of bees were found in April and June, whereas the minimum for the year was in January in both honey bee subspecies colonies during the study period. The actual population of the bee louse could be estimated by counting the daily dropped lice and multiplying by a factor of 158. This factor is valid for the experimental colonies of both subspecies kept for 3 years under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Honey is one of the most important agricultural products for export in Argentina. In fact, more than 3.5 million beehives and 50 000 beekeepers are related with this production, mainly located in Buenos Aires province. Honeybee mortality is a serious problem that beekeepers in Argentina have had to face during the last 3 years. It is known that the consequence of the complex interactions between environmental and beekeeping parameters added to the effect of different disease agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasitic mites may result in a sudden collapse of the colony. In addition, multiple viral infections are frequently detected concomitantly in bee colonies. We describe here the preliminary results of a survey of three honeybee-pathogenic viruses, acute bee paralysis viruses (ABPV), chronic bee paralysis viruses (CBPV) and Sacbrood viruses (SBV) detected during a screening of 61 apiaries located in the main honey producer province using a RT-PCR assay. This is the first molecular report of the presence of these viruses in Argentine apiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]