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-Studies using the repetitive element PCR fingerprinting technique (rep-PCR) revealed that BOX A1R-, MBO REP1-and ERIC-primers reproducibly generate distinctive DNA fingerprints from Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae. Four different genetic subtypes of P. larvae were identified in Germany using the three primers. Correlating the results from genetic and morphological subtyping, the flat and transparent morphotype could be assigned to one genetic group. Geographic evaluation of our results demonstrated that the different genetic subtypes appeared in clusters correlating with different outbreaks of American foulbrood. Taken together, our results indicated that rep-PCR performed with a combination of BOX A1R-and MBO REP1-primers will be an effective tool for establishing a molecular epidemiology of P. l. larvae.American foulbrood / Paenibacillus larvae larvae / DNA-fingerprinting / genetic subtyping / molecular epidemiology

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In this short note we present comparable loss rates of honey bee colonies during winter 2015/16 from 29 countries, obtained with the COLOSS questionnaire. Altogether, we received valid answers from 19,952 beekeepers. These beekeepers collectively wintered 421,238 colonies, and reported 18,587 colonies with unsolvable queen problems and 32,048 dead colonies after winter. This gives an overall loss rate of 12.0% (95% confidence interval 11.8%-12.2%) during winter 2015/16, with marked differences among countries. Beekeepers in the present study assessed 7.6% (95% CI 7.4%-7.8%) of their colonies as dead or empty, and 4.4% (95% CI 4.3%-4.5%) as having unsolvable queen problems after winter. The overall analysis showed that small operations suffered higher losses than larger ones. A table with detailed results and a map showing response and relative risks at regional level are presented

Submit your article to this journal Received 23 December 2013, accepted subject to revision 14 January 2014, accepted for publication 28 January 2014. * Corresponding author: E-mail: romee.van.der.zee@beemonitoring.org †performed the analysis and provided the manuscript SummaryThis article presents results of an analysis of winter losses of honey bee colonies from 19 mainly European countries, most of which implemented the standardised 2013 COLOSS questionnaire. Generalised linear mixed effects models (GLMMs) were used to investigate the effects of several factors on the risk of colony loss, including different treatments for Varroa destructor, allowing for random effects of beekeeper and region.Both winter and summer treatments were considered, and the most common combinations of treatment and timing were used to define treatment factor levels. Overall and within country colony loss rates are presented. Significant factors in the model were found to be:percentage of young queens in the colonies before winter, extent of queen problems in summer, treatment of the varroa mite, and access by foraging honey bees to oilseed rape and maize. Spatial variation at the beekeeper level is shown across geographical regions using random effects from the fitted models, both before and after allowing for the effect of the significant terms in the model. This spatial variation is considerable.