and are microsporidia which play an important role in the epidemiology of honeybee microsporidiosis worldwide. Nosemiasis reduces honeybee population size and causes significant losses in honey production. To the best of our knowledge, limited information is available about the prevalence of nosemiasis in Italy. In this research, we determined the occurrence of infection in Central Italy. Thirty-eight seemingly healthy apiaries (2 to 4 hives each) were randomly selected and screened from April to September 2014 ( = 11) or from May to September 2015 ( = 27). The apiaries were located in six areas of Central Italy, including Lucca ( = 11), Massa Carrara ( = 9), Pisa ( = 9), Leghorn ( = 7), Florence ( = 1), and Prato ( = 1) provinces. Light microscopy was carried out according to current OIE recommendations to screen the presence of microsporidiosis in adult worker honeybees. Since the morphological characteristics of and spores are similar and can hardly be distinguished by optical microscopy, all samples were also screened by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) assay based on 16S rRNAgenetargeted species-specific primers to differentiate from Furthermore, PCR-positive samples were also sequenced to confirm the species of amplified DNA. Notably, spores were detected in samples from 24 out of 38 (63.2%, 95% CI: 47.8-78.5%) apiaries. Positivity rates in single provinces were 10/11, 8/9, 3/9, 1/7, or 1/1 ( = 2). A full agreement (Cohen's Kappa = 1) was assessed between microscopy and M-PCR. Based on M-PCR and DNA sequencing results, only was found. Overall, our results highlighted that infection occurs frequently in the cohort of honeybee populations that was examined despite the lack of clinical signs. These findings suggest that colony disease outbreaks might result from environmental factors that lead to higher susceptibility of honeybees to this microsporidian.

Honey is an ancient food that has always been considered a natural and healthy product, free of contaminants. However, it can contain toxic substances, such as antibiotics, pesticides and heavy metals, as well as foreign matter (e.g. arthropod body parts and microbial contaminants), working as allergens and vectors of human pathogens. In this study we used the filth test to evaluate the abundance of foreign matter in 70 Italian honeys, including Castanea sativa, Robinia pseudoacacia and multi-floral honeys, the latter both from small beekeeping farms and industrial producers. The abundance of different foreign matter varied in honeys, with a higher number of carbon particles and other inorganic fragments, followed by fragments of animal origin. This latter included insects (Diptera Brachycera larvae and Strepsiptera), their cuticular fragments (mainly Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera), mites (mainly Glycyphagidae, Acaridae and Tarsonemidae) and mammal hairs. No differences were recorded in the abundance of foreign matter among different kinds of honey, as well as between honeys from small and large-sized producers. Foreign matter found in honey provided functional information to evaluate honey quality standards in apiary, honey extraction and packaging phases. Overall, the filth test method applied to honey quality control can be considered an excellent tool, also for small beekeeping farms, since it allows rapid and frequent quality checking of the production process. This method is cheap, requires minimal instrumental equipment and results can be interpreted quickly.

Inside a long-term agronomic trial aimed at evaluating the effects of organic and low-input conventional management systems on soil fertility and arable crop production, we selected six fields bordered by hedgerows, three under each management system. Here, we analyzed the carabid assemblages and the slug abundance. Samplings took place in five different periods, across 1 yr of observations. The carabid abundances were similar in organic and conventional fields. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H’) showed a higher value in the conventional fields, although in the organic fields, a higher number of species were observed. The multivariate analysis described similar carabid communities, but excluding the period factor, it showed a significant influence of the management system. There was no difference between the captures of traps placed along the hedgerow and in the middle, whereas in the conventional fields, the hedgerow traps captured a higher number of specimens, showing a role of the hedgerow as carabid reservoir. The slugs were present mainly while green manure was grown on the organic fields where also Poecilus cupreus Linné, 1758 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) was captured abundantly.

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