Aqueous extracts of jet-black ant Lasius fuliginosus nests for controlling nosemosis, a disease of honeybees caused by fungi of the genus Nosema

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a fall in the numbers of bee colonies worldwide. To a large extent, this is due to diseases affecting honeybees. One such disease is nosemosis, which is caused by fungi from the genus Nosema. The antibiotic fumagallin used to be administered to treat nosemosis, but as it was found capable of being transferred to bee products, this practice has ceased. We therefore focused on natural substances for treating this disease, among them, aqueous extracts of the nest carton produced by the jet-black ant (Lasius fuliginosus). We tested the influence of 0.1% and 1% concentrations of such extracts on the incidence of nosemosis in honeybees. The "birch carton 2" extract turned out to be the most effective inhibitor of this disease. The incidence of nosemosis following the administration of this extract, as manifested by the number of spores, fell ca 18-fold in comparison with the control. Moreover, the "birch carton 2" extract was not found to be toxic towards bees.

Plants and Their Derivatives as Promising Therapeutics for Sustainable Control of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Pathogens

“…A second investigation demonstrated the anti-nosemosis effectiveness of aqueous nest carton extracts made from a jet-black ant nest (Lasius fuliginosus) with no harm to healthy bees. The amount of spores was also reduced by 97.97% by the birch carton extract [149]. The aqueous extract of the Agaricus blazei mushroom proved successful in lowering the amount of N. ceranae spores without creating any negative side effects when used either at the time of infection or as a prophylactic strategy.…”

Insights into the Role of Natural Products in the Control of the Honey Bee Gut Parasite (Nosema spp.)

“…Another study proved the anti-nosemosis activity of aqueous extracts of nest carton produced from a jet-black ant nest ( Lasius fuliginosus ) with no toxicity on healthy bees. Additionally, the extract of birch carton decreased the number of spores by 97.97% [ 50 ].…”

Recent Advances in the Biocontrol of Nosemosis in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

“…Recently, a particular survey was performed by Kunat et al [ 126 ] using aqueous extracts of the carton nest produced by the jet-black ant ( Lasius fuliginosus ) in the management of bees infected with Nosema . This study showed that the administration of this extract in the honey bee diet greatly influenced the incidence of the disease, inhibiting the germination of Nosema spores.…”