Entomopathogenic Fungi for Pests and Predators Control in Beekeeping

Bava, Roberto; Castagna, Fabio; Piras, Cristian; Musolino, Vincenzo; Lupia, Carmine; Palma, Ernesto; Britti, Domenico; Musella, Vincenzo

doi:10.3390/vetsci9020095

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 151 publications

(197 reference statements)

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“…The identification of alternative methods for the control of V. destructor becomes urgent, also in the light of the increasingly and widespread phenomena of drug resistance reported [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Control methods based on the use of essential oils offer considerable promise due to their low toxicity to humans and the environment [ 26 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Veterinary Pharmacology for Honey Bee Welfare and Health: Origanum heracleoticum L. (Lamiaceae) Essential Oil for the Control of the Apis mellifera Varroatosis

Castagna

Bava

Piras

et al. 2022

Veterinary Sciences

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Varroatosis, caused by the Varroa destructor mite, is currently the most dangerous parasitic disease threatening the survival of honey bees worldwide. Its adverse effect on the welfare and health of honey bees requires the regular use of specific acaricides. This condition has led to a growing development of resistance phenomena towards the most frequently used drugs. In addition, another important aspect that should not be understated, is the toxicity and persistence of chemicals in the environment. Therefore, the identification of viable and environmentally friendly alternatives is urgently needed. In this scenario, essential oils are promising candidates. The aim of this study was to assess the contact toxicity, the fumigation efficacy and the repellent effect of Origanum heracleoticum L. essential oil (EO) against V. destructor mite. In the contact tests, each experimental replicate consisted of 15 viable adult female mites divided as follows: 5 treated with EO diluted in HPLC grade acetone, 5 treated with acetone alone (as negative control) and 5 treated with Amitraz diluted in acetone (as positive control). The EO was tested at concentrations of 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/mL. For each experimental replicate, mortality was manually assessed after one hour. The efficacy of EO fumigation was evaluated through prolonged exposure at different time intervals. After each exposure, the 5 mites constituting an experimental replicate were transferred to a Petri dish containing a honey bee larva and mortality was assessed after 48 h. The repellent action was investigated by implementing a directional choice test in a mandatory route. During the repellency tests the behavior of the mite (90 min after its introduction in the mandatory route) was not influenced by the EO. In contact tests, EO showed the best efficacy at 2 and 1 mg/mL concentrations, neutralizing (dead + inactivated) 90.9% and 80% of the mites, respectively. In fumigation tests, the mean mortality rate of V. destructor at maximum exposure time (90 min) was 60% and 84% at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Overall, these results demonstrate a significant efficacy of O. heracleoticum EO against V. destructor, suggesting a possible alternative use in the control of varroatosis in honey bee farms in order to improve Apis mellifera welfare and health and, consequently, the hive productions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Veterinary Pharmacology for Honey Bee Welfare and Health: Origanum heracleoticum L. (Lamiaceae) Essential Oil for the Control of the Apis mellifera Varroatosis

Castagna

Bava

Piras

et al. 2022

Veterinary Sciences

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“…Appressorium grows well at pH of around 5-8 and temperatures of 25-30ºC. Lastly, penetration will form blastospores which will then spread within hemolymph and form a secondary hyphae in order to attack the tissues inside insect's body (Boucias et al, 1988;Altinok et al, 2019;Bava et al, 2022).…”

Section: Metarhizium Anisopliae Influence On Oryctes Rhinoceros Morta...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potency of Metarhizium anisopliae in Disturbing Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Growth and Development

Maysaroh

Martono

Harjaka

2022

JPTI

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Metarhizium anisopliae is one of the most frequently used insect pathogen fungi in controlling Oryctes rhinoceros. This research aims to learn the potency of fungus M. anisopliae against O. rhinoceros larvae growth and development at the laboratory. The research methods used are T-tests comprising seven treatments and three replications. Fungi were applied in all larvae instar stages starting from the pre-molting of the first larvae instar, post-molting of the second larvae instar, active second larvae instar, pre-molting of the second larvae instar, post-molting of the third larvae instar, active third larvae instar, and pre-pupae stage which were then compared with each instar’s own control. The result indicates that fungus M. anisopliae is capable of suppressing O. rhinoceros growth and development. The fungus induced highest mortality rate of 87% to the third instar larvae and lowest mortality rate of 27% to the pre-molting of the first instar larvae. The fungus also affected the duration of larval stage. At pre-molting of the third larvae instar treated with M. anisopliae, the larval duration was 40 days compared to that of control that took 135 days. At the post-molting of the third larvae instar, the larval duration was 25 days compared to that of control that took 120 days. At the third larvae instar, the larval duration was no more than 15 days compared to that of control that reached 110 days. At pre-pupal stage, the larvae only lasted for 6 days while at control, they were able to last for 15 days. The fungus also affected the success of larva development in becoming pupae in all O. rhinoceros larval stage. The lowest success rate was found in the post-molting of the third larvae instar treated with M. anisopliae with 7% compared to its control with 100% while the highest success rate was found in the pre-molting of the first larval instar with 47% compared to its control with 93%.

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“…The products most commonly used to treat infected colonies are those based on organic acids (oxalic acid and formic acid), essential oils (e.g., thymol), organophosphates (e.g., coumaphos), pyrethroids (e.g., flumethrin and fluvalinate) and formamidine (Amitraz) [4]. Despite this armamentarium, misuse attributable to the administration of incorrect doses and/or the frequent use of the same active ingredient has favoured the development of mites resistant to the common acaricides [5][6][7][8][9]. The effectiveness of many molecules has therefore decreased.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytochemical Profile of Foeniculum vulgare Subsp. piperitum Essential Oils and Evaluation of Acaricidal Efficacy against Varroa destructor in Apis mellifera by In Vitro and Semi-Field Fumigation Tests

Bava

Castagna²,

Palma³

et al. 2022

Veterinary Sciences

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Varroatosis is an important parasitic disease of Apis mellifera caused by the mite Varroa destructor (V. destructor). The parasite is able to transmit numerous pathogens to honeybees which can lead to colony collapse. In recent years, the effectiveness of authorized drug products has decreased due to increasing resistance phenomena. Therefore, the search for alternatives to commercially available drugs is mandatory. In this context, essential oils (EOs) prove to be a promising choice to be studied for their known acaricide properties. In this research work, the acaricide activity of EO vapours isolated from the epigeal part (whole plant) of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare sbps. piperitum) and its three fractions (leaves, achenes and flowers) against V. destructor was evaluated. The effectiveness of fumigation was studied using two methods. The first involved prolonged exposure of mites to oil vapour for variable times. After exposure, the five mites in each replicate were placed in a Petri dish with an Apis mellifera larva. Mortality, due to chronic toxicity phenomena, was assessed after 48 h. The second method aimed to translate the results obtained from the in vitro test into a semi-field experiment. Therefore, two-level cages were set up. In the lower compartment of the cage, a material releasing oil vapours was placed; in the upper compartment, Varroa-infested honeybees were set. The results of the first method showed that the increase in mortality was directly proportional to exposure time and concentration. The whole plant returned 68% mortality at the highest concentration (2 mg/mL) and highest exposure time (48 h control), while the leaves, achenes and flowers returned 64%, 52% and 56% mortality, respectively. In the semi-field experiment, a concentration up to 20 times higher than the one used in the in vitro study was required for the whole plant to achieve a similar mite drop of >50%. The results of the study show that in vitro tests should only be used for preliminary screening of EO activity. In vitro tests should be followed by semi-field tests, which are essential to identify the threshold of toxicity to bees and the effective dose to be used in field studies.

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Entomopathogenic Fungi for Pests and Predators Control in Beekeeping

Cited by 20 publications

References 151 publications

Green Veterinary Pharmacology for Honey Bee Welfare and Health: Origanum heracleoticum L. (Lamiaceae) Essential Oil for the Control of the Apis mellifera Varroatosis

Green Veterinary Pharmacology for Honey Bee Welfare and Health: Origanum heracleoticum L. (Lamiaceae) Essential Oil for the Control of the Apis mellifera Varroatosis

The Potency of Metarhizium anisopliae in Disturbing Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Growth and Development

Phytochemical Profile of Foeniculum vulgare Subsp. piperitum Essential Oils and Evaluation of Acaricidal Efficacy against Varroa destructor in Apis mellifera by In Vitro and Semi-Field Fumigation Tests

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