Viral infections of Apis mellifera : its importance, dynamics, diagnostics and treatment opportunities

Abstract

Honey bees (Apis mellifera ) play a crucial function in terrestrial ecosystems by maintaining floral biodiversity and providing sustainable agriculture through pollination. Bees affect 35% of the world's crop production, hence, they are essential for economic sustainability, agriculture and food security. The economic value of pollination by bees goes beyond agricultural production. An important role of bees is pollination of the plants that provide food to the wild animals, and this is part of the proper functioning of the ecosystem. On the one hand Apis mellifera has great adaptive potential and it may be found in highly diverse climates almost everywhere in the world, but on the other hand bees are under constant threat by numerous pathogens including bacteria, viruses, fungi, Microsporidia, mites and insects. Other stress factors include environmental change-related stresses, pesticides, malnutrition and migratory beekeeping. The interactions among these, along with possibly other unknown factors, are causing widespread decline in honey bee populations -Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) syndrome. Viruses are the most recent and still poorly investigated pathogens of the honey bees. Simultaneously, Varroa destructor mites and viruses are currently the high-profile suspects in collapsing bee colonies. Varroa acts as a vector for a range of RNA viruses of honey bees which are transferred when the mite feeds on hemolymph from the developing pupa. This publication aims to present an overview of the most important honey bee viruses, their diagnostics methods and treatment opportunities with emphasis on the most common and devastating viruses from Dicistroviridae and Iflaviridae families.

Longevity of Apis mellifera workers fed on a diet incorporating entomopathogens

“…Apis mellifera L. bees are classified within the Hymenoptera order, Apidae family, in which approximately twenty thousand different species are known (RAMOS; . These organisms, especially worker bees, are important to ecosystems, because they are responsible for the pollination of vegetal species (IMPERATRIZ-FONSECA et al, 2012;JACK, 2015;MATUSIEWICZ et al, 2016), besides being producers of honey, propolis, royal jelly, wax, and apitoxin (COSTA-MAIA et al, 2010).…”