Cold Ambient Temperature Promotes Nosema spp. Intensity in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

Retschnig, Gina; Williams, Geoffrey Rhys; Schneeberger, Annette; Neumann, Peter (2017). Cold Ambient Temperature Promotes Nosema spp. Intensity in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera). Insects, 8(1) MDPI 10.3390/insects8010020

[img]
Preview
Text
Cold ambient temperature promotes Nosema spp. intensity in honey bees (Apis mellifera).pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY).

Download (961kB) | Preview

Interactions between parasites and environmental factors have been implicated in the loss of managed Western honey bee (=HB, Apis mellifera) colonies. Although laboratory data suggest that cold temperature may limit the spread of Nosema ceranae, an invasive species and now ubiquitous endoparasite of Western HBs, the impact of weather conditions on the distribution of this microsporidian in the field is poorly understood. Here, we conducted a survey for Nosema spp. using 18 Swiss apiaries (four colonies per apiary) over a period of up to 18 months. Samples consisting of 60 workers were collected monthly from each colony to estimate Nosema spp. intensity, i.e., the number of spores in positive samples using microscopy. Ambient apiary temperature was measured daily to estimate the proportion of days enabling HB flight (>10 °C at midday). The results show that Nosema spp. intensities were negatively correlated with the proportion of days enabling HB flight, thereby suggesting a significant and unexpected positive impact of cold ambient temperature on intensities, probably via regulation of defecation opportunities for infected hosts.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Institute of Bee Health

UniBE Contributor:

Retschnig, Gina, Williams, Geoffrey Rhys, Neumann, Peter (B)

Subjects:

500 Science > 590 Animals (Zoology)
600 Technology > 630 Agriculture

ISSN:

2075-4450

Publisher:

MDPI

Language:

English

Submitter:

Anna Papach

Date Deposited:

22 May 2018 16:03

Last Modified:

29 Mar 2023 23:35

Publisher DOI:

10.3390/insects8010020

PubMed ID:

28208761

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.113643

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/113643

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback