Importance of microscopic testing of honey and pollen samples in the prophylaxis of major bacterial diseases in apis mellifera carpathica bees

The purpose of the study was to monitor the presence of bacilli in the honey and pollen samples in correlation to the positive diagnosis of these major bacterial diseases in bees. The study took 3 years, and approximately 156 samples of honey and bee bread from reserve honeycombs and 156 live bee intestine samples were processed. To identify the bacilli in honey, bee bread (pollen) reserve and live bees intestine , we used our own method, and the confirmation of their presence was done through methodology OIE/2008. Of the total tested samples, the bacilli were found present in 63 samples from reserve honeycombs and in 67 samples from live bees’ intestine. The bee colonies that did not test bacilli in the samples examined for the duration of the monitoring, did not present a disease episode and did not register mortality of pathologic nature. The mortality registered in the apiaries under study throughout the 3 year-period was 30-100 % for the apiares from which samples testing positive for bacilli had been received. The study confirms that a correlation exists between the presence of bacilli in samples of honey and bee bread from reserve honeycombs, and their presence in adult bees’ intestine. The microscopic testing of honey and pollen samples, as well as of bee intestine, may constitute an important prophylactic method in the management of major bacterial diseases in bees (American and European foulbrood)

"Incidence of some intoxications evolution in Romania in Apis mellifera carpathica bees monitored in a bee disease prevention program in the active beekeeping season of 2019"

The aim of this paper consisted in evaluating the intoxication cases and their dynamics during the active beekeeping season of 2019 for Apis mellifera carpathica bees monitored in a program for the prevention of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Following the corroboration of the anamnestic data with the morphoclinical data, suspicion of intoxication with toxic feed (pollen), chemicals (pesticides) and medicinal products (antiparasitic products) was established, excluding other causes of illness. During the period of the study, 113 apiaries from different geographic areas of Romania were monitored; counting a number of 7007 bee families, and was identified a number of 18 apiaries (16%) with susceptibility of intoxication, including a number of 1582 bee families (22.57%). The percentage dynamics of the intoxication cases in the studied bee families was the following: 34.07% intoxication with toxic food, 59.6% intoxication with chemical substances and 6.33% intoxication with drugs. We mention that this proportion of the intoxication was on the background of an active beekeeping season in 2019 with many rainfall and extreme weather phenomena

The prophylaxis of chalkbrood in bees by laboratory methods - microscopic testing of pollen

The purpose of this study was to monitor the load of Ascosphera apis spores in honey and pollen samples and to evaluate the pertinence of the method in the prophylaxis of Ascosphera apis infestation by eliminating contaminated sources used in bee fed. We investigated 8 apiaries for a period of 2 years at the end of the active bee season, the collected samples consisting in pollen (39 samples) and pollen supplimentary foods (7 samples). The samples were processed and tested for spores of Ascosphera apisthrough the method OIE/2008, adapted for samples of pollenandpollen supplimentary foods. The samples originated from apiaries suspected of nosema disease. Within the lot with pollen samples (46 samples), a number of 39 pollen samples belonging to the 4 dominant floral categories in Romania (polifloral, rape, sun-flower, linden) were chosen in order to determine the infestation level with Ascosphera apis spores. Most of the Ascosphera apis spores positive samples were represented by the rape and sunflower pollen samples. Tests evidenced the presence of Ascosphera apisspores in 22 samples of pollen and pollen supplimentary foods of the total of 45 examined samples during the monitoring process. The tests made on bee samples collected at the end of the beekeeping season, by comparison to the ones collected in the beginning of the following season, demonstrated a significant reduction in the infestation degree (30.43%) in bees by eliminating from consumption the sources of infestation (pollen supplimentary foods and pollen) in the winter season. Testing before the inactive season for Ascosphera apis spores in the reserve honey and pollen represents an important prophylactic method against Ascosphera apis infestation in bees

Impact of Seed Treatment with Imidacloprid, Clothianidin and Thiamethoxam on Soil, Plants, Bees and Hive Products

This paper presents studies performed for the monitoring of imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam residues applied as seed treatment in rapeseed (Brassica napus ssp. oleifera), maize (Zea mays) and sunflower crops (Helianthus annuus). The experiments were located in representative areas of the mentioned crops. Residue levels were determined in plant samples at different phenological development stages, including flowers, as well as in bees and hive products (pollen, honeycomb, honey) by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS). The analyses were performed in ISO 17025-accredited laboratories, referring to the limit of quantification (LOQ), characteristic of the method used to determine the residues. In 2019, the percentage of samples that contained residues of the three substances, applied to the seed, was 16.39%, representing 20 samples out of the total of 122 analyzed samples. In 2020, 10 samples contained neonicotinoid residues above the LOQ, including 5 soil samples and 5 plant samples, representing 6.17% of the total samples. In 2021, from 149 samples with neonicotinoid applied as seed treatment, residues were identified in 12 soil samples and 11 plant samples, representing 15.43% of the total number of samples. In 2022, only 12 soil samples and 1 pasture sample contained residues above the LOQ. The results show that the highest percentage of samples with residues above the LOQ was recorded by the soil samples, while the flower and bee samples had the lowest percentages of samples with residues above the LOQ; no residues of the three neonicotinoid substances were identified in the honey samples