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

The prophylaxis of major bacterial infections in the Apis mellifera carpathica bee through honey, pollen and bee bread control

For the purpose of controlling the evolution of major bacterial diseases in bees, which decimate bee colonies in Europe and Romania, respectively, we examined samples (honey, pollen and honeycombs) in the apicultural year 2016, from all over Romania. Sample collection and testing were done with the purpose to prevent the contamination of bee colonies with the etiological agents of major bacterial diseases, considering that worker bees and the food entering the hive (honey, pollen) represent the main contamination ways. The diagnosis method observed OIE regulations (2008) and was adapted in an original way in the Bee Pathology Laboratory in Bucharest. A total of 73 samples were examined, representing honey (51), honeycombs (6) and pollen/bee bread (16), from private apiaries all over the country, that presented depopulation without clinical evolution of contagious diseases in bees, and in which we diagnosed the presence of etiological agents of major bacterial bee diseases (36.98 %), while the rest of the samples were negative (63.02%). Of the 51 samples of honey that were examined, we identified 39.22% positive samples and 60.78% negative ones. Of the pollen samples that were examined, 31.25% were positive and 68.75% were negative, and the honeycombs samples showed 33.33% positive and 66.66% negative. Previous researches indicated that the positive samples (honey, pollen, bee bread), from apiaries in all the regions of the country, represented the basis for the prophylaxis of major bacterial diseases so that, by avoiding using them in bee nutrition, the evolution of major bee diseases did not confirm clinically or paraclinically in the following season (January-April 2017)

The impact of contamination with Nosema SSP. spores on honey obtained by apis mellifera carpathica

Nosemose disease is a parasitic disease that affects old honey bees. It is produced by ubiquitous and opportunistic germs of Nosema spp., coupled with huge losses of honey bees within colonies (by depopulation), and reducing of honey production. In Romania, nosemose disease was officially admitted as being produced by two species of Nosema (Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae). The aim of our study was to establish a possible correlation between the honey naturally infested with spores of Nosema spp. (from families diagnosed positive), and the quality of honey used for human consumption. The study was performed on 65 canola honey samples received from private apiaries, of which 40% of them were taken and analyzed (26 positive samples). Various microscopic analyzes, organoleptic and physicochemical on the properties of honey samples were made. The results showed us that there were significant changes in the honey quality correlated with the degree of its natural pollution. We were found that the honey samples with more than 5 spores of Nosema spp./experimental field have presented serious deterioration in terms of organoleptic and physical-chemical properties. We grouped honey samples (26 samples) into 3 categories, according with their physicochemical and organoleptic changes. These changes in the honey quality have a negative economic impact on the use of bee products, and on health of bee families, too