In a survey for Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV) in honey bee (Apis mel lifera
L) colonies in the United States, samples of 300 worker bees were coll
ected from one colony in each of 10 different apiaries in each of the
states of California, Florida, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Texas, and
Washington. Extracts from each sample were injected into a group of se
emingly healthy white-eyed honey bee pupae to increase, to detectable
concentrations, any viruses that may have been present in the extracts
in small concentrations. Extracts were subsequently obtained from eac
h injected pupa and tested for the presence of KBV and other virus par
ticles in serological tests. Viruses serologically related to but dist
inguishable from Australian strains of KBV were found to be present in
each of the seven states sampled.