A SURVEY FOR KASHMIR BEE VIRUS IN HONEY-BEE COLONIES IN THE UNITED-STATES

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.