EFFECTS OF NOSEMA-APIS ZANDER ON INBRED NEW-ZEALAND HONEY-BEES (APIS-MELLIFERA-LIGUSTICA L)

Inbred bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) from seven different colonies w ere dosed individually with spores of Nosema apis and kept in cages. L ongevity and spores carried at the time of death were recorded for eac h bee. The experiment was repeated on three different dates. Control b ee longevity varied with experiment date, although the pattern of this response varied from colony to colony. Dosing significantly reduced t he lifespans of bees in all but three colonies. Results suggest that b ees with superior ability to survive in cages may also withstand N api s infection better. Each cage of dosed bees produced a number of dead bees without detectable spore loads. Survival data comparisons suggest that dosing newly-emerged bees with N apis may result in a relatively fast death for some bees and a slower death for the majority. Spore l oads were very variable with no clear relationship to survival time.