Effects of time, temperature, and honey on Nosema apis (Microsporidia : Nosematidae), a parasite of the honeybee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera : Apidae)
La. Malone et al., Effects of time, temperature, and honey on Nosema apis (Microsporidia : Nosematidae), a parasite of the honeybee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera : Apidae), J INVER PAT, 77(4), 2001, pp. 258-268
Newly emerged adult bees were fed with Nosema apis spores subjected to vari
ous treatments, and their longevity, proportions of bees infected, and spor
es per bee recorded. Spores lost viability after 1, 3, or 6 months in activ
e manuka or multifloral honey, after 3 clays in multifloral honey, and afte
r 21 days in water or sugar syrup at 33 degreesC. Air-dried spores lost via
bility after 3 or 5 days at 40 degrees, 45 degrees, or 49 degreesC, Increas
ing numbers of bees became infected with increasing doses of spores, regard
less of their subsequent food (active manuka honey, thyme honey, or sugar s
yrup). Final spore loads were similar among bees receiving the same food, r
egardless of dose. Bees fed with either honey had lighter infections than t
hose fed with syrup, but this may have been due to reductions in their long
evity. Bees fed with manuka honey were significantly shorter lived, whether
infected or not. (C) 2001 Academic Press.