NOSEMA DISEASE OF HONEYBEE QUEENS (APIS MELLIFICA L.)

Abstract

The feasibility of coprological examination for nosema disease was studied in 442 young queens. Possible age-linked resistance of queens was Experiments showed an infestation rate of 18.4 % amongst queens taken from nuclei (206 queens examined) and an infestation rate of 9.1 96 amongst queens reared in the bee flight room (186 queens examined). Queens 1 to 10 days old inoculated with nosema spores showed no indication of age-linked resistance to the disease. Taking into consideration the high degree of the nosema infestation of young queens, their average life-span of 25.3 days, and the improbability of young queens recovering, we believe that nosema disease is the main cause accepted. Experiments under the hygienic standardized conditions of the bee flight room that the incidence of nosema disease can be reduced by applying strict prophylactic measures incubator). proved conclusively (particularly the use of comb foundations instead of finished combs and the stocking the nuclei with young bees hatched in an underlying requeening in colonies where a queen has already been investigated by selecting 50 aged from 1 to 10 days and infecting them with spores of the protozoan Nosema apis Z. The quantity of spores eliminated with the faeces was then determined. INTRODUCTION