Presence and distribution of pests and diseases of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Mexico: a review

Abstract

The European honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is the bee species with the largest geographic distribution in the world. It is considered a pollinator generalist of wild plants and agricultural crops, as well as honey bee products as honey, beeswax, and propolis. For this reason, it plays an extremely important role in the world’s ecosystems, economy, and food security. However, Apis mellifera is facing population declines due to biotic and abiotic factors, such as climate change, habitat loss, agrochemical use, and emerging pests and diseases. Pests and diseases are directly associated with a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder (CCD), which is linked with the loss of millions of bee colonies annually worldwide. One particularly important pest is the varroa mite, which is already widely distributed and is considered the major threat to apiculture. In this review, we compile documentation of the presence and distribution of pests and diseases reported to affect Apis mellifera in Mexico. Surveys demonstrate that the following pests are present: Varroa destructor, Acarapis woodi, Aethina tumida, Galleria mellonella, as well as the diseases caused by Melissococcus plutonius, Paenibacillus larvae, Vairimorpha (Nosema) apis, V. ceranae, Ascosphaera apis and several viruses. It should be noted that the distribution and presence of European bee pathogens throughout the beekeeping states of Mexico is not very well defined, due to the lack of current bee health studies in apiaries or nationwide databases to quickly update information on their distribution and incidence.