Bee-to-bee contact drives oxalic acid distribution in honey bee colonies

Factors Affecting Global Bee Health Honey Bee Health and Population Losses in Managed Bee Colonies

Pathogen Webs in Collapsing Honey Bee Colonies

Recent losses in honey bee colonies are unusual in their severity, geographical distribution, and, in some cases, failure to present recognized characteristics of known disease. Domesticated honey bees face numerous pests and pathogens, tempting hypotheses that colony collapses arise from exposure to new or resurgent pathogens. Here we explore the incidence and abundance of currently known hone...

Honey Bee Colonies Remote Monitoring System

Bees are very important for terrestrial ecosystems and, above all, for the subsistence of many crops, due to their ability to pollinate flowers. Currently, the honey bee populations are decreasing due to colony collapse disorder (CCD). The reasons for CCD are not fully known, and as a result, it is essential to obtain all possible information on the environmental conditions surrounding the beeh...

Metatranscriptomic analyses of honey bee colonies

Honey bees face numerous biotic threats from viruses to bacteria, fungi, protists, and mites. Here we describe a thorough analysis of microbes harbored by worker honey bees collected from field colonies in geographically distinct regions of Turkey. Turkey is one of the World's most important centers of apiculture, harboring five subspecies of Apis mellifera L., approximately 20% of the honey be...

An Investigation of Techniques for Using Oxalic Acid to Reduce Varroa Mite Populations in Honey Bee Colonies and Package Bees

I performed laboratory bioassays to characterize the acute contact toxicity of oxalic acid (OA) to Varroa destructor (Anderson & Trueman) and their honey bee hosts (Apis mellifera). Specifically, I conducted glass-vial residual bioassays to determine the lethal concentration of OA for Varroa, and I conducted topical applications of OA in acetone to determine the lethal dose for honey bees. The ...