Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Beekeeping”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Venom-specific IgG antibodies in bee and wasp allergy: lack of correlation with protection from stings.

This paper investigates the relationship between venom IgG levels and protection from stings. Venom-specific IgG antibody levels have been measured by radioimmunoassay in untreated wasp-(n = 38) and bee-allergic (n = 16) patients presenting with systemic reactions to stings and in a sub-group of these (wasp = 15; bee = 9), before and after the initial course of venom immunotherapy (VIT). A history was taken of all reactions, the last systemic reaction being graded on a scale of 1-8 and of the number and timing of stings. In untreated patients venom IgG levels were much higher in bee-allergic patients (mean +/- s.e. = 68.2 +/- 7.1% positive pool) than in the wasp group (27.1 +/- 4.2%) (P < 0.05 Mann-Whitney U-test). There was a marked rise in venom IgG after the initial course of VIT in the wasp group (geometric mean and 95% confidence intervals = 40.5%, 28.8-54.3) but a much smaller rise in the bee group (15.3%, 6.6-24.1), with no overlap in the 95% confidence intervals. Bee patients, who were mainly beekeepers or their relatives, had been more heavily immunized with venom than wasp patients. They had received: (i) more stings (mean number of stings: bee, 26; wasp, 4; P < 0.001) and (ii) more stings per year. Wasp patients received their smaller number of stings over a much longer period, up to 40 yr. There was no correlation between the severity of the last systemic reaction and the venom IgG levels alone or venom IgG and IgE levels in combined analysis in either bee or wasp patients. This study shows that the pattern of IgG response differs in bee and wasp-allergic subjects, and that most bee-allergic subjects with systemic reactions have high levels of venom IgG. The degree of immunization with venom seems to be an important determinant of the venom IgG level. Our findings suggest that venom-specific IgG levels do not predict systemic reactions to stings and are not useful for monitoring VIT. If protection from stings is IgG-mediated, our observations suggest that the relevant immune response is more complex, possibly involving IgG sub-classes, IgG antibodies to individual venom antigens or antibody affinity, and not adequately reflected by measurement of the concentration of venom-specific IgG.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Food intolerance to honey.

A 42 year-old beekeeper who had an inhalant allergy to Compositeae pollen presented an adverse reaction while eating a honey which contained large numbers of Compositeae pollens. As she was not intolerant to honey of own production, which contained no Compositeae pollen, the adverse reaction seems to be attributed to these pollens.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Parasitic mites of honey bees: life history, implications, and impact.

The hive of the honey bee is a suitable habitat for diverse mites (Acari), including nonparasitic, omnivorous, and pollen-feeding species, and parasites. The biology and damage of the three main pest species Acarapis woodi, Varroa jacobsoni, and Tropilaelaps clareae is reviewed, along with detection and control methods. The hypothesis that Acarapis woodi is a recently evolved species is rejected. Mite-associated bee pathologies (mostly viral) also cause increasing losses to apiaries. Future studies on bee mites are beset by three main problems: (a) The recent discovery of several new honey bee species and new bee-parasitizing mite species (along with the probability that several species are masquerading under the name Varroa jacobsoni) may bring about new bee-mite associations and increase damage to beekeeping; (b) methods for studying bee pathologies caused by viruses are still largely lacking; (c) few bee- and consumer-friendly methods for controlling bee mites in large apiaries are available.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Lysine residues in bee venom phospholipase A2 are important for binding to human monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies of the IgG4 isotope.

Discontinuous antigenic sites on bee venom phospholipase A2 (PLA) have been mapped using human monoclonal antibodies or human polyclonal serum antibodies (hpAbs) of the IgG4 isotype from beekeepers or of the IgE isotype from individuals allergic to PLA. Lysine residues of PLA have been specifically modified by acetylation or acylation by treatment with citraconic anhydride of their epsilon-amino groups to analyze their role in antigen-antibody binding. After the modifications, the binding of PLA to the human monoclonal antibodies is lost, whereas the binding to IgG4 hpAbs is significantly decreased. In contrast, the effect on the binding of PLA to IgE hpAbs appears to be more heterogeneous. The data indicate the importance of lysine residues as being part of B cell epitopes in PLA-specific antibodies of the IgG4 isotype, but less so for those of the IgE isotype.

Acetylation↗
PubMed2026

Comparative genomics and phenotypic divergence of ERIC I and ERIC II genotypes of Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood disease.

Honeybees of the species Apis mellifera are important pollinators of crops and wild plants. Paenibacillus larvae, a spore-forming bacterium, is a problematic pathogen that causes American foulbrood (AFB) in honeybee larvae worldwide. In many countries, AFB is a notifiable disease, requiring the destruction of diseased colonies, resulting in economic loss that impacts beekeeping and agriculture. Disease onset starts with larval ingestion of P. larvae spores, which germinate into growing cells that proliferate in the larval gut, leading to larval death and eventually bee colony collapse. As infection progresses, P. larvae produce spores, reinitiating the disease cycle. Thus, growth, sporulation and germination underlie AFB. In this study, using various microbiological assays, quantitative cell biology methods, transmission electron microscopy and genomics, we sought to identify genetic and phenotypic characteristics associated with the predominant ERIC I and ERIC II genotypes of P. larvae during growth, sporulation and germination. Extending previous findings, our data identify genetic differences between ERIC I and ERIC II strains and some genetic variation between strains of the same ERIC type. Furthermore, we describe significant differences in cellular morphology during growth, differences in spore envelope structure and differences in germination efficiency between ERIC I and ERIC II genotypes. Collectively, our findings improve understanding of P. larvae biology and provide a foundation for developing genotype-specific disease management strategies for AFB.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Infestation and distribution of the mite Varroa destructor in colonies of Africanized bees.

Whereas in several parts of the world varroa is the major pest affecting apiculture, in others the parasite is unknown to many beekeepers because its damage to bees is minor. The impact of the mite Varroa destructor is related to the climatic conditions and the races of Apis mellifera bees in each region where the pest exists. In the present study, the current level of infestation by the mite was assessed to determine the evolution of the pest in Africanized bee colonies in Southern Brazil. This level of infestation was considered low: approximately two mites per one hundred adult bees. This result is similar to that obtained for the same apiary almost five years ago and for others distributed in various regions of Brazil. In the present study, we also estimated the total varroa population and its distribution among brood and adults in each bee colony.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

A sequential sampling scheme for detecting infestation levels of tracheal mites (Heterostigmata: Tarsonemidae) in honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies.

The introduction of parasitic honey bee mites, the tracheal mite, Acarapis woodi (Rennie) in 1984 and the Varroa mite, Varroa jacobsoni, in 1987, has dramatically increased the winter mortality of honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies in many areas of the United States. Some beekeepers have minimized their losses by routinely treating their colonies with menthol, currently the only Environmental Protection Agency-approved and available chemical for tracheal mite control. Menthol is also expensive and can interfere with honey harvesting. Because of inadequate sampling techniques and a lack of information concerning treatment, this routine treatment strategy has increased the possibility that tracheal mites will develop resistance to menthol. It is important to establish economic thresholds and treat colonies with menthol only when treatment is warranted rather than treating all colonies regardless of infestation level. The use of sequential sampling may reduce the amount of time and effort expended in examining individual colonies and determining if treatment is necessary. Sequential sampling also allows statistically based estimates of the percentage of bees in standard Langstroth hives infested with mites while controlling for the possibility of incorrectly assessing the amount of infestation. On the average, sequential sampling plans require fewer observations (bees) to reach a decision for specified probabilities of type I and type II errors than are required for fixed sampling plans, especially when the proportion of infested bees is either very low or very high. We developed a sequential sampling decision plan to allow the user to choose specific economic injury levels and the probability of making type I and type II errors which can result inconsiderable savings in time, labor and expense.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Field evaluation of neem and canola oil for the selective control of the honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) mite parasites Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) and Acarapis woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae).

Neem oil, neem extract (neem-aza), and canola oil were evaluated for the management of the honey bee mite parasites Varroa jacobsoni (Oudemans) and Acarapis woodi (Rennie) in field experiments. Spraying neem oil on bees was more effective at controlling V. jacobsoni than feeding oil in a sucrose-based matrix (patty), feeding neem-aza in syrup, or spraying canola oil. Neem oil sprays also protected susceptible bees from A. woodi infestation. Only neem oil provided V. jacobsoni control comparable to the known varroacide formic acid, but it was not as effective as the synthetic product Apistan (tau-fluvalinate). Neem oil was effective only when sprayed six times at 4-d intervals and not when applied three times at 8-d intervals. Neem oil spray treatments had no effect on adult honey bee populations, but treatments reduced the amount of sealed brood in colonies by 50% and caused queen loss at higher doses. Taken together, the results suggest that neem and canola oil show some promise for managing honey bee parasitic mites, but the negative effects of treatments to colonies and the lower efficacy against V. jacobsoni compared with synthetic acaricides may limit their usefulness to beekeepers.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Varroa destructor infestation in untreated honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies selected for hygienic behavior.

Honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies bred for hygienic behavior were tested in a large field trial to determine if they were able to resist the parasitic mite Varroa destructor better than unselected colonies of"Starline" stock. Colonies bred for hygienic behavior are able to detect, uncap, and remove experimentally infested brood from the nest, although the extent to which the behavior actually reduces the overall mite-load in untreated, naturally infested colonies needed further verification. The results indicate that hygienic colonies with queens mated naturally to unselected drones had significantly fewer mites on adult bees and within worker brood cells than Starline colonies for up to 1 yr without treatment in a commercial, migratory beekeeping operation. Hygienic colonies actively defended themselves against the mites when mite levels were relatively low. At high mite infestations (>15% of worker brood and of adult bees), the majority of hygienic colonies required treatment to prevent collapse. Overall, the hygienic colonies had similar adult populations and brood areas, produced as much honey, and had less brood disease than the Starline colonies. Thus, honey bees bred for hygienic behavior performed as well if not better than other commercial lines of bees and maintained lower mite loads for up to one year without treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Longevity and reproductive success of Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) fed different natural diets.

The longevity and reproductive success of newly emerged, unfed adult Aethina tumida Murray assigned different diets (control = unfed; honey-pollen; honey; pollen; empty brood comb; bee brood; fresh Kei apples; and rotten Kei apples) were determined. Longevity in honey-fed small hive beetle adults (average maximum: 167 d) was significantly higher than on other diets. Small hive beetles fed empty brood comb lived significantly longer (average maximum: 49.8 d) than unfed beetles (average maximum: 9.6 d). Small hive beetle offspring were produced on honey-pollen, pollen, bee brood, fresh Kei apples, and rotten Kei apples but not on honey alone, empty brood comb, or in control treatments. The highest reproductive success occurred in pollen fed adults (1773.8 +/- 294.4 larvae per three mating pairs of adults). The data also show that A. tumida can reproduce on fruits alone, indicating that they are facultative parasites. The pupation success and sex ratio of small hive beetle offspring were also analyzed. Larvae fed pollen, honey-pollen, or brood had significantly higher pupation success rates of 0.64, 0.73, and 0.65 respectively than on the other diets. Sex ratios of emerging adults fed diets of pollen or brood as larvae were significantly skewed toward females. Because small hive beetle longevity and overall reproductive success was highest on foodstuffs located in honey bee colonies, A. tumida are efficient at causing large-scale damage to colonies of honey bees resulting in economic injury for the beekeeper. Practical considerations for the control of A. tumida are briefly discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Field trials using the fungal pathogen, Metarhizium anisopliae (Deuteromycetes: Hyphomycetes) to control the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies.

The potential for Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschinkoff) to control the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman) in honey bee colonies was evaluated in field trials against the miticide, tau-fluvalinate (Apistan). Peak mortality of V. destructor occurred 3-4 d after the conidia were applied; however, the mites were still infected 42 d posttreatments. Two application methods were tested: dusts and strips coated with the fungal conidia, and both methods resulted in successful control of mite populations. The fungal treatments were as effective as the Apistan, at the end of the 42-d period of the experiment. The data suggested that optimum mite control could be achieved when no brood is being produced, or when brood production is low, such as in the early spring or late fall. M. anisopliae was harmless to the honey bees (adult bees, or brood) and colony development was not affected. Mite mortality was highly correlated with mycosis in dead mites collected from sticky traps, indicating that the fungus was infecting and killing the mites. Because workers and drones drift between hives, the adult bees were able to spread the fungus between honey bee colonies in the apiary, a situation that could be beneficial to beekeepers.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Influence of pollen diet in spring on development of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies.

The effects of changes in spring pollen diet on the development of honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), colonies were examined in a 3-yr study (2002-2004). Pollen-supplemented and pollen-limited conditions were created in colonies every spring, and brood rearing and honey yields were subsequently monitored throughout the summer. In all 3 yr, colonies that were supplemented with pollen or a pollen substitute in the spring started rearing brood earlier than colonies in other treatment groups and produced the most workers by late April or early May. In 2002, these initial differences were reflected by a two-fold increase in annual honey yields by September for colonies that were pollen-supplemented during the spring compared with pollen-limited colonies. In 2003 and 2004, differences between treatment groups in the cumulative number of workers produced by colonies disappeared by midsummer, and all colonies had similar annual honey yields (exception: in one year, productivity was low for colonies supplemented with pollen before wintering). Discrepancies between years coincided with differences in spring weather conditions. Colonies supplemented with pollen or a substitute during the spring performed similarly in all respects. These results indicate that an investment in supplementing the pollen diet of colonies would be returned for situations in which large spring populations are important, but long-term improvement in honey yields may only result when spring foraging is severely reduced by inclement weather. Beekeepers should weigh this information against the nutritional deficiencies that are frequently generated in colonies by the stresses of commercial management.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗
PubMed1990

Quantity, analysis, and lethality of European and Africanized honey bee venoms.

Venom from Africanized honey bees (derived mainly from Apis mellifera scutellata) was compared with venom from domestic, European bees by study of lethality, immunological cross-reactivity, venom yield, isoelectric focusing (IEF) patterns, and melittin titers. The LD50s of European and Africanized bee venom by iv injection in mice were similar. In venom neutralization experiments, Africanized bee venom was mixed with antibodies from a beekeeper exposed only to European bees and used to challenge mice. Survival times of mice given these mixtures were significantly prolonged, indicating that human serum antibodies to European bee venom neutralized the lethal effects of Africanized bee venom. Reservoirs from Africanized bees contained less venom than European bees (94 and 147 micrograms venom/bee, respectively) and Africanized bee venom had a lower melittin content. The IEF patterns of venom from individual European bees varied considerably, as did IEF patterns of individual Africanized bees. Pools of venom from 1,000 bees of each population of A. mellifera showed noticeable but less obvious electrophoretic differences. The findings suggest that multiple stinging, and not increased venom potency or delivery, is the cause of serious reactions from Africanized bee attacks.

Africa↗
PubMed1975

Immunotherapy in bee-sting anaphylaxis. Use of honeybee venom.

After nine months of immunotherapy with commercially prepared wholebody bee extract, a beekeeper's wife experienced anaphylaxis after a controlled bee-sting challenge. High risk of future bee stings prompted a decision to attempt desensitization with honeybee venom. This was extracted from the bee into Coca solution and administered parenterally in increasing daily doses until an equivalent of one venom sac was given per day. This maintenance dosage was continued for a month. Anaphylaxis did not occur after another bee-sting challenge. Therapy has been maintained with venom. With this treatment, there has been an increase in the level of IgG-blocking antibody and a fall in IgE titer to bee venom (radioallergosorbent test [RAST]).

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Apitherapy and problems in treating gastroenterology patients].

The disputable questions demanding the urgent decision on the development and specification of the recommendations and contraindications for using the honey and other beekeeping products in the therapy of various so-called gastroenterologic diseases are presented in this article. The aspects of efficiency and expediency of honey using as monotherapy and in complex combination with medicamentous preparations and (or) with other substances of national medicine are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The toxicology of honey bee poisoning.

The use of insecticides continues to be a basic tool in pest management, since there are many pest situations for which there are no known alternative management methods. However, the harmful effects of insecticides against beneficial Insects continuous to be a serious problem. Poisoning of bee pollinators is a serious adverse effect of insecticide use which leads to a decrease in insect population, to reduction of honey yields, to destruction of plant communities, to insecticide residues in food, and to a significant loss of beekeepers' income. In bee poisoning, the identification of the responsible toxicant is necessary by both environmental and biological monitoring, to prevent bee poisoning and for the protection of public health. The different aspects of bee poisoning with anticholinesterase insecticides are discussed in detail.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibition of the growth of Ascosphaera apis by Bacillus and Paenibacillus strains isolated from honey.

The fungus Ascosphaera apis, the causative agent of chalkbrood disease in honeybee larvae, occurs throughout the world and is found in many beekeeping areas of Argentina. The potential as biocontrol agents of 249 aerobic spore-forming bacterial antagonists isolated from honey samples was evaluated. Each isolate was screened against A. apis by a central disk test assay. Ten bacterial strains that showed the best antagonistic effect to A. apis were selected for further study and identified as Bacillus cereus (m363, mv86, mv81, mv75), Bacillus circulans (Fr231, m448b), Bacillus megaterium (m435), Bacillus pumilus (m354), Bacillus subtilis (m329), and Paenibacillus alvei (m321). For testing the efficiency of the selected strains, a paired culture test was used with 5 replicates of each combination bacterial antagonist/A. apis strain, and 5 replications for each control on 4 different culture media. The analysis of variance and posterior comparison of means according to LSD method showed that the best antagonists when using YGPSA medium were B. subtilis (m329) and B. megaterium (m435), and in the case of MYPGP medium the most efficient were B. circulans strains Fr 231 and m448b.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

[Control strategies against Varroa mites].

In many cases, the easiest way to control a pest or a pathogen is to resort to chemical treatments. In the short period this option is often the most convenient economically and usually does not require refined knowledge of the biology of the pest. Many efforts have been directed to develop chemical treatments against Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman. Nowadays, product based on organic acids, essential oils, pyrethroids, organophosphate, and formamidine are available. Resistance is serious problem in the chemotherapy of parasites and pathogens of the honeybee. High-level resistance to several active substances (the pyrethroids acrinathrin, flumethrin, fluvalinate; the organophosphate coumaphos; the formamidine amitraz) was detected with laboratory assays in different varroa populations and caused failure of the control in the field. At the end of the '80s, products based on pyrethroids, very effective against the mite, but without any appreciable side effect on bees, became available. Resistance to fluvalinate in Italy and later in other countries caused serious damage to beekeeping; early detection was crucial to reduce losses. The problem of developing suitable treatments was difficult in the case of the varroa mite because most substances active against V. destructor have unacceptable side effects on bees. The idea that the mite could be controlled indefinitely with these strategies began to gain ground.

Animals↗