Microbial diseases of bees
Bees are important contributors to the economies of many countries, but as Travis Glare and Maureen O’Callaghan discuss in this article in Microbiology Today, they are many threats to the survival on the humble bee, including the risk of disease from micro-organisms:
There are many threats to bee survival, including the risk of disease caused by micro-organisms. The vast majority of our knowledge of bee diseases focuses on the honey bee, Apis mellifera, although there are actually over 20,000 species, both stingless and stinging, from those with solitary lifestyles to complex societies such as honey bee hives. Viruses, fungi, protozoa and bacteria are all known to cause infections in bees, sometimes leading to collapse of colonies, and causing serious threats to the bee-keeping industry. Bees have two distinct life forms, brood (egg, larva and pupal stages which develop within the hive) and adult. Most diseases are specific to just one of these life stages. While the list of diseases is quite long, only a few are of serious concern to apiculturists.
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Tags: Agriculture, Emerging disease, Environment, Food, Microbiology, Science
