CATCH THE BUZZ
New Demons Found. The CCD Trail Gets Much Warmer.
In 2007a team* was formed to search for the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, a technique modified by the military for screening samples for pathogens, they found a fungus and an unusual virus associated with samples from colonies with CCD symptoms. An insect iridescent virus (IIV) in bees from CCD colonies is new to the All animals, ranging from lowly bacteria to humans have The viruses thus far associated with honey bees in colonies with colony collapse disorder symptoms have been of the The Additionally there is a significant statistical link between CCD, the iridescent virus and a fungal parasite of the genus Nosema. It remains unknown if these two pathogens in concert cause CCD, or, are CCD colonies more likely to succumb to these two pathogens? Currently, the team is trying to isolate the specific strain of iridescent virus in There are more than two dozen known insect iridescent viruses. As a general rule, the impact of these viruses ranges from covert infections with relatively minor effects, to highly virulent and lethal infections. This lethality is one reason that this group of viruses has been scrutinized as a potential biopesticide, for applications such as mosquito control. This is not good news for beekeepers. In It is known that in an Asian honey bee, Apis cerana, a combination of parasites and pathogens co-exist, including: (1) a Nosema parasite called Nosema ceranae, (2) an iridescent virus, (3) parasitic and predacious mites, and (4) two other Both This IIV also seems to be closely related to an IIV virus called IIV-6 that occurs in other insect species. So this may be a variant of this virus that managed to transmit to a new host – bees. Knowing exactly what IIV species is involved will be important so that it can be tracked and monitored to develop a control strategy. There is not a means of controlling the virus, although there are simple ways of monitoring Nosema, which can be seen under a microscope, and some options are available to beekeepers for reducing Nosema levels. Once the strain of IIV in CCD colonies is identified, and assuming that the IIV link with CCD can be confirmed, the potential exists to use IIV presence as an indicator of CCD. It should be very easy to develop a With an inexpensive and rapid assay, the ability to screen all colonies in an area for IIV exists. Until an effective treatment can be developed, eliminating infected colonies may be an option, as well as screening before new colonies are allowed to enter. Standard quarantine practices such as testing imported bees before they are added to colonies, and disinfecting equipment would likely help. We can do a better job if we know the exact identity of the culprit(s). In the short term, the possibility of developing treatments against the IIV seems remote. Some possible treatments include antiviral drugs or heat treatment of hives. Most IIVs replicate at about 21 degrees C and do not replicate above 30-32 degrees C. Higher temperature may suppress the virus by halting replication, whereas cool weather and damp conditions may speed up replication of both IIV and Nosema. Many instances of CCD have occurred following extended periods of cool, damp weather, with more problems with bees in areas with frequent fog or in hill areas where the weather is cooler bein g reported. Placing bees in warm, sunny locations appears to help. Finally, in a bee collapse that occurred in the northeastern part of the In all cases, management practices that reduce Nosema and mite loads and try to reduce long term exposures to cool, damp environmental conditions are likely to reduce colony susceptibility to IIV. The entire paper is published in the online Journal Plos One. Find it at http://www.plosone.org/home.action *The team includes bee specialists at The University of Montana in Missoula, fungal pathologists at Montana State University, and a group of virologists and chemists at the US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC). Later, after they received the initial results, they added specialists in insect viruses from Texas Tech University and the Instituto de Ecologia AC in Mexico. Team members include Dr. Jerry Bromenshenk, Univ. Mt, Colin Henderson, Check out the Biggest Honey Show there is this fall at www.honeyshow.co.uk This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company. Read an EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER from Tom Seeley’s new book Honey Bee Democracy, only on Bee Culture’s web page Here! Build an entire bee hive with just a table saw. Go to Garreson Publishing. Books by Peter Sieling. 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