Human factors facilitating the spread of a parasitic honey bee in South Africa.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_9E58B30F9B75
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Title
Human factors facilitating the spread of a parasitic honey bee in South Africa.
Journal
Journal of economic entomology
Author(s)
Dietemann V., Lubbe A., Crewe R.M.
ISSN
0022-0493 (Print)
ISSN-L
0022-0493
Publication state
Published
Issued date
02/2006
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
99
Number
1
Pages
7-13
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Workers of the honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera capensis (Eschscholtz) produce female offspring by thelytokous parthenogenesis and can parasitize colonies of other subspecies. In 1990, translocation of 400 colonies of A. m. capensis into the distribution area of A. m. scutellata by a commercial beekeeper triggered a dramatic parasitic phenomenon. Parasitized colonies died within a few months of infestation, and this resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of colonies by commercial beekeepers in the A. m. scutellata range in South Africa. To deal with the problem and to identify methods that would limit the impact of the social parasite, we investigated the link between beekeeping management and severity of parasitic infestations in terms of colony mortality and productivity. We demonstrate that colonies from apiaries subjected to migrations are very susceptible to infestation and consequently show dramatic mortality. Their productivity is also inferior to sedentary colonies and those in isolated apiaries in terms of honey yield and brood quantity. Furthermore, by concentrating hives in small areas and often in the vicinity of other beekeepers, cross-infestations can easily occur. This can undermine previously parasite-free beekeeping businesses. As a result of our surveys, we propose beekeeping practices based on locally trapped bees, reduced migration, and better control of parasite spread, thus promoting the conservation of these pollinators. If followed by all the South African beekeepers, these measures should limit the spread of the parasite until it is eliminated within a few years, after which full migratory beekeeping practices could resume.
Keywords
Animal Husbandry/methods, Animal Husbandry/standards, Animals, Bees/classification, Bees/parasitology, Bees/physiology, Communicable Disease Control/methods, Host-Parasite Interactions/physiology, Humans, Parthenogenesis/physiology, Pollen, Prevalence, South Africa, Survival Analysis
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
03/01/2017 9:37
Last modification date
24/07/2023 16:27
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