Honey Bee Health in Maine Wild Blueberry Production
A two-year study was conducted in Maine wild blueberry fields (<i>Vaccinium angustifolium</i> Aiton) on the health of migratory honey bee colonies in 2014 and 2015. In each year, three or five colonies were monitored at each of nine wild blueberry field locations during bloom (mid-May un...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-06-01
|
| Series: | Insects |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/523 |
| _version_ | 1797531325059563520 |
|---|---|
| author | Francis A. Drummond Jennifer Lund Brian Eitzer |
| author_facet | Francis A. Drummond Jennifer Lund Brian Eitzer |
| author_sort | Francis A. Drummond |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A two-year study was conducted in Maine wild blueberry fields (<i>Vaccinium angustifolium</i> Aiton) on the health of migratory honey bee colonies in 2014 and 2015. In each year, three or five colonies were monitored at each of nine wild blueberry field locations during bloom (mid-May until mid-June). Colony health was measured by assessing colony strength during wild blueberry bloom. Potential factors that might affect colony health were queen failure or supersedure; pesticide residues on trapped pollen, wax comb, and bee bread; and parasites and pathogens. We found that Varroa mite and pesticide residues on trapped pollen were significant predictors of colony health measured as the rate of change in the amount of sealed brood during bloom. These two factors explained 71% of the variance in colony health over the two years. Pesticide exposure was different in each year as were pathogen prevalence and incidence. We detected high prevalence and abundance of two recently discovered pathogens and one recently discovered parasite, the trypanosome <i>Lotmaria passim</i> Schwartz, the Sinai virus, and the phorid fly, <i>Apocephalus borealis</i> Brues. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:42:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97d45886c0564a54b4c74cf741915ccf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:42:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-97d45886c0564a54b4c74cf741915ccf2023-11-21T22:54:29ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502021-06-0112652310.3390/insects12060523Honey Bee Health in Maine Wild Blueberry ProductionFrancis A. Drummond0Jennifer Lund1Brian Eitzer2School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USADepartment of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Augusta, ME 04330, USADepartment of Analytical Chemistry, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT 06511, USAA two-year study was conducted in Maine wild blueberry fields (<i>Vaccinium angustifolium</i> Aiton) on the health of migratory honey bee colonies in 2014 and 2015. In each year, three or five colonies were monitored at each of nine wild blueberry field locations during bloom (mid-May until mid-June). Colony health was measured by assessing colony strength during wild blueberry bloom. Potential factors that might affect colony health were queen failure or supersedure; pesticide residues on trapped pollen, wax comb, and bee bread; and parasites and pathogens. We found that Varroa mite and pesticide residues on trapped pollen were significant predictors of colony health measured as the rate of change in the amount of sealed brood during bloom. These two factors explained 71% of the variance in colony health over the two years. Pesticide exposure was different in each year as were pathogen prevalence and incidence. We detected high prevalence and abundance of two recently discovered pathogens and one recently discovered parasite, the trypanosome <i>Lotmaria passim</i> Schwartz, the Sinai virus, and the phorid fly, <i>Apocephalus borealis</i> Brues.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/523Varroa mitepesticide residuespathogens<i>Apis mellifera</i>migratory hivesSinai virus |
| spellingShingle | Francis A. Drummond Jennifer Lund Brian Eitzer Honey Bee Health in Maine Wild Blueberry Production Insects Varroa mite pesticide residues pathogens <i>Apis mellifera</i> migratory hives Sinai virus |
| title | Honey Bee Health in Maine Wild Blueberry Production |
| title_full | Honey Bee Health in Maine Wild Blueberry Production |
| title_fullStr | Honey Bee Health in Maine Wild Blueberry Production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Honey Bee Health in Maine Wild Blueberry Production |
| title_short | Honey Bee Health in Maine Wild Blueberry Production |
| title_sort | honey bee health in maine wild blueberry production |
| topic | Varroa mite pesticide residues pathogens <i>Apis mellifera</i> migratory hives Sinai virus |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/523 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT francisadrummond honeybeehealthinmainewildblueberryproduction AT jenniferlund honeybeehealthinmainewildblueberryproduction AT brianeitzer honeybeehealthinmainewildblueberryproduction |