| Summary: | Microsporidiosis, which is caused by the pathogen <i>Vairimorpha ceranae</i>, is a prevalent disease in the honey bee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) and might lead to significant adult honey bee mortality. In this study, we conducted an annual survey of the mature spore load of <i>V. ceranae</i> in the guts of nurse bees and forager bees in the apiary of National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taiwan. The results indicated that, on average, honey bees hosted approximately 2.13 × 10<sup>6</sup> mature spore counts (MSCs)/bee in their guts throughout the entire year. The highest number of MSCs was 6.28 × 10<sup>6</sup> MSCs/bee, which occurred in April 2020, and the lowest number of MSCs was 5.08 × 10<sup>5</sup> MSCs/bee, which occurred in November 2020. Furthermore, the guts of forager bees had significantly higher (>58%) MSCs than those of nurse bees. To evaluate the potential of the probiotic to treat microsporidiosis, the lactic acid bacterium <i>Leuconostoc mesenteroides</i> TBE-8 was applied to honey bee colonies. A significant reduction (>53%) in MSCs following probiotic treatment was observed, indicating the potential of probiotic treatment for managing microsporidiosis. This research provided information on <i>V. ceranae</i> MSCs in the honey bee gut at NCHU in Taiwan and the MSCs’ correlation with the annual season. Furthermore, a potential probiotic treatment for microsporidiosis was assessed for future management.
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