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Advances in Apiculture (Honey Bee Diseases and Invasive Species, Climate Change, Bee Products, Biomonitoring, Fraud)

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2024) | Viewed by 3608

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
National Reference Laboratory for Honey Bee Health, Istituto Zooprofialttico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Interests: chemistry; honey bee products; residues; bee killing incidents; fraud

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Attention given to farmed honeybees continues to be high following the various and new threats to this sector, i.e. colony depopulation and colony losses, exotic pathogens and invasive alien species, residues in bee products and antimicrobial resistance, fraud and climate changes.

The topics considered in this Special Issue reflect the complexity of the beekeeping sector and the threats that managed honeybees and beekeepers are facing nowadays. We consider more traditional aspects such as farming of honeybees, control and management of their diseases, pest and pathogens, and production (honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, venom, bees). In addition, honeybees share the environment with human activities and other organisms that can affect them, not to mention the great influence of climate change also. Of particular relevance are agrochemicals that if not properly applied and regulated can severely affect farmed honeybee colonies with acute, subacute and long-lasting effects on their health and development. The role of farmed honeybees as biomarkers of agriculture and environmental pollution should be considered to collect information on the health status of territories. Another problem that increasingly puts the beekeeping sector at risk is that of fraud, which sees honey as one of the foods most subject to economically motivated adulteration.

Original research papers and reviews that address different topics in the sector of apiculture (honeybee health, bee products, fraud, environmental monitoring, climate change impact) and improve our knowledge are welcome.

Dr. Franco Mutinelli
Dr. Marianna Martinello
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • honeybee
  • health
  • pest
  • bee products
  • monitoring
  • climate change
  • fraud

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1968 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina) Trappability in Alto-Minho, Portugal: Commercial vs. Artisanal Equipment, Human Factors, Geography, Climatology, and Vegetation
by Fernando Mata, Joaquim M. Alonso and Concha Cano-Díaz
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(17), 7571; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177571 - 27 Aug 2024
Viewed by 832
Abstract
Trapping the Asian hornet remains a viable alternative to monitor its presence, dispersion, and ecological niche. With the objective of evaluating the effectiveness of baits and traps, an Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) capture trial was conducted using combinations of artisanal and [...] Read more.
Trapping the Asian hornet remains a viable alternative to monitor its presence, dispersion, and ecological niche. With the objective of evaluating the effectiveness of baits and traps, an Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) capture trial was conducted using combinations of artisanal and commercial baits and traps. The second objective was to explore the relationship between the species’ dispersal patterns and the influence of human, geography, climate, and vegetation factors, to identify the preferred conditions for its colonization. We identified beekeepers in the Alto Minho region of Northern Portugal, where the different combinations of baits and traps were placed. The traps were monitored from February to September 2023, and the captures were counted. The temporal variation of the captures showed a first peak at the beginning of April, corresponding to primary workers. In September, when the trial was halted, the second peak, corresponding to secondary workers, had not yet been reached. The peaks of captures were used to fit models to allow the characterisation of their ecological niche. Statistical analysis of the captures revealed no significant differences. It was concluded that there is no advantage in using the commercial devices and baits tested. The ecological niche where the higher number of captures is observed is characterised by an abundance of vegetation, humidity, and higher temperatures. Elevation and slope also favour the presence of the Asian hornet. Full article
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13 pages, 3232 KiB  
Article
Emergent and Known Honey Bee Pathogens through Passive Surveillance in the Republic of Kosovo
by Beqë Hulaj, Anna Granato, Fulvio Bordin, Izedin Goga, Xhavit Merovci, Mauro Caldon, Armend Cana, Laura Zulian, Rosa Colamonico and Franco Mutinelli
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 987; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14030987 - 24 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1883
Abstract
In recent years, honey bee colony losses in the Republic of Kosovo remained largely unknown. From 2019 to 2021, 81 apiaries with different disease suspicions were investigated in the framework of honey bee disease passive surveillance. Fifty-nine of the eighty-one apiaries were tested [...] Read more.
In recent years, honey bee colony losses in the Republic of Kosovo remained largely unknown. From 2019 to 2021, 81 apiaries with different disease suspicions were investigated in the framework of honey bee disease passive surveillance. Fifty-nine of the eighty-one apiaries were tested for Vairimorpha ceranae, Vairimorpha apis, trypanosomatids Lotmaria passim, and Crithidia mellificae. All samples were positive for V. ceranae (100%) whereas L. passim was found with a lower frequency (11.9%). V. apis and C. mellificae were not found. Thirteen of the eighty-one apiaries were tested for seven viruses (ABPV, CBPV, DWV, BQCV, SBV, IAPV, KBV) and five of them were found (ABPV, CBPV, DWV, BQCV, SBV). The most frequently detected viruses in honey bees and Varroa mites were DWV (100%) followed by BQCV, ABPV, SBV, and CBPV (92.3%, 69.2%, 30.8%, and 7.7%, respectively). Varroa mite samples had different degrees of co-infection by viruses. Nine of the eighty-one apiaries consisted of brood combs with larvae, eight of them were AFB positive, ERIC I genotype, and one EFB positive. This paper represents the first molecular investigation (PCR) and detection of the honey bee viruses ABPV, CBPV, DWV, BQCV, and SBV as well as V. ceranae, L. passim, and M. plutonius in the Republic of Kosovo. Full article
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