Fungal Genomics & Biology
Open Access

Abstract

Fungal Infections In Honey Bees

Leonardo Quintana Soares Lopes, Priscila Maciel Quatrin, Márcia Ebling De Souza, Rodrigo De Almeida Vaucher and Roberto Christ Vianna Santos

The apiculture is very important to the international agroindustry, due to the fact that bees are responsible for thehighest percentage of plant pollination of human food. However currently the bee keepers are facing troubles due the loss of Apis mellifera colonies causing losses to the honey production and mainly to the pollination of important agricultural cultures in the world and the impacts in food security. The decline of these pollinators can be explained by the many factors like, bad nutrition, loss of the queen and many pathogens and parasites. Stonebrood is a disease caused by the fungal Aspergillus through the ingest of spores and through the scarf-skin, therefore, can infect larvae and adult bees. Other pathology is the Chalkbrood, an infection disease caused by the fungal Ascosphaera apis, that occurs in bee larvaes (A. mellifera) is usually more prevalent in the spring, since it the growth is enhanced in cool and damp place. In recent years many researches were performed using many chemotherapeutic and chemical products looking for any alternative to the treatment of Chalkbrood, but none of these studies obtained positive results. Some strategies have been used by the beekeepers to try to control the Stonebroodand Chalkbrood like: management and sanitation practices (include a food supplementation, to improve the health of bees, keeping the hive clean and ventilated, and preventing transfer of the pests between colonies); use of natural products and ecological safety. Is important prevent the use of synthetic pesticides because can impact in bee health and make the honey inappropriate to the consume.