A Field Experiment to Assess the Rate of Infestation in Honey Bee Populations of Two Metarhizium anisopliae Isolates on Varroa destructor (Acari: Mesostigmata)
,
Abstract
Background: The protective effect of two isolates of an entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae (DEMI 002 and Iran 437C) on the adult stage of Varroa destructor was evaluated in comparison with fluvalinate strips in the field.
Methods: A total of 12 honey bee colonies were provided from an apiculture farm. The selected hives were divided into 4 groups (3 hives per group). The first group was the control, treated with distilled water. The other two groups were exposed to different fungi (M. anisopliae isolates DEMI 002 and Iran 437C) and the last group was treated with one strip of fluvalinate per colony. The number of fallen mites was counted using sticky traps during a 6-day period, six days before and after treatments. A fungal suspension at a concentration of 5× 106 conidia/mL was sprayed onto the frames and the number of fallen mites was counted.
Results: Metarhizium anisopliae DEMI 002 and Iran 437C isolates were as effective (i.e., caused as much mite fall)as the fluvalinate strip in controlling bee colonies than no treatment.
Conclusion: Both M. anisopliae isolates are promising candidates as agents in the control of Varroa mites under field conditions. Isolate DEMI 002 can be considered as a possible non-chemical biocontrol agent for controlling bee infestation with V. destructor in the field. In order to substantiate this hypothesis, tests are currently being performed using larger colonies and larger doses than tested in the present study in our beekeeping.
Anderson D, Trueman JWH (2000) Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) is more than one species. Exp Appl Acarol. 24:165–189.
Cabras P, Martini MG, Floris I, Spanedda L (1994) Residues of cymiazole in honey and honey bees. J Apicult Res. 33: 83–86.
Campos RA, Arruda W, Boldo JT, da Silva MV, de Barros NM, de Azevedo JL, Schrank A, Vainstein MH (2005) Boo- philus microplus infection by Beau- veria amorpha and Beauveria ba- ssiana: SEM analysis and regulation of subtilisin-like proteases and chitinases. Curr Microbiol. 50(5): 257–261.
Chandler D, Sunderland KD, Ball BV, Da- vidson G (2001) Prospective biological control agents of Varroa destructor n. sp., an important pest of the European honeybee, Apis mellifera. Biol Cont Sci Technol. 11: 429–448.
Chen YP, Siede R (2007) Honey bee viruses.Adv Virus Res. 70: 33–80.
De Jong D, Jong PH, Goncales LS (1982) Weight loss and other damage to developing worker honey bees from infestation with Varroa jacobsoni. J Apicult Res. 21: 165–167.
Elzen PJ, Eischen FA, Baxter JB, Pettis J, Elzen GW, Wilson WT (1998) Tau fluvalinate resistance in Varroa jaco- bsoni from several geographic loca- tions. Am Bee J. 138: 674–676.
Elzen PJ, Westervelt D (2002) Detection of coumaphos resistance in Varroa de- structor in Florida. Am Bee J. 142:291–292.
Ferrer- Dufol M, Martinez-Vinuales A, San- chez- Acedo C (1991) Comparative tests of fluvalinate and flumethrin to control Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans. J Apicult Res. 30: 103–106.
Gamber WR (1990) Fluvalinate scare should serve as warning. Am Bee J. 130: 629-630.
Garcia- Fernandez P, Rivera-Gonzalez MA, Santiago- Alvarez CY, Quesada-Mora- ga E (2008) Virulence and thermal bi- ology of mitosporic fungi as potential microbial control agents of Varroa de- structor (Acari: Mesostigmata), an ec- toparasitic mite of honeybee, Apis me- llifera. Apidologie. 39 (6): 662–673.
Imdorf A, Charriere JD, Bachofen B (1997) Efficiency checking of the Varroa ja- cobsoni control methods by means of oxalic acid. Apiacta. 32: 89–91.
Imdorf A, Bogdanov S, Ochoa RI, Calde- rone NW (1999) Use of essential oils for the control of Varroa jacobsoni Qud in honey bee colonies. Apidolo- gie. 30: 209–228.
James RR, Hayes G, Leland JE (2006) Field trials on the microbial control of va- rroa with the fungus Metarhizium ani- sopliae. Am Bee J. 146(11): 968–972.
Kaaya GP, Mwangi EN, Ouna EA (1996) Prospects for biological control of live- stock ticks, Rhipicephalus appendicula- tus and Amblyomma varigatum, using the entomogenous fungi Beauveria ba- ssiana and Metarhizium anisopliae. J Invertebrate Pathol. 67: 15–20.
Kalsbeek V, Frandsen F, Steenberg T (1995) Entomopathogenic fungi associated with Ixodes ricinus ticks. Exp Appl Acarol. 19: 45–51.
Kanga LHB, Jones WA, James RR (2003) Field trials using the fungal pathogen,Metarhizium anisopliae (Deuterom- ycetes: Hyphomycetes) to control the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colo- nies. J Econ Entomol. 96(4): 1091–1099.
Kanga LHB, Jones WA, Gracia C (2006) Efficacy of strips coated with Metar- hizium anisopliae for control of Va- rroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in honey bee colonies in Texas and Flor- ida. Exp Appl Acarol. 40: 249–258.
Meikle WG, Mercadier G, Girod V, De- rouané F, Jones WA (2006) Evaluation of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuil- lemin (Deuteromycota: Hyphomycetes) isolates isolates from Varroa mites in southern France. J Apicult Res. 45(3):219–220.
Meikle WG, Mercadier G, Holst N, Nansen C, Girod V (2008) Impact of a treat- ments of a formulation of Beauveria bassiana (Deuteromycota: Hyphomyce- tes) conidia on Varroa mites (Acari: Varroidae) and on honeybee (Hyme- noptera: Apidae) colony health. Exp Appl Acarol. 46(1–4): 105–117.
Pirali-Kheirabadi KH, Haddadzadeh HR, Razzaghi-Abyaneh M, Bokaie S, Zare, R, Ghazavi M, Shams-Ghahfarokhi M (2007a) Biological control of Rhipi- cephalus (Boophilus) annulatus by different isolates of Metarhizium ani- sopliae, Beauveria bassiana and Le- canicillium psalliotae fungi. Parasitol Res. 100: 1297–1302.
Pirali-Kheirabadi KH, Haddadzadeh HR, Razzaghi-Abyaneh, M, Zare R, Ranj- bar-Bahadori SH, Rahbari S, Nabian S, Rezaeian M (2007b) Preliminary study on virulence of some isolates of ento- mopathogenic fungi in different deve- lopmental stages of Boophilus annu- latus in Iran. J Vet Res. 62(4): 113–118.
Shaw KE, Davidson G, Clark SJ, Ball BV, Pell JK, Chandler D, Sunderland, KD (2002) Laboratory bioassays to assess the pathogenicity of mitosporic fungi to Varroa destructor (Acari: Mesostig- mata), an ectoparasitic mite of the hon- ey bee, Apis mellifera. Biolo Control.24: 266–276.
St Leger RJ, Cooper RM, Charnley AK (1987) Distribution of chymoelastases and trypsin-like enzymes in five species of entomopathogenic Deuteromycetes. Arch Biochem Biophys. 258: 123–131.
St Leger RJ, Joshi L, Roberts DW (1997) Adaptation of proteases and carbohy- drases of saprophytic and entomopatho- genic fungi to requirements of their ecological niches. Microbiology. 143:1983–1992.
Wallner K (1995) Use of varroacides and their influence on the quality of bee products. Am Bee J. 135: 817–821.
Wallner K (1999) Varroacides and their resi- dues in bee products. Apidologie. 30(2–3): 235–248.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 7 No 1 (2013) | |
| Section | Articles | |
| Keywords | ||
| Apis mellifera Biological control Entomopathogenic fungi Fluvalinate Metarhizium anisopliae Varroa destructor | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
