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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Blair Christian <blair.christian AT gmail.com>
  • To: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org, durham-county-beekeepers AT googlegroups.com
  • Subject: [ocba] Really scary news about native pollinators...
  • Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2013 13:16:42 -0400

Here's the kind of thing that should really be making the news. An
Asian parasite has made the jump from Apis to Bombus, and is affecting
our native pollinators. Note that Nosema is "weird" biologically.
Like malaria, it is not a bacteria nor a virus. Nosema is currently
classified as a fungus (making it the smallest fungus). It is a
microsporidian. Note that it is also affecting local beekeepers
(identification is with a microscope, see Randy Oliver's website for
protocol).

Abstract:

We investigate the prevalence of N. ceranae in wild bumblebees in the
UK and determine the infectivity of the parasite under controlled
conditions. We found N. ceranae in all seven wild bumblebee species
sampled, and at multiple sites, with many of the bees having spores
from this parasite in their guts. When we fed N. ceranae spores to
bumblebees under controlled conditions, we confirmed that the parasite
can infect bumblebees. Infections spread from the midgut to other
tissues, reduced bumblebee survival by 48% and had sub-lethal effects
on behaviour. Although spore production appeared lower in bumblebees
than in honeybees, virulence was greater. The parasite N. ceranae
therefore represents a real and emerging threat to bumblebees, with
the potential to have devastating consequences for their already
vulnerable populations

Graystock, P., Yates, K., Darvill, B., Goulson, D., Hughes, W.O.H.,
Emerging dangers: deadly effects of an emergent parasite in a new
pollinator host, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology (2013)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022201113000931



  • [ocba] Really scary news about native pollinators..., Blair Christian, 07/02/2013

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