Calendar for the Prevalence of Honey Bee Diseases, with Studying the Role of Some Materials to Control Nosema

Abstract

Nosema spp. (NS) causes severe problems to honey bee colonies including the death of the highly infected ones. Searching for effective materials to control this parasite is very important. The objectives of this study were to identify the calendar for the prevalence of NS and other bee diseases, and to test the efficacy of three materials: diluted honey mixed with lemon juice (M1), chamomile extract mixed with sugar syrup (M2) and sutrivet mixed with sugar syrup (M3) against Nosema. To realize these objectives, diseases of brood and adult honey bees were surveyed over one year. Also, the efficacy of M1, M2 and M3 against Nosema was evaluated under field and laboratory conditions. The results showed that few diseases for immature and mature stages of honey bees were recorded. NS was detected during winter and spring in link with low temperature and high relative humidity. Under field conditions, M2 reduced the infection by 36.66% while M3 by 23.33% and finally M1 by 13.33%. In the laboratory, the highest efficacy was to M2 followed by M1 and finally M3. The three materials impacted the percentage of survived bees significantly higher than infected bees without any treatments over the experimental period. The study suggests the potential role of chamomile as a natural material to control NS.