EVALUATING SUSPICIONS OF INTOXICATION IN BEES IN 2018-2020

"The purpose of this work was to evaluate suspicions of intoxication in bees in 2018-2020. Bee health was monitored and samples were collected (live bees, dead bees, honey, pollen, hive fragments) from bee colonies in apiaries located in various geographical areas of Romania. Corroborating the anamnetic data, morphoclinical examinations and laboratory tests, other causes of disease were excluded and the diagnosis was suspicion of intoxication. During this period, 317 apiaries were monitored out of which 32 apiaries were identified to display suspicion of intoxication, out of which 4 apiaries in 2018, 18 apiaries in 2019 and 10 apiaries in 2020. The suspicion of intoxication diagnosis included 4079 bee colonies, out of which 1896 colonies were diagnosed in 2018, 1582 in 2019 and 601 in 2020. The bee colonies under suspicion of intoxication were evaluated and categorized as follows: toxic food intoxication 49.5% (2018), 34.07% (2019) and 14.31% (2020); chemical substance intoxication 40% (2018), 59.6% (2019), 35.10% (2020) and medicine intoxication 10.5% (2018), 6.33 % (2019) and 50.59 % (2020)."