Treatment of waxborne honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) viruses using time, temperature, and electron-beam irradiation.

ABSTRACT: Viruses are one of many serious threats to honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) health. There are many transmission routes for honey bee viruses, and there is potential for wax comb to act as a reservoir for transmission of viruses. Some work has been done on treating viruses on wax, focusing on irradiation as a potential treatment. However, irradiation is not universally available or economically viable for beekeepers in many regions. With increased colony deaths over winter beekeepers potentially risk further loss from reusing contaminated equipment from dead colonies. Here we explored the use of storage time and temperature on the reduction of waxborne virus levels from winter loss colony wax over 30 days and at -20, 5, and 20 °C. Furthermore, because irradiation has previously worked against

SUBMITTER: Colwell MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10860154 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature