High-resolution maps of Swiss apiaries and their applicability to study spatial distribution of bacterial honey bee brood diseases.

ABSTRACT: Honey bees directly affect and are influenced by their local environment, in terms of food sources, pollinator densities, pathogen and toxin exposure and climate. Currently, there is a lack of studies analyzing these data with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to investigate spatial relationships with the environment. Particularly for inter-colonial pathogen transmission, it is known that the likelihood of a healthy colony to become infested (e.g., Varroosis) or infected (e.g., American foulbrood-AFB, European foulbrood-EFB) increases with higher colony density. Whether these transmission paths can actually be asserted at apiary level is largely unknown. Here, we unraveled spatial distribution and high-resolution density of apiaries and bacterial honey bee brood diseases in Switzerland

SUBMITTER: von Buren RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6360077 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature