Viral infections in queen bees (Apis mellifera carnica) from rearing apiaries

Abstract

Viral infection could have an impact on the success of queen rearing and a potential effect on reduced queen quality. Newly mated honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) queens were collected from mating nuclei in queen rearing operations in Slovenia. Altogether, 81 queens were sampled from 27 rearing apiaries in 2006 and 72 queens from 24 apiaries in 2008. Queens were analysed for the presence of four viruses: acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), sacbrood virus (SBV) and deformed wing virus (DWV) by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In 2006, 12%, 9% and 1% prevalence was found for ABPV, DWV and SBV, respectively; BQCV was not detected. Two years later, DWV, BQCV, SBV and ABPV were detected in 58%, 24%, 11% and 10% bee queens, respectively. In 2006, fourteen out of twenty-seven apaiaries were virus free, whereas in 2008 only three out of twenty-four apiaries were virus free. This is the first evidence of virus infection occurring in newly mated queens from mating nuclei in rearing apiaries. The possible impacts of queen rearing technology and epidemiological influences on virus infection are discussed in this study. Diagnosis, acute bee paralysis virus, black queen cell virus, sacbrood virus, deformed wing virus

Characteristics of Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera Carnica, Pollman 1879) Queens Reared in Slovenian Commercial Breeding Stations

“…It was found that mating can transmit viral disease; mated queens are older than virgin queens, which results in a higher probability of infection from workers or as a result of vertical virus transmission (Gauthier et al, 2011). In our previous research, we noted that DWV was found in normally-developed, laying queens despite Varroa control (Gregorc and Bakony, 2012). The results of this survey will help queen breeders and extension specialists improve rearing technologies and queen mating conditions that are essential for certifying queens for commercial sale.…”

“…Viral RNA was isolated using a QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Germany) according to the instructions. Altogether, 232 queens were examined (81 queens from the year 2006, 72 from 2008, and 69 queens from 2010) for the presence of ABPV, BQCV, DWV, and SBV, as cited by Gregorc and Bakony (2012). Viral RNA was reverse transcribed and amplified by a continuous RT-PCR method with the One Step RT-PCR kit (QIAGEN, Germany), according to the manufacturer's instructions.…”

Honey Bee Queens and Virus Infections

“…DWV is a known cause of colony mortality in association with its vector, Varroa destructor [73], and it also serves as a convenient study model because it readily infects all developmental stages and castes [74]. DWV venereal transmission was demonstrated through instrumental insemination [52,53] and in free-flying mated queens [75,76]. High DWV titer detected from endophalli collected from captured drones from the drone congregation areas or from queens returning from their mating flights support that DWV venereal transmission can occur during natural mating [35,77].…”

“…Consequently, little is known about how virus infections affect the behavior, physiology, reproduction, and longevity of queens. Numerous viruses (DWV, SBV, CBPV, ABPV, KBV, and IAPV) have been detected from heathy looking queens, demonstrating that infection can occur either by single or multiple viruses in a queen [75,76,78,92]. Viruses infect different parts of the queen's body, including the head, thorax, ovaries, spermatheca, and fat body [56,59,79,93].…”

“…Different studies indicate that highly virulent viruses, such as viruses in the AKI complex, are rarely detected in young unmated queens but occasionally found in older queens with low titers [44,60,76,79]. This pattern might arise because these virulent viruses kill the nurse worker bees and therefore are rarely transmitted to developing queens.…”