Managed Pollinator CAP Coordinated Agricultural Project: A National Research and Extension Initiative to Reverse Pollinator Decline

摘要

This article will discuss two issues: the possibility that sunlight may be used to sterilize beekeeping equipment, and the danger of outdoor water for bees as a possible source of Nosema infection. There is good news on both accounts. When we think about Nosema disease, and ways to control it, it is helpful to consider the life cycle of the disease. The organism spends part of its time developing and reproducing inside the midgut of the bee. Digestion of food happens in the midgut, so it is very important. And the midgut is where the antibiotic fiimagillin acts. It prevents the growing, or "vegetative", Nosema from developing into spores. Mature spores leave the bee mainly in feces and can last for very long periods on comb and other beekeeping equipment. Fumagillin has no effect on the spores. Consequently, it's important to work on methods for the elimination of the spores left inside our bee hives, often after a colony has died or has struggled with a heavy infection.