Managed Pollinator CAP Coordinated Agricultural Project Sunlight, Water And Nosema spores

摘要

This article discusses 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 aboutNosema 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, where the bee's food digestion occurs, so it is very importantto know what's happening. Moreover, the midgut is where the antibiotic fumagillin acts. It prevents the growing, or "vegetative," stage of Nosema from developing further into spores. Mature spores leave the bee mainly in feces and can last for very longperiods 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.