PREVENTING FUNGAL GROWTH IN HONEY BEE COLONIES AND RELATED MATERIALS AND METHODS

摘要

Compositions and methods for inhibiting fungal pathogen growth in honey bee colonies are provided. In particular, compositions include at least one strain of Parasaccharibacter apium (P. apium), a supernatant of the one or more strains of P. apium, or a combination of the one or more strains of P. apium and the supernatant of the one or more strains of P. apium. One or all of the strains of P. apium can be resistant to one or more antibiotics (e.g., kanamycin), and may include an exogenous antibiotic resistance-conferring transposon, gene, or functional fragment thereof. Also provided are methods, the methods generally including the step of applying an effective amount of a composition to a honey bee colony. Compositions can be fed to the bees, deposited on the hive frame, deposited on at least one surface or element within the hive, or a combination thereof.