Is It Possible to Use Entomopathogenic Nematodes inside Honey Bee, (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies?

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Bee Research Department, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center

2 Bio-insecticides Production Unit, Cotton Leaf Worm Department, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agric. Res. Center, Giza, Egypt

Abstract

       Some hypotheses supported the concept that entomopathogenic nematodes are safe bio-agents, causing low infection probability to honey bee workers and brood under colonies conditions and have no effects on the colony strength and might be used as a bio-control agent against the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella.However, the obtained results showed that the mortality percentages in bee larvae after treatment with EPNs ranged from 49.2% to 77.6 % in the case ofSteinernema sp. isolates and from 39.8% to 55.2 % in Heterorhabditis sp. isolates under the colony conditions, the nematode infection inside the entire colony was restricted to the treated areas and didn’t widespread through the other frames. Direct treatments inside the laboratory also confirmed the susptibility of bee workers and larvae to nematode infection of all tested isolates with differences in successful recycling.
The present work strongly supported that both Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae families are not recommended to be used in bee colonies as bio-control agents. Further research is needed to cover the possibilities of using them for infected wax combs during storage before reusing it in the bee colonies.

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