Why are Newfoundland’s honey bees parasite free?
July 7, 2014
From: Futurity.org
Posted by Sara LaJeunesse-Penn State
Some honey bee colonies in Newfoundland, Canada, are free of invasive parasites found elsewhere in the world. Scientists say the discovery offers a unique opportunity to investigate honey bee health.
“Invasive parasites—such as Nosema ceranae, a fungus, and Varroa destructor, a mite—have incurred heavy economic penalties on the honey bee industry via colony losses and reduced productivity of surviving colonies, and both parasites threaten global food security because of reduced pollination services to agriculture,” says Nancy Ostiguy, associate professor of entomology at Penn State.
“The extent to which these detriments are attributable to specific parasite species is difficult to assess, however, because of the occurrence of multiple parasites within honey bees. Studying the effects of these parasites is even more challenging because few areas in the world have western honey bee colonies that are free of invasive parasites.”
Leave a Comment