Honeybee Decline: Tiny Parasites May be to Blame by Infecting Larvae
May 29, 2015
Editor’s Note: The complete study “Nosema ceranae Can Infect Honey Bee Larvae and Reduces Subsequent Adult Longevity,” by Daren M. Eiri, Guntima Suwannapong, Matthew Endler, and James C. Nieh is available here (pdf).
From: Nature World News
Honeybee decline worldwide continues to baffle scientists, and while invasive parasites have been blamed before, new research shows that a tiny single-celled parasite may have a greater-than expected impact on colonies by infecting larvae.
In the journal PLOS ONE, scientists report that a microsporidian called Nosema ceranae, which has been known to infect adult Asiatic and European honeybees, can also infect honeybee larvae. They also discovered that honeybee larvae infected with the microsporidian have reduced lifespans as adults.
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