New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts

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Incidence of American foulbrood infections in feral honey bee colonies in New Zealand

R. M. GOODWIN
A. TEN HOUTEN
J. H. PERRY

Apicultural Research Unit
Horticulture and Food Crown Research Institute
Ruakura Research Centre
Private Bag 3123
Hamilton, New Zealand

Abstract  Samples of forager honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) taken from the entrances of 109 feral colonies in New Zealand were tested for spores of Bacillus larvae (White), the causative agent of American foulbrood disease. Seven (6.4%) of the colonies tested positive, all with relatively low numbers of spores compared to foragers taken from managed colonies with American foulbrood disease. This suggests that the feral honey bee population in New Zealand may be relatively free of American foulbrood disease and is therefore not a major risk to managed colonies.

Keywords  honey bees; Apis mellifera; American foulbrood disease; Bacillus larvae; feral colonies

New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 1994, Vol. 21: 285-287

0301-4223/2103-0285 $2.50/0   (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1994

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (155K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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