Description

Honey bee colonies face numerous challenges, one of which is vulnerability to infection by various pathogens belonging to any of the following groups: fungi, bacteria, viruses, Arthropoda, or protozoa. Infection with any of these pathogens can lead to significant losses in colony numbers and production (Lannutti, et al., 2020).

The Honey Bee Quantitative (HB-Q) Panel was developed by NAGC as a tool used to screen for the health of honey bees. NAGC’s quantitative panel is specific for the following pathogens, in addition to the Africanized Honey Bee (AHB) test:

Acarapis woodi (Awoodi), Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV), American Foulbrood (AFB), Ascosphaera apis (Aapis), Apis mellifera Solinvivirus 1 (AmSV1), Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV), Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV), Crithidia mellificae (Cme), Deformed Wing Virus-A (DWV-A), Deformed Wing Virus-B (DWV-B), Deformed Wing Virus-C (DWV-C), European Foulbrood (EFB), Israeli Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (IABPV), Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV), Lake Sinai Virus 1 (LSV1), Lake Sinai Virus 2 (LSV2), Lotmaria passim (Lpa),  Sacbrood Virus (SBV), Slow Bee Paralysis Virus (SBPV), Tropilaelaps spp. (Trop), **Vairimorpha apis (Vapis), and **Vairimorpha ceranae (Vceranae).

This multi-target panel has been shown to be highly specific for each target using the unique DNA sequence from each pathogen. In addition to the cost savings, the utilization of a multiplex panel shortens the turnaround time which, in turn, heighten the throughput capacity of the laboratory. Since NAGC is a testing facility, we are unable to make treatment or management recommendations based on the pathogen results. If you have specific questions regarding treatment and/or management practices, please contact your State Apiary Inspector’s Office.

**Formerly known as Nosema

This project was funded by the National Corn Growers Association and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

References

Lannutti, et al. (2022). Molecular Detection and Differentiation of Arthropod, Fungal, Protozoan, Bacterial and Viral Pathogens of Honeybees. Vet Sci, 9(5).