Abstract:
Colony Collapse Disorder, CCD, has led to losses of up to 33% of adult worker bees
in Europe and the USA. Its predictors include Nosema, honeybee viruses, Varroa,
and overuse of pesticides. The goal of this project is to monitor the CCD predictors
in a dry land ecosystem such as Kitui district, taking into account the apicultural
practices unique to this continent. Sampling was done from three apiaries in Kitui
located 2KM apart. Each apiary had seven of three types of hives; Kenyan Top Bar,
Langstroth and log. Thirty bees were sampled from each colony, 10 each for sub-
species, virus and Nosema analysis. tRNA
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-ND2 and intron of EF1α was analysed
for sub-species analysis. A portion of the small sub-unit of Nosema rRNA was
utilised for Nosema diagnosis. Primers specific for Deformed Wing Virus (DWV),
Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV) and Israeli Acute Paralysis virus (IAPV) were used
in virus detection. Results showed that the predominant subspecies of honeybees in
Kitui is Apis mellifera scutellata but there is presence of Scutellata-Monticola and
Scutellata-Litorea hybrids. Pathogen diagnosis revealed absence of Nosema, BQCV
and IAPV. Presence of DWV was confirmed in 39.5% of honeybee colonies but
absent in Varroa. Colony growth was shown to be influenced by seasons, type of
hive used and forage diversity. The pollen diet was identified as polyfloral, with
family-level plant diversity potentially exerting great influence on colony growth.
This work demonstrates the key role that the environment plays in honeybee health
and growth.
