About 20,550 larvae, pupae and adults of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella L., were diagnosed for pathogens during long-term investigations (1955-2012) at the Institute for Biological Control in Darmstadt, Germany. The prevailing entomopathogens diagnosed in these studies were insect pathogenic fungi, especially Beauveria bassiana and Isaria farinosa, the microsporidium, Nosema carpocapsae, the...

Nosema apis has been found on all continents where there is beekeeping using Apis mellifera. However, there is very little data on the prevalence and impact of Nosema apis in honey bee colonies in tropical climates and it may be uncertain if all records of Microsporidia in honey bees actually are records of the same parasite. Also, the development of N. apis has not been documented in tropical ...

In recent years, many pollinators have declined in abundance and diversity worldwide, presenting a potential threat to agricultural productivity, biodiversity and the functioning of natural ecosystems. One of the most debated factors proposed to be contributing to pollinator declines is exposure to pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, a widely used class of systemic insecticide. Also, newly...

Nosema bombi is an obligate intracellular parasite that infects different bumblebee species at a substantial, though variable, rate. To date its pathology and impact on host fitness are not well understood. We performed a laboratory experiment investigating the pathology and fitness effects of this parasite on the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. We experimentally infected one group of colonies wit...

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is widely used as commercial pollinator in worldwide agriculture and, therefore, plays an important role in global food security. Among the parasites and pathogens threatening health and survival of honey bees are two species of microsporidia, Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Nosema ceranae is considered an emerging pathogen of the Western honey bee. Report...

China has the largest number of managed honey bee colonies, which produce the highest quantity of honey and royal jelly in the world; however, the presence of honey bee pathogens and parasites has never been rigorously identified in Chinese apiaries. We thus conducted a molecular survey of honey bee RNA viruses, Nosema microsporidia, protozoan parasites, and tracheal mites associated with nonna...