> During June and July of 2009, sudden deaths, tremulous movements and population declines of adult honey bees were reported by the beekeepers in the region of Peloponnesus (Mt. Mainalo), Greece. A preliminary study was carried out to investigate these unexplained phenomena in this region. We present: the infection of Greek honey bees by multiple viruses; the presence of N. ceranae in Greek honey bees and the first record of imidacloprid (neonicotonoid) residues in Greek honey bee tissues. The presence of multiple pathogens and pesticides made it difficult to associate a single specific cause to the depopulation phenomena observed in Greece, although we believe that viruses and N. ceranae synergistically played the most important role.

> A key commonality between all the apiaries suffering symptoms is that all belonged to migratory beekeepers. The overall procedure of transportation from the one foraging area to another, along with the corresponding environmental changes encountered by the bees, are undoubtedly stress factors for bees. The constant relocation typified by migratory beekeeping is stressful for the bees, probably depresses the immune system and advances contagious diseases

> In Greece there are approximately 1,280,000 beehives, kept by about 25,000 beekeepers and yielding an annual production approximately 15,000 tons of honey

Article in Press. Bacandritsos, N., et al. Sudden deaths and colony population decline in Greek honey bee colonies. J. Invertebr. Pathol. (2010)


Peter Loring Borst
Ithaca NY USA
peterloringborst.com

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