Prevalence of honey bee viral diseases in Lithuanian apiaries

Abstract

Protection of honey bee colonies has a huge economic importance due to bees role in pollination and main steps towards this goal are epidemiological surveys of pathogens responsable on honey bee losses in Lithuania and all over the world. In this study around 100 honey bees apiaries of Lithuania were monitored for the presence of eight common honey bee viruses: acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), deformed wing virus (DWV), sacbrood virus (SBV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV) and varroa destructor virus 1 (VDV-1). Honey bees samples were collected during 2020 summer period from several different regions of Lithuania and investigated by using molecular methods (PCR and RT-PCR). The study revealed that more than 60 % of honey bees harbored at least one virus also dual and triple infections were identified. VDV-1 (36.27 %) and SBV (32.35 %) were the most widespread viruses followed by CBPV, ABPV, DWV and BQCV (10.78 %, 8.82 %, 4.9 % and 1.96 % respectively). VDV-1 and SBV were most commonly involved in multiple infections as well. IAPV and KBV viruses in this study were not detected at all. The prevalence of DWV was much lower compared to studies made in Lithuania 2012 and 2015 (80 % and 29.1 %), SBV prevalence also was lower comparing with study made in 2019 (67 %). To our knowledge, it is the first report on the presence of VDV-1 in Lithuania.