Differential hygienic behavior of Apis cerana F. and Apis mellifera L. to Sacbrood virus infection

Beekeeping with Apis cerana of Korean apiculture is facing with serious colony collapse caused by invasive Sacbrood virus (SBV) disease. This fatal brood disease was the main reason of more than 90% colony lost in Korea leading almost the extinct crisis. Sacbrood virus can infect either larvae or adult honeybees, with a higher sensibility of larvae to the infection. Since SBV has spread to all over the country, efforts have been made to treat and prevent this devastating disease although no effective results have so far been obtained. Several studies have demonstrated that Apis mellifera bee colonies that express an efficient hygienic behavior exhibit a higher resis-tance to the brood disease. In this study we demonstrated that the differences of hygienic behavior between A. cerana and A. mellifera. A. cerana more efficiently removed the pin-killed brood than A. mellifera. On the other hand, A. mellifera more efficiently removed SBV-infected larvae and SBV-dead brood than A. cerana. However, it remains unclear whether the advantage of hygienic bee could have efficacy against Sacbrood disease on A. cerana colonies.

Automated summary

Beekeeping with Apis cerana in Korea is being severely affected by the invasive Sacbrood virus, leading to a critical decline in the number of colonies. Efforts have been made to treat and prevent this disease, but no significant progress has been achieved yet. A study comparing the hygienic behavior of A. cerana and A. mellifera found that A. cerana was more efficient in removing dead brood, while A. mellifera was more effective at removing SBV-infected larvae and dead brood. However, it is still uncertain whether the hygienic behavior advantage can effectively combat Sacbrood disease in A. cerana colonies.