Honey yield of different commercial apiaries treated with Lactobacillus salivarius A3iob, a new bee-probiotic strain

TEJERINA, MARCOS; BENÍTEZ-AHRENDTS, MARCELO R; NOVICOV FANCIOTTI, M; AUDISIO, M CARINA

Beneficial Microbes

Wageningen Academic

Año: 2017

1876-2891

The main objective of this study was to determine the impactof Lactobacillus salivarius A3iob, ahoney bee gut-associated strain (GenBank code access KX198010), on honey yield.Independent assays were conducted from May to September 2014 and 2015, in threecommercial apiaries: Tilquiza, El Carmen and Yala, all located in northwesternArgentina. Local Apis mellifera L.bees were kept in standard Langstroth hives; treated hives were fed once amonth with 1x105 CFU/mL viable lactobacilli cells, administered tothe bees through a Doolittle-type feeder in 125 g/L sucrose syrup. Controlhives were only given the syrup mixed with MRS sterile broth. The main honeyharvest was done in December in all groups and we found that there wasan overall increase in honey yield from the treated hives. In 2014,all treated hives produced between 2.3 to 6.5 times more honey than the controls.However, in2015, higher honey averageyields in the treated hives at El Carmen and Yala were obtained, yet not atTilquiza, because of a slight mishap. They experienced the swarming of several bee coloniesdue to a higher number of bees without appropriate management, which caused the control group toyield more honey compared tothe hives fed with lactobacilli. Interestingly, at El Carmen, two honeyharvests were recorded: one in winter and the other in summer (July and December 2015,respectively). This unexpected result arose from the particular flora of theregion, mainly Tithonia tubaeformis,which blooms in winter. L. salivariusA3iob cells prove to be a natural alternative that will positively impact thebeekeepers? economy by providing a higher honey yield.