The Status of Bee Health and Colony Losses in Argentina

MATÍAS D. MAGGI, SERGIO R. RUFFINENGO, PEDRO NEGRI, CONSTANZA BRASESCO, SANDRA MEDICI, SILVINA QUINTANA, NICOLÁS SZAWARSKI, PABLO GIMENEZ MARTINEZ, FIORELLA DE PIANO, PABLO REVAINERA, GIULLIA MITTON, MARTÍN J. EGUARAS

Honeybees: Foraging Behavior, Reproductive Biology and Diseases

Nova Publishers

Lugar: New york; Año: 2014; p. 1 - 45

Honey bees are essential components to modern agriculture and economy. However, a continuos increment in colony losses and colony depopulation cases are being reported worldwide. This critical situation has put on the edge the fragil equilibrium betweenbees and plants, obligating to several scientists to redirect theirresearch lines. Most researchers agree that there is no single explanation for the extensive colony losses but that interactions between different stresses are likely involved. Argentina is not the exception, several reports of colony losses and colony depopulation cases were informed by beeckepersaround the country but still there is no accurate d ata registered. It isbelieved that the total number of colonies in Argen tina suffered a 30% of reduction in the last years. In this way, this a rticle intends to evaluate the current situation of honey bee health in Argent ina. In this review, we evaluated the impact of the main parasites and path ogens affecting honey bee colonies and discussed the role of each o ver honey bee lossesin Argentina. Also, we discuss the classical contro l forms applied inArgentina to reduce Varroa mite populations, going deeper in the problems related to acaricide resistance phenomena and bee product pollution. Second, we provide data about bee nutrit ion in Argentina and the main strategies used by beeckepers to manage th eir colonies. Third,we evaluate the impact of monocultures and pesticid es associated to them over colonies survival. Finally we try to esti mate the current status of colony losses through the data reported by offic ial institutionsdevoted to the study of honey bees and also, by the beekeepers. Thisarticle aims to serve as a reference of the current status of honey bee health for Argentina and also, to serve as a compar ison with future losses as well as providing guidance to future hypo thesis-driven research on the causes of colony mortality.