) The status of bee health and colony losses in Argentina

MAGGI MATIAS; NEGRI PEDRO; BRASESCO CONSTANZA; MEDICI SANDRA; QUINTANA, SILVINA; SZAWARSKI NICOLAS; GIMÉNEZ MARTÍNEZ, PABLO DARIAN; DE PIANO FIORELLA; REVAINERA PABLO; MITTON GIULIA; EGUARAS MARTIN

Honeybees: Foraging Behavior, Reproductive Biology and Diseases

Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Año: 2013; p. 44 - 92

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 between bees and plants, obligating to several scientists to redirect their research 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 beeckepers around the country but still there is no accurate data registered. It is believed that the total number of colonies in Argentina suffered a 30% of reduction in the last years. In this way, this article intends to evaluate the current situation of honey bee health in Argentina. In this review, we evaluated the impact of the main parasites and pathogens affecting honey bee colonies and discussed the role of each over honey bee losses in Argentina. Also, we discuss the classical control forms applied in Argentina 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 nutrition in Argentina and the main strategies used by beeckepers to manage their colonies. Third, we evaluate the impact of monocultures and pesticides associated to them over colonies survival. Finally we try to estimate the current status of colony losses through the data reported by official institutions devoted to the study of honey bees and also, by the beekeepers. This article aims to serve as a reference of the current status of honey bee health for Argentina and also, to serve as a comparison with future losses as well as providing guidance to future hypothesis-driven research on the causes of colony mortality.