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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Baton Rouge, Louisiana » Honey Bee Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #290494
Title: Preliminary results on the evaluation of honey bee stocks for susceptibility to deformed wing virus

Author
item KHONGPHINITBUNJONGA, K - Chiang Mai University
item De Guzman, Lilia
item Tarver, Matthew
item Rinderer, Thomas
item Chen, Yanping - Judy
item CHANTAWANNAKUL, P - Chiang Mai University

Submitted to: American Bee Research Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/11/2013
Publication Date: 1/18/2013
Citation: Khongphinitbunjonga, K., De Guzman, L.I., Tarver, M.R., Rinderer, T.E., Chen, Y., Chantawannakul, P. 2013. Preliminary results on the evaluation of honey bee stocks for susceptibility to deformed wing virus. American Bee Research Conference Proceedings. 21-24.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We assessed the susceptibility of honey bee stocks to Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) infection. Three stocks (n = 4 colonies per stock) were evaluated: Italian (IHB), Pol-line (POL, hybrid Varroa Sensitive Hygienic bees) and Russian honey bees (RHB). Each queen was caged to obtain uniformly-aged larvae. Rows of two-day old larvae were randomly fed 2µl of DWV lysate obtained by grinding 10 symptomatic bees in 10ml PBS. Several concentrations (DWV: PBS) were used: D1, D1:100, D1:1,000, D1:10,000, PBS alone and unfed larvae. Measurements were made of brood removal, DWV levels of newly emerged bees, weights at adult emergence and proportion of deformed bees. Brood removal was universally about 30% (P = 0.99). For the levels of DWV, POL fed D1 had the highest while IHB and RHB had similarly low levels (P <0.0001) (see figure). Newly emerged IHB fed D1 (115.2 ± 0.7 mg) and D1:10,000 (115.0 ± 0.6 mg) were the lightest (P <0.0001). Emergence weights of POL (117.6 ± 0.8 mg) and RHB (113.0 ± 0.6 mg) were higher and comparable. Larvae fed D1 (5.84 ± 1.64%) showed the highest proportion of deformed bees (P = 0.005). D1:10,000 (1.26 ± 0.52%) and control (0.90 ± 0.46%) groups had the lowest while D1:100 (3.43 ± 0.66%), D1:1,000 (2.55 ± 0.99%) and PBS (1.70 ± 0.63%) were intermediate. The proportion of deformed bees differed (P = 0.049): IHB (3.57 ± 0.68%) = POL (2.39 ± 0.69%) = RHB (1.40 ± 0.49%). Based on the low DWV levels and proportions of deformed bees, RHB may have some tolerance to DWV infection.