William T. Wilson

Repelling Honeybees from Insecticide-Treated Flowers with 2-Heptanone

SummaryThe honeybee (Apis mellifera) pheromone 2-heptanone was evaluated for possible use as a repellent in conjunction with agricultural insecticides. An efficacious repellent would prevent or reduce honeybee mortality by lowering the incidence of contact between bees and toxic chemicals. It was shown that although 2-heptanone repels bees, its use as a repellent would probably not be practical in an agricultural setting, and that under some conditions it acted as an attractant.

Nocturnal dispersal by femaleAcarapis woodi in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies

Comparisons were made between the infestation levels of the honey bee tracheal miteAcarapis woodi (Rennie) in newly emerged honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) exposed for 12 h during the daytime or nighttime in mite-infested bee colonies. Bees exposed during the night harbored a significantly higher number of mites (718) when compared with the daytime bees (88 mites) (n=14 day/night cycles utilizing 33 colonies). On 4 days of an 8-day study, three test colonies were closed during the daytime to eliminate foraging flights. Thus equal numbers of bees were present in the colonies during the day and night sample periods. These 4 flightless days were compared to 4 free-flight days and mite dispersal rates were not significantly different. Additionally, the movement of bees on the combs of four glass-walled observation hives was quantified on 10 days at 08∶00, 12∶00, 16∶00, 20∶00, 24∶00 and 04∶00 h. Bee movement at 24∶00 and 04∶00 h was significantly lower than the other observation times. Movement of host bees may be one factor involved in the increased nighttime mite dispersals. These findings do not support the hypothesis that the absence of foraging bees during the day reduces the bee to bee contact time, thus reducing mite dispersals between host bees. Differential diurnal activity levels between host bees and mite parasites was demonstrated. The exact role of host-bee behavior and/or mite behavior in the nighttime dispersal patterns observed, remains for further investigation.

Antibiotic Extender Patties for Control of American Foul Brood

SummaryA single application of Terramycin (Oxytetracycline HCl) was administered to honeybee colonies in a solid cake or patty. The patties contained sugar as a diluent and vegetable fat or petroleum jelly as a binder. The binder maintained the consistency of the patty (antibiotic extender patty) and controlled the feeding rate of the bees to provide an extended release of medicant for a period of more than two months. Antibiotic extender patties containing Terramycin in the dose rate described effectively controlled American foul brood in experimentally infected colonies. Doxycycline was less effective than Terramycin, and sulphathiazole was ineffective in this medium. Combination drugs containing Terramycin were as effective as Terramycin alone.

A phoretic uropodid mite associated with honey bee swarms of northeastern Mexico

Abstract In a bait-hive survey of natural honey bee populations of central Tamaulipas state, Mexico, and South Texas, U.S.A., two Mexican, European-origin swarms were found to include phoretic deutonymphs of the family Uropodidae (Acari: Mesostigmata). Subsequently two Africanized honey bee swarms, captured in the state of Veracruz, were also found to harbor the mites. No adult mites were found. These are the first known instances of phoresy by this family of mites on Apis mellifera. Mites were attached on the pollen baskets of the bees with as many as 21 mites occurring per bee. The association reported here is most likely transitory; both bees and mites are essentially migrants exploiting the same habitats.

Mouse model for the Rift Valley fever virus MP12 strain infection.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), a Category A pathogen and select agent, is the causative agent of Rift Valley fever. To date, no fully licensed vaccine is available in the U.S. for human or animal use and effective antiviral drugs have not been identified. The RVFV MP12 strain is conditionally licensed for use for veterinary purposes in the U.S. which was excluded from the select agent rule of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The MP12 vaccine strain is commonly used in BSL-2 laboratories that is generally not virulent in mice. To establish a small animal model that can be used in a BSL-2 facility for antiviral drug development, we investigated susceptibility of six mouse strains (129S6/SvEv, STAT-1 KO, 129S1/SvlmJ, C57BL/6J, NZW/LacJ, BALB/c) to the MP12 virus infection via an intranasal inoculation route. Severe weight loss, obvious clinical and neurologic signs, and 50% mortality was observed in the STAT-1 KO mice, whereas the other 5 mouse strains did not display obvious and/or severe disease. Virus replication and histopathological lesions were detected in brain and liver of MP12-infected STAT-1 KO mice that developed the acute-onset hepatitis and delayed-onset encephalitis. In conclusion, the STAT-1 KO mouse strain is susceptible to MP12 virus infection, indicating that it can be used to investigate RVFV antivirals in a BSL-2 environment.