Epizootic Situation on Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera) Varoosis in Selected Areas Within Chernivtsi Region (Ukraine)

Abstract

Purpose. To describe the epizootic situation on honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758) varroosis in four districts of Chernivtsi region. Methods. The material was collected in accordance with the existing "Rules for sampling of pathological material, blood, feed, water and their transfer for laboratory testing." The share of infested colonies, extensiveness of Varroa invasion of worker honey bees (EI, %) and the degree of brood damage were analysed using common methods. Results. The material was collected during the summer period (June – August) of 2020 from 203 bee colonies of 80 private apiaries within four administrative districts in Chernivtsi region (Ukraine). We found that the share of colonies with infested worker honey bees was 34.80 ± 14.97 % and with infested sealed brood 38.98 ± 9.51 % of the studied colonies. The studied areas were characterized by different ratios of degrees of extensiveness of Varroa infestation of worker honey bees. The total share of the colonies without mites or with a low degree of extensiveness of varroosis invasion was the highest (ranging between 95.3 % and 100 %) in all four districts. Two percent of the tested colonies from Khotyn and Storozhynets districts were characterized by a medium degree of damage and only 2.35 % of the colonies of Khotyn district had a high degree of extensiveness of Varroa invasion. According to the results of the analysis of the brood, 1.23 % of the surveyed colonies in Khotyn district were damaged to a high degree, and 2 % of the tested colonies in Storozhynets district to the extremely high degree. Conclusions. The results of our research indicate the need to perform annual monitoring of the epizootic situation on varroosis during summer period for the early detection of Varroa mites and improving methods for varroosis prevention and treatment.