DETERMINATION OF HONEY BEE (Apis mellifera) BACTERIAL FLORA, CRY GENE ANALYSIS AND HONEY BEE HEALTH

Abstract

Beekeeping provides important contributions to the agricultural economy and crop production through pollination both in Turkey and the world. It is evaluated that without bees, the plant production can decrease by 47%. Many factors affect honey production negatively. Among these reasons, besides diseases caused by microorganisms, diseases and dangers originating from organisms are at the forefront. Today, many methods are used in the control these pests and yet they are still unavoidable. Among these methods, the biological control method is not used commonly. The aim of the study is to create a basis for the development of biopesticides to control bee diseases. In this context, as a result of the study, 16 bacteria were isolated from honey bees. While, 12 bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus, two bacteria belonging to the genus Lysinibacillus, one bacterium belonging to the genus Paenibacillus and one bacterium belonging to the genus Pantoea were obtained. Molecular and biochemical identifications of these bacteria were done and registered in GenBank and their accession numbers were obtained. cry gene analyzes of 15 bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus were performed. As it is known, cry genes have the potential to be used against pests. In the future, these bacteria and their genes will have the potential to be used as biopesticides. According to these results, the cry1 gene was observed in 8 bacteria and the cry3 gene was observed in 3 bacteria. cry2 and cry4 genes could not be detected in these bacteria. Bacteria that including cry genes are of great importance for honey bee health. Bacteria have the potential to be developed as internal biopesticides and used against different bee diseases to improve honey bee health.