Abstract
The most profound decrease in the number of honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) colonies is observed after winter. This study evaluates the effect of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AA) supplementation in wintering colonies of honey bees naturally infested with the parasitic mite Varroa destructor on total carbohydrate content, glycogen, trehalose, glucose and fructose concentrations, and the activity of amylase and disaccharidases in a developing worker brood. The severity of the infestation was lower (1.18±0.6 of mites per bee) in bees whose diet were supplemented with vitamin C (group AA) than in the control group (C) (1.32±0.56 mites/bee). Glycogen and trehalose levels and the activity of α-amylase, glucoamylase and trehalase were significantly higher in newly emerged workers from group AA. The results of the study indicate that vitamin C in the diet of honey bees moderately reduces infestation levels and might improve selected indicators of carbohydrate metabolism in infested workers and thus improves the condition of apiaries.
Highlights
The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a social insect that plays a highly significant role in natural ecosystems and the economy
We have shown that ascorbic acid increased body weights, glycogen and trehalose concentrations and the activity of enzymes that break down those carbohydrates
The above observations and the significantly higher activity of both amylases in group ascorbic acid (AA) imagines indicate that dietary vitamin C promotes effective carbohydrate degradation in the enzymatic system of bees (Ohashi et al, 1999). The results of this experiment and previous studies indicate that vitamin C supplementation delivers health benefits for wintering bees in colonies infested with varroasis
Summary
The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a social insect that plays a highly significant role in natural ecosystems and the economy. Varroa destructor is believed to be one of the key factors responsible for the loss of honey bee populations (Cornman et al, 2012; Danidat et al, 2012). This parasitic mite feeds on the hemolymph of capped brood and adult honey bees. Symptoms of oxidative stress were observed in infested drone prepupae (Lipiński & Żółtowska, 2005) Those findings prompted a new study into the effects of ascorbic acid (AA), a compound with antioxidant and immune-boosting properties, on the spread of varroasis and nosemosis in bees jas.ccsenet.org
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