Project

Impact and prevention of bee virus in bumblebees

Code
179P0111
Duration
01 July 2011 → 31 May 2013
Funding
Private funding via IWT/VLAIO
Promotor
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Animal biology
Keywords
bumblebees
 
Project description

A first line of experiments should rationalize the audit strategy with respect to these viruses. Biobest will launch impact studies to show which viruses can affect the growth and extent. This knowledge is crucial to determine the intensity and priorities of the internal sanitary control strategy. Also can be used the results of R & D to produce a code of conduct among the largest players in the market. In a second preventive approach examines the main source of infection, the pollen. Through polling, the protein source for the bees in the breeding, bee viruses come into contact with the drones. It is indeed used pollen collected by bees and may contain viruses (such as demonstrated in the OZM / IWT / 080 317). Disabling this source of infection should result in the eradication of the bee destruction of viruses by infected litters. However, these aspects should be examined first, before this strategy can be widely applied in the nursery. Testing the microbial diversity brings us to the last part of this study. The ever more sterile working and total shielding from the outside world can lead to the impoverishment of the microbial flora of bees inside a nursery. Hence investigated will be whether such a depletion is present in the drones of Biobest, or depleted intestinal flora gives rise can be developed to deterioration of the colony development and / or probiotics to compensate depletion or can enhance the normal intestinal flora.