Use of environmentally safe preventive remedy against ascospherosis

Abstract

Death of bee families in many countries has led to a reduction in the number of honey bees, a reduction in their medicinal food products and pollination activity. Honey bees are susceptible to various diseases of an infectious nature, including a disease such as ascospherosis caused by Ascosphaera apis fungus. The treatment of bee families against this disease with a preventive natural remedy, without the use of antibiotics and chemicals, is included in the concept of organic bee-farming and leads to a decrease in the percentage of affected families. Two groups of bee families treated with prophylactic compounds from natural raw materials were analyzed in the course of the research: experimental group № 1 (garlic, wormwood with vitamin C); experimental group № 2 (garlic and 5% iodine solution). Laboratory and field studies confirm the greatest effectiveness of garlic and iodine composition. There is a reduction in infection of bee brood due to the active substance allicin, which carries antimicrobial properties and, accordingly, increases the number of working flying bees.