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Viral infections are commonly associated with honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony mortality. Using metagenomics, we previously identified 8 viruses from populations of honey bees and 11 other bee species around the world. These viruses had not been previously been described as bee-infecting viruses, and belong to viral families that are not commonly described in bees. To provide a fine-scale characterization of these viruses in the USA, we screened bees from the 2015 USDA National Honey Bee Disease Survey. Two viruses are widespread, and thus likely require further characterization, while four may represent emerging or under surveyed infections. We also compare different approaches for screening samples for viral infections. This study demonstrates the importance of creating and maintaining large-scale collections for the broader research community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US National Honey Bee Disease Survey sampled colony pests and diseases from 2009 to 2014. We verified the absence of Tropilaelaps spp., the Asian honey bee ( Apis cerana), and slow bee paralysis virus. Endemic health threats were quantified, including Varroa destructor, Nosema spp., and eight honey bee viruses. Varroa loads varied across years, with annual fall peaks; Nosema peaked January to April. Migratory beekeepers had significantly lower Varroa prevalence (84.9 vs. 97.0 %) and loads (3.65 ± 0.28 vs. 5.99 ± 0.22) than stationary operations, while Nosema was more prevalent (59.9 vs. 46.7 %) in migratory colonies. Since 2010, chronic bee paralysis virus prevalence doubled annually. We detected strong positive relationships between V. destructor and Varroa-transmitted viruses, between Nosema and Lake Sinai virus 2, and a positive relationship across several viral pathogens of bees. The results provide a disease baseline to help identify drivers of poor bee health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bee colony losses are a major concern in the USA and across the globe. Long-term data on losses are critical for putting yearly losses in context. US colony loss surveys have been conducted yearly since the winter of 2006-2007. Here, we report the results from the eighth annual survey on winter losses and the second annual survey of summer and annual losses. There were 7425 valid respondents (7123 backyard, 190 sideline, and 112 commercial beekeepers) managing 497,855 colonies, 19 % of the total US colonies. Total losses reported were 19.8 % [95 % CI 19.3-20.3 %] over the summer, 23.7 % [95 % CI 23.3-24.1 %] over the winter, and 34.1 % [95 % CI 33.6-34.6 %] for the whole year. Average losses were 15.1 % [95 % CI 14.5-15.7 %] over the summer, 44.8 % [95 % CI 43.9-45.7 %] over the winter, and 51.1 % [95 % CI 50.2-51.6 %] for the whole year. While total winter loss was one of the lowest reported in 8 years, 66 % of all beekeepers had higher losses than they deemed acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An international initiative is developing a scientifically rigorous approach to evaluate the potential risks to nontarget arthropods (NTAs) posed by insect-resistant, genetically modified (IRGM) crops. It adapts the tiered approach to risk assessment that is used internationally within regulatory toxicology and environmental sciences. The approach focuses on the formulation and testing of clearly stated risk hypotheses, making maximum use of available data and using formal decision guidelines to progress between testing stages (or tiers). It is intended to provide guidance to regulatory agencies that are currently developing their own NTA risk assessment guidelines for IRGM crops and to help harmonize regulatory requirements between different countries and different regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]