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In Argentina, food production is the basis of economic and social development. Several crops depend on entomophilous pollination. However, wild and managed pollinators are threatened by conventional agricultural management practices. In this work, we evaluate the economic value attributed to entomophilous pollination (EEV) of the main crops between 2013 and 2018. Our study focused on analyses of crops with varying degrees of pollinator dependence in terms, their harvested area, yield and total economic value (EV). The EEV attributed to pollinators and the vulnerability of each crop category were estimated. The EEV attributed exclusively to entomophilous pollination, in the 27 crops analyzed, was US$ 4.437 million, representing a contribution of the pollinators of 21,83% of the EV and 13,8 million tons of agricultural products. The EEV in decreasing order is industrial crops, fruit trees, vegetables, nuts and citrus. In industrial crops, where managed pollinators are not used, the contribution of pollinators was high, reaching US$3.655 million. Fruit trees and vegetables are the most vulnerable to an eventual decrease or absence of pollinators with estimated vulnerability rates of 68 and 38% respectively. These results show the economic contribution of the pollinators to the country's agriculture, the high vulnerability of agroecosystems and the effects in quantitative terms of a potential reduction in food production due to a pollination deficit. Finally, this work may be useful to guide decision-making and establish public policies aimed at promoting diversification and sustainability of agricultural models to guarantee food security.

Nosema ceranae is a ubiquitous microsporidian pathogen infecting the midgut of honey bees. The infection causes bee nosemosis, a disease associated with malnutrition, dysentery, and lethargic behavior, and results in considerable economic losses in apiculture. The use of a rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive DNA-based molecular detection method assists in the surveillance and eventual control of this pathogen. To this end, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting the single-copy gene encoding the polar tube protein 3 (PTP3) has been developed. Genomic DNA of N. ceranae-infected forager bees sampled from distant geographic regions could be reliably amplified using the established LAMP assay. The N. ceranae-LAMP showed higher sensitivity than a classical reference PCR (98.6 vs 95.7%), when both approaches were applied to the detection of N. ceranae. LAMP detected a ten-fold lower infection rate than the reference PCR (1 pg vs 10 pg genomic DNA, respectively). In addition, we show highly specific and sensitive detection of N. ceranae from spore preparations in a direct LAMP format. No cross-reactions with genomic DNA and/or spores from N. apis, often co-infecting A. mellifera, or from N. bombi, infecting bumble bees, were observed. This low-cost and time-saving molecular detection method can be easily applied in simple laboratory settings, facilitating a rapid detection of N. ceranae in honey bees in epidemiological studies, surveillance and control, as well as evaluation of therapeutic measures against nosemosis.

Understanding how bees use the resources provided by crops of massive flowering is essential to develop meaningful agricultural management of plans to maximize the potential of pollination service. We assessed the effect of the pollination carried out by native species Bombus pauloensis and Apis mellifera on the production and quality of blueberry fruits. In this context, we tested the prediction that pollinator assemblages benefit fruit yield. Four treatments were performed: open pollination, B. pauloensis pollination, A. mellifera pollination, and autogamy. For each treatment, the frequency of floral visitors, fruit setting, yield, and quality were evaluated. The results showed that Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Emerald’ is highly dependent on entomophilous pollination to obtain optimal production and high-quality fruit, and that pollination with A. mellifera generated the highest proportion of fruit setting (0.80 ± 0.03). The highest seed number was found in open pollinated fruits. This study highlights the effect of the interactions among wild and managed pollinators on the productivity of commercial blueberry fields, and is the first report of B. pauloensis use in blueberry pollination. EEA Concordia Fil: Cavigliasso, Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concordia; Argentina Fil: Bello, Fernando. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concordia; Argentina Fil: Rivadeneira, Maria Fernanda. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concordia; Argentina Fil: Monzon, Nicolas Oscar. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concordia; Argentina Fil: Gennari, Gerardo Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; Argentina Fil: Basualdo, Marina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina

Bees (members of the super family Apoidea) are the main pollinators in modern agro-ecosystems, where they have a critical positive effect on yield improvement for about 75% of world's crops (Klein ...

Honey is a natural food with functional properties such as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These properties vary greatly depending on floral source, climate, and environmental and processing conditions. In this work, we characterized honeys on the basis of their botanical composition and clustered them according to their physicochemical parameters in order to find similarities, and assess their antibacterial action against microorganisms isolated from contaminated food. All honeys studied complied with international quality standards. The data showed differences between multifloral and unifloral honeys in their physicochemical parameters, as well as a direct correlation between colour, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity. -Antimicrobial activity resulted from hydrogen peroxide effect. Multifloral honeys with similar phenolic compounds and a botanical composition of eucalyptus and blueweed had greater inhibitory power against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., S. aureus and B. cereus. Fil: Ramos, Ornella Yolanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Producción Animal; Argentina Fil: Salomón, Virginia María. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Tucuman-Santiago del Estero. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; Argentina Fil: Libonatti, Claudia Carina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina Fil: Cepeda, Rosana Esther. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Ecosistemas y Desarrollo Sustentable; Argentina Fil: Maldonado, Luis María. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Tucuman-Santiago del Estero. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; Argentina Fil: Basualdo, Marina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Producción Animal; Argentina

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the encapsulation of Weissella paramesenteroides, isolated from bee bread, as a technological tool for its use in biological fish silage. The pH decrease in fish silages using the bacteria encapsulated and in a non-encapsulated form was compared. W. paramesenteroides showed a good performance in the development of biological fish silage. The alginate encapsulation method showed an encapsulation efficacy of 85% and provides a reliable technological application.

Trypanosomatids affecting honey bees, Crithidia mellificae and Lotmaria passim, have been poorly studied in South America. We therefore analyzed their presence in Africanized and European honeybees from Uruguay, Argentina and Chile collected between 1990 and 2011 and assessed their association with other bee parasites and pathogens. Crithidia mellificae was not detected while L. passim was wide-spread. This report shows that L. passim has been present in this region at least since 2007 and it infects both Africanized and European honey bees. L. passim infected colonies showed high V. destructor parasitization levels, suggesting an association between them.

Adequate supplementation or replacement of pollen is necessary for maintaining healthy honey bee colonies during periods with limited pollen. Different supplemental protein diets could be metabolized in different ways by bees. We compared how protein supplements elaborated with free amino acids, with a soy-based diet, and with pollen, influence protein stores within individual honey bees. Caged bees were fed with one of three diets, and measurements were made based on protein content of hemolymph and fat bodies. The results show that these diets were metabolized in different way by bees. Bees fed with the free amino acid diet had significantly more proteins in hemolymph than bees fed with soya patty and pollen as they aged. The major amount of protein transported into the hemolymph by 27-day-old bees fed with free amino acid diet promoted the development of wax glands, and probably, it was the cause of a reduced storage of protein in fat bodies. Overall, our results suggest a connection between diets and ...

Summary Adequate protein nutrition supports healthy honeybees and reduces the susceptibility to disease. However little is known concerning the effect of the diet on Nosema ceranae development, an obligate intracellular parasite that disturbs the protein metabolism of honeybees (Apis mellifera). Here we tested the effect of natural (bee bread) and non-natural protein diets (substitute) on haemolymph proteins titers of honeybee and N. ceranae spore production. The natural diet induced higher levels of protein and parasite development, but the survival of bees was also higher than with non-natural diets. The data showed that the administration of an artificially high nutritious diet in terms of crude protein content is not sufficient to promote healthy bees; rather the protein ingested should be efficiently assimilated. The overall results support the idea that the physiological condition of the bees is linked to protein levels in the haemolymph, which affects the tolerance to parasite; consequently the negative impact of the parasite on host fitness is not associated only with the level of infection.

SUMMARYHoney bee (Apis mellifera) colonies exhibiting clinical symptoms of American foulbrood (AFB, causative agent Paenibacillus larvae larvae) were divided into 2 groups that received different shaking treatments: (1), shaking adult bees into a new hive; and (2), shaking adult bees in front of the entrance to a new hive. Honey bee and honey samples were taken before shaking and 1, 22, 44 and 66 days after shaking. Microbiological cultures were made from honey and honey bee samples to determine P. I. larvae development. The average number of P I. larvae cfu/g honey before shaking was 89.86 ± 17.93 (x ± s.e.) and more than 500 cfu/bee for honey bee samples. Honey bee samples had more colony-forming units before shaking but differences were not statistically significant after shaking. An important reduction in the number of colony-forming units in honey bee and honey samples was detected after shaking by both methods and no significant difference was detected between them. Honey and honey bee samples were ...

Adequate protein nutrition supports healthy honeybees and reduces the susceptibility to disease. However little is known concerning the effect of the diet on Nosema ceranae development, an obligate intracellular parasite that disturbs the protein metabolism of honeybees (Apis mellifera). Here we tested the effect of natural (bee bread) and non-natural protein diets (substitute) on haemolymph proteins titers of honeybee and N. ceranae spore production. The natural diet induced higher levels of protein and parasite development, but the survival of bees was also higher than with non-natural diets. The data showed that the administration of an artificially high nutritious diet in terms of crude protein content is not sufficient to promote healthy bees; rather the protein ingested should be efficiently assimilated. The overall results support the idea that the physiological condition of the bees is linked to protein levels in the haemolymph, which affects the tolerance to parasite; consequently the negative impact of the parasite on host fitness is not associated only with the level of infection.

Adequate protein levels are necessary to maintain strong honey bee [Apis mellifera (L.)] colonies. The aim of this study was to quantify how pollens with different crude protein contents inßuence protein stores within individual honey bees. Caged bees were fed one of three diets, consisting of highÐprotein-content pollen, lowÐprotein-content pollen, or protein-free diet as control; measurements were made based on protein content in hemolymph and fat body, fat body weight, and body weight. Vitellogenin in hemolymph was also measured. Bees fed with high crude protein diet had signiÞcantly higher levels of protein in hemolymph and fat bodies. Caged bees did not increase pollen consumption to compensate for the lower protein in the diet, and ingesting 4 mg of protein per bee could achieve levels of 20 g/ l protein in hemolymph. Worker bees fed with low crude protein diet took more time in reaching similar protein content of the bees that were fed with high crude protein diet. The data showed that fat bodies and body weight were not efÞcient methods of measuring the protein status of bees. The determination of total protein or vitellogenin concentration in the hemolymph from 13-d-old bees and protein concentration of fat bodies from 9-d-old bees could be good indicators of nutritional status of honey bees. Fil: Basualdo, Marina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Barragán, Santiago. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina Fil: Vanagas, Laura. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: García, C.. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina Fil: Solana, Hugo Daniel. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina Fil: Rodriguez, Edgardo Mario. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Bedascarrasbure, Enrique Luciano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentina

The efficacy of formic acid in a gel matrix was evaluated in two groups of honeybee colonies. In Group 1, a dispenser with 120 g of formic acid (70%) in gel was placed on the brood combs and another dispenser with the same dose was located on the hive bottom (total dose, 240 g). Group 2 received two doses of 240 g of formic acid (70%) in gel and each application was applied in two dispensers containing 120 g of the formic acid solution each and they were located over the brood chamber (total dose, 480 g). In Group 2, the period between both applications was 15 days, and the efficacies after the first and both applications were calculated. Significant differences were registered for final efficacy between both groups. When final efficacy of Group 1 was compared with efficacy after first application of Group 2, significant differences were found (P=0.0005). Same doses in different positions within the hive have different final efficacy. The higher efficacy was registered when the dispensers were placed over brood combs and on the hive bottom. It is suggested that efficacy is related to dispenser position within the hive.

A study of sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., pollen collection by Africanized and European honey bees, Apis mellifera L., was conducted in a hybrid seed production field in Argentina. Africanized honey bees collected significantly larger proportions of sunflower pollen than did European honey bees. The result suggests that Africanized bees would be more efficient for commercial sunflower seed production.