First report on the effect of Meloe spp. larvae invasion on Apis mellifera carpathica bees in some apiaries in Romania

Abstract

During the program monitoring bees’ health state it was possible to detect an invasion of triungulin larvae of Meloe spp. against melliferous bees (Apis mellifera carpathica) in apiaries from the South and East regions of the country. We evaluated 35 apiaries (550 bee colonies) located in all the regions of the country, and found the presence of triungulinosa in 8 of them (22.86%). A number of 173 bee colonies have been affected (31.45%), while 54 colonies (9.81%) registered massive depopulations. Evaluation of the melliferous flora in the areas adjacent to the apiaries showed a considerable number of triungulin larvae on the florescence of the plants in the South-East area. Bees’ infestation with triungulin larvae of Meloe spp. was diagnosed as singular morbid entity in six apiaries (five in the East and one in the South), while in the other two infested apiaries, the presence of the triungulin larvae was accompanied by other morbid entities, such as the nosemosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an attack of the triungulin larvae against Apis mellifera carpathica colonies in Romania.