Atypical viral and parasitic pattern in Algerian honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera intermissa and A. m. sahariensis

Abstract

Unusually high losses of honey bee colonies are reported in many regions of the world, but little data is available concerning the status of honey bee stocks in Africa. However, the situation on this continent, where beekeeping isweakly developed andwhere the wild population of the pollinator remains large, can give us an insight on the causes of increased mortalities elsewhere. In this study, we evaluate the health status of Apis mellifera intermissa and A. m. sahariensis populations inhabiting the north and the south of Algeria, respectively. We report few colony losses associated with an atypical pattern of prevalence for common honey bee parasites and pathogens. The presence or absence of these risk factors is discussed in relation to the occurrence of local and global colony losses to contribute to our understanding of how honey bee pathogens and parasite impact this pollinator’s health.