Gwangju Bogyeon Environmental Research Institute Strengthens Honeybee Disease Inspection Service

Targeting Over 100 Beekeeping Farms... Telephone Surveillance and Inspections by Assigned Veterinarians

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Metropolitan City Health and Environment Research Institute announced on the 31st that it will strengthen honeybee disease inspection services to support beekeepers who are struggling due to colony collapse phenomena, such as the disappearance of honeybees.

The Gwangju Health and Environment Research Institute has been conducting disease inspections on samples requested by civil complaints annually from February to November.

However, this year, before the acacia flowers bloom, in April, phone surveillance will be conducted targeting about 100 beekeeping farms in the Gwangju area, and veterinarians in charge will visit beekeeping farms suspected of disease occurrence to conduct inspections.

Farms requiring inspections due to management conditions can submit civil complaints at any time.

Meanwhile, the city’s Health and Environment Research Institute received requests for honeybee disease inspections from beekeepers who have been suffering from mass honeybee deaths or disappearances since just after wintering this year. The inspections confirmed infections of Deformed Wing Virus and Black Queen Cell Virus, which are transmitted by mites.

Additionally, Nosema disease, a fungal disease that causes bees to crawl in front of the hive and then die, was also confirmed.

Originally, honeybees are poikilothermic animals; when the temperature drops below 14℃, they stop external activities and form clusters, moving their wing muscles to generate heat and survive the winter.

It appears that increased deaths and wintering failures occurred due to pathogen-induced weakening of the colony.

In particular, the causes of mass deaths are presumed to be complex viral infections due to failure to control mites, failure to remove Nosema spores, and colony weakening caused by decreased immunity.

To prevent this, mite control should be conducted before wintering to prepare for the flowering season, and Nosema spores must be thoroughly disinfected or the beehive itself should be removed.

Kim Jeongnam, Director of the Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory, said, “Beekeepers are encouraged to actively perform disinfection and parasite control, such as administering immune enhancers for honeybee disease prevention and removing old combs and beehives where pathogens remain. If suspected symptoms of honeybee disease are found, please promptly report to the Health and Environment Research Institute.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.