Amoebic dysentery
Malpighamoeba mellificae
Specialized information
The malpighamoeba(Malpighamoeba mellificae PRELL ) attacks the urinary vessels of adult bees and causes the so-called amoebic dysentery. It belongs to the group of protozoa and is found in the urethras of honey bees, the so-called Malpighian vessels. In addition to the reproductive stage (amoeboid stage), it forms permanent forms, so-called cysts, which can survive outside the bee for a long time. Amoebic dysentery often occurs as a mixed infection with nosemosis.
Transmission occurs by passing the cysts through feces during cleaning of the hive by cleaning bees or from colony to colony (flight, predation, bee drinking). Transmission is also possible through the beekeeper (moving combs contaminated with amoebic cysts, combining sick with healthy colonies).
Typical symptom of this disease is extremely thin, golden-yellow, disgusting smelling feces. General symptoms are severe diarrhea, crawling, flightless bees with trembling wings, distended abdomen, caked combs, hives, forehead and flight boards, and increased death.
Factors promoting the disease are long periods of flightlessness, severe disturbance, lack of bees, cold, cool, damp summer and autumn months, long winters. Self-healing is possible with weak infestations.
Hygiene measures
- promotion of bee turnover, so that infested old bees leave more quickly
- kill heavily infested weak colonies
- In case of weakly infested colonies, remove the contaminated combs from the colony, remove dead bees from the ground, clean the ground, flight boards and front wall.
- narrow down the colony
- sufficient food supply
In Austria there is no approved medicine
Contact
Leitung
DI Hemma Köglberger
- hemma.koeglberger@ages.at
- +43 50 555-33127
-
Spargelfeldstraße 191
1220 Wien
Last updated: 28.03.2024
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