Microfungal Flora of Apis mellifera anatoliaca (Hymenoptera: Apidae)and Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae)from the Eastern Black Sea Region and Fungal Vector Capacity in Honey Bee Colonies

Full text loading... Abstract Honey bees have great economic importance both in Turkey and in the world with their products and their contribution to pollination. For this reason, many microflora and microbiota studies have been carried out on bees. While these studies were only aimed at the isolation of pathogens, today, the ecological roles of non-pathogenic flora members and how they can be utilised are being investigated. Considering the importance of pathogens, it is expected that the number of studies will be high. This study was carried out to determine the microfungal flora of the body surfaces and digestive systems of dead honey bee (Apis mellifera anatoliaca) and Varroa destructor samples taken from different apiaries in the Eastern Black Sea Region (Gümüşhane, Trabzon, Artvin and Ordu) in 2022. As a result of the study, a total of 11 different fungal species belonging to the genera Penicillium, Alternaria, Mucor, Trichoderma, Fusarium, Aspergillus and Verticillium were identified and the relationships of these fungi with bees were discussed based on the literature. - Received: - Version Posted: