INFECTION WITH MICROSPORIDIUM OF THE GENUS NOZEMA IN APIARIES OF EASTERN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

Nosema is the most common disease of Apis mellifera and is a serious health problem for bees worldwide, therefore the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of microsporidian parasitic infection of the genus Nosema in East Kazakhstan. In 2018-2021, 394 honey bee samples were collected from 30 apiaries located in four districts of East Kazakhstan. Our results showed the presence of microsporidia of the genus Nosema in 23.3% of the analyzed bee samples from four districts of East Kazakhstan. Moreover, the highest prevalence was recorded in the Katon-Karagay district. Out of 31 samples tested, 10 (32.2%) were positive. In the Urzhar district, positive samples of microsporidia were found in 40 of 170 samples tested (23%). The lowest infection rate was recorded in honey bee samples in the Shemonaikhinsky district. Of the 104 samples examined, only 19 (18.3%) were found to contain microsporidia of the genus Nosema; in the Borodulikha district of the same part of the region, the infection rate reached 25.8%. It was established that the most common levels of bee infection are 2 and 3, which can negatively affect the strength of bee colonies and the productivity of bees when harvesting honey.