HONEY BEE DISEASES AND THEIR CONTROL IN BULGARIA AND ESTONIA: A REVIEW

Abstract

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a species of crucial economic, agricultural and environmental importance. Honey bee colonies suffer from numerous pathogens. These include various bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The aim of the present work is to review and compare information on the most important bee diseases and their control in Bulgaria and Estonia. Based on the data about honeybee diseases from available research and those supplied by the National Reference Laboratories of Bulgaria and Estonia it could be said that in both countries the main problem for beekeeping are the diseases varroоsis, nosemosis, American foulbrood, and European foulbrood. Estonia seems to be one of the few countries in the world where N. apis (43%) is still individually prevalent, while in Bulgaria nosemosis caused by N. ceranae (98%) predominates. Principles of prevention and treatment of bee diseases are similar in both countries and comply with European recommendations.