Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXIII, Issue 2
Written by Adrian DUMITRU, Gabriela CHIOVEANU, Mariana IONITA, Gheorghe DOBRE, Ioan Liviu MITREA
Essential oils have been assigned with special properties over the time. They are used much in herbal medicine, but also in apiculture, mainly due to their emollient, calming, carminative, antispasmodic, and mainly antiseptic properties. In order to determine the therapeutic dose to be used in treatment of nosemosis in bee colonies, it has been tested the product Suppressor 1, a mixture of medicinal herbs and etheric oils obtained from melliferous plants, dissolved in ethylic alcohol 96°. The studies were carried out in laboratory conditions with microclimate parameters being permanently monitored. Five experimental modules with natural infection with Nosema spp. were organized for testing the product, together with three control ones (one positive and two negative controls, respectively); each module consisted in two groups, with at least 100 bees/group (106 - 187 bees). The bee groups were kept in wooden cages equipped with glass, mesh ventilation and nutrition systems. The tested product was used in different concentrations, from 1 to 50 ml /litre in sugar syrup, administered ad libitum. In order to determine the therapeutic dose, the mortality rate, at various intervals (24, 48, 72, 96 hours, and then at 8, 16 and 26 days, p.t.), was registered. The best efficacy was obtained for the concentration of 5 ml of product/l syrup; this was considered the therapeutic dose. The tested product was not proved to affect the viability and vitality of bees. These results will be the base for further field studies of the product, in order to provide alternative solutions for control of honey bee’s diseases using natural products and to avoid drug residues in apiculture products.
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