Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Using Epidemiological Methods to Improve Honey Bee Colony Health

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Beekeeping – From Science to Practice

Abstract

Epidemiologists emphasize that health is a common good. By focusing research on health at the population level, epidemiology can make great positive impact on health. Using real-world examples, we hope to give you a quick overview of what epidemiology is, how it works and should be interpreted. First off, epidemiology is all about measuring (1) how much disease there is and (2) what factors contribute to the occurrence or absence of disease. So if you are a beekeeper, and you want to keep your bees alive (and why wouldn’t you?), you should first understand the ways disease and risk are calculated and used to develop strategies to maximize bee health. This chapter is meant to do just that—gives a quick primer of epidemiology—so you and your fellow beekeepers have some way of self-evaluating new and old research about bee health and management and figure out how to apply new knowledge when managing your colonies to maximize their health.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aizen MA, Harder LD (2009) The global stock of domesticated honey bees is growing slower than agricultural demand for pollination. Curr Biol 19(11):915–918. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.03.071

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brødsgaard CJ, Ritter W, Hansen H (1998) Response of in vitro reared honey bee larvae to various doses of Paenibacillus larvae larvae spores. Apidologie 29(6):569–578. doi:10.1051/apido:19980609

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burgess AF, Howard LO (1906) The Laws in force against injurious insects and foul brood in the United States. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology, 236 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Champetier A (2011) The foraging economics of honey bees in almonds. Presented at the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s 2011 AAEA & NAREA Joint Annual Meeting, University of California, Davis, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Google Scholar 

  • Dohoo IR, Martin SW, Stryhn H (2003) Veterinary epidemiologic research. 706 pp, AVC Inc., Charlottetown

    Google Scholar 

  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2015) FAOSTAT [WWW Document]. http://faostat3.fao.org/. Accessed 13 Aug 2015

  • Frey E, Rosenkranz P (2014) Autumn invasion rates of Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) into honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies and the resulting increase in mite populations. J Econ Entomol 107(2):508–515. doi:10.1603/EC13381

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giacobino A, Molineri A, Cagnolo NB et al (2015) Risk factors associated with failures of Varroa treatments in honey bee colonies without broodless period. Apidologie 1–10. Doi:10.1007/s13592-015-0347-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kulhanek K, Steinhauer N, Rennich K, Caron DM, Sagili RR, Pettis JS, Ellis JD, Wilson ME, Wilkes JT, Tarpy DR, Rose R, Lee K, Rangel J, vanEngelsdorp D (2017) A national survey of managed honey bee 2015–2016 annual colony losses in the USA. J Apic Res 56(4):328–340. DOI: 10.1080/00218839.2017.1344496

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurent M, Hendrikx P, Ribiere-Chabert M et al (2015) A pan-European epidemiological study on honeybee colony losses 2012–2014. European Union Reference Laboratory for honeybee health (EURL)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee K, Steinhauer N, Travis DA et al (2015a) Honey bee surveillance: a tool for understanding and improving honey bee health. Curr Opin Insect Sci 10:37–44. Doi:10.1016/j.cois.2015.04.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee KV, Steinhauer N, Rennich K et al (2015b) A national survey of managed honey bee 2013–2014 annual colony losses in the USA. Apidologie 1–14. Doi:10.1007/s13592-015-0356-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindström A, Korpela S, Fries I (2008a) The distribution of Paenibacillus larvae spores in adult bees and honey and larval mortality, following the addition of American foulbrood diseased brood or spore-contaminated honey in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. J Invertebr Pathol 99(1):82–86. doi:10.1016/j.jip.2008.06.010

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lindström A, Korpela S, Fries I (2008b) Horizontal transmission of Paenibacillus larvae spores between honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies through robbing. Apidologie 39(5):515–522. doi:10.1051/apido:2008032

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettis JS, Rose R, Lichtenberg EM, Chantawannakul P, Buawangpong N, Somana W, Sukumalanand P, Vanengelsdorp D (2013) A rapid survey technique for Tropilaelaps mite (Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) detection. J Econ Entomol 106(4):1535–1544. doi:10.1603/EC12339

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Potts S, Roberts S, Dean R, Marris G, Brown M, Jones R, Neumann P, Settele J (2010a) Declines of managed honey bees and beekeepers in Europe. J Apic Res 49(1):15. doi:10.3896/IBRA.1.49.1.02

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Potts SG, Biesmeijer JC, Kremen C, Neumann P, Schweiger O, Kunin WE (2010b) Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts and drivers. Trends Ecol Evol 25(6):345–353. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2010.01.007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seitz N, Traynor KS, Steinhauer N, Rennich K, Wilson ME, Ellis JD, Rose R, Tarpy DR, Sagili RR, Caron DM, Delaplane KS, Rangel J, Lee K, Baylis K, Wilkes JT, Skinner JA, Pettis JS, vanEngelsdorp D (2015) A national survey of managed honey bee 2014–2015 annual colony losses in the USA. J Apic Res 54(4):292–304. doi:10.1080/00218839.2016.1153294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spleen AM, Lengerich EJ, Rennich K, Caron D, Rose R, Pettis JS, Henson M, Wilkes JT, Wilson M, Stitzinger J, Lee K, Andree M, Snyder R, vanEngelsdorp D (2013) A national survey of managed honey bee 2011–12 winter colony losses in the United States: results from the bee informed partnership. J Apic Res 52(2):44–53. doi:10.3896/IBRA.1.52.2.07

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinhauer NA, Rennich K, Wilson ME, Caron DM, Lengerich EJ, Pettis JS, Rose R, Skinner JA, Tarpy DR, Wilkes JT, vanEngelsdorp D (2014) A national survey of managed honey bee 2012–2013 annual colony losses in the USA: results from the bee informed partnership. J Apic Res 53(1):1–18. doi:10.3896/IBRA.1.53.1.01

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Traynor KS, Rennich K, Forsgren E, Rose R, Pettis J, Kunkel G, Madella S, Evans J, Lopez D, vanEngelsdorp D (2016) Multiyear survey targeting disease incidence in US honey bees. Apidologie 47(3):325–347. doi:10.1007/s13592-016-0431-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van der Zee R, Pisa L, Andonov S, Brodschneider R, Charriere J-D, Chlebo R, Coffey MF, Crailsheim K, Dahle B, Gajda A, Gray A, Drazic MM, Higes M, Kauko L, Kence A, Kence M, Kezic N, Kiprijanovska H, Kralj J, Kristiansen P, Martin Hernandez R, Mutinelli F, Nguyen BK, Otten C, Ozkirim A, Pernal SF, Peterson M, Ramsay G, Santrac V, Soroker V, Topolska G, Uzunov A, Vejsnaes F, Wei S, Wilkins S (2012) Managed honey bee colony losses in Canada, China, Europe, Israel and Turkey, for the winters of 2008–9 and 2009–10. J Apic Res 51(1):91–114. doi:10.3896/IBRA.1.51.1.12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • vanEngelsdorp D, Meixner MD (2010) A historical review of managed honey bee populations in Europe and the United States and the factors that may affect them. J Invertebr Pathol 103:S80–S95. doi:10.1016/j.jip.2009.06.011

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • vanEngelsdorp D, Underwood R, Caron D, Hayes J (2007) An estimate of managed colony losses in the winter of 2006-2007: A report commissioned by the apiary inspectors of America. Am Bee J 147(7):599–603

    Google Scholar 

  • vanEngelsdorp D, Hayes J, Underwood RM et al (2008) A survey of honey bee colony losses in the U.S., fall 2007 to spring 2008. PLoS ONE 3(12). Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004071

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • vanEngelsdorp D, Hayes J, Underwood RM, Pettis JS (2010) A survey of honey bee colony losses in the United States, fall 2008 to spring 2009. J Apic Res 49(1):7–14. doi:10.3896/IBRA.1.49.1.03

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • vanEngelsdorp D, Hayes J, Underwood RM, Caron D, Pettis J (2011) A survey of managed honey bee colony losses in the USA, fall 2009 to winter 2010. J Apic Res 50(1):1–10. doi:10.3896/IBRA.1.50.1.01

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • vanEngelsdorp D, Caron D, Hayes J, Underwood R, Henson M, Rennich K, Spleen A, Andree M, Snyder R, Lee K, Roccasecca K, Wilson M, Wilkes J, Lengerich E, Pettis J (2012) A national survey of managed honey bee 2010-11 winter colony losses in the USA: results from the Bee Informed Partnership. J Apic Res 51(1):115–124. doi:10.3896/IBRA.1.51.1.14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • vanEngelsdorp D, Tarpy DR, Lengerich EJ, Pettis JS (2013) Idiopathic brood disease syndrome and queen events as precursors of colony mortality in migratory beekeeping operations in the eastern United States. Prev Vet Med 108(2–3):225–233. doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.08.004

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wallberg A, Han F, Wellhagen G, Dahle B, Kawata M, Haddad N, Simões ZLP, Allsopp MH, Kandemir I, De la Rúa P, Pirk CW, Webster MT (2014) A worldwide survey of genome sequence variation provides insight into the evolutionary history of the honeybee Apis mellifera. Nat Genet 46(10):1081–1088. doi:10.1038/ng.3077

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4112 Plant Science Building, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Nathalie Steinhauer & Dennis vanEngelsdorp

Authors
  1. Nathalie Steinhauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dennis vanEngelsdorp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nathalie Steinhauer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bickering Bees Farm, Belle Haven, VA, USA

    Russell H. Vreeland

  2. Tucson, AZ, USA

    Diana Sammataro

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Steinhauer, N., vanEngelsdorp, D. (2017). Using Epidemiological Methods to Improve Honey Bee Colony Health. In: Vreeland, R., Sammataro, D. (eds) Beekeeping – From Science to Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60637-8_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation