Research Keyword: larval mortality

Stonebrood Disease—Histomorphological Changes in Honey Bee Larvae (Apis mellifera) Experimentally Infected with Aspergillus flavus

Stonebrood is a rare fungal disease of honey bees caused by Aspergillus flavus that can kill bee larvae very quickly. Researchers experimentally infected bee larvae with the fungus and tracked how the disease progressed, finding that larvae died within 48 hours of infection. The study revealed that the fungus likely kills bees by producing toxins rather than by physical damage, and poses a health risk to beekeepers who inhale the fungal spores.

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Evaluating Beauveria bassiana Strains for Insect Pest Control and Endophytic Colonization in Wheat

Scientists tested three strains of a beneficial fungus called Beauveria bassiana to control crop-damaging insects and promote wheat growth. The best-performing strain, CBM1, successfully killed multiple types of pest insects and colonized wheat plants when applied to the soil. Wheat plants colonized with this fungus grew taller with longer roots and showed significantly better protection against fall armyworms, suggesting this fungus could be a valuable tool for sustainable, pesticide-free crop protection.

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Chalkbrood Disease Caused by Ascosphaera apis in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)—Morphological and Histological Changes in Infected Larvae

Chalkbrood is a serious fungal disease that kills honeybee larvae, caused by the fungus Ascosphaera apis. This study examined exactly how the infection progresses by infecting larvae in controlled laboratory conditions and observing them over time under a microscope. The researchers found that once infected, larvae die very quickly within 3-7 days as the fungus spreads throughout their bodies, and the fungus continues to grow even after the larvae are dead, eventually forming visible spores on the dead larvae that spread the disease to other bees in the colony.

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Stonebrood Disease—Histomorphological Changes in Honey Bee Larvae (Apis mellifera) Experimentally Infected with Aspergillus flavus

Researchers studied how a rare fungal disease called stonebrood affects honey bee larvae by infecting them with the fungus Aspergillus flavus. They found that the fungus establishes in the bee’s gut within 24 hours and kills the larvae within two days, likely through production of toxic compounds. The study reveals three stages of infection progression and highlights why beekeepers need protection when handling infected colonies.

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Development of Biphasic Culture System for an Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana PfBb Strain and Its Virulence on a Defoliating Moth Phauda flammans (Walker)

Researchers developed an efficient two-stage fermentation process to mass-produce Beauveria bassiana PfBb, a fungus that kills defoliating moths damaging Ficus trees. The first stage grows the fungus in liquid to produce active spores, which are then transferred to solid substrates to produce hardy, long-lasting conidia. The optimized process produces high quantities of effective fungal spores that can be stored at refrigerator temperature for over a year while maintaining their pest-killing ability.

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