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Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2007 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: When disease strikes a hive of bees, it can devastate the colony and spread to the entire beekeeping operation. All bees are susceptible to diseases, and when they are domesticated, their population densities increase to suit human needs, making them more susceptible. Most attempts at disease control have centered on either drug treatments or destroying affected colonies. This chapter discusses how disease control strategies could be improved by first developing a better understanding of the disease-cycle, and in particular, developing knowledge of the disease triangle, allowing researchers to identify that time and place in the management system for which the pathogen is most vulnerable, followed by targeting treatments to that stage. Technical Abstract: When disease strikes a hive of bees, it can devastate the colony and spread to the entire beekeeping operation. All bees are susceptible to diseases, and when they are domesticated, their population densities increase to suit human needs, making them more susceptible. Most attempts at disease control have centered on either drug treatments or destroying affected colonies. This chapter discusses how disease control strategies could be improved by first developing a better understanding of the disease-cycle, and in particular, developing knowledge of the disease triangle, allowing researchers to identify that time and place in the management system for which the pathogen is most vulnerable, followed by targeting treatments to that stage. |
