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The effect of using prebiotic and probiotic products on intestinal micro-flora of the honeybee (Apis mellifera carpatica)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2012

S. Pătruică*
Affiliation:
Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, Department of Apiculture, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645, Timisoara, Romania
D. Mot
Affiliation:
Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, Department of Apiculture, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645, Timisoara, Romania
*
*Author for correspondence Fax:00400256277110 E-mail: patruica_silvia@yahoo.com or patruica@animalsci-tm.ro

Abstract

Maintaining bee colonies in a healthy state throughout the year is one of the main concerns of apiculture researchers. The phenomenon of disappearance of bee colonies is determined by several factors, one of which is bee disease. Due to the organizational structure of the bee colony, disease transmission is rapid, especially through infected food or via the nurse worker bees that feed the brood bees of the colony concerned. The practice of stimulating the bee colonies in spring using sugar syrup feeds with added prebiotic products (lactic acid or acetic acid) and probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-14 and Bifidobacterium lactis BI-04) by using an Enterobiotic product (Lactobacillus casei), marketed as Enterolactis Plus, for three weeks, resulted in a significant reduction of the total number of bacteria in the digestive tracts of the bees, compared with the control group. By contrast, intestinal colonization with beneficial bacteria contained in probiotics products administered to the bees was observed. This resulted in an improved health status and bio productive index of the bee colonies studied.

Type
Research Paper
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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