Management of Honeybee Nosema Disease by Medicinal Mushrooms

Nosema disease caused by microsporidia which belongs to fungi is a major cause of honey production loss and is worldwide in distribution. The most common method of nosema disease controlling is the application of the fumagillin. It is an antibiotic derived from the fungus Aspergillus fumigates. It has been used for many years to treat microsporidiosis caused by Nosema in honeybees. However, Fumagillin does not kill Nosema spores, and has rapidly deteriorating potency after application, resulting in only partial and temporary anti-Nosema effect, since new bees emerge constantly in a colony, and re-application is required several times a year. Also it is no longer practised for the associated risk of honey contamination. In this study we compare the effect in spore reduction of Cordyceps militaris extract(CMX) and of fumagillin. Three weekly administrations of CMX showed a noticeable decrease in the number of spores infecting the honey bee intestines, without negative effects for adults and comb health. Therefore this product could play an important role in prevention and reduction of nosema disease without risks of honey with antibiotics.