IMPACT OF NATIONAL BEEKEEPING APPROACHES AND STRUCTURES ON NOSEMA SPP. PREVALENCE IN HONEYBEE (APIS MELLIFERA L.) COLONIES

In order to achieve the objective of this study, two Mediterranean countries on two different sides of the Mediterranean were chosen as examples: Turkey and Algeria. General information on the current structure of beekeeping was obtained from beekeepers in both countries. The results provided general information on beekeeping structure, beekeeping culture, bee management strategies, current knowledge on Nosema spp. and control methods. Two diagnostic methods, haemocytometry and PCR analysis, were used to scientifically monitor the social information obtained from the survey results. Nosema spp. spores were found in the majority of samples examined by haemocytometric analysis. In the samples from both countries, the PCR results showed the dominance of N. ceranae. In addition, this study also showed that the microscopic method should be essential for the diagnosis of nosemosis and that the combination of microscopic and molecular examination gives more reliable information on the prevalence of the disease, especially when some results showed the absence of Nosema spp. by PCR but their spores were observed by microscopy and the opposite situation was also recorded. Furthermore, the study showed similarity in both field and laboratory results of the two countries, as there are great similarities between the countries, especially in the structure of beekeeping and in the culture in general. It was therefore concluded that further studies could be conducted in countries with different geographical and cultural backgrounds.