Journal of Economic Entomology (2022) 115, 46-55

Evanson R. Omuse, Saliou Niassy, John M. Wagacha, George O. Ong'amo, H. Michael G. Lattorff, Nkoba Kiatoko, Samira A. Mohamed, Sevgan Subramanian, Komivi S. Akutse and Thomas Dubois (2022)
Susceptibility of the western honey bee Apis mellifera and the African stingless bee Meliponula ferruginea (Hymenoptera: Apidae) to the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana
Journal of Economic Entomology 115 (1), 46-55
Abstract: This study assessed the nontarget effect of entomopathogenic fungi on the Western honey bee Apis mellifera L. and the African stingless bee Meliponula ferruginea Cockrell (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Pathogenicity of five Metarhizium anisopliae (ICIPE 7, ICIPE 20, ICIPE 62, ICIPE 69, and ICIPE 78) (Metschnikoff) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) and one of Beauveria bassiana (ICIPE 284) (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordicipitaceae) isolates were evaluated on bees at 10⁸ conidia/ml. Conidial acquisition was evaluated immediately after exposure. Apis mellifera acquired more conidia (2.8 × 10⁴–1.3 × 10⁵ conidia per bee) compared to M. ferruginea (1.1 × 10⁴–2.3 × 10⁴ conidia per bee). In the bioassay with A. mellifera, ICIPE 7, ICIPE 20, and ICIPE 69 moderately reduced the survival by 16.9, 17.4, 15.3%, with lethal times LT₁₀ = 7.4, 7.6, 8.1 d and LT₂₅ = 8.7, 10.0, 9.9 d, respectively. The three isolates caused A. mellifera mycosis of 11.6–18.5%. None of the isolates had a significant effect on M. ferruginea. The tested isolates are nontoxic to bees according to the International Organization of Biological Control (IOBC) classification. However, the effect of ICIPE 7, ICIPE 20, and ICIPE 69 merits further studies on bee colonies, especially those of A. mellifera, under field conditions.
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Database assignments for author(s): John Maina Wagacha, George Otieno Ong'amo, Sevgan Subramanian, Thomas Dubois

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
health/environmental effects of pesticides
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
non-target effects/fate in environm.

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Amblyomma variegatum		Kenya
	Temnoschoita nigroplagiata		Kenya
Beauveria bassiana (entomopathogen)
Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)	Amblyomma variegatum		Kenya
Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)	Temnoschoita nigroplagiata		Kenya