الفهرس 
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Abstract
The present study was carried out during 2009 and 2010 in several Egyptian governorates for the purpose of producing swarms of healthy bees or package bees and preparing them either for local use or for exportation to Arab and African countries. Moreover, the aim of this work is to ensure the produced swarms are free from any infestations of bee pests; Varroa mite, nosema and chalkbrood diseases; such as, AFB and EFB, as well as some insect pests such as oriental hornet and greater wax moth. Symptoms of infestation with each insect pest disease pathogen or parasite were described in order to help beekeepers to apply an easy control method for any pest or disease under the Egyptian environmental conditions. The obtained results could be summarized as follows:
1. Seasonal activities of honeybee colonies:
The mean area (inch2) of worker sealed brood, stored honey and stored pollen in addition to the number of combs covered with bees during April to July 2009 reached 851.7, 463.9, 290.8 and 7.8, respectively. These values were 830.9, 470.9, 249.3 and 7.1 during the same period in 2010 (At Alexandria Governorate). At Beheira Governorate, these values were 990.2, 491.6, 443.2 & 8.6 during 2009 and 893.3, 505.5, 463.9 & 8.3 during 2010.
A little bit lower values were observed at Gharbia Governorate, they were 837.9, 498.6, 325.4 & 8.1 during 2009 and 720.1, 512.4, 263.1 and 7.4 during 2010. Finally, at Giza Governorate, these values reached 851.7, 484.7, 235.4 & 7.9 during 2009 and 879.4, 498.6, 221.6 and 8.3 during 2010.
2. Chalkbrood disease:
The mean numbers of mummies reached 23.6 & 21.4, 27.8 & 21.6, 25.9 & 20.1 and 30.8 & 23.7 mummy for each colony at Alexandria, Beheira, Gharbia and Giza Governorates during 2009 and 2010, respectively.
The reduction percentages reached 81.4, 72.4 and 63.7% by using Formic acid (85%) with three concentrations (4.0, 2.5 and 1.0%, respectively) during 2009 and reached 86.1, 68.3 and 65.7% for the same three concentrations, respectively during 2010.
The reduction percentages reached 69.8, 64.5 and 55.2%, respectively by using Sodium Benzoate with the same concentrations of formic acid during 2009 and reached 69.0, 62.7 and 63.7% for the same three concentrations, respectively during 2010.
The reduction percentages reached 76.9, 76.3 and 76.0% by using Citric acid with three concentrations (4.0, 2.5 and 1.0%, respectively) during 2009 and reached 82.6, 81.6 and 77.0% for the same three concentrations, respectively during 2010.
3. American and European foulbrood diseases:
The mean percentages of infection reached 8.6 & 1.4, 6.7 & 1.7, 12.0 & 4.0, 8.0 & 1.3, 8.0 & 2.0, 5.0 & 3.3 and 9.2 & 1.5% at Alexandria, Gharbia, Menofyah, Dakahlia, Suez, Qalyubyia and Giza Governorates during 2009 and 2010, respectively.
The reduction percentages reached 94.5 & 100, 89.8 & 89.1, 84.3 & 93.4, 100 & 100 and 93.9 & 100.0% when Tylosin was used in infected colonies during 2009 and 2010, respectively at Alexandria, Gharbia, Dakahlia, Suez and Giza Governorates.
4. Nosema disease:
The mean percentages of infection reached 13.8, 13.3, 13.5, 17.5, 16.7, 11.5, 13.7, 9.9 and 9.2% at Damieta, Gharbia, Menofyah, Dakahlia, Sharkia, Giza, Fayoum, Beni-Suif and Minia Governorates during spring season; while they reached 50.0, 30.4, 43.5, 48.4, 50.0 and 50.0% at Damieta, Gharbia, Menofyah, Sharkia, Giza and Fayoum Governorates during autumn season 2009, respectively.
In 2010, the percentages of infestation were 100.0, 72.7, 87.5, 53.8 and 91.7% at Damieta, Gharbia, Dakahlia, Sharkia and Giza Governorates during spring season. On the other hand, these percentages were 59.7, 100.0, 25.0, 75.6, 29.4 and 100.0% at Gharbia, Menofyah, Qalyubyia, Giza, Fayoum and Menia Governorates during autumn season, respectively.
The reduction percentages reached 88.4 & 87.7, 85.7 & 89.0 & 84.6 & 85.7% when Flagyl, Wormwood extract and Thymol powder were used during March-May in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
5. Varroa mite:
The mean percentages of infestation for the brood and adult honeybees reached 15.2 & 11.8, 14.1 & 8.7, 14.7 & 17.7 and 19.2 & 13.2% at Alexandria, Beheira, Gharbia and Giza Governorates during April-July in 2009, respectively. These percentages were 14.1 & 10.6, 12.7 & 6.4, 13.4 & 12.9 and 15.3 & 12.4% at the same governorates during the same period in 2010, respectively.
The reduction percentages reached 76.9 & 82.7, 81.4 & 79.1 and 73.5 & 77.6% in brood infestation when treated with clove oil, Apigaurd and Varraway during 2009 and 2010, respectively. The reduction percentages of adult infestations reached 85.5 & 83.3, 82.6 & 79.0 and 76.3 & 80.5 for the same previously mentioned products during 2009 and 2010, respectively.
6. Control oriental hornet:
By using modified hive-box trap (Abou-Elenain, 1999) in order to catch the different individuals of oriental hornet using honey combs as an attractive material at Nahia, Giza Governorates, the obtained results indicated that the mean monthly trapped numbers reached 69.5, 132.5, 450.6 and 167.5 individuals during August, September, October and November 2009, respectively in the treated traps. These means were 4.5, 5.5, 13.2 and 7.5 individuals for the same months, respectively in the untreated traps. The mean monthly numbers reached 84.0, 124.5, 251.2 and 79.3 individuals during August, September, October and November 2010, respectively in the treated traps. In the untreated traps, these means were 4.0, 5.0, 11.2 and 9.0 individuals during the same months, respectively.
7. Control of greater wax moth:
The reduction percentages in G. mellonella infestation reached 94.5, 92.7 and 89.1 by using Paradichlorobenzene, Formic acid (85%) and Clove oil, respectively during the period from December 2009 to January 2010 and reached 97.0, 95.6 and 90.0% when the same previously mentioned compounds were used during December 2010 to January 2011.
8.Isolation and identification of harmful bacteria of honeybee larvae:
The isolation and identification of the unhealthy larvae infected with bacterial diseases was conducted at Department of Plant Pathology, Fac. Agric., Ain Shams Univ. according to the obvious symptoms in the samples taken from different localities in which infections appeared (Gharbia, Dakahlia, Alexandria and Menofyah Governorates). After isolation on a specific artificial diet (peptone [5 g/L], meat extract [3 g/L], Glucose [5 g/L], Agar [20 g/L]), Thyamine (0.1 g/L), the tests of identification (morphological and physiological characters under laboratory conditions) were carried out. The results obtained were as follows:
•The first isolation was Paenibacillus alvei, which caused EFB disease was obtained from Gharbia Governorate.
•The second and sixth isolations were Paenibacillus larvae which caused AFB disease, were obtained from Dakahlia and Menofyah Governorates.
•The third and fourth isolates were B. laterospores which also caused EFB and were obtained from Alexandria Governorate.
•The fifth isolation was Melissococcus pluton which also caused EFB disease was also obtained from Alexandria Governorate.
The DNA analysis by PCR technique for two samples of P. larave obtained from Menofyah Governorate was carried out at the Department of Genetics, Fac. Agri., Ain-Shams Univ., in order to determine characteristics of these bacteria within its DNA. Results revealed that wherever the primer used, there are light bands on the gel and this amplified DNA according to its suitability with the used primer. There were some differences between the two samples according to the specific primer used and this could be attributed to the molecular weight, shape and number of bands.
Applied significance of obtained results:
Results of this thesis could be applied as follows:
A. Produce of healthy honeybee swarms free of economic bee pests and diseases especially which recently introduced to Egypt.
B. Helping beekeepers to diagnose infections of bee pests and diseases and to apply obtained proper methods to control the bee pests and diseases under study.