Publisher's Synopsis
This compilation of twenty-three original articles and a communication underscores the urgency of using interdisciplinary approaches to safeguard bee health and ecosystem sustainability. The published articles explore complex factors affecting health, emphasizing the global honeybee and pollinator populations crisis. Key insights include Stressors on Bee Populations (pathogens, pests (e.g., V. destructor), pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change); Control Measures (studies highlighting effective methods such as queen caging and oxalic acid treatments for Varroosis control, essential oils as alternatives to synthetic acaricides, and advancements in diagnostic tools such as qPCR assays for diseases such as American foulbrood); the Impact of Environmental and Agricultural Practices (urbanization, pesticide exposure, and agricultural intensification affect bees differently, e.g., urban areas showed a higher pathogen prevalence, while rural areas had more pesticide-related impacts); Chemical and Biological Research (research identified effective natural remedies, such as Agaricus bisporus extract, and studied pesticide residues' effects on honey and beeswax); Behavioral and Genetic Studies (studies on disease transmission behaviors, genetic responses to stressors, and the influence of food diversity reveal how bees adapt to environmental challenges and human activities); and Global and Local Initiatives (efforts such as citizen science for monitoring wild bees, the development of biosecurity measures, and comparative studies on bee species in diverse habitats aim to mitigate risks and improve resilience).
