Viruses and parasites of Apis melifera caucasica Gorb. as related to losses of honeybee colonies in Big Kaukas mountings in Azerbaijan under different environmental conditions and location

Honeybees, mainly Apis mellifera, remain the most important pollinator of crops requiring animal pollination. However, bee colony declines reported around the globe, termed «Colony Collapse Disorder», show an objective need for studying causes of this phenomenon. Bee colony collapses are reported both in Russia and ex-Soviet Union countries each year. However, official reports are not available due to the lack of adequate data and tools. This work is believed to be the first in Azerbadjan looking into potential causes of bee losses in this country. PCR results indicate the presence of deformed wing virus, black queen cell virus, and viruses from the family Iflaviridae (Kashmir virus and/or Israeli bee paralysis virus) and never reported before Nosema ceranae in Azerbaijani bees. Interestingly, сhronic and acute bee paralysis viruses, sacbrood virus and N. apis were not detected. Honey was demonstrated to contain the organophosphate diazinon and the organochlorides hexachlorocyclohexane and hexachlorobenzene. Taken together, no correlation was found between bee losses and the presence of viruses, parasites, pesticides and varroa infestation (р > 0.05).