Survival of Indian Honey Bee Apis Cerana indica Fabricius exposed to Microbial Control Agents: Insights into Its Pathogenicity and Toxicity under Varied Exposure Methods

Authors

  • Venkatesan Deva Dharshini Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India
  • Madapuji Rajagopalan Srinivasan Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India
  • Vangili Ramasamy Saminathan Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India
  • Marimuthu Murugan Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India
  • Kathithachalam Angappan Department of Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India
  • Eswaran Kokiladevi Department of Plant Biotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India
  • Kuppusamy Rameash ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Regional Station, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India
  • RajKumar Promoth Kumar Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India
  • Mohammad Ikram Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641003, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v72i4.11698

Keywords:

Compatibility, conidial acquisition, ecotoxicology, hypocrealean, mycosis, survival analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of commercially available entomopathogenic fungal formulations on the Indian honey bee Apis cerana indica Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Apidae). A 10-day bioassay conducted under laboratory conditions used four methods (topical, spray, leaf dip, feeding) to evaluate the pathogenicity of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), Beauveria brongniartii (Sacc.) Petch (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), Metarhizium sp. (Metschnikoff) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae), and Lecanicillium sp. (Zimmermann) Zare & Gams (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) on A. cerana indica at 5 × 108 conidia/ml. After exposure to fungal formulations via different methods, we recorded conidial acquisition by bees (4.36 × 104 – 21.08 × 104 conidia/bee). The mortality rates were significantly lower in the topical (6.58%), leaf dip (10.17%), spray (9.92%), and feeding (9.17%) exposure methods, indicating their nontoxicity (< 25% mortality) according to IOBC classification. Among the fungal formulations tested, Lecanicillium (93.25%) recorded significantly higher survival rates. Mycosis percentage (3.66 – 15%) was observed in the 10-day-old moribund bees. The lethal time (LT) estimates, viz., LT10 and LT25, were comparatively lower in the topical exposure method (LT10: 13.4 – 16.08 days, LT25: 17.08 – 19.68 days). However, the effects of entomopathogenic fungal formulations must be further confirmed under field conditions.

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Published

2025-12-03

How to Cite

Deva Dharshini, V., Srinivasan, M. R., Saminathan, V. R., Murugan, M., Angappan, K., Kokiladevi, E., Rameash, K., Promoth Kumar, R., & Ikram, M. (2025). Survival of Indian Honey Bee Apis Cerana indica Fabricius exposed to Microbial Control Agents: Insights into Its Pathogenicity and Toxicity under Varied Exposure Methods. Sociobiology, 72(4), e11698. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v72i4.11698

Issue

Vol. 72 No. 4 (2025)

Section

Research Article - Bees

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Copyright (c) 2025 Venkatesan Deva Dharshini, Madapuji Rajagopalan Srinivasan, Vangili Ramasamy Saminathan, Marimuthu Murugan, Kathithachalam Angappan, Eswaran Kokiladevi, Kuppusamy Rameash, RajKumar Promoth Kumar, Mohammad Ikram

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