Africa under attack: a continent-wide mapping of pathogens, parasites and predators afflicting the hived honey bee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Abstract

Several major honeybee pests and diseases have been reported in different parts of the world. In Africa initially, reports were from a few countries that participated in the first continentwide assessment four decades ago. Over the years, there have been reports on individual or combinations of pathogens/parasites/predators either in sites within one country or across anumber of countries. This paper reviewed several peer-reviewed publications & mapped the status of these bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens, mites, as well as pests and predators of honeybees in Africa.  35 countries with data, all the countries have reported presence of at least three of the various categories of  honeybees. For the other 20 countries, possible to declare absence, but one can claim no information. This doesn"t mean that the countries are safe, far from it. Instead, by considering the geographical spread of these pathogens and parasites, it can be predicted that the entire African continent is under a massive attack. Of the bacterial diseases, American foulbrood has spread from three countries in 1980 to 12 to date while European foulbrood is found in only three new countries . Fungal pathogens are present in countries along the eastern African coast and their western neighbours. Of the 23 viruses that afflict honeybees globally, nine are present in ten African countries. The Varroa mite that is currently a pan-global pest is present in 23 African countries  across all geographical regions while the tracheal mite has invaded 7 new countries to the eleven over four decades ago.