Honey bee populations, their parasites, and landscape structure: a case study from slovakia

The loss of bees is a relatively well-known worldwide phenomenon. Many papers have examined the direct influence of various factors on global bee losses. However, a look at this problem in regard to host-parasite-environment interactions is rare. This paper attempts to demonstrate the possible connections between bees, their parasites and the landscape structure. During research at 27 selected sites across Slovakia, Nosema spp. spores were detected in two samples (7.41% of the examined apiaries) and Varroa destructor in a total of 41% of the samples (mean prevalence of 0.57). Significant differences were found in the mites infestation at elevations up to 500 m and over 500 m, and at sites with different ecological stabilities (ES). Considering the landscape structure, Varroa mites infestation was significantly influenced positively by the presence of discontinuous urban fabrics.