Effectiveness of an ethanol extract of jet black ant nests for combatting nosemosis in apiary honey bees

An ethanol extract of Lasius fuliginosus ant nests was found to be highly effective against nosemosis in apiary honey bees. Two concentrations of the extract (300 mg and 1500 mg/100 ml sugar syrup) were tested on honey bees infected by nosemosis, and both significantly reduced the number of Vairimorpha ceranae DNA copies. Administration of the extract also had a positive effect on the honey bees’ immune system, increasing the expression of genes encoding immune peptides (abaecin, defensin-1, hymenoptaecin). The extract was subjected to detailed biochemical analysis for the presence of total carbohydrates (22.1 µg/ml), proteins (26.7 µg/ml), and phenolic compounds (63.8 μM) and also to assess its reducing activity (69.2