We’ve seen many beekeepers lose colonies over the last couple of years. The main theory is the excessive amount of rain which reduces the supply of resources like pollen and nectar. High moisture levels can also have an effect on the bacteria inside a stingless bee colony. Colonies naturally have lots of bacteria inside but it’s kept at safe levels in normal conditions and when there’s increased moisture levels it can start to cause issues which the bees have a limited ability to control. If bee numbers drop mould and fungi can quickly get out of control in a high moisture environment.
It’s important to note that we may not be able to contribute all colony losses to Stonebrood and the poor weather conditions still play a big factor.
Stonebrood is a name used in the European Honey Bee world but the same fungi has been detected in the brood of australis in Brisbane Australia. European Honey Bees have many kinds of brood diseases and are well researched and we may see similar issues with stingless bee colonies that we just haven’t tested for yet.
Alex Derrick of Spicers Hollow Native Bees submitted a brood sample of the species Austroplebeia australis for testing at Biosecurity Science Lab Queensland and has shared the report.
Photos: Both cover photo and photo here were supplied by Alex.
Alex has made a Youtube video here: https://youtu.be/pbvL2yhujKw?si=wIbWRzESvNYvPe1v
Biosecurity Qld Lab Report January 2025, Quote: “Stonebrood is a rare disease of the honey bee that may resemble chalkbrood, and is thought to be caused by fungi from the genus Aspergillus, particularly A flavus and to a lesser extent, A fumigatus. Stonebrood has not previously been identified in stingless bees at this laboratory, however this may also be due to low submission numbers from this species. It is worth noting however that Aspergillus spp. are ubiquitous in the environment and it is thought that stress or immunosuppression in a hive may predispose to opportunistic infection.”
Quote from Ecrotek “Stonebrood is a rare and usually short-lived disease caused by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus, found in soil. These fungi infect both larvae and adult honey bees. They show up in the gut of adult bees after larvae ingest conidiophores (spores).
Stonebrood can be fatal in severe cases, with toxins from the fungi killing and mummifying the larvae before they hatch. There have been cases of stonebrood reported in Australia, North America, Europe and Venezuela.“
