Author(s) | Jay A. Yoder, Brady S. Christensen, Travis J. Croxall, Justin L. Tank, Diana Sammataro. |
Abstract | Select colony-associated fungi (bee isolates), Absidia sp., Ascosphaera apis, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium sp., Penicillium glabrum, Mucor sp., showed a 40% reduction in radial growth rate with formic acid, a 28% reduction with oxalic acid, and a 15% reduction with fructose and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) when grown on supplemented media at 30oC to mimic colony conditions. No effect, suppressing or promoting growth, was observed on other colony-associated fungi, Alternaria sp., Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Rhizopus sp. and Trichoderma sp., except 0.1M formic and oxalic acid. Sensitivity to these compounds did not correlate with the fungus species being a slow- or fast-grower and sensitivity to one compound did not translate to sensitivity to another compound. Given the competitive nature and high-sporing (conidia) activity of these species, our results suggest that alteration or disruption of the colony mycoflora can occur by use of these compounds. This may indicate a possible link between compound application and incidence of bee fungal pathogens. |
