Difference between revisions of "Team:Tec-Chihuahua/test"

After receiving feedback from beekeepers, we looked into bees’ anatomy and behavior in a healthy environment. We were looking to enrich our investigation with the point of view of a veterinary expert. Dr. Tanus provided us with an hour and a half of his time to listen to our work. He began by introducing the arrival of foulbrood in Mexico and mentioning the National Program for Honey Harmlessness and Quality, which appeals to European standards (since the EU is Mexican honey’s largest purchaser). Among these standards, Mexico asks honey producers to create antibiotic-free products.

On our own account, we found NOM--SEMARNAT/SAGARPA-2007 which sets parameters under which it is legal to start fires on forestry, agricultural, and cattle land. It allows fires for the control of bacterial diseases, after meeting several requirements.

He mentioned foulbrood incidence has declined since 2008 thanks to the Good Honey Production Practices manual which recommends changing boxes and preventive strategies for beekeepers. He mentioned MSc Juan Diego Perez de la Rosa, Head of the Department of Genomic Sequencing at the National Center for Animal Health Verification Services, who has cultured Paenibacillus larvae for identification, from samples taken in 17 different states of the Mexican Republic.

Tanus stated that it is impossible to say that there is no presence of foulbrood in Mexico without first conducting an epizootiology study in the country. He clarified that the word of a beekeeper is not in doubt; however, it might be hard to obtain real data as it is a mandatory complaint issue, so there is distrust of the producer. He shared some characteristics that differentiate both foulbrood. He also commented on the incidence of these diseases throughout the seasons.

Dr. Tanus suggested liquid application (in the form of syrup) which beekeepers could feed their hives. This syrup (sweetened water) could contain the peptides in it and be fed directly to the box. This way, nurse bees would feed on here. Since Africanized bees appeared, he claims, it is better to have interior feeding to avoid foragers. This method would also avoid product loss from environmental conditions such as the wind or sun.

He reassured us that peptides would get to the brood, regardless of the application and only the time it takes might change. Peptides cannot arrive directly since larvae do not feed on their own: on their first 3 days, larvae are fed jelly, and with bee bread the following three. He also gave us a first draft of the path the peptides follow: from the digestive system to the hemolymph and finally to the hypopharyngeal glands in the head where they produce royal jelly.

Adult bees are not affected by P. larvae. In fact, in their digestive system, there is an anatomical structure called proventriculus and can close when the time comes to purify the food. He shared with us a new fact about hygienic behavior. As brood infected with AFB begin metamorphosis, proteolytic enzymes from P. larvae degrade fibers and reduce them to pure viscose biomass. Bees organs in their antennas can sense this decomposition; cleaner bees then break through the capped cell, remove the corpse, and clean the cell. All colonies of beehives exhibit this behavior being in some more marked than in others.

We mentioned the possibility of adding the solution cell by cell, but he said we must think of the beekeeper. This just isn’t scalable for 3,000 or 4,000 boxes. We realized here that the easier the application, the more attractive the product. This made us think of secondary factors that influence our products viability, other than its antimicrobial ability. This is further discussed in our business model. He noted that if the product is applied to cure it is susceptible to apply directly in the cells as mentioned above since in an apiary of 20 to 30 hives, this disease can be initiated in 2 or 3 of them, however, it should be applied as a preventive measure throughout the apiary.

We greatly thank Ernesto Tanus for his time and disposition, especially by giving us faith and encouragement to keep going and make this a reality.