Insights into the Role of Natural Products in the Control of the Honey Bee Gut Parasite (Nosema spp.)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The most significant pollinators of crops globally are thought to be honey bees. Unfortunately, bee loss is an issue brought on by a variety of circumstances, such as pesticide use, poor nutrition, parasitic mites, and climate change. The spore-forming unicellular fungi Nosema apis and N. ceranae cause nosemosis, a serious microsporidian disease of adult European honey bees. The disease has an effect on honeybee productivity and reproduction. Antibiotic fumagillin is still used in some countries for the treatment of Nosema sp. infection. However, using fumagillin has adverse effects on human health, as well as on honey bee physiology. Therefore, there are trends to develop non-antibiotic alternatives with already existing therapeutics. The present work attempts to emphasize the natural compounds now available for treating nosemosis. ABSTRACT: The honey bee is an important economic insect due to its role in pollinating many agricultural plants. Unfortunately, bees are susceptible to many pathogens, including pests, parasites, bacteria, and viruses, most of which exert a destructive impact on thousands of colonies. The occurrence of resistance to the therapeutic substances used against these organisms is rising, and the residue from these chemicals may accumulate in honey bee products, subsequently affecting the human health. There is current advice to avoid the use of antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and other drugs in bees, and therefore, it is necessary to develop alternative strategies for the treatment of bee diseases. In this context, the impact of nosema diseases (nosemosis) on bee health and the negative insults of existing drugs are discussed. Moreover, attempts to combat nosema through the use of alternative compounds, including essential oils, plant extracts, and microbes in vitro and in vivo, are documented.