Immune system of Honey bee (Apis mellifera )

Zahra Gorzin ¹, ,GholamaliNehzati Paqeleh^2,Hossein Moravej³

MSc student of honeybee breeding, university college of agriculture& natural resources, university of Tehran
Assistant professor, department of animal science, honeybee breeding section, university college of agriculture& natural resources, university of Tehran

3-Associate professor, department of animal science, honeybee breeding section, university college of agriculture& natural resources, university of Tehran
Abstract
Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies are important pollinators in agricultural settings worldwide and in many natural ecosystems.honey bee products, such as honey, wax, royal jelly, propolis are economically very  important buthoney bees are attacked by numerous parasites and pathogens toward which they present a variety of individual and group-level defenses, also show behavioral mechanisms for reducing the disease risk of their nest mates.Accordingly ,we discuss the dynamics of hygienic behavior and other group-level behaviors that can limit diseases. These group-level dynamics ,labeled ‘social immunity ’provide an underappreciated benefit of living in crowded social groups with respect to reduction of diseases.Behavioral defenses in honey bee included: Hygienic behavior, sting behavior and  Pheromones.Hive products such as honey, royal jelly, propolis, each of which has antimicrobial properties.The first step of defensesis behavioral mechanisms.The next line of defense is the skin chitin and then hemolymph.Vertebrates, including the human, have both innate and adaptive immunity with ‘immunological memory’, whereas insects do not possess the ability to produce antibodies.Although antigenic memory appears to be lacking, insects possess innate immunity which is characterized by non-specific immune reactions against invading pathogens.The defense mechanism in insects consists of cellular and humoral immunity.Cellular immunity Included: phagocytosis, nodule formation, encapsulation,coagulation and wound healing.Humoral immunity consist Pattern Recognition  Proteins, prophenoloxidase system, antimicrobial peptides. All of these factors can reduce the impacts of pathogenic bacteria, fungi and parasites. Some diets  and plant extracts can influence immune system and improve health of honey bee colonies.