Small hive beetles, Aethina tumida, are vectors of Paenibacillus larvae

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Table I

Results of the laboratory tests. Sample sizes (N) and the number of P. larvae spores are shown for each tested life stage, except for the wandering larvae (see text). The P-values of the comparisons of the treatments with their respective control groups (Kruskal-Wallis-Test with multiple comparisons as post hoc tests) are also given.

	Treatment						Control
Group	1	2	3	4	5	6	C

Parental adults
N	12	12	12	12	11	12	12

Minima	473	397	30	283	110	393	0

1st Quartile	674	482	211	410	218	593	1
Median	730	567	351	465	410	847	3
3rd Quartile	1202	730	480	536	432	1105	7
Maxima	1420	1360	625	1267	1313	1733	20
P-values	<0.001	<0.001	0.332	0.007	0.159	<0.001

Pupae
N	12	12	12	12	12	12	12

Minima	20	68	17	17	12	40	0
1st Quartile	40	91	19	32	18	69	2
Median	69	128	33	41	28	97	2
3rd Quartile	142	173	82	53	75	225	3
Maxima	262	233	860	1250	335	470	10
P-values	<0.001	<0.001	0.017	0.026	0.049	<0.001

Newly emerged adults
N	12	12	12	10	^*	11	12

Minima	13	65	12	3		12	0
1st Quartile	35	89	43	13		31	0
Median	55	97	83	18		59	3
3rd Quartile	83	108	149	43		108	4
Maxima	293	215	462	60		149	23
P- values	0.003	<0.001	<0.001	1.000		0.002

(evaluation of spore numbers was impossible, due to contamination of the samples)