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Maria La Giglia

  • Biodiversity Journal, 17 (1): 71-77

    Silvia Scibetta, Maria La Giglia, Delia Gambino, Pietro Riolo, Davide Pepe, Eugenia Oliveri, Samira Cacciatore, Carmelo Bongiorno & Stefano Reale
    Total DNA extraction from beehive bottom debris for NGS analysis and innovative management purpose
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2026.17.1.71.77

    ABSTRACT
    The hive can be considered a complex and adaptive biological system in which a variety of living species coexist. Within it, there is a precise spatial organization of bees with different roles, as well as areas where unwanted guests accumulate and where waste products and their associated microbiota are concentrated. In the hive, the microbiome is mainly found in the debris at the bottom of the beehive, which is representative of the entire colony. Collecting these samples is easy and requires only the recovery of the material from the bottom collector. The total DNA extracted from this waste reflects all living species present in the hive, including environmental parasites. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of total DNA can provide profiles that yield information relevant to hive health, such as the presence of known bee symbionts and pathogens. For this reason, we optimized material collection, homogenization, and DNA extraction procedures by comparing various methods, with the goal of obtaining high quality DNA suitable for shotgun sequencing.