The beginning of bee virology dates back to 1963, when the chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) was discovered. To date about 15 viruses of honey bee Apis mellifera have been identified. Those viruses persist in bee populations usually as unapparent infections, but under some conditions, e.g. severe Varroa infestation, they can cause adult bee and brood mortality. Some of the viruses can occur on their own, others together with another pathogen. Almost all bee viruses contain positive stranded RNA, only filamentous virus has DNA. On the basis of recent studies some of these viruses were classified in the newly created family Dicistroviridae, which includes the single genus Cripavirus, and in the floating genus Iflavirus unassigned to any family. However, most bee viruses are not classified yet. Agar gell immunodiffusion test (AGID) is a very convenient method for the diagnosis of bee virus infections. This technique is easy to use but has low sensitivity and requires the production of specific antisera. In research into bee viruses other techniques are also employed, e.g. ELISA, western blotting, and RT-PCR.
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