Can a Simple Selection Program Predict Winter Mortality? Preliminary Evaluation of the Flemish Honey Bee Breeding Program Steers towards Selection by Exclusion

Bouuaert, David Claeys; Danneels, Ellen L.; Villers, Valérie; Brunain, Marleen; Lefebre, Regis; Smet, Lina De; Graaf, Dirk C. de

doi:10.1080/0005772x.2022.2140947

Cited by 1 publication

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“…In this study, the average and median difference in mVR between 1000 times 10 random selected infested cells and the maximum number of infested cells (for 24 samples with at least 30 infested cells) were 0.68 and 0.55, respectively. This sufficiently low average and median difference suggest that 10 infested cells are adequate to differentiate between high and low mVR values, especially when applied in, for example, negative selection programs [ 48 ]. Through a resampling analysis and determination of the average coefficient of variation in mVR across 24 samples with N infested cells (N ≥ 30), we demonstrated again that 10 infested cells is an acceptable minimum for mVR calculations, as the average CV for 10 infested cells across the 24 samples was only 16.8%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehensive Approach to Phenotype Varroa destructor Reproduction in Honey Bee Drone Brood and Its Correlation with Decreased Mite Reproduction (DMR)

Lefebre,

Claeys Bouuaert,

Bossuyt

et al. 2024

Insects

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The mechanisms of action behind decreased mite reproduction (DMR) are still unknown, but current hypotheses state that DMR is the result of brood-intrinsic and/or external disturbances in the V. destructor—honey bee pupa signal interactions. For accurate and precise DMR phenotyping, sufficient single infested honey bee brood cells are required (e.g., 35), which requires extensive labor and time and may exclude many samples not reaching the threshold. We defined a new comprehensive trait called the ‘mean V. destructor reproduction rate’ (mVR), which describes the mean number of offspring mites per infested cell in the sample while compensating for the reduced number of offspring with increasing multiple infested cells. We found a significant correlation between mVR and DMR, allowing for an estimation of DMR based on the mVR only. When the mVR was calculated with 10 infested cells, we found an average variation in mVR of 16.8%. For the same variation in DMR determination, 40 single infested cells are required. This broader look at V. destructor resistance phenotyping can improve the applicability and effectiveness of traits related to V. destructor reproduction in honey bee breeding programs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%