Grooming behavior and damaged mites (Varroa jacobsoni) in Apis cerana cerana and Apis mellifera ligustica

Fries, Ingemar; Huazhen, Wei; Shi, Wei; Jin, Chen Shu

doi:10.1051/apido:19960101

Cited by 88 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The ability of A. cerana to maintain Varroa mite infestations at low levels is supposedly due to Varroa mite reproduction being limited to drone brood as well as the grooming and hygienic behaviour exhibited by their workers (Koeniger et al 1983;Peng et al 1987;De Jong 1988;Büchler et al 1992;Rath 1999). Adult honeybees are able to sense mite parasitised brood and they are very efficient at killing mites and eliminating them from colonies (Peng et al 1987; but see Fries et al 1996). The European honeybee does not express these traits at a level at which they confer tolerance to the parasite ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Varroa destructor on honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) colony development in South Africa

et al. 2014

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The devastating effects of Varroa destructor on European honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) have been well documented. Not only do these mites cause physical damage to parasitised individuals when they feed on them, they also transmit viruses and other pathogens, weaken colonies and can ultimately cause their death.Nevertheless, not all honeybee colonies are doomed once Varroa mites become established. Some populations, such as the savannah honeybee, A. m. scutellata, have become tolerant after the introduction of the parasite and are able to withstand the presence of these mites without the need for acaricides. In this study, we measured daily Varroa mite fall, Varroa infestation rates of adult honeybees and worker brood and total Varroa population size in acaricide treated and untreated honeybee colonies. In addition, honeybee colony development was compared in order to measure the cost incurred by Varroa mites to their hosts. Daily Varroa mite fall decreased over the experimental period with different dynamics in treated and untreated colonies. Varroa infestation rates in treated adult honeybees and brood were lower than in untreated colonies, but not significantly so. Thus indicating a minimal benefit of treatment thereby suggesting that A. m. scutellata have the ability to maintain mite populations at low levels. We obtained baseline data on Varroa population dynamics in a tolerant honeybee over the winter period. Varroa mites appeared to have a low impact on this honeybee population, given that colony development was similar in the treated and untreated colonies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Varroa destructor on honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) colony development in South Africa

et al. 2014

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“…It has been demonstrated that honey bees are able to kill and injure Varroa females (Ruttner and Hänel, 1992) (Moosbeckhofer, 1992;Büchler, 1993;Wallner, 1994). However, it is still unknown to what degree an enhanced grooming behaviour contributes to a balanced host-parasite relationship (Fries et al, 1996) ('control') In this group the queens were not caged. Otherwise the colonies were treated as described for group 2 (treated brood).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Damaged Varroa mites in the debris of honey bee (Apis mellifera L) colonies with and without hatching brood

Rosenkranz

Fries

Boecking³

et al. 1997

Apidologie

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Summary — The proportion of damaged Varroa mites within the debris of honey bee colonies is discussed as a possible tolerance factor of the host. We investigated the rate of damaged Varroa females in honey bee colonies with and without hatching brood. Additionally, in some colonies sealed brood combs were treated by the use of heat or formic acid to kill the mites within the brood cells to quantify the behaviour of the bees towards dead mites. In 17 experimental honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) at two different study sites, the debris was checked at 12-h intervals. Nearly 5 000 mites were individually analyzed for three different types of damages. The percentage of damaged mites varied on average from 44 to 63% depending on experimental conditions. No significant differences in the damage rates of 'phoretic mites' and 'brood mites' could be found. Dead mites from the treated brood combs were damaged to a slightly lesser extent. The significance of these results for the use of the parameter 'damaged mites' in selection programs is discussed.

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“…Evidence for this has been shown both at the colony level (Arechavaleta-Velasco & Guzmán-Novoa, 2001;Guzmán-Novoa, Emsen, Unger, Espinosa-Montaño, & Petukhova, 2012;Mondragó n, Spivak, & Vandame, 2005;Rinderer et al, 2001) and through assays inoculating individual bees with mites (Aumeier, 2001;Büchler, Drescher, & Tornier, 1992;Fries, Huazhen, Wei, & Jin, 1996;Guzmán-Novoa et al, 2012;Peng, Fang, Xu, & Ge, 1987). These are reviewed in detail by Rinderer et al (2013), and also see Pritchard (2016).…”

Section: Original Research Articlementioning

confidence: 98%

“…In A. mellifera, auto-grooming seems to be the most frequently observed behavior in response to mites (Aumeier, 2001;Fries et al, 1996). This typically involves bees wiping their body with their legs, but can include the bees grasping mites with their mandibles (Boecking & Spivak, 1999;Guzmán-Novoa et al, 2012).…”

Section: Original Research Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of the ‘Bee Gym™’ grooming device on Varroa destructor mite fall from honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies

Pattrick

Block²,

Glover

2017

Journal of Apicultural Research

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Grooming is a honey bee behavior that has the potential to minimize and manage the detrimental effects of Varroa destructor. Here we tested the efficacy of the Bee Gym™, a device hypothesized to increase honey bee auto-grooming and increase mite removal from colonies. Natural mite fall from 20 colonies was counted for 14 days, after which half the colonies were fitted with a Bee Gym and half with a control object. Mite fall and the proportion of damaged mites were then recorded for another 14 days. Total mite fall was generally higher over the second 14 days, but this increase was not significantly higher for the Bee Gym colonies than for the control colonies. There was also no difference in the proportion of damaged mites between the two treatments. Mite fall and damage to mites may be influenced by other factors, and this is discussed; however, given that we found no effect of the Bee Gym, we conclude that there is no evidence from this study of its efficacy as a management strategy for V. destructor.Efecto del dispositivo de aseo 'Bee Gym ™' sobre la caída del ácaro Varroa destructor en colonias de abejas melíferas (Apis mellifera) El aseo es un comportamiento de la abeja de la miel que tiene el potencial de minimizar y de manejar los efectos perjudiciales de Varroa destructor. Aquí hemos probado la eficacia del Bee Gym ™, un dispositivo que hipotéticamente aumenta el auto-aseo en la abeja de la miel y aumentar la eliminació n de ácaros de las colonias. La caída natural de ácaros de 20 colonias se contó durante 14 días, tras lo cual la mitad de las colonias fueron equipadas con un Bee Gym y la otra mitad con un objeto de control. La caída de ácaros y la proporció n de ácaros dañados se registraron durante otros 14 días. La caída total de ácaros fue generalmente mayor durante los segundos 14 días, pero este aumento no fue significativamente mayor para las colonias con Bee Gym que para las colonias de control. Tampoco hubo diferencias en la proporció n de ácaros dañados entre los dos tratamientos. La caída de ácaros y el daño a los ácaros pueden estar influidos por otros factores, lo cual se discute; sin embargo, dado que no encontramos ningún efecto del Bee Gym, concluimos que no hay evidencia en este estudio de su eficacia como estrategia de manejo para V. destructor.

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Grooming behavior and damaged mites (Varroa jacobsoni) in Apis cerana cerana and Apis mellifera ligustica

Cited by 88 publications

References 6 publications

Impact of Varroa destructor on honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) colony development in South Africa

Impact of Varroa destructor on honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) colony development in South Africa

Damaged Varroa mites in the debris of honey bee (Apis mellifera L) colonies with and without hatching brood

The effect of the ‘Bee Gym™’ grooming device on Varroa destructor mite fall from honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies

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