Honey bee colonies that have survivedVarroa destructor

Abstract

-We document the ability of a population of honey bee colonies to survive in France without Varroa suppression measures. We compared the mortality of collected Varroa surviving bee (VSB) stock with that of miticide-treated Varroa-susceptible colonies. Varroa infestation did not induce mortality in the VSB colonies. Some of the original colonies survived more than 11 years without treatment and the average survival of the experimental colonies was 6.54 ± 0.25 years. Swarming was variable (41.50 ± 9.94%) depending on the year. Honey production was significantly higher (1.7 times) in treated than in VSB colonies. For the first time since Varroa invaded France, our results provide evidence that untreated local honey bee colonies can survive the mite, which may be the basis for integrated Varroa management.Apis mellifera / honey bee / Varroa destructor / host-parasite relationship / natural selection / tolerance

Occurrence of parasites and pathogens in honey bee colonies used in a European genotype-environment interactions experiment

“…In particular, colonies headed by queens descending from "survivor stock" (Le Conte et al, 2007) Likewise, no significant differences in disease occurrence between local and non-local experimental colonies were observed. Clearly, both local and non-local honey bees become infected and suffer from dis-…”

“…(Behrens et al, 2007;Jensen et al, 2009;Huang et al, 2013). The existence of several local strains of bee that have survived under V. destructor infestation pressure in the absence of treatment and which apparently possess strategies to limit mite population growth have been reported (Fries et al, 2006;Le Conte et al, 2007;Seeley, 2007), and "varroa tolerant" honey bee strains have been reported from several locations (Koeniger et al, 1995;Kefuss et al, 2004;Harbo and Harris, 2005;Rinderer et al, 2010). reason, we agreed on a standard sampling from the colony periphery that was always possible.…”

Natural Varroa mite-surviving Apis mellifera honeybee populations

“…Even small subpopulations of European races have been well documented as surviving with uncontrolled Varroa mite infestation for a decade or longer (De Jong and Soares 1997;Fries et al 2006;Le Conte et al 2007;Rinderer et al 2001;Seeley 2007). These populations of A. mellifera honeybees surviving Varroa mites may reveal genetic and ecological factors that enable mite resistance including important mite-resistant traits that could be adopted in breeding programs.…”

Resistance rather than tolerance explains survival of savannah honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) to infestation by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor

“…As a result, beekeepers in most countries have to treat their colonies annually to ensure their survival (Rosenkranz et al 2010). However, some honeybee populations survive mite infestations without chemical treatment (De Jong and Soares, 1997;Kefuss et al 2004;Fries et al 2006;Le Conte et al 2007;Seeley 2007;Locke and Fries, 2011;Locke et al 2012;Seeley et al 2015). It is not yet clear whether their survival is due to tolerance that limits the detrimental effects of parasitism on the host or exclusively to resistance mechanisms reducing the fitness of the parasites (Råberg et al 2007(Råberg et al , 2009).…”