<i>Varroa destructor</i> mite infestations in capped brood cells of honeybee workers affect emergence development and adult foraging ability

Yang, Heyan; Shi, Jingliang; Liao, Chunhua; Wei, Yan; Wu, Xiaobo

doi:10.1093/cz/zoab002

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…In this study, the higher the varroa infestation rate observed in the brood bees (5.6 ± 0.8%) than in the adult bees (1.9 ± 0.2%) suggests that varroa mites prefer to infest brood larvae (pupae) to feed on the fat bodies of the larvae and complete their reproduction life cycle in the brood cells (Rosenkranz et al, 2010; Yang et al, 2021). Thus, the presence of honey bee broods, particularly drone broods, is very essential for the existence and reproduction of varroa mites in a colony.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Insights into varroa mite (Varroa destructor) infestation levels in local honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies of Ethiopia

Gela

Atickem

Bezabeh

et al. 2023

J Applied Entomology

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The varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is the most economically important parasitic pest of honey bees (Apis mellifera) that causes global colony decline and loss. Since its first detection in Ethiopia in 2010, little is known about the current infestation levels and contributing factors to the mite's distribution across the country. In this study, we conducted a large‐scale assessment of varroa prevalence and infestation levels in managed colonies across three potential beekeeping regions of Ethiopia; Oromia, Amhara and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). A total of 360 samples from 39 apiaries were collected following standard protocols and the mite prevalence and infestation levels were determined using the established method of varroa research. Overall, 89% of sampled colonies were infested by the mite, with varying prevalence rates across the regions: 95.8% in Oromia, 85.2% in Amhara and 71.9% in SNNPR, indicating the widespread nature of the parasite throughout the country. The varroa infestation levels were lower in local hives (2.6 ± 5.9) than in frame hives (5.0 ± 0.9), and significantly higher in brood bees (5.6 ± 0.8) than in adult bees (1.93 ± 0.17) (p < 0.001). Possible factors contributing to the varied mite prevalence and infestation levels in the country include differences in agro‐ecology, beekeeping practices, host age preference and the nature of bee hives. Therefore, our study provides insights into the current status of varroa prevalence and associated factors across regions in Ethiopia. Further investigation is required to explore the probable impact of the parasite on the health and productivity of local honey bees, in order to design future monitoring strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Insights into varroa mite (Varroa destructor) infestation levels in local honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies of Ethiopia

Gela

Atickem

Bezabeh

et al. 2023

J Applied Entomology

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“…Colonies treated for Varroa have been shown to have higher survival than untreated ones across geographies with a range of climatic conditions ( Genersch et al 2010 , Guzmán-Novoa et al 2010 , Dainat et al 2012 , Nazzi et al 2012 , van Dooremalen et al 2012 , Molineri et al 2018 , Hernandez et al 2022 ). Varroa infestations suppress immunity ( Gregory et al 2005 , Zaobidna et al 2017 , Annoscia et al 2019 ), reduce nutrition and foraging abilities ( Kralj and Fuchs 2006 , Dolezal and Toth 2018 , Yang et al 2021 ), and diminish the lifespan of honey bees ( Kovac and Crailsheim 1988 , Amdam et al 2004 , van Dooremalen et al 2012 ), all of which can also be exacerbated by adverse weather conditions ( Le Conte and Navajas 2008 , Clarke and Robert 2018 , Szentgyörgyi et al 2018 ). With this in mind, our results suggest that colonies adequately treated to prevent Varroa may be buffered against some of these deleterious effects of weather.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective pest management approaches can mitigate honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony winter loss across a range of weather conditions in small-scale, stationary apiaries

Gray,

Goslee,

Kammerer

et al. 2024

Journal of Insect Science

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Managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in North America and Europe have experienced high losses in recent years, which have been linked to weather conditions, lack of quality forage, and high parasite loads, particularly the obligate brood parasite, Varroa destructor. These factors may interact at various scales to have compounding effects on honey bee health, but few studies have been able to simultaneously investigate the effects of weather conditions, landscape factors, and management of parasites. We analyzed a dataset of 3,210 survey responses from beekeepers in Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2022 and combined these with remotely sensed weather variables and novel datasets about seasonal forage availability into a Random Forest model to investigate drivers of winter loss. We found that beekeepers who used treatment against Varroa had higher colony survival than those who did not treat. Moreover, beekeepers who used multiple types of Varroa treatment had higher colony survival rates than those who used 1 type of treatment. Our models found weather conditions are strongly associated with survival, but multiple-treatment type colonies had higher survival across a broader range of climate conditions. These findings suggest that the integrated pest management approach of combining treatment types can potentially buffer managed honey bee colonies from adverse weather conditions.

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“…The ecto-parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, and the honeybee are the two interacting host-parasite arthropods that have become a subject of growing interest for many scientists around the world. Honeybees are the only sources of food for the varroa mite, and the mite's life cycle coincides with the development of honeybee pupae inside the brood cells (Yang et al, 2021;Rosenkranz et al, 2010). This parasitic mite primarily feeds on the fat bodies of the bees (Ramsey et al, 2019) while also spreading other bee pathogens like bee viruses, which ultimately lead to the highest rate of honeybee mortality (Le Hristov et al, 2020;Traynor et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defensive Behaviors of the Central Highland Honeybees, Apis mellifera bandasii against Varroa destructor in Ethiopia

Gela,

Gebresilassie,

Woldehawariat

et al. 2023

BSTD

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The parasitic mite V. destructor has caused long-lasting losses to the survival of European honeybee colonies. In contrast, African honeybees are likely capable of surviving the effects of this parasitic mite with varying defense mechanisms. This study provides insights into two defense behavioral traits, including hygienic and grooming behaviors of local honeybee, Apis mellifera bandasii colonies against V. destructor mite in Ethiopia. Hygienic behavior (HB) was evaluated using the standard pin-killed brood method by calculating the dead brood removal rates (%) at 24 and 48 hrs. While grooming behavior (GB) was assessed by measuring the number of daily fallen mites and the percentage of damaged mites. The results of hygienic behavior showed greater brood removal rates of 83.1±14.3% and 97.6±3.4% at 24 hrs and 48 hrs, respectively. There were strong negative correlations between the HB and Varroa infestation rates, indicating that HB has the potential to reduce the mite population in colonies. Grooming behavior also showed higher mean daily fallen mites per colony (16.3±10.2), of which about 80% of the total fallen mites (n=488) were damaged. Ten body damage categories were identified, with most damages inflicted on mites’ legs, dorsal shield, and gnathosoma because of the GB. Our study suggests that combined hygienic and grooming behaviors could be used as effective defenses against V. destructor infestations in A. m. bandasii colonies. Therefore, future selective breeding programs should integrate these specific host defenses in order to produce sustainable colonies resistant to this parasitic mite.

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Varroa destructor mite infestations in capped brood cells of honeybee workers affect emergence development and adult foraging ability

Cited by 7 publications

References 9 publications

Insights into varroa mite (Varroa destructor) infestation levels in local honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies of Ethiopia

Insights into varroa mite (Varroa destructor) infestation levels in local honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies of Ethiopia

Effective pest management approaches can mitigate honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony winter loss across a range of weather conditions in small-scale, stationary apiaries

Defensive Behaviors of the Central Highland Honeybees, Apis mellifera bandasii against Varroa destructor in Ethiopia

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