Introduction of Varroa destructor has not altered honey bee queen mating success in the Hawaiian archipelago

Abstract

Beekeepers struggle to minimize the mortality of their colonies as a consequence of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor in order to maintain a sustainable managed pollinator population. However, little is known about how varroa mites might diminish local populations of honey bee males (drones) that might affect the mating success of queens. As one of the world’s last localities invaded by varroa mites, the Hawaiian Islands offer a unique opportunity to examine this question by comparing queens mated on mite-infested and mite-free islands. We raised queen bees on four Hawaiian Islands (Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i) and subsequently collected their offspring to determine queen mating frequency and insemination success. No significant difference for mating success was found between the islands with and without varroa mites, and relatively high levels of polyandry was detected overall. We also found a significant association between the number of sperm stored in the queens’ spermathecae and the number of managed colonies within the localities of the queens mated. Our findings suggest that varroa mites, as they currently occur in Hawai‘i, may not significantly reduce mating success of honey bee queens, which provides insight for both the reproductive biology of honey bees as well as the apiculture industry in Hawai‘i.

A Preliminary Study on “Personalised Treatment” against Varroa destructor Infestations in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies

“…Varroa destructor itself does not appear to influence breeding in honey bee colonies. According to Rusert et al [ 37 ], these parasites do not compromise honey bees’ mating success either.…”

The Movement of Western Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) Among U.S. States and Territories: History, Benefits, Risks, and Mitigation Strategies

“…A year after the mites were detected in Florida, they were found in most of the contiguous states (AIA, 1988d). Varroa destructor is now ubiquitous across the United States except for the territory of American Samoa and some of the islands of Hawaii, i.e., Maui, Kaua'i, Moloka'i, and Lâna'I (Rusert et al, 2021). • Varroa destructor response plan developed (AIA, 1981b).…”

“…The movement of honey bees between the continental United States and Puerto Rico could result in the spread of these viruses from the continent to managed honey bees on the island (Grozinger and Flenniken, 2019). In Hawaii, V. destructor occurs in honey bee colonies on some islands but not on others (Ramadan et al, 2019;Beaurepaire et al, 2020;Boncristiani et al, 2021;Rusert et al, 2021). Moving bees among islands could spread V. destructor to islands where it does not occur.…”