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

Strauss, Ursula; Dietemann, Vincent; Human, Hannelie; Crewe, Robin M.; Pirk, Christian Walter Werner

doi:10.1017/s0031182015001754

Cited by 37 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 82 publications

(220 reference statements)

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“…Overall, our results suggest that in Kenyan honey bee populations, V. destructor infestation is not associated with increased viral diversity-in contrast to Muli et al 2014-or higher rates of absconding and thus does not appear to be overtly negatively impacting the colonies in our study. This, taken with the fact that V. destructor loads increased over the course of the study, may suggest that Kenyan honey bees are tolerant to this parasite, in contrast to the results found in South Africa suggesting that A. mellifera scutellata was resistant rather than tolerant to V. destructor (Strauss et al 2015a). Further studies are needed to test this hypothesis in Kenyan honey bees and should similarly evaluate V. destructor population growth rates in Kenyan colonies, as well as hygienic behaviors potentially associated with response to mite infestation (Allsopp 2006;Strauss, Pirk et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 71%

The impact of hive type on the behavior and health of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) in Kenya

et al. 2017

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There has been a long-standing interest in developing approaches to maximize honey production by Kenyan beekeepers. Since honey bees in Kenya are passively managed, the main decision beekeepers make is which hive type to use: traditional Log hives, Langstroth hives, and Kenyan top-bar hives. We found Langstroth hives to be the most attractive to migrating swarms, followed by Log hives, while Kenyan top-bar hives were the least preferred. Pathogen and parasite loads correlated only with colony age and absconding rates were associated only with colony size and weight. We recommend additional studies to understand the factors that drive swarm attraction to hive bodies and highlight practical concerns about Kenyan top-bar hives that need to be addressed to improve their utility to beekeepers. Also, placing apiaries in areas with floral resources may reduce absconding rates; however, periodic breaks in brood production may serve as a mechanism to reduce parasite and pathogen loads. apiculture / management practices / pathogen / rural beekeeping / absconding Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 71%

The impact of hive type on the behavior and health of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) in Kenya

et al. 2017

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“…m . scutellata colonies and their healthy appearance in colonies in South Africa [23,24]. Hence, other factors such as suppression of the mite’s reproductive success and/or lower viral prevalence within honeybees and mites might better explain the variability in the mite infestation levels observed between both A .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hygienic and grooming behaviors in African and European honeybees—New damage categories in Varroa destructor

et al. 2017

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Varroa destructor is an ectoparasitic pest of honeybees, and a threat to the survival of the apiculture industry. Several studies have shown that unlike European honeybees, African honeybee populations appear to be minimally affected when attacked by this mite. However, little is known about the underlying drivers contributing to survival of African honeybee populations against the mite. We hypothesized that resistant behavioral defenses are responsible for the survival of African honeybees against the ectoparasite. We tested this hypothesis by comparing grooming and hygienic behaviors in the African savannah honeybee Apis mellifera scutellata in Kenya and A. mellifera hybrids of European origin in Florida, USA against the mite. Grooming behavior was assessed by determining adult mite infestation levels, daily mite fall per colony and percentage mite damage (as an indicator of adult grooming rate), while hygienic behavior was assessed by determining the brood removal rate after freeze killing a section of the brood. Our results identified two additional undescribed damaged mite categories along with the six previously known damage categories associated with the grooming behavior of both honeybee subspecies. Adult mite infestation level was approximately three-fold higher in A. mellifera hybrids of European origin than in A. m. scutellata, however, brood removal rate, adult grooming rate and daily natural mite fall were similar in both honeybee subspecies. Unlike A. mellifera hybrids of European origin, adult grooming rate and brood removal rate did not correlate with mite infestation levels on adult worker honeybee of A. m. scutellata though they were more aggressive towards the mites than their European counterparts. Our results provide valuable insights into the tolerance mechanisms that contribute to the survival of A. m. scutellata against the mite.

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“…It seems that swarming and cavity volume might play a role in mitigating the impact of Varroa (Loftus, Smith & Seeley ); in particular, swarming behaviour is well expressed in natural wild populations such as those of African honeybees (Hepburn & Radloff ), which could contribute to the resistance of African honeybees to Varroa (Strauss et al . ). Furthermore, in general African honeybees might have other pre‐adaptations, besides swarming behaviour, which allows them to deal better with Varroa mites than their European counterparts, like faster developmental times, smaller cells and consequently smaller bodies (Hepburn & Radloff ).…”

Section: The Case Of the Western Honeybee A Melliferamentioning

confidence: 97%

Risks and benefits of the biological interface between managed and wild bee pollinators

2016

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Summary1. Increasing global human populations and climate change not only increase the demand for food but require it to be supplied in sustainable quantities. One crucial aspect for sustainability is to ensure pollinator services for crop production and ecosystem services. 2. The global distribution of universal bee pollinators and the different degrees of intensity of bee-keeping have resulted in a high variability of impacts. It is therefore essential to separate the different pollinator populations, in particular the cases of honeybees and bumblebees, into wild/feral and managed populations, which can and will interact. 3. Such interactions can be either beneficial or deleterious. A deleterious interaction between wild/feral colonies and the managed populations may result in disease and pest transmission. 4. However, a wild/feral population could easily buffer the effects of newly introduced pathogens increasing the resistance of the population as a whole. Varroa mites that caused the loss of the wild population of Apis mellifera in Europe have recently been established in South Africa. Studies of the mite's introduction into South Africa suggest that African honeybee populations are less affected by the mite and can deal with and survive parasite loads which would kill colonies in the Northern Hemisphere. 5. This observed resilience in Africa and Americas is most likely based on the interactions between wild and managed bees, since a large proportion of the total honeybee population is wild in these regions and therefore not influenced by humans. This allows the wild population to adapt to new parasites/pathogens, without human interference, with the large numbers of wild colonies ensuring that resilience is high. A high ratio of wild to managed colonies could also ensure that beneficial adaptations in the wild population filter through to the managed population. 6. Whether a similar situation prevails in bumblebees with wild and managed populations needs to be more carefully examined, particularly in the context of the global trade in colonies of these bees. Our current understanding of the interaction between wild/feral and managed populations suggests that transporting of species out of their endemic range should be done with great caution.

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

Cited by 37 publications

References 82 publications

The impact of hive type on the behavior and health of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) in Kenya

The impact of hive type on the behavior and health of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) in Kenya

Hygienic and grooming behaviors in African and European honeybees—New damage categories in Varroa destructor

Risks and benefits of the biological interface between managed and wild bee pollinators

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