Small-cell comb does not control Varroa mites in colonies of honeybees of European origin

Seeley, Thomas D.; Griffin, Sean R.

doi:10.1007/s13592-011-0054-4

Cited by 15 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Further, a reduced bee developmental time (Buchler and Drescher 1990;Moritz and Jordan 1992;Rosenkranz and Engels 1994) and reduced comb cell size (Message and Goncalves 1995;Medina and Martin 1999;Piccirillo and De Jong 2004) can reduce the ability of mother mites to produce viable mated female offspring before the adult bee emerges from the cell. However, Seeley and Griffin (2011) have clearly demonstrated that small comb cell size did not reduce Varroa mite infestations for European races of A. mellifera . Climate has also been suggested to play a role in reduced mite infestation (Moretto et al 1991b).…”

Section: A M Scutellata In Brazil and South Africamentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Morphological differences were observed with Arnot Forest bees having a smaller body size, more similar to Africanized bees, than typical European honeybees (Mikheyev et al 2015). This could mean a shorter developmental duration or inadequate cell space for mite reproduction in the Arnot Forest bees, even though these characteristics are not enough to fully support mite resistance (Martin 1998;Seeley and Griffin 2011).…”

Section: Arnot Forest Ithaca Ny Usamentioning

confidence: 97%

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Natural Varroa mite-surviving Apis mellifera honeybee populations

2015

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-The Varroa destructor mite is the largest threat to apiculture worldwide and has been responsible for devastating losses of wild honeybee populations in Europe and North America. However, Varroa mite-resistant populations of A. mellifera honeybees have been reported and documented around the world with a variety of explanations for their long-term survival with uncontrolled mite infestation. This review synthesizes the work on naturally occurring survival to Varroa mites and discusses what these honeybee populations can signify for apiculture.Varroa destructor / mite resistance / host-parasite adaptations / natural selection / apiculture

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Section: A M Scutellata In Brazil and South Africamentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Arnot Forest Ithaca Ny Usamentioning

confidence: 97%

Natural Varroa mite-surviving Apis mellifera honeybee populations

2015

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“…Erickson et al (1990) claimed that alterations of the comb cell width induced changes in the worker body size without selection and breeding. However, contradictory conclusions were formulated by McMullan and Brown (2006) and Seeley and Griffin (2011). McMullan and Brown (2006) found that a 7-8% reduction of comb cell width resulted in an only 1% decrease in the head and thorax width.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Possibility to change the body size in worker bees by a combination of small-cell and standard-cell combs in the same nest

2021

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The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of the combination of the colony type (kept on small-cell or standard-cell combs) and the width of worker comb cells (small-cell or standard-cell combs) on the body weight and morphometric traits of worker bees. The values of morphometric parameters of worker bees changed within a substantially lower range than the width of their rearing cells. This indicates that the worker body size is relatively constant, and manipulation with the cell width is not a good method for modeling the body size of workers. The reduction in the thorax weight was proportional to the decrease in the comb cell width, and this part of the body proved to be most susceptible to weight reduction caused by the use of small-cell combs. The rearing of workers in small-cell combs in the colony kept on standard-cell combs resulted in an increase in the value of the fill factor (thorax width to cell width ratio). The relatively constant body size of workers in combination with the use of small-cell combs resulting in an increase in the fill factor may be one of the determinants of increased resistance of the insects to Varroa destructor. The values of the morphometric traits commonly used for identification of honeybee subspecies, i.e., the length of the fore wing, the sum of the widths of 3rd and 4thth tergites, and the proboscis length, were inconsiderably altered vs. the changes in the comb cell width, which confirms their high suitability for identification of honeybee subspecies.

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“…Martin & Kryger [114] found evidence in support of this hypothesis when they compared the number of offspring per cycle of Varroa in brood of A. m. scutellata with that in brood of the larger A. m. capensis bees in A. m. scutellata cells. Seeley and Griffin [115] compared bees of the same origin that were either placed on frames with small (4,8 mm) or large (5,4 mm) cells. They measured population development of Varroa once a month-from mid-June to mid-October and did not find differences in population growth of the mites.…”

Section: Population Growth Of Varroamentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural selection, selective breeding, and the evolution of resistance of honeybees (Apis mellifera) against Varroa

Alphen

Fernhout²

2020

Zoological Lett

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We examine evidence for natural selection resulting in Apis mellifera becoming tolerant or resistant to Varroa mites in different bee populations. We discuss traits implicated in Varroa resistance and how they can be measured. We show that some of the measurements used are ambiguous, as they measure a combination of traits. In addition to behavioural traits, such as removal of infested pupae, grooming to remove mites from bees or larval odours, small colony size, frequent swarming, and smaller brood cell size may also help to reduce reproductive rates of Varroa. Finally, bees may be tolerant of high Varroa infections when they are resistant or tolerant to viruses implicated in colony collapse. We provide evidence that honeybees are an extremely outbreeding species. Mating structure is important for how natural selection operates. Evidence for successful natural selection of resistance traits against Varroa comes from South Africa and from Africanized honeybees in South America. Initially, Varroa was present in high densities and killed about 30% of the colonies, but soon after its spread, numbers per hive decreased and colonies survived without treatment. This shows that natural selection can result in resistance in large panmictic populations when a large proportion of the population survives the initial Varroa invasion. Natural selection in Europe and North America has not resulted in large-scale resistance. Upon arrival of Varroa, the frequency of traits to counter mites and associated viruses in European honey bees was low. This forced beekeepers to protect bees by chemical treatment, hampering natural selection. In a Swedish experiment on natural selection in an isolated mating population, only 7% of the colonies survived, resulting in strong inbreeding. Other experiments with untreated, surviving colonies failed because outbreeding counteracted the effects of selection. If loss of genetic variation is prevented, colony level selection in closed mating populations can proceed more easily, as natural selection is not counteracted by the dispersal of resistance genes. In large panmictic populations, selective breeding can be used to increase the level of resistance to a threshold level at which natural selection can be expected to take over.

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Small-cell comb does not control Varroa mites in colonies of honeybees of European origin

Cited by 15 publications

References 9 publications

Natural Varroa mite-surviving Apis mellifera honeybee populations

Natural Varroa mite-surviving Apis mellifera honeybee populations

Possibility to change the body size in worker bees by a combination of small-cell and standard-cell combs in the same nest

Natural selection, selective breeding, and the evolution of resistance of honeybees (Apis mellifera) against Varroa

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