Characteristics of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) in Sweden surviving Varroa destructor infestation

A population of European honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) surviving Varroa destructor mite infestation in Sweden for over 10 years without treatment, demonstrate that a balanced host–parasite relationship may evolve over time. Colony-level adaptive traits linked to Varroa tolerance were investigated in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Apidologie 2011-08, Vol.42 (4), p.533-542
Main Authors: Locke, Barbara, Fries, Ingemar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural sciences
Animal biology
Animal production studies
Animal productions
Apiculture
Apis mellifera
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Breeding success
Colonies
Data processing
Ecology
Ecology, environment
Ekologi
Entomology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Grooming
Infestation
Insecta
Invertebrate Zoology
Invertebrates
Life Sciences
Original Article
Population growth
Reproduction
Survival
Terrestrial animal productions
Varroa destructor
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Summary:A population of European honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) surviving Varroa destructor mite infestation in Sweden for over 10 years without treatment, demonstrate that a balanced host–parasite relationship may evolve over time. Colony-level adaptive traits linked to Varroa tolerance were investigated in this population to identify possible characteristics that may be responsible for colony survival in spite of mite infestations. Brood removal rate, adult grooming rate, and the mite distribution between brood and adults were not significantly different in the untreated population compared with treated control colonies. However, colony size and the reproductive success of the mite were significantly reduced in surviving colonies compared with control colonies. Our data suggest that colony-level adaptive traits may limit mite population growth by reducing mite reproduction opportunities and also by suppressing the mite reproductive success.
ISSN:0044-8435
1297-9678
1297-9678
DOI:10.1007/s13592-011-0029-5