Abstract
Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) are the most significant threat to beekeeping worldwide. They are directly or indirectly responsible for millions of colony losses each year. Beekeepers are somewhat able to control varroa populations through the use of physical and chemical treatments. However, these methods range in effectiveness, can harm honey bees, can be physically demanding on the beekeeper, and do not always provide complete protection from varroa. More importantly, in some populations varroa mites have developed resistance to available acaricides. Overcoming the varroa mite problem will require novel and targeted treatment options. Here, we explore the potential of gene drive technology to control varroa. We show that spreading a neutral gene drive in varroa is possible but requires specific colony-level management practices to overcome the challenges of both inbreeding and haplodiploidy. Furthermore, continued treatment with acaricides is necessary to give a gene drive time to fix in the varroa population. Unfortunately, a gene drive that impacts female or male fertility does not spread in varroa. Therefore, we suggest that the most promising way forward is to use a gene drive which carries a toxin precursor or removes acaricide resistance alleles.
Highlights
When the varroa mite (Varroa destructor) jumped from its original host the Eastern honey bee (Apis cerana) to the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera), it spread rapidly around the globe and caused catastrophic losses of commercial and feral honey bee colonies (Traynor et al, 2020; Buchmann & Nabhan, 1996; Wenner et al, 1996; Kraus & Page, 1995)
We chose to use a static model for the honey bee colony, as we are primarily interested in the varroa population and not the interaction between parasite and host
We found that effective acaricide treatments provide additional time for a gene drive to reach fixation
Summary
When the varroa mite (Varroa destructor) jumped from its original host the Eastern honey bee (Apis cerana) to the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera), it spread rapidly around the globe and caused catastrophic losses of commercial and feral honey bee colonies (Traynor et al, 2020; Buchmann & Nabhan, 1996; Wenner et al, 1996; Kraus & Page, 1995). The unfortunate fact of varroa mite control is that it relies on blunt chemical treatment methods that can harm bees and may not be effective longterm because of evolved resistance. This echoes similar treatment methods available to other pest species around the globe like malarial-vectoring mosquitoes and crop pests like spider mites (Carson, 1962; Prasittisuk & Busvine, 1977; Baker, 1952; Dennehy et al, 1983)
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