Grooming behavior in relation to varroa (Varroa destructor) infestation level of Carniolan honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera carnica)

Abstract

Grooming behavior is one of the traits that enables Apis cerana resistance to ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor. The study examines the proportion of damaged mites on 52 colonies (5 genotypes) of A. m. carnica in Croatia. The mites were collected on the sheets of the screen bottom boards, analyzed for the location of injury for each mite and correlated to infestation of colonies with V. destructor mites. In total, 2,425 V. destructor mites were analyzed, with an average of 46.6 per colony. The average (±SE) of 12.69±0.93% mites with injuries were recorded ranging from 0% to 32%. No significant difference (ANOVA, F (4, 47)=0.503, P=0.734) was found between different genotypes. The most common injuries of mites were located on the first pair of legs, while the lowest proportion of injuries were found on the idiosoma. No significant correlation was found between grooming behavior and colony infestation rate. Grooming behavior did not affect the colony infestation rate in tested colonies.