Abstract
The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, and the viruses that it transmits, kill the colonies of European honey bees (Apis mellifera) kept by beekeepers unless the bees are treated with miticides. Nevertheless, there exist populations of wild colonies of European honey bees that are persisting without being treated with miticides. We hypothesized that the persistence of these wild colonies is due in part to their habits of nesting in small cavities and swarming frequently. We tested this hypothesis by establishing two groups of colonies living either in small hives (42 L) without swarm-control treatments or in large hives (up to 168 L) with swarm-control treatments. We followed the colonies for two years and compared the two groups with respect to swarming frequency, Varroa infesttion rate, disease incidence, and colony survival. Colonies in small hives swarmed more often, had lower Varroa infestation rates, had less disease, and had higher survival compared to colonies in large hives. These results indicate that the smaller nest cavities and more frequent swarming of wild colonies contribute to their persistence without mite treatments.
Highlights
In recent decades, beekeepers worldwide have faced numerous challenges in maintaining healthy honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies [1]
A variety of factors have contributed to the elevated rate of colony mortality, but perhaps the most significant is the introduction from Asia of the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, which acts as an efficient vector of the viruses of honey bees [3,4,5]
By the end of the second summer of the study, the colonies living in small hives had a mean Varroa infestation rate of adult bees that was only about one third of that found in the colonies living in large hives (Fig 3)
Summary
Beekeepers worldwide have faced numerous challenges in maintaining healthy honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies [1]. A variety of factors have contributed to the elevated rate of colony mortality, but perhaps the most significant is the introduction from Asia of the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, which acts as an efficient vector of the viruses of honey bees [3,4,5]. The rate of colony loss in Europe and North America nearly tripled after the arrival of Varroa in the 1970s and 1980s [6]. These mites have introduced a new viral transmission route that has altered the viral landscape and caused a massive loss of diversity in Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) [7], the pathogen that is linked with the demise of honey bee colonies [8]. Without treatments for Varroa, managed honey bee colonies almost always die within two or three years [9,10]
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