Response of foster Asian honeybee ( Apis cerana Fabr.) colonies to the brood of European honeybee ( Apis mellifera L.) infested with parasitic mite, Varroa jacobsoni oudemans

Abstract

The response of Asian honeybee ( Apis cerana Fabr.) colonies toward the introduced worker brood of the European honeybee ( Apis mellifera L.) infested with the parasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans was investigated. When no mites were present, 40% of the healthy open brood and 3% of the healthy capped brood of the European honeybees were rejected by the Asian honeybee colonies. When the brood was infested, brood rejection was significantly higher for open ( P < 0.05) and capped broods ( P < 0.01). The brood removal activity decreased with time. The quantity of brood removed was also correlated with mite infestation level for open ( r 2 = 0.933) and sealed broods ( r 2 = 0.918). The feasibility of using heterospecific colonies to control Varroa mite is unclear and is discussed from behavioral and ecological points of view.