Study of pyrethroid resistance mutations in populations of Varroa destructor across Spain

Abstract

The Varroa destructor mite is a serious worldwide pest of honeybees that is usually controlled with pyrethroid-based acaricides. However, the intensive use of these substances over the past decades has led to the development of resistance in these mites. Here, Varroa samples collected between 2006 and 2021 from apiaries across Spain were studied to evaluate the presence of mutations producing pyrethroid resistance, particularly those in the gene encoding the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC). Genotyping of the IIS4-IIS5 region of this gene detected the L925V (Leucine ‘CTG’ to valine ‘GTG’) mutation at position 925 and confirmed the presence of the M918L (Methionine ‘ATG’ to Leucine ‘TTG’) mutation at position 918 in these Spanish Varroa mites. Interestingly, the M918L mutation was always found in combination with L925V, both of which were always homozygous. Over and above the high frequency of pyrethroid-resistant mutations in Spanish Varroa populations, this apparently recent association of the M918L and L925V point mutations is a combination that appears to trigger greater resistance than that produced by L925V alone.