The ectoparasite mite Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman in southeastern Brazil apiaries: effects of the hygienic behavior of Africanized honey bees on infestation rates

F.A Pinto,A Puker,D Message,L.M.R.C Barreto

doi:10.1590/s0102-09352012000500017

Abstract

In Brazil, the ectoparasitic mite of bees Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Acari: Varroidae) remains at low levels of infestation causing no major damage. However, with the introduction and possible dominance of a new haplotype (K) of the mite, usually found in areas with high infestation rates (IR), it is necessary to monitor and select beehives that are resistant to the pest in order to avoid future problems. Several factors are listed as potentially being responsible for the dynamics of mite infestation, among which hygienic behavior (HB) stands out. In this context we sought to evaluate the HB of Africanized honey bees Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) compared with the mite IR in apiaries of two municipalities of southeastern Brazil (Taubaté and Viçosa). For the municipality of Taubaté, the average IR was 4.9% (3.4 to 5.8%), while the HB averaged 98.6% (96 to 100%). In Viçosa, the average mite IR was found to be 10.0% (5.4 to 21.0%) with an average value for HB of 57.7% (0 to 79.0%). Results from this research show that IR and HB were negatively correlated (R = -0.9627, P<0.01), suggesting that hives with higher HB have lower IR.

Highlights

In Brazil, apiculture is increasing in importance due to the increase in consumption of its products along with favorable environmental conditions for apiculture, and professionalization of beekeepers, yielding products of better quality (Perosa et al, 2004)
We evaluated the levels of hygienic behavior (HB) for the Africanized honey bees in apiaries of two Brazilian municipalities (Taubaté and Viçosa), allowing the observation of the influence of this variable on the infestation rates (IR) of the mite V. destructor
Resistant bees maintain the mite population at low levels, keeping the IR from reaching values that might cause any loss to the beehives (Rosenkranz et al, 2010; Pinto et al, 2011a)

Summary

Introduction

In Brazil, apiculture is increasing in importance due to the increase in consumption of its products along with favorable environmental conditions for apiculture, and professionalization of beekeepers, yielding products of better quality (Perosa et al, 2004). With the increase in demand for hive products, more research is needed to improve productivity and to find potential pathogens that may threaten the beehives or cause losses (Perosa et al, 2004). Varroa destructor is an ectoparasite of adult bees and post-capped brood. It feeds from its hosts hemolynph, which may disrupt development and causes death of the entire hive in high infestation rates (IR) (Rosenkranz et al, 2010). The dispersion in beehives of A. mellifera has deeply impacted the apiculture business causing high hive mortality rate and the need to use acaricides for mite control (Bailey and Ball, 1991; Rosenkranz et al, 2010)

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Conclusion