scholarly journals Safety assessment of sugar dusting treatments by analysis of hygienic behavior in honey bee colonies

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1199-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jevrosima Stevanovic ◽  
Z. Stanimirovic ◽  
Nada Lakic ◽  
Nevenka Aleksic ◽  
P. Simeunovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Hygienic Behavior ◽  
Natural Defense ◽  
Bee Colonies

The hygienic behavior in honey bees is a dominant natural defense mechanism against brood diseases. In this study, the influence of sugar dusting treatments on hygienic behavior was evaluated in 44 strong honey bee colonies. Three doses of pulverized sugar, 20, 30 and 40 g, each applied at three-, seven- and fourteen-day intervals were tested. The percentage of cleaned cells (PCC) in the total number of those with pin-killed brood served as a measure of the hygienic potential. The effect was dependent on the frequency of treatments: all doses applied every third and seventh day significantly (p<0.001) decreased the PCC in comparison with the untreated control colonies. Nevertheless, sugar did not threaten the hygienic potential, as PPC values remained above 94% following all treatments. Thus, it can be concluded that the tested sugar treatments are safe and can be justifiably implemented into integrated pest management strategies to control Varroa destructor.

scholarly journals Winter Survival of Individual Honey Bees and Honey Bee Colonies Depends on Level of Varroa destructor Infestation

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. e36285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coby van Dooremalen ◽  
Lonne Gerritsen ◽  
Bram Cornelissen ◽  
Jozef J. M. van der Steen ◽  
Frank van Langevelde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Bee Colonies

scholarly journals Ten Years of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) in Hawaiian Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), the Dominant DWV-A Variant Is Potentially Being Replaced by Variants with a DWV-B Coding Sequence

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 969
Author(s):  
Isobel Grindrod ◽  
Jessica L. Kevill ◽  
Ethel M. Villalobos ◽  
Declan C. Schroeder ◽  
Stephen John Martin
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Original Study ◽  
Viral Diversity ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Complete Dominance ◽  
Coding Sequence ◽  
Bee Colonies

The combination of Deformed wing virus (DWV) and Varroa destructor is arguably one of the greatest threats currently facing western honey bees, Apis mellifera. Varroa’s association with DWV has decreased viral diversity and increased loads of DWV within honey bee populations. Nowhere has this been better studied than in Hawaii, where the arrival of Varroa progressively led to the dominance of the single master variant (DWV-A) on both mite-infested Hawaiian Islands of Oahu and Big Island. Now, exactly 10 years following the original study, we find that the DWV population has changed once again, with variants containing the RdRp coding sequence pertaining to the master variant B beginning to co-dominate alongside variants with the DWV-A RdRp sequence on the mite-infested islands of Oahu and Big Island. In speculation, based on other studies, it appears this could represent a stage in the journey towards the complete dominance of DWV-B, a variant that appears better adapted to be transmitted within honey bee colonies.

Diversity and nutritional value of pollen harvested by honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies during lowbush blueberry and cranberry (Ericaceae) pollination

2020 ◽  
Vol 152 (5) ◽  
pp. 622-645
Author(s):  
Claude Dufour ◽  
Valérie Fournier ◽  
Pierre Giovenazzo
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Amino Acid Content ◽  
Essential Amino Acids ◽  
Nutritional Deficiencies ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Lowbush Blueberry ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractThe growth of the commercial pollination industry raises important concerns regarding honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus; Hymenoptera: Apidae) health and development. While providing such services, honey bees are often exposed to undiversified pollen sources that may contribute to nutritional deficiencies, notably in protein and amino acids. To understand how honey bees are affected during provision of pollination services, we compared honey bee colonies that pollinated lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton; Ericaceae) and/or cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton; Ericaceae) crops (management strategies) with control colonies in a diversified farmland environment. We identified the floral species of pollen collected by honey bee colonies in those crops compared to pollen collected by control colonies. We also analysed the protein and essential amino acid content of collected pollen and bee bread and measured the nutritional impact of pollination services on honey bee colonies. We found that honey bees providing blueberry and/or cranberry pollination services are exposed to a less diversified pollen diet than colonies located in a farmland environment, especially in a cranberry field. There was a significantly lower proportion of crude protein content in collected and stored pollen during provision of blueberry pollination services, which led to a smaller brood population. Many nutritional deficiencies were measured with regards to essential amino acids.

How to quantify Varroa destructor in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies

EDIS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Cameron Jack ◽  
Nathan Sperry ◽  
Ashley N. Mortensen ◽  
Jamie Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Fact Sheet ◽  
Bee Colonies

The Varroa destructor mite, a devastating pest of western honey bees, can threaten a honey bee colony’s survival if it is left uncontrolled. This 8-page fact sheet written by Cameron Jack, Nathan Sperry, Ashley N. Mortensen, and Jamie Ellis and published by the UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department explains how to monitor honey bee colonies to ensure that infestations of these destructive pests do not grow to dangerous levels.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1257

scholarly journals Varroa destructor: how does it harm Apis mellifera honey bees and what can be done about it?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amélie Noël ◽  
Yves Le Conte ◽  
Fanny Mondet
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Apis Cerana ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Asian Honey Bee ◽  
The Individual

Since its migration from the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) to the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor has emerged as a major issue for beekeeping worldwide. Due to a short history of coevolution, the host–parasite relationship between A. mellifera and V. destructor is unbalanced, with honey bees suffering infestation effects at the individual, colony and population levels. Several control solutions have been developed to tackle the colony and production losses due to Varroa, but the burden caused by the mite in combination with other biotic and abiotic factors continues to increase, weakening the beekeeping industry. In this synthetic review, we highlight the main advances made between 2015 and 2020 on V. destructor biology and its impact on the health of the honey bee, A. mellifera. We also describe the main control solutions that are currently available to fight the mite and place a special focus on new methodological developments, which point to integrated pest management strategies for the control of Varroa in honey bee colonies.

Parasitic mites and microsporidians in managed western honey bee colonies on the island of Newfoundland, Canada

2010 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
pp. 584-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey R. Williams ◽  
Krista Head ◽  
Karen L. Burgher-MacLellan ◽  
Richard E.L. Rogers ◽  
Dave Shutler
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Geographic Isolation ◽  
Acarapis Woodi ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Chemical Treatments ◽  
Organic Honey ◽  
Parasitic Mites ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractWestern honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), occur in nearly every region inhabited by man because they provide valuable honey, wax, and pollination services. Many commercial honey bee operations are plagued by economically important parasites; however, beekeepers on the island of Newfoundland, Canada, are in a unique position because of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador’s strict import regulations and geographic isolation. We surveyed about 25% of the island’s approximately 100 managed honey bee colonies. The parasitic mites Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Acari: Varroidae) and Acarapis woodi (Rennie) (Acari: Tarsonemidae) were not detected, whereas Nosema spp. microsporidia were detected in two of four beekeeping operations and in 11 of 23 (48%) colonies (intensity = 482 609 ± 1199 489 (mean ± SD); median intensity = 0). Because V. destructor and A. woodi are important pests that typically require chemical treatments, beekeepers on the island of Newfoundland may be uniquely positioned to market organic honey bee products from colonies that could also be a source of mite-naïve bees for research.

scholarly journals Toxicity of Selected Acaricides to Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) and Varroa (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman) and Their Use in Controlling Varroa within Honey Bee Colonies

Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleš Gregorc ◽  
Mohamed Alburaki ◽  
Blair Sampson ◽  
Patricia R. Knight ◽  
John Adamczyk
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Bee Colonies

Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) electrophysiological activity towards common yarrow (Asteraceae) essential oil and its components

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Michael Light ◽  
Nicoletta Faraone ◽  
Dave Shutler ◽  
G. Christopher Cutler ◽  
N. Kirk Hillier
Keyword(s):  
Essential Oil ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Thyme Oil ◽  
Electrophysiological Responses ◽  
Behavioural Assessment ◽  
Bee Colonies

Abstract Essential oils produced by plants are a rich source of metabolites that can have toxic or behaviour-modifying effects on arthropods. Some essential oils have shown promise in management of the mite Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Mesostigmata: Varroidae), a parasite of western honey bees, Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Essential oil and its components from common yarrow, Achillea millefolium Linnaeus (Asteraceae), are reported to have both insecticidal and repellent properties for other arthropod pests and may have activity against V. destructor. Here, we evaluate responses of V. destructor towards common yarrow essential oil using gas chromatography paired with electrotarsal detection. We identified 38 essential oil components that elicited electrophysiological responses from V. destructor. Components of common yarrow essential oil identified as electrophysiologically active in this study are reported elsewhere as active components of other management strategies for V. destructor infestations (e.g., thyme oil; Thymus sp. (Lamiaceae)). Pending behavioural assessment, the efficacy of common yarrow essential oil in honey bee colonies infested by V. destructor should be explored in field conditions.

scholarly journals Exploring Two Honey Bee Traits for Improving Resistance Against Varroa destructor: Development and Genetic Evaluation

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 216
Author(s):  
Matthieu Guichard ◽  
Benoît Droz ◽  
Evert W. Brascamp ◽  
Adrien von Virag ◽  
Markus Neuditschko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Genetic Evaluation ◽  
Phenotypic Correlation ◽  
Apis Mellifera Mellifera ◽  
Novel Traits ◽  
Resistance Traits

For the development of novel selection traits in honey bees, applicability under field conditions is crucial. We thus evaluated two novel traits intended to provide resistance against the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and to allow for their straightforward implementation in honey bee selection. These traits are new field estimates of already-described colony traits: brood recapping rate (‘Recapping’) and solidness (‘Solidness’). ‘Recapping’ refers to a specific worker characteristic wherein they reseal a capped and partly opened cell containing a pupa, whilst ‘Solidness’ assesses the percentage of capped brood in a predefined area. According to the literature and beekeepers’ experiences, a higher recapping rate and higher solidness could be related to resistance to V. destructor. During a four-year field trial in Switzerland, the two resistance traits were assessed in a total of 121 colonies of Apis mellifera mellifera. We estimated the repeatability and the heritability of the two traits and determined their phenotypic correlations with commonly applied selection traits, including other putative resistance traits. Both traits showed low repeatability between different measurements within each year. ‘Recapping’ had a low heritability (h2 = 0.04 to 0.05, depending on the selected model) and a negative phenotypic correlation to non-removal of pin-killed brood (r = −0.23). The heritability of ‘Solidness’ was moderate (h2 = 0.24 to 0.25) and did not significantly correlate with resistance traits. The two traits did not show an association with V. destructor infestation levels. Further research is needed to confirm the results, as only a small number of colonies was evaluated.

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