By what mechanism can honey bees survive varroa mite parasitism?

Authors of a recent review article investigated the mechanisms by which honey bee populations in Latin America were able to survive parasitism by Varroa destructor mites. This study is particularly relevant for New Zealand beekeepers and honey producers as it sheds light on potential strategies for managing Varroa mites, which are a major threat to bee health and honey production worldwide.

The research highlights several key resistance mechanisms observed in Africanized and European honey bee populations in Latin America. These mechanisms include:

1. Hygienic Behaviour: Bees can detect and remove infested brood, preventing the mites from reproducing.

2. Grooming Behaviour: Bees actively groom themselves and each other, removing and killing mites.

3. Mite Non-Reproduction: Some bees have genetic traits that cause mites to fail to reproduce effectively.

4. Brood Attractiveness: Reduced attractiveness of brood to mites, limiting infestation rates.

   
   

These findings are crucial for New Zealand, where Varroa mites are a persistent problem. Implementing breeding programs that select for these resistance traits could help enhance the resilience of local bee populations. Moreover, understanding these natural resistance mechanisms provides a foundation for developing more sustainable and less chemically reliant methods for Varroa mite control.

Maintaining healthy bee populations is essential for New Zealand honey producers, especially those involved in high-value Mānuka honey production. The insights from this research could lead to more robust bees, ensuring consistent and high-quality honey yields. Although some local attempts have been made to create partially varroa-resistant honey bee populations, an industry-wide strategy is still lacking in developing and distributing varroa-resistant bee lines.

For more detailed insights, you can access the full paper here: Frontiers | Honey bee populations surviving Varroa destructor parasitism in Latin America and their mechanisms of resistance (frontiersin.org)