Varroa destructor is a highly virulent ectoparasitic mite of the honey bee Apis mellifera and a major cause of colony losses for global apiculture. Typically, chemical treatment is essential to control the parasite population in the honey bee colony. Nevertheless a few honey bee populations survive mite infestation without any treatment. We used one such Varroa mite tolerant honey bee lineage f...

The parasitic mite Varroa destructor has been the dominant subject of discussion among bee scientists and beekeepers worldwide. Unfortunately, few literatures has reported the presence of this dreaded honey bee parasites in Sub-Saharan Africa until 2012 when Nigeria was listed among impacted countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, beekeeping activities have long been plagued with many problems such a...

Four essential oils in two concentrations (50 and 100%) of thyme, Thymus vulgaris; Cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum; Lemon grass, Cymbopagon flexuosus; Anise, Pimpinella anisum and formic acid (65%) were used against varroa mite, Varroa destructor infesting honey bee colonies. Results show that, formic acid and the highest concentration (100%) of tested essential oils caused effective control of...

The mite Varroa destructor is an ectoparasite that is considered a major pest for beekeeping with European honey bees. However, Africanized bee colonies are less threatened by this ectoparasite, because infestation levels remain low in these bees. The low reproductive ability of female mites of the Japanese biotype (J), introduced to Brazil early in the 1970s was initially considered the main f...

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor has become one of the major worldwide threats for apiculture. Varroa destructor attacks the honey bee Apis mellifera weakening its host by sucking hemolymph. However, the damage to bee colonies is not strictly related to the parasitic action of the mite but it derives, above all, from its action as vector increasing the transmission of many viral disease...

We measured signiÞcant variation in the instantaneous growth rates for varroa mites, Varroa destructor (Anderson & Trueman) from 1993 to 2002 in Baton Rouge, LA. Mite population growth was monitored in colonies of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., with queens from miscellaneous U.S. sources that had not been selectively bred for varroa resistance.Mite populations weremeasured at the beginning and ...

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is a major global threat to the Western honeybee Apis mellifera. This mite was originally a parasite of A. cerana in Asia but managed to spill over into colonies of A. mellifera which had been introduced to this continent for honey production. To date, only two almost clonal types of V. destructor from Korea and Japan have been detected in A. mellifera c...

Whereas in several parts of the world varroa is the major pest affecting apiculture, in others the parasite is unknown to many beekeepers because its damage to bees is minor. The impact of the mite Varroa destructor is related to the climatic conditions and the races of Apis mellifera bees in each region where the pest exists. In the present study, the current level of infestation by the mite w...

Social immunity forms an essential part of the defence repertoire of social insects. In response to infestation by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor and its associated viruses, honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) have developed a specific behaviour (varroa-sensitive hygiene, or VSH) that helps protect the colony from this parasite. Brood cells heavily infested with mites are uncapped, the brood k...

The development of Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) population dynamics in Africanized honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies was monitored from February to July 2004 in Atenas, Costa Rica. A correlation between the mite infestation level and the colony condition was evaluated. For each colony, infestation of varroa in adult bees was measured ...