Norwegian honey bees surviving Varroa destructor mite infestations by means of natural selection.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Managed, feral and wild populations of European honey bee subspecies, Apis mellifera, are currently facing severe colony losses globally. There is consensus that the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, that switched hosts from the Eastern honey bee Apis cerana to the Western honey bee A. mellifera, is a key factor driving these losses. For >20 years, breeding efforts have not produced European honey bee colonies that can survive infestations without the need for mite control. However, at least three populations of European honey bees have developed this ability by means of natural selection and have been surviving for >10 years without mite treatments. Reduced mite reproductive success has been suggested as a key factor explaining this natural survival. Here, we report a manag

SUBMITTER: Oddie MAY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5659219 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature