Raised seasonal temperatures reinforce autumn Varroa destructor infestation in honey bee colonies.

ABSTRACT: Varroa destructor is the main pest of the honey bee Apis mellifera, causing colony losses. We investigated the effect of temperature on the autumn abundance of V. destructor in bee colonies over 1991-2020 in Central Europe. We tested the hypothesis that temperature can affect autumn mite populations with different time-lags modulating the bee abundance and brood availability. We showed that raised spring (March-May) and autumn (October) temperatures reinforce autumn V. destructor infestation in the bee colonies. The critical temperature signals embrace periods of bee activity, i.e., just after the first cleansing flights and just before the last observed bee flights, but no direct effects of phenological changes on V. destructor abundance were found. These effects were potentially associat

SUBMITTER: Smolinski S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8593171 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature