Evaluating the Potential of Brood Recapping to Select Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) Resistant Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

ABSTRACT: Several resistance traits have been proposed to select honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) that can survive in the presence of parasitic mite Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman) and enable a more sustainable apiculture. The interest for uncapping-recapping has recently increased following its identification in several naturally surviving honey bee populations, yet the utility of this trait for human-mediated selection is poorly known. Here, we evaluated the repeatability of recapping and its correlations with mite infestation levels, and assessed the expression of the trait in the often neglected drone brood. We also calculated correlations between recapping, mite infertility, and mite fecundity, expressed either at the level of individual brood cells or of the whole colony. Recapping meas

SUBMITTER: Guichard M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9912135 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature