Medina-Flores C A, Guzmán-Novoa E, Hamiduzzaman M M, Aréchiga-Flores C F, López-Carlos M A
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico.
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Genet Mol Res. 2014 Feb 21;13(3):7282-93. doi: 10.4238/2014.February.21.10.
Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies of African and European descent were compared for levels of Varroa destructor infestation in 3 different ecological regions in Mexico. The 300 colonies that were studied were located in subtropical, temperate sub-humid, and temperate dry climates. The morphotype and mitotype of adult bees as well as their rates of infestation by varroa mites were determined. Additionally, the number of combs with brood and covered with bees was recorded for each colony. The highest frequency of colonies that were classified as African-derived was found in the subtropical environment, whereas the lowest occurred in the temperate dry region. Overall, the colonies of African genotype had significantly lower mite infestation rates (3.5±0.34%) than the colonies of European genotype (4.7±0.49%) regardless of the region sampled. Significant effects of genotype and region on Varroa infestation rates were evident, and there were no differences in bee population or capped brood between genotypes. Mite infestation levels were significantly lower in the colonies of the temperate dry region than in the colonies of the other 2 regions. These results are discussed within the context of results from studies that were previously conducted in Brazil. This is the first study that demonstrates the effects of Africanization and ecological environment on V. destructor infestation rates in honey bee colonies in North America.
对非洲血统和欧洲血统的蜜蜂（意大利蜜蜂）蜂群在墨西哥3个不同生态区域的狄斯瓦螨侵染水平进行了比较。所研究的300个蜂群分布在亚热带、温带亚湿润和温带干旱气候地区。测定了成年蜜蜂的形态型和线粒体型以及它们被狄斯瓦螨侵染的比率。此外，记录了每个蜂群中有幼虫且被蜜蜂覆盖的巢脾数量。在亚热带环境中，被归类为非洲血统的蜂群频率最高，而在温带干旱地区最低。总体而言，无论在哪个采样区域，非洲基因型的蜂群螨侵染率（3.5±0.34%）显著低于欧洲基因型的蜂群（4.7±0.49%）。基因型和区域对狄斯瓦螨侵染率有显著影响，且不同基因型之间的蜜蜂数量或封盖子脾没有差异。温带干旱地区蜂群的螨侵染水平显著低于其他两个地区的蜂群。这些结果结合之前在巴西进行的研究结果进行了讨论。这是第一项证明非洲化和生态环境对北美蜜蜂蜂群中狄斯瓦螨侵染率影响的研究。
