International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Exp Appl Acarol. 2020 Oct;82(2):171-184. doi: 10.1007/s10493-020-00548-5. Epub 2020 Sep 29.
The devastating effects of Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman on Western honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) have been well documented. Not only do these mites cause physical damage to parasitized individuals when they feed on them, but they also transmit viruses and other pathogens, weaken colonies and ultimately may cause their death. Unlike the subspecies of European origin, the honeybees of African origin suffer less from mite infestations. Absconding is one of the factors contributing to low V. destructor population in honeybee colonies as it creates a brood-free period. For a long time, researchers hypothesized that absconding was the main mechanism to control the parasite. The effects of V. destructor are well documented under temperate climatic conditions with a break during winter. Therefore, our study aimed at investigating the impact of V. destructor population growth on colony size, absconding and productivity under natural infestation levels of a tropical/subtropical climate with continuous brood production. We measured several characteristics related to the mite populations, the bee colonies and the resources of the bee colonies for a period of 8 months. The seven colonies that absconded during the study period were not influenced by densities of V. destructor. Absconding of the colonies occurred as a result of low numbers of capped brood. Mite densities were generally low throughout the study period (ranged between 26.9 and 59.8 mites per month) but were positively associated with adult bee densities. The amount of open and capped brood was positively associated with densities of V. destructor in the brood and negatively associated with denisities of V. destructor on screen boards, which appeared as extremely important factors that should be monitored regularly alongside colony stores and availability of pollen.
瓦螨（Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman）对西方蜜蜂种群（Apis mellifera L.）的破坏性影响已有大量记录。这些螨虫不仅在吸食受感染个体时对其造成身体损伤，还会传播病毒和其他病原体，削弱蜂群的实力，最终可能导致其死亡。与源自欧洲的亚种不同，源自非洲的蜜蜂较少受到螨虫的侵害。逃蜂是导致蜂群中瓦螨数量较低的因素之一，因为它会造成无幼虫期。长期以来，研究人员假设逃蜂是控制寄生虫的主要机制。在温带气候条件下，螨虫的影响已有大量记录，冬季会出现中断。因此，我们的研究旨在调查在热带/亚热带气候下，连续繁殖的自然感染水平下，瓦螨种群增长对蜂群大小、逃蜂和生产力的影响。我们在 8 个月的时间里测量了与螨虫种群、蜜蜂种群和蜜蜂种群资源相关的几个特征。在研究期间逃蜂的 7 个蜂群不受瓦螨密度的影响。蜂群逃蜂是由于封盖子数量少造成的。整个研究期间，螨虫密度普遍较低（每月介于 26.9 到 59.8 只之间），但与成年蜜蜂密度呈正相关。开放和封盖子的数量与幼虫中的瓦螨密度呈正相关，与筛板上的瓦螨密度呈负相关，这表明这些因素是非常重要的，应与蜂群储备和花粉供应一起定期监测。
