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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Baton Rouge, Louisiana » Honey Bee Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408597
Research Project: Using Genetics to Improve the Breeding and Health of Honey Bees

Location: Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research

Title: A colony health and economic comparison of varroa-resistant varroa destructor mesostigmata: varroidae and susceptible honey bees apis mellifera hymenoptera: apidae

Author
item Avalos, Arian
item Walsh, Elizabeth
item BIXBY, MIRIAM - University Of British Columbia
item CARD JR, ANDY - Evergreen Honey Company
item CARD, WES - Evergreen Honey Company

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/22/2024
Publication Date: 5/17/2024
Citation: Avalos, A., Walsh, E.M., Bixby, M., Card Jr, A., Card, W. 2024. A colony health and economic comparison of varroa-resistant varroa destructor mesostigmata: varroidae and susceptible honey bees apis mellifera hymenoptera: apidae. Journal of Economic Entomology. 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toae166.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toae166

Interpretive Summary: In their role as premier agricultural pollinators, honey bees are critical for food security. Recently they are beset by factors which have been directly impacting their health, challenging their contributions to dependent economies. Of the known factors, infestation by Varroa has been identified as a critical threat and multiple strategies have been deployed to limit its effect. Here we examine the one result of one strategy to mitigate Varroa effects, breeding for Varroa-resistant honey bee populations. We specifically show key differences between one population, Hilo honey bees, against commercially available honey bees in a side-by-side analysis within a stationary honey production operation. Specifically, we outline significant improvements on survivability and decreased Varroa levels in the population while maintaining comparable honey production levels and derived profits. We hope these findings help beekeepers in their management decisions towards keeping healthier honey bees.

Technical Abstract: Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are the premier agricultural pollinator with direct ecological value and key to human agro-economies. Major factors have markedly impacted honey bee health in the past two decades with Varroa (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman) infestation rising as a principal predictor of colony mortality. A key strategy deployed in Varroa strategies is breeding for resistant honey bee populations that can maintain comparable levels of productivity as non-resistant populations. In this study we examine one such population, Hilo honey bees, within the context of a common garden contrast with a commercially viable population in a stationary honey production operation. We specifically compare colony survival, health, yield, and profit outcomes to show how this specific breeding population retains a profit value in honey production operations while maintaining higher survival and lower Varroa infestation levels than the commercial population. This information can be used by commercial beekeepers to make best management practice decisions and inspires further work examining what trade-offs, if any, are present in this Varroa resistant population.