Project Number: 6413-21000-011-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Oct 01, 2003
End Date: Sep 30, 2008

Objective:
Identify and describe traits of the honey bee that produce resistance to Varroa destructor. Combine two or more mite-resistance traits of the honey bee and determine if the traits are independent, compatible, and interactive. Develop productive bees that will provide the beekeeping industry with immediate resistance to varroa and will serve as vehicles to insert mite-resistance genes into our nationwide population of bees.

Approach:
Use traditional selective breeding and employ single-drone inseminations to find, isolate and describe traits of the honey bee that provide resistance to varroa mites. Combine the SMR trait (an established mite-resistance trait that suppresses mite reproduction) with newly developed traits and determine if the traits are independent, if they are compatible when bred into the same bee or the same colony, and if their interactions affect mite resistance. We will develop productive hybrid bees that express one or more mite-resistance traits and will evaluate these hybrids for pollination-related foraging performance to help judge their suitability as commercial pollinators.