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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Bee Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #416289
Research Project: Managing Honey Bees Against Disease and Colony Stress

Location: Bee Research Laboratory

Title: Honey bee populations surviving Varroa destructor parasitism in Latin America and their mechanisms of resistance

Author
item GUZMAN-NOVOA, ERNESTO - University Of Guelph
item Corona, Miguel
item Alburaki, Mohamed
item REYNALDI, FRANCISCO J - Universidad Nacional Del Sur (UNS)
item INVERNIZZI, CIRO - Universidad De La República
item FERNANDEZ DE LANDA, GREGORIO - National University Of Mar Del Plata
item MAGGI, MATIAS - Universidad De La Plata

Submitted to: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2024
Publication Date: 8/6/2024
Citation: Guzman-Novoa, E., Corona, M.V., Alburaki, M., Reynaldi, F., Invernizzi, C., Fernandez De Landa, G., Maggi, M. 2024. Honey bee populations surviving Varroa destructor parasitism in Latin America and their mechanisms of resistance. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Article e1434490. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1434490..
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1434490

Interpretive Summary: The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is considered one of the main causes of colony losses in European honey bee (EHB) populations around the world. Most honey bee populations in Latin American countries are Africanized honey bees, which are considered more resistant to varroa mite than European honey bees. This comprehensive review describes the natural history of parasitism by V. destructor on Apis mellifera in Latin America. We summarize and analyze reports of honey bee populations that have survived mite parasitism without acaricide treatments and describe their potential resistance mechanisms against the mite. Our analysis of the literature supports the notion that selective breeding of local honey bee populations could be a viable strategy to manage varroa mite infestations.

Technical Abstract: The honey bee (Apis mellifera) parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is considered one of the main causes of colony losses in European honey bee (EHB) populations around the world. However, some EHB and Africanized honey bee (AHB) populations (derived from the African subspecies A. m. scutellata) that inhabit tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, have survived varroa mite infestations in the absence of acaricide treatments. It is conceivable to expect that these honey bee populations, which have been subjected to natural selection over decades, would have developed resistance against V. destructor or possess pre-existing adaptations that allow them to survive mite parasitism. Here, we present a comprehensive literature review describing the spread of V. destructor and the honey bee populations occurring in Latin America (LA), and summarize the evidence of resistance of those populations to V. destructor. We also analyze reports describing the potential mechanisms of mite resistance and how they operate in those honey bee populations. Studies of a few EHB, as well as of numerous AHB populations exhibiting resistance to V. destructor in LA, unveil the existence of evolutionary adaptations that restrain V. destructor population growth and provide insight into the current host-parasite relationship.