Varroa destructor reproductive success is considered an important character for determining the resistance of honey bees to this mite parasite. However, most of the published data are not comparable due to the different methods of ascertaining and reporting reproduction. A recently published technique that involves reconstructing mite families in older worker brood gives repeatable and reliable...

An obvious need for an updated and comprehensive study prompted this investigation of the complex of environmental costs resulting from the nation’s dependence on pesticides. Included in this assessment of an estimated $10 billion in environmental and societal damages are analyses of: pesticide impacts on public health; livestock and livestock product losses; increased control expenses resultin...

Varroa destructor is the most serious threat for western honeybees worldwide. It parasitizes mostly on honeybee's pupae and larvae, resulting in impaired development, decreased immunity, residual wings, loss of flight ability, even direct death. At same time, it can cause a series diseases, greatly infesting bee colonies. This paper introduces classification, distribution biological characteris...

The present investigation was carried out in the apiary at Al-Fath location, Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt, from 8 th of December, 2007 to 3 rd of January, 2008. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of lemon juice on varroa mites, Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman) in honeybee colonies, Apis mellifera L. with little brood in order to reduce varroa population to toler...

this research explains the morphometric characteristics of varroa destructor anderson and trueman in tehran province. 180 adult female mites were collected from three different colonies of apis mellifera l. in three apiaries during september 2003 to may 2004. these colonies were divided according to three altitudes-less than 1000m, 1000-1500m and more than 1500m above the sea level. the morphol...

Multiple infections of managed honeybee, Apis mellifera, colonies are inevitable due to the ubiquitous ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and might be an underlying cause of winter losses. Here we investigated the role of adult small hive beetles, Aethina tumida, alone and in combination with V. destructor for winter losses and for infections with the microsporidian endoparasite Nosema cerana...

A laboratory technique to study the effects of Varroa destructor and viruses on developing worker honey bees Lilia I de Guzman, Kitiphong Khongphinitbunjong, Thomas E Rinderer, Matthew R Tarver and Amanda M Frake USDA/ARS, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory, 1157 Ben Hur Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70820, USA. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chian...

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is a honeybee viral pathogen either persisting as an inapparent infection or resulting in wing deformity. The occurrence of deformity is associated with the transmission of DWV through Varroa destructor during pupal stages. Such infections with DWV add to the pathology of V. destructor and play a major role in colony collapse in the course of varroosis. Using a recentl...

Elevated winter losses of managed honeybee colonies are a major concern, but the underlying mechanisms remain controversial. Among the suspects are the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, the microsporidian Nosema ceranae, and associated viruses. Here we hypothesize that pathogens reduce the life expectancy of winter bees, thereby constituting a proximate mechanism for colony losses. A monitoring...

We investigated the effect of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor on the immunological and nutritional condition of honey bees, Apis mellifera, from the perspective of the individual bee and the colony. Pupae, newly-emerged adults and foraging adults were sampled from honey bee colonies at one site in S. Texas, USA. Varroa‑infested bees displayed elevated titer of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), su...