Reduction of tracheal mite parasitism of honey bees by swarming

Based on population dynamics, tracheal mite ( Acarapis woodi ) parasitism of colonies of honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) appears to be, potentially at least, regulatory and stable. Empirical and theoretical considerations suggest, however, that intracolony population dynamics of mite-honey bee worker seem to be unstable in managed situations where honey bee worker population is allowed to grow unchecked. Experimental studies showed that tracheal mite population levels increased in a managed honey bee colony but were impaired in one in which brood rearing was interrupted by loss of the queen. Mite densities but not prevalence were lowered in experimental swarms kept from rearing brood. We propose that swarming reduces mite density within a colony, therefore implicating modern techniques of hive management in the sudden historical appearance of the mite on the Isle of Wight.

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Differential autogrooming response to the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi by the honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera

Insectes Sociaux ◽

10.1007/s00040-019-00732-w ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 67 (1) ◽

pp. 95-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Y. Sakamoto ◽

T. Maeda ◽

M. Yoshiyama ◽

F. Konno ◽

J. S. Pettis

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Behavioral Response ◽

Apis Cerana ◽

Response Threshold ◽

Acarapis Woodi ◽

Tracheal Mite ◽

Apis Cerana Japonica ◽

The Difference

AbstractThe infestation of honey bees by the endoparasitic tracheal mite Acarapis woodi was first discovered in Apis mellifera on the Isle of Wight, England, and the mite has since spread to all continents except Australia. Since 2010, this tracheal mite has spread rapidly in the Japanese honey bee, Apis cerana japonica, of mainland Japan, causing considerable colony mortality. In contrast, infestations by the mites in the imported and managed European honey bee, A. mellifera, have rarely been observed in Japan. A previous laboratory experiment revealed a difference in susceptibility by demonstrating that the tracheal mite more frequently enters tracheae of A. cerana than those of A. mellifera. In this study, we compared autogrooming responses of A. cerana and A. mellifera by depositing a mite on each honey bee’s mesoscutum, and we then assessed the efficacy of autogrooming to remove the mite. The bees that received mites more frequently showed an autogrooming response compared to unchallenged bees in both bee species. However, a significantly greater proportion of A. mellifera individuals autogroomed compared to A. cerana. In addition, when bees autogroomed, A. mellifera removed the tracheal mite more effectively than A. cerana. When considering all bees in the mite-deposited group, the proportion of mite removal in A. mellifera was almost twice as high as that in A. cerana. Thus, the difference in susceptibility to the tracheal mite between these two bee species is attributed to the difference in the behavioral response threshold to mites and the effectiveness of mite removal by grooming.

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TRACHEAL MITE ACARAPIS WOODI (RENNIE) (ACARI: TARSONEMIDAE) INFESTATIONS IN THE HONEY BEE, APIS MELLIFERA L. (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) IN TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO

Journal of Entomological Science ◽

10.18474/0749-8004-24.1.40 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 40-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

L. G. Lozano ◽

J. O. Moffett ◽

B. Campos P. ◽

M. Guillen M. ◽

O. N. Perez E. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Life Stage ◽

The State ◽

Late Spring ◽

Acarapis Woodi ◽

Tracheal Mite ◽

Tracheal Mites ◽

Northeastern Mexico

In a 1986 survey taken in northeastern Mexico, 44% of the 6,200 honey bees, Apis mellifera L., examined were infested with tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi (Rennie). Mites were found in 80% of the 310 colony samples of 20 bees each. These samples were taken monthly from 10 colonies in each of three apiaries located from 130 to 230 km apart in the state of Tamaulipas. Infestation levels varied greatly among apiaries, months, and between samples. Monthly infestations in individual bees ranged from a low of 2% in the Hidalgo apiary in August to a high of 97% in February in the Aldama apiary. The average infestation was 11% of the bees in the Hidalgo apiary, 35% in the Ciudad Mante apiary, and 71% in the Aldama apiary. Mite populations tended to decline in late spring and summer. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.91, p < 0.01) between the percentage of bees infested in the apiary and the number of mites in each infested bee. The number of mites per infested bee ranged from an average of 14 for infested bees from the four monthly apiary samples with the lowest percentage of infested bees to 44 mites/infested bee in the four samples with the highest percent of infested bees. The average number of mites per infested bee was 34.2. The proportion of mites in each life stage varied markedly. Overall, 19% of the 92,392 mites were in the egg stage, 37% were larvae, and 44% were adults. The ratio of males to females was 1:2.43 or 29% males to 71% females. Both right and left tracheae were equally susceptable to becoming infested, as mites were found in 2,144 right and 2,138 left trachea. Both tracheae were infested in 58% of the bees parasitized with mites. There was also a highly significant correlation (r = 0.98, P < 0.01) between percentage of bees infested in each sample and percentage of infested bees with mites present in both tracheae.

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Field evaluation of nine families of honey bees for resistance to tracheal mites

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent133793-6 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 133 (6) ◽

pp. 793-803 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dennis van Engelsdorp ◽

Gard W. Otis

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Formic Acid ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Field Evaluation ◽

Acarapis Woodi ◽

Tracheal Mite ◽

Colony Performance ◽

Tracheal Mites ◽

Mite Infestations

AbstractWe evaluated the resistance to tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi (Rennie) (Acari: Tarsonemidae), of colonies of honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), headed by daughters of three queens from each of three honey bee stocks: (i) British Columbia "mite-resistant stock, (ii) Buckfast "mite-resistant" stock, and (iii) Canadian unselected stock. Colonies of all nine families were distributed among four apiaries; half of the colonies in each apiary were treated with formic acid to attempt to control tracheal mites. The study documented significant differences in resistance to tracheal mites among the families of bees, even within each of the three stocks. After the first 4 months of study (by November 1993), differences in mite infestations had developed among the nine families. Formic acid treatments had either short-lived effectiveness (1993) or no effect (1994) on tracheal mite infestations, thereby eliminating the opportunity to evaluate colony performance in the absence of mites. Mite infestations varied significantly among apiary sites. This study highlights the value of evaluating sets of colonies headed by sister queens when identifying mite-resistant stock for breeding purposes.

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Parameter identification modeling honey bee colony population dynamics

10.1063/5.0041790 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Atanas Z. Atanasov ◽

Slavi G. Georgiev

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Parameter Identification ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Bee Colony ◽

Honey Bee Colony

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Distribution of the tracheal mite, Acarapis woodi, among the mesothoracic tracheal trunks of the honey bee, Apis mellifera

Experimental and Applied Acarology ◽

10.1007/bf00058506 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 17 (9) ◽

pp. 663-672

Author(s):

Nicholas W. Calderone ◽

Hachiro Shimanuki

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Acarapis Woodi ◽

Tracheal Mite

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Mitochondrial DNA Variation of Feral Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) from Utah (USA)

Journal of Apicultural Science ◽

10.2478/jas-2018-0019 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 223-232

Author(s):

Dylan Cleary ◽

Allen L. Szalanski ◽

Clinton Trammel ◽

Mary-Kate Williams ◽

Amber Tripodi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Western Europe ◽

Dna Variation ◽

Bee Colony ◽

The Us ◽

Coii Gene

Abstract A study was conducted on the mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity of feral colonies and swarms of Apis mellifera from ten counties in Utah by sequencing the intergenic region of the cytochrome oxidase (COI-COII) gene region. A total of 20 haplotypes were found from 174 honey bee colony samples collected from 2008 to 2017. Samples belonged to the A (African) (48%); C (Eastern Europe) (43%); M (Western Europe) (4%); and O (Oriental) lineages (5%). Ten African A lineage haplotypes were observed with two unique to Utah among A lineage haplotypes recorded in the US. Haplotypes belonging to the A lineage were observed from six Utah counties located in the southern portion of the State, from elevations as high as 1357 m. All five C lineage haplotypes that were found have been observed from queen breeders in the US. Three haplotypes of the M lineage (n=7) and two of the O lineage (n=9) were also observed. This study provides evidence that honey bees of African descent are both common and diverse in wild populations of honey bees in southern Utah. The high levels of genetic diversity of A lineage honey bee colonies in Utah provide evidence that the lineage may have been established in Utah before the introduction of A lineage honey bees from Brazil to Texas in 1990.

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POPULATION DYNAMICS OF SEX-DETERMINING ALLELES IN HONEY BEES AND SELF-INCOMPATIBILITY ALLELES IN PLANTS

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/91.3.609 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 91 (3) ◽

pp. 609-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shozo Yokoyama ◽

Masatoshi Nei

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Population Size ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Finite Population ◽

Large Population ◽

Allele Frequencies ◽

Self Incompatibility ◽

Overdominant Selection ◽

Incompatibility Alleles

ABSTRACT Mathematical theories of the population dynamics of sex-determining alleles in honey bees are developed. It is shown that in an infinitely large population the equilibrium frequency of a sex allele is l/n, where n is the number of alleles in the population, and the asymptotic rate of approach to this equilibrium is 2/(3n) per generation. Formulae for the distribution of allele frequencies and the effective and actual numbers of alleles that can be maintained in a finite population are derived by taking into account the population size and mutation rate. It is shown that the allele frequencies in a finite population may deviate considerably from l/n. Using these results, available data on the number of sex alleles in honey bee populations are discussed. It is also shown that the number of self-incompatibility alleles in plants can be studied in a much simpler way by the method used in this paper. A brief discussion about general overdominant selection is presented.

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