Sequence Recombination and Conservation of Varroa destructor Virus-1 and Deformed Wing Virus in Field Collected Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

The combination of Deformed wing virus (DWV) and Varroa destructor is arguably one of the greatest threats currently facing western honey bees, Apis mellifera. Varroa’s association with DWV has decreased viral diversity and increased loads of DWV within honey bee populations. Nowhere has this been better studied than in Hawaii, where the arrival of Varroa progressively led to the dominance of the single master variant (DWV-A) on both mite-infested Hawaiian Islands of Oahu and Big Island. Now, exactly 10 years following the original study, we find that the DWV population has changed once again, with variants containing the RdRp coding sequence pertaining to the master variant B beginning to co-dominate alongside variants with the DWV-A RdRp sequence on the mite-infested islands of Oahu and Big Island. In speculation, based on other studies, it appears this could represent a stage in the journey towards the complete dominance of DWV-B, a variant that appears better adapted to be transmitted within honey bee colonies.

Download Full-text

Relative abundance of deformed wing virus, Varroa destructor virus 1, and their recombinants in honey bees (Apis mellifera) assessed by kmer analysis of public RNA-Seq data

Journal of Invertebrate Pathology ◽

10.1016/j.jip.2017.07.005 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 149 ◽

pp. 44-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Robert Scott Cornman

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Varroa Destructor ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Deformed Wing Virus

Download Full-text

Exploring Two Honey Bee Traits for Improving Resistance Against Varroa destructor: Development and Genetic Evaluation

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12030216 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 216

Author(s):

Matthieu Guichard ◽

Benoît Droz ◽

Evert W. Brascamp ◽

Adrien von Virag ◽

Markus Neuditschko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Varroa Destructor ◽

Field Trial ◽

Genetic Evaluation ◽

Phenotypic Correlation ◽

Apis Mellifera Mellifera ◽

Novel Traits ◽

Resistance Traits

For the development of novel selection traits in honey bees, applicability under field conditions is crucial. We thus evaluated two novel traits intended to provide resistance against the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and to allow for their straightforward implementation in honey bee selection. These traits are new field estimates of already-described colony traits: brood recapping rate (‘Recapping’) and solidness (‘Solidness’). ‘Recapping’ refers to a specific worker characteristic wherein they reseal a capped and partly opened cell containing a pupa, whilst ‘Solidness’ assesses the percentage of capped brood in a predefined area. According to the literature and beekeepers’ experiences, a higher recapping rate and higher solidness could be related to resistance to V. destructor. During a four-year field trial in Switzerland, the two resistance traits were assessed in a total of 121 colonies of Apis mellifera mellifera. We estimated the repeatability and the heritability of the two traits and determined their phenotypic correlations with commonly applied selection traits, including other putative resistance traits. Both traits showed low repeatability between different measurements within each year. ‘Recapping’ had a low heritability (h2 = 0.04 to 0.05, depending on the selected model) and a negative phenotypic correlation to non-removal of pin-killed brood (r = −0.23). The heritability of ‘Solidness’ was moderate (h2 = 0.24 to 0.25) and did not significantly correlate with resistance traits. The two traits did not show an association with V. destructor infestation levels. Further research is needed to confirm the results, as only a small number of colonies was evaluated.

Download Full-text

Varroa mite and deformed wing virus infestations interactively make honey bees (Apis mellifera) more susceptible to insecticides

Environmental Pollution ◽

10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118212 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 292 ◽

pp. 118212

Author(s):

Yu-Cheng Zhu ◽

Jianxiu Yao ◽

Yanhua Wang

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Varroa Mite ◽

Deformed Wing Virus

Download Full-text

Neonicotinoid Clothianidin reduces honey bee immune response and contributes to Varroa mite proliferation

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-19715-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Desiderato Annoscia ◽

Gennaro Di Prisco ◽

Andrea Becchimanzi ◽

Emilio Caprio ◽

Davide Frizzera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Varroa Destructor ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Asymptomatic Infection ◽

Varroa Mite ◽

Deformed Wing Virus ◽

Synergistic Interactions ◽

Parasitic Mite

AbstractThe neonicotinoid Clothianidin has a negative impact on NF-κB signaling and on immune responses controlled by this transcription factor, which can boost the proliferation of honey bee parasites and pathogens. This effect has been well documented for the replication of deformed wing virus (DWV) induced by Clothianidin in honey bees bearing an asymptomatic infection. Here, we conduct infestation experiments of treated bees to show that the immune-suppression exerted by Clothianidin is associated with an enhanced fertility of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, as a possible consequence of a higher feeding efficiency. A conceptual model is proposed to describe the synergistic interactions among different stress agents acting on honey bees.

Download Full-text

Biology and Management of Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies

Journal of Integrated Pest Management ◽

10.1093/jipm/pmz036 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Morgan A Roth ◽

James M Wilson ◽

Keith R Tignor ◽

Aaron D Gross

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Varroa Destructor ◽

Sampling Methods ◽

Apis Cerana ◽

Varroa Mite ◽

Resistance Development ◽

Deformed Wing Virus ◽

The Past ◽

Asian Honey Bee

Abstract Varroa mite (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman) infestation of European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies has been a growing cause of international concern among beekeepers throughout the last 50 yr. Varroa destructor spread from the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana Fabricius [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) to A. mellifera populations in Europe in the 1970s, and subsequently traveled to the Americas. In addition to causing damage through feeding upon lipids of larval and adult bees, V. destructor also facilitates the spread of several viruses, with deformed wing virus being most prevalent. Several sampling methods have been developed for estimating infestation levels of A. mellifera colonies, and acaricide treatments have been implemented. However, overuse of synthetic acaricides in the past has led to widespread acaricide resistant V. destructor populations. The application of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques is a more recent development in V. destructor control and is suggested to be more effective than only using pesticides, thereby posing fewer threats to A. mellifera colonies. When using IPM methods, informed management decisions are made based upon sampling, and cultural and mechanical controls are implemented prior to use of acaricide treatments. If acaricides are deemed necessary, they are rotated based on their mode of action, thus avoiding V. destructor resistance development.

Download Full-text

New Viruses from the Ectoparasite Mite Varroa destructor Infesting Apis mellifera and Apis cerana

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v11020094 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 94 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Sofia Levin ◽

Noa Sela ◽

Tal Erez ◽

David Nestel ◽

Jeffery Pettis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Varroa Destructor ◽

Rna Virus ◽

Apis Cerana ◽

Virus Genome ◽

Deformed Wing Virus ◽

Viral Loads ◽

Short Period ◽

Honeybee Subspecies ◽

Colony Survival

Varroa destructor is an ectoparasitic mite of Asian or Eastern honeybees Apis cerana (A. cerana) which has become a serious threat to European subspecies of Western honeybees Apis mellifera (A. mellifera) within the last century. V. destructor and its vectored honeybee viruses became serious threats for colony survival. This is a short period for pathogen- and host-populations to adapt. To look for possible variation in the composition of viral populations we performed RNA metagenomic analysis of the Western honeybee subspecies A. m. ligustica, A. m. syriaca, A. m. intermissa, and A. cerana and their respective V. destructor mites. The analysis revealed two novel viruses: Varroa orthomyxovirus-1 (VOV-1) in A. mellifera and V. destructor and a Hubei like-virga virus-14 homolog in V. destructor. VOV-1 was more prevalent in V. destructor than in A. mellifera and we found evidence for viral replication in both hosts. Interestingly, we found differences in viral loads of A. cerana and their V. destructor, A. m. intermissa, and its V. destructor showed partial similarity, while A. m. ligustica and A. m. syriaca and their varroa where very similar. Deformed wing virus exhibited 82.20%, 99.20%, 97.90%, and 0.76% of total viral reads in A. m. ligustica, A. m. syriaca, A. m. intermissa, and A. cerana, respectively. This is the first report of a complete segmented-single-stranded negative-sense RNA virus genome in honeybees and V. destructor mites.

Download Full-text

Factors restraining the population growth of Varroa destructor in Ethiopian honey bees (Apis mellifera simensis)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0223236 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (9) ◽

pp. e0223236 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Haftom Gebremedhn ◽

Bezabeh Amssalu ◽

Lina De Smet ◽

Dirk C. de Graaf

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Population Growth ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Varroa Destructor

Download Full-text

Deformed Wing Virus Infection in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Veterinary Pathology ◽

10.1177/0300985819834617 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 56 (4) ◽

pp. 636-641 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Roman V. Koziy ◽

Sarah C. Wood ◽

Ivanna V. Kozii ◽

Claire Janse van Rensburg ◽

Igor Moshynskyy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Rna Virus ◽

Mandibular Glands ◽

Deformed Wing Virus ◽

Clinically Normal ◽

Bee Health ◽

Honey Bee Health ◽

Honey Bee Workers

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is a single-stranded RNA virus of honey bees ( Apis mellifera L.) transmitted by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Although DWV represents a major threat to honey bee health worldwide, the pathological basis of DWV infection is not well documented. The objective of this study was to investigate clinicopathological and histological aspects of natural DWV infection in honey bee workers. Emergence of worker honey bees was observed in 5 colonies that were clinically affected with DWV and the newly emerged bees were collected for histopathology. DWV-affected bees were 2 times slower to emerge and had 30% higher mortality compared to clinically normal bees. Hypopharyngeal glands in bees with DWV were hypoplastic, with fewer intracytoplasmic secretory vesicles; cells affected by apoptosis were observed more frequently. Mandibular glands were hypoplastic and were lined by cuboidal epithelium in severely affected bees compared to tall columnar epithelium in nonaffected bees. The DWV load was on average 1.7 × 106 times higher ( P < .001) in the severely affected workers compared to aged-matched sister honey bee workers that were not affected by deformed wing disease based on gross examination. Thus, DWV infection is associated with prolonged emergence, increased mortality during emergence, and hypoplasia of hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands in newly emerged worker honey bees in addition to previously reported deformed wing abnormalities.

Download Full-text