Varroa Destructor and the Sustainability of Apis Mellifera - an Overview

Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite that represents a major global threat for the Western honeybee Apis mellifera. This parasite managed to switch from its natural host the Eastern honeybee, A. cerana, and within a few decades, it spread among A. mellifera populations around the world. Today beeke...

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Published inBulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca Vol. 77; no. 1; pp. 1 - 14
Main Authors GIURGIU, Alexandru Ioan, MOISE, Adela Ramona, DEZMIREAN, Daniel Severus
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published AcademicPres 26.05.2020
Subjects
a. mellifera
breeding
resistant honeybees
varroa destructor
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Summary:Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite that represents a major global threat for the Western honeybee Apis mellifera. This parasite managed to switch from its natural host the Eastern honeybee, A. cerana, and within a few decades, it spread among A. mellifera populations around the world. Today beekeepers are using a variety of different acaricides to keep the parasite population under control. However, for many of these substances, the parasite evolved resistance asking for the development of novel compounds. Hence the treatment is less suited as a sustainable tool in honeybee health; consequently, other alternative options are needed, and breeding of Varroa resistant honeybees have been suggested as a more sustainable solution. Here we reviewed the successful efforts and the apicultural procedures needed to be implemented to achieve resistant honeybees. We also describe the underlying resistance mechanisms and discuss the benefits of breeding within regional populations, considering the biodiversity aspects of A. mellifera.
ISSN:1843-5262
1843-536X
DOI:10.15835/buasvmcn-asb:0023.19