Accodring to Scaramella, Burke, Oddie et all 2023:
> Our results show that mite reproductive success rates and mite fecundity in the three mite-resistant populations were significantly different from the control population ... This result clearly demonstrates that Varroa mite reproductive success can be suppressed by traits of the brood, independent of adult worker bees. — Scaramella, N., Burke, A., Oddie, M., Dahle, B., de Miranda, J. R., Mondet, F., ... & Locke, B. (2023). Host brood traits, independent of adult behaviours, reduce Varroa destructor mite reproduction in resistant honeybee populations. International journal for parasitology.
I think it's important to remember that correlation does not equal causation. For example, if the bee brood is not attractive to mites and they fail to thrive, that is not equivalent to "suppressed mite reproduction." It may be that the brood is simply unattractive to mites, which is fine, but it could be linked to other traits that aren't helpful. So it would be wrong to call bees "varroa resistant" simply because the mites fail to thrive. In order for them to thrive and become a problem for the colony, conditions have to be optimal for them. For example, they also fail to reproduce in broodless hives but what does that get you?
They go on to say:
> This study clearly distinguishes that adult bee behaviors are not involved in the expression of the SMR phenotype in these naturally adapted mite-resistant honey bee populations.
PLB
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