On Apis cerana

China did not become the world's leading honey producer with Apis
cerana. It wasn't until they built up the largest population of Apis
mellifera of any country.

-- pb

* * *

On varroa

Studies show that only two of the 18 different haplotypes concealed within the
complex of mites infesting A. cerana have become pests of A. mellifera
worldwide.
Both belong to V. destructor, and they are not V. jacobsoni.

The remarkably close correlation of their biogeography with the
biogeography of the mite
species and haplotypes described reflects the natural host-parasite relationship
that has long existed between A. cerana and Varroa mites, and suggests
that further
discoveries of variants of A. cerana will probably lead to discoveries
of new variants
of Varroa. Given that the Indian A. cerana differs from A. cerana in
Sri Lanka and
Nepal, we predict that new variants of Varroa await discovery in India.

-- D.L. Anderson

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