For >20 years, breeding efforts have not achieved that European honey bee colonies survive
infestations without the need for mite control. However, at least three populations of
European honey bees have developed this by means of natural selection and have been
surviving for >10 years without mite treatments. Reduced mite reproductive success has
been suggested as a key factor explaining this natural survival. Here, we report a
managed A. mellifera population in Norway, that has been naturally surviving consistent
V. destructor infestations for >17 years. 

In conclusion, our data support that a reduced V. destructor mite reproductive success seems to
be a key factor for natural colony survival. However, grooming and VSH are unlikely for this
Norwegian case. Instead, yet unidentified behavioral traits of work bees seem sufficient to
explain reduced mite reproductive success. Therefore, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive
and should be a focus of future studies taking advantage of naturally selected survivors.

Melissa AY Oddie, Bjørn Dahle, Peter Neumann, 12 May 2017
Norwegian honey bees surviving Varroa destructor mite infestations by means of natural selection
PeerJ Preprints  https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.2976v1

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