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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
Peter Loring Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 3 Apr 2018 08:24:44 -0400
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Yet another study reports mite resistant bees, and touts the potential, but actually fails to identify the mechanism, referring to "unidentified behavioral traits."

To mitigate the global impact of V. destructor, we suggest learning more from nature, i.e., identifying the obviously efficient mechanisms favored by natural selection.  

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

It is therefore high time we take advantage of these cases and gain a better understanding of natural host adaptations for a practical application in apiculture and honey bee conservation worldwide.

Oddie, Melissa AY, Bjørn Dahle, and Peter Neumann. "Norwegian honey bees surviving Varroa destructor mite infestations by means of natural selection." PeerJ 5 (2017): e3956.

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