Varroa

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Varroa
Varroa destructor, 1 2019-09-06-19.12.07 ZS PMax UDR (48697155713).jpg
Varroa destructor2 2019-09-06-19.10.23 ZS PMax UDR (48697673082).jpg
Varroa destructor in dorsal (top) and ventral (lower) views
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Mesostigmata
Superfamily: Dermanyssoidea
Family: Varroidae
Delfinado & Baker, 1974 [1]
Genus: Varroa
Oudemans, 1904 [2] [3]
Species

Varroa destructor
Varroa jacobsoni
Varroa rindereri
Varroa underwoodi

Contents

Varroa is a genus of parasitic mesostigmatan mites associated with honey bees, placed in its own family, Varroidae. [4] The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infested with Varroa mites is called varroosis (also, incorrectly, varroatosis).

Varroa mites, specifically the species Varroa destructor , are recognised as the biggest pest to honeybees worldwide due to their ability to transmit diseases such as deformed wing virus (or DWV) to larval or pupating bees, resulting in death or severe deformity of the pupae.

History and behavior

Varroa mites feed off the fat body tissue of adult, pupal, and larval honey bees, [5] and may carry viruses that are particularly damaging to the bees (e.g., deformed wings, and IAPV), and accordingly they have been implicated in colony collapse disorder. Research has indicated that alone, neither Varroa mites nor deformed wing virus are particularly deadly, yet together they can pose an incredible risk to colonies. [6] [7]

Varroa mites were first discovered in Java about 1904, [8] but are now present in all honey bee populations except the Isle of Man and Isle of Colonsay. Because of the lack of varroa in Isle of Man, on February 16, 2015, the EU made a decision that allowed the Isle of Man to block the importation of all bee-related supplies. [9]

They were discovered in the United States in 1987, in New Zealand in 2000, [10] and in the United Kingdom in 1992.[ citation needed ]

Australia was free of the mites until a routine inspection at the Port of Newcastle on 22 June 2022 detected an infestation. [11] Eradication is unlikely because no other introduction elsewhere in the world has been eradicated. [12] On 9 November 2023, ABC News reported that researchers have predicted the extinction of feral bees in Australia within three years because of the spreading Varroa mite infestation. [13]

Bee-breeding efforts to develop resistance against Varroa are ongoing. The USDA has developed a line of bees which uses Varroa-sensitive hygiene to remove reproductive mites. This line is now being distributed to beekeepers to be used as part of their integrated pest management programs.

Varroosis

The infestation and subsequent parasitic disease caused by mites in the genus Varroa is called varroosis. [14] Sometimes, the incorrect names varroatosis or varroasis are used. A parasitic disease name must be formed from the taxonomic name of the parasite and the suffix -osis [15] as provided in the Standardised Nomenclature by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology. [16] For example, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) uses the name varroosis in the OIE Terrestrial Manual. [17]

Species

The genus Varroa contains these species: [4]

Resistance

Some honey bees strains have been bred to be resistant to Varroa, [20] [21] through Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) behavior, enabling them to detect reproducing varroa mites and diseased pupae within capped cells, which are then uncapped and the pupae removed.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mite</span> Small eight-legged arthropod

Mites are small arachnids. Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as each other's closest relative within Arachnida, rendering the group non-monophyletic. Most mites are tiny, less than 1 mm (0.04 in) in length, and have a simple, unsegmented body plan. The small size of most species makes them easily overlooked; some species live in water, many live in soil as decomposers, others live on plants, sometimes creating galls, while others are predators or parasites. This last type includes the commercially destructive Varroa parasite of honey bees, as well as scabies mites of humans. Most species are harmless to humans, but a few are associated with allergies or may transmit diseases.

<i>Varroa destructor</i> Species of mite

Varroa destructor, the Varroa mite, is an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honey bees and is one of the most damaging honey bee pests in the world. A significant mite infestation leads to the death of a honey bee colony, usually in the late autumn through early spring. Without management for Varroa mite, honey bee colonies typically collapse within 2 to 3 years in temperate climates. These mites can infest Apis mellifera, the western honey bee, and Apis cerana, the Asian honey bee. Due to very similar physical characteristics, this species was thought to be the closely related Varroa jacobsoni prior to 2000, but they were found to be two separate species after DNA analysis.

<i>Varroa jacobsoni</i> Species of mite

Varroa jacobsoni is a species of mite that parasitises Apis cerana. The more damaging Varroa destructor was previously included under the name V. jacobsoni, but the two species can be separated on the basis of the DNA sequence of the cytochrome oxidase I gene in the mitochondrial DNA.

<i>Apis cerana nuluensis</i> Subspecies of honey bee

Apis cerana nuluensis is a subspecies of honey bee described in 1996 by Tingek, Koeniger & Koeniger. The geographic distribution of the subspecies is the southeastern Asian island of Borneo, politically divided between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

<i>Apis koschevnikovi</i> Species of bee

Apis koschevnikovi, Koschevnikov's honey bee, is a species of honey bee which inhabits Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo, where it lives sympatrically with other honey bee species such as Apis cerana.

<i>Apis dorsata</i> Species of insect

Apis dorsata, the rock bee or giant honey bee, is a honey bee of South and Southeast Asia. They are typically around 17–20 mm (0.7–0.8 in) long and nests are mainly built in exposed places far off the ground, like on tree limbs, under cliff overhangs, and under buildings. These social bees are known for their aggressive defense strategies and vicious behavior when disturbed. Though not domesticated, indigenous peoples have traditionally used this species as a source of honey and beeswax, a practice known as honey hunting.

<i>Deformed wing virus</i> Species of virus

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is an RNA virus, one of 22 known viruses affecting honey bees. While most commonly infecting the honey bee, Apis mellifera, it has also been documented in other bee species, like Bombus terrestris, thus, indicating it may have a wider host specificity than previously anticipated. The virus was first isolated from a sample of symptomatic honeybees from Japan in the early 1980s and is currently distributed worldwide. It is found also in pollen baskets and commercially reared bumblebees. Its main vector in A. mellifera is the Varroa mite. It is named after what is usually the most obvious deformity it induces in the development of a honeybee pupa, which is shrunken and deformed wings, but other developmental deformities are often present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesostigmata</span> Order of mites

Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, with over 8,000 species in 130 families. Mesostigmata includes parasitic as well as free-living and predatory forms. They can be recognized by the single pair of spiracles positioned laterally on the body.

<i>Apis cerana</i> Species of insect

Apis cerana, the eastern honey bee, Asiatic honey bee or Asian honey bee, is a species of honey bee native to South, Southeast and East Asia. This species is the sister species of Apis koschevnikovi and both are in the same subgenus as the western (European) honey bee, Apis mellifera. A. cerana is known to live sympatrically along with Apis koschevnikovi within the same geographic location. Apis cerana colonies are known for building nests consisting of multiple combs in cavities containing a small entrance, presumably for defense against invasion by individuals of another nest. The diet of this honey bee species consists mostly of pollen and nectar, or honey. Moreover, Apis cerana is known for its highly social behavior, reflective of its classification as a type of honey bee.

Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) is a behavioral trait of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in which bees detect and remove bee pupae that are infested by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. V. destructor is considered to be the most dangerous pest problem for honey bees worldwide. VSH activity results in significant resistance to the mites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laelapidae</span> Family of mites

The Laelapidae are a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata. The family is also referred to in the literature as Laelaptidae, which may be the correct spelling.

Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) commonly affects adult Apis mellifera honey bees and causes a chronic paralysis that can easily spread to other members of a colony. Bees infected with CBPV begin to show symptoms after 5 days and die a few days after. Chronic bee paralysis virus infection is a factor that can contribute to or cause the sudden collapse of honeybee colonies. Since honeybees serve a vital role in ecological resilience, it is important to understand factors and diseases that threaten them.

Aparavirus is a genus of viruses in the order Picornavirales, in the family Dicistroviridae. Invertebrates, honeybee, and bumblebees serve as natural hosts. There are six species in this genus. Diseases associated with this genus include: ABPV: paralysis. This virus plays a role in sudden collapse of honey bee colonies infested with the parasitic mite varroa destructor.

<i>Slow bee paralysis virus</i> Species of virus

Slow bee paralysis virus (SBPV) is a virus discovered in England in 1974 that infects honeybees, bumblebees, and silkworms through Varroa destructor mite infestations. The virus causes paralysis in the front two pairs of legs of adult bees eventually killing its hosts. The virus is in the iflaviridae family of viruses. Infection by iflaviridae viruses is among the leading cause of death of honeybee colonies. As bees and silkworms are of great economic and biological importance, the virus is the subject of ongoing research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mite biting bees</span>

Mite Biting is claimed to be a natural defensive behavior of some honey bees to fight off the ectoparasitic mites Varroa destructor. This behavior has been studied since the late 1990s for honeybee breeding and improvement of honeybee stocks towards mite resistance. Krispn Given and Dr. Greg Hunt at Purdue University started a hierarchical selective breeding program in 1997–present for increased mite-biting/grooming behavior of European honey bee. A group of Midwest bee breeders visiting the Purdue bee lab were inspired to start the Heartland Honey Bee Breeders Cooperative as a result of their work.

Apis mellifera adansonii(Western African bee) is a subspecies of the Western honey bee with probably the largest range of Apis mellifera in Africa, belonging to the A (Africa) Lineage of honey bees. Originally identified by Michael Adansonin in his Histoire naturelle du Seneegal in 1757. Initially the name adsansonii was misapplied to A. m. scutelleta and in particular to the Africanised bees of South America.

Mercedes Delfinado is an acarologist from the Philippines, who was a recipient of a 1962 Guggenheim Fellowship. She is a specialist in bee mites, and published widely on insects of south-east Asia. For over twenty years she was a Chief Editor for the International Journal of Acarology. Multiple species were named in her honour.

Varroa rindereri is an external parasitic mite that feeds on honey bees. The only known honey bee species it feeds on is Apis koschevnikovi

Varroa underwoodi is a mite that feeds on honey bees. It is an external parasite of the western honey bee, Asian honey bee, A. nigrocincta, and A. nuluensisV. underwoodi has been found on multiple bee species in Southern Asia, though has only been found on the Asian honey bee in China. The smallest sized V. underwoodi was collected from Papua New Guinea from western honey bee hives.

References

  1. ↑ Delfinado, M. D.; Baker, E. W. (1974). "Varroidae, A new family of mites on honey bees (Mesostigmata: Acarina)". Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 64 (1): 4–10. JSTOR   24535743.
  2. 1 2 Oudemans, A. C. (1904). "On a new genus and species of parasitic Acari". Notes from the Leyden Museum. 24 (4): 216–222.
  3. 1 2 Oudemans, A. C. (1904). "Acarologische Aanteekeningen XII". Entomologische Berichten. 1 (18): 160–164.
  4. 1 2 Joel Hallan. "Varroidae Delfinado & Baker, 1974". Texas A&M University . Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  5. ↑ Ramsey, Samuel D.; Ochoa, Ronald; Bauchan, Gary; Gulbronson, Connor; Mowery, Joseph D.; Cohen, Allen; Lim, David; Joklik, Judith; Cicero, Joseph M. (2019-01-29). "Varroa destructor feeds primarily on honey bee fat body tissue and not hemolymph". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116 (5): 1792–1801. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1818371116 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   6358713 . PMID   30647116.
  6. ↑ "Mites, Viruses Sicken Bee Hives - Colony Collapse Disorder - Hawaiian Honeybee Infection". LiveScience.com. 7 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "Bees Wiped Out by Cascade of Deadly Events". LiveScience.com. 17 May 2005.
  8. 1 2 D. L. Anderson & J. W. H. Trueman (2000). "Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) is more than one species". Experimental and Applied Acarology . 24 (3): 165–189. doi:10.1023/A:1006456720416. PMID   11108385. S2CID   12271915.
  9. ↑ "Isle of Man Government - Bees". www.gov.im. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  10. ↑ Zhi-Qian Zhang (2000). "Notes on Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) parasitic on honeybees in New Zealand" (PDF). Systematic & Applied Acarology . Special Publications. 5: 9–14.
  11. ↑ "New Varroa mite detection linked to Newcastle". Newcastle Weekly . 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  12. ↑ "Here's what you need to know about the Varroa mite". Australian National University . 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  13. ↑ "Researcher says feral bees face extinction as deadly mite spreads in swarms". ABC News. 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  14. ↑ "Varroosis of honey bees (infestation of honey bees with Varroa spp.)". OIE Terrestrial Health Manual (PDF). World Organisation for Animal Health. 2021.
  15. ↑ Kassai, Tibor (June 2006). "Nomenclature for parasitic diseases: cohabitation with inconsistency for how long and why?". Veterinary Parasitology. 138 (3–4): 169–178. doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.02.019. PMID   16569483.
  16. ↑ "Standardised Nomenclature of Animal Parasitic Diseases". Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  17. ↑ "Varroosis in honey bees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-13. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  18. 1 2 de Guzman, L. I.; Delfinado-Baker, M. (1996). "A new species of Varroa (Acari: Varroidae) associated with Apis koschevnikovi (Apidae: Hymenoptera) in Borneo". International Journal of Acarology. 22 (1): 23–27. doi:10.1080/01647959608684077.
  19. 1 2 de Guzman, Lilia I.; Rinderer, Thomas E. (1999). "Identification and comparison of Varroa species infesting honey bees". Apidologie. 30 (2–3): 85–95. doi: 10.1051/apido:19990201 .
  20. ↑ "Arista Bee Research - Foundation for breeding varroa resistant honey bees". aristabeeresearch.org.
  21. ↑ "USDA ARS Online Magazine Vol. 47, No. 8". usda.gov.
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