Researchers report that a strain of honey bee bred to fight back against parasites survives much better than standard commercial colonies, even under the stressful conditions of industrial-scale pollinating.
The greatest threat to honey bees isn’t much larger than a pinhead. But left unchecked, the varroa mite—a blind, eight-legged parasite—can kill enough bees to doom an entire colony. Now, researchers report that a strain of honey bee bred to fight back survives much better than standard commercial colonies, even under the stressful conditions of industrial-scale pollinating.
Of all these, the varroa mite is beekeepers’ top concern, says Elina Niño, an entomologist who specializes in honey bees at University of California, Davis. Mites weaken bees by, organs vital for metabolism and the immune system. In addition, the mites spread deadly viruses among the bees and between hives. “It’s a big problem worldwide and can cause tremendous losses,” Niño says. To keep mites in check, most beekeepers rely on chemicals called miticides.
USDA wanted to see how the bees perform under the stressful conditions of migratory beekeeping. In these operations, bee colonies are trucked around the country, from one field to another as the seasons change, to maximize revenue by pollinating various crops. The frequent transportation is hard on the bees, and they are exposed to more diseases and mites when stacked together in storage lots or farm fields.
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