Varroa destructor mites pose a significant threat to Apis mellifera colonies worldwide, with over 70% of these mites infesting capped cells of bee brood. Why is understanding the dynamics of varroa mite infestation in drone brood and the efficacy of drone brood removal (DBR) crucial for beekeepers? Understanding these aspects is essential for effective pest management strategies.
The Potential of DBR:
Why has drone brood removal emerged as a promising tool for varroa mite control? Drone brood is particularly susceptible to varroa infestation due to several factors, including extended development time, increased nurse bee attendance, and heightened production of kairomones. How does integrating drone brood removal into pest management protocols offer advantages over traditional methods? DBR has shown promising results, especially in small-scale beekeeping operations in Europe. However, what challenges hinder its wider adoption? Labor intensity and variable effectiveness as a standalone treatment are key challenges.
Challenges and Considerations:
What factors affect the efficacy of drone brood removal? Factors such as timing and frequency of removal play a crucial role. What is the risk associated with delayed trap frame harvesting? Delayed harvesting may lead to rapid varroa spread. Despite its potential benefits, what concerns do beekeepers have about DBR? Beekeepers may have doubts about its effectiveness, emphasizing the need for further research and practical insights.
Key Findings from the Study:
What gaps did our study aim to fill regarding drone brood removal effectiveness? Our study investigated varroa mite counts in individual drone frames over an entire bee season. What significant finding did we uncover? We found a notable increase in mite infestation over time, highlighting the importance of regular removal of drone frames for varroa control. What surprising discovery challenged previous assumptions? Even partially capped drone cells were susceptible to varroa infestation, challenging previous notions about the necessity of fully capped frames for effective DBR.
Implications for Beekeeping Practices:
How does drone brood removal benefit beekeepers? Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of drone brood removal in reducing varroa mite infestation, even with partially capped frames.
What practical steps can beekeepers take based on our study? Regular monitoring and timely removal of trap frames can maximize mite extraction and minimize varroa spread within colonies.
Future Directions and Recommendations:
What further research is needed regarding drone brood removal? Future studies should focus on refining DBR as an integrated pest management measure in beekeeping. Why is collaboration between researchers and beekeepers essential? Collaborative efforts can address practical challenges and develop region-specific recommendations to optimize DBR effectiveness.
Conclusion: In conclusion, our study highlights the potential of drone brood removal as a proactive approach to varroa mite control in beekeeping. By understanding the factors influencing varroa infestation in drone brood and the efficacy of drone brood removal, beekeepers can make informed decisions to mitigate the impact of this devastating parasite on honey bee populations. As we continue to refine our understanding of varroa mite management, collaboration between researchers and beekeepers will be essential in addressing this ongoing challenge in apiculture.
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Odemer, Richard; Odemer, Franziska; Liebig, Gerhard; de Craigher, Doris
Temporal increase of Varroa mites in trap frames used for drone brood removal during the honey bee season Journal Article
In: Journal of Applied Entomology, 2022.
@article{nokey,
title = {Temporal increase of Varroa mites in trap frames used for drone brood removal during the honey bee season},
author = {Richard Odemer and Franziska Odemer and Gerhard Liebig and Doris de Craigher},
url = {http://vibee-project.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Odemer-et-al.-2022-Temporal-increase-of-Varroa-mites-in-trap-frames-used-for-drone-brood-removal-during-the-honey-bee-season.pdf},
doi = {10.1111/jen.13046},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-06-29},
urldate = {2022-06-29},
journal = {Journal of Applied Entomology},
abstract = {Varroa mites are highly attracted to drone brood of honey bees (Apis mellifera), as it increases their chance of successful reproduction. Therefore, drone brood removal with trap frames is common practice among beekeepers in Europe and part of sustainable varroa control. However, it is considered labour-intensive, and there are doubts about the effectiveness of this measure. At present, it is mostly unknown how many mites a drone frame can carry at different times of the season, and how many mites can be removed on average if this measure is performed frequently. Therefore, we sampled a total of 262 drone frames with varying proportion of capped cells (5–100%) from 18 different apiaries. Mites were washed out from brood collected from mid-April to mid-July based on a standard method to obtain comparable results. We found that a drone frame carried a median of 71.5 mites, and with the removal of four trap frames, about 286 mites can be removed per colony and season. In addition, mite counts were significantly higher in June and July than in April and May (Tukey-HSD, P < 0.05). The number of mites and the proportion of capped cells, however, were not correlated (R2 < 0.01, P < 0.05). Our results suggest that drone brood removal is effective in reducing Varroa destructor numbers in colonies, supporting the findings of previous studies on the efficacy of this measure. Although mite counts varied, we believe that increasing sample size over different seasons and locations could elucidate infestation patterns in drone brood and ultimately improve drone brood removal as an integrated pest management tool for a wider audience of beekeepers.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Varroa mites are highly attracted to drone brood of honey bees (Apis mellifera), as it increases their chance of successful reproduction. Therefore, drone brood removal with trap frames is common practice among beekeepers in Europe and part of sustainable varroa control. However, it is considered labour-intensive, and there are doubts about the effectiveness of this measure. At present, it is mostly unknown how many mites a drone frame can carry at different times of the season, and how many mites can be removed on average if this measure is performed frequently. Therefore, we sampled a total of 262 drone frames with varying proportion of capped cells (5–100%) from 18 different apiaries. Mites were washed out from brood collected from mid-April to mid-July based on a standard method to obtain comparable results. We found that a drone frame carried a median of 71.5 mites, and with the removal of four trap frames, about 286 mites can be removed per colony and season. In addition, mite counts were significantly higher in June and July than in April and May (Tukey-HSD, P < 0.05). The number of mites and the proportion of capped cells, however, were not correlated (R2 < 0.01, P < 0.05). Our results suggest that drone brood removal is effective in reducing Varroa destructor numbers in colonies, supporting the findings of previous studies on the efficacy of this measure. Although mite counts varied, we believe that increasing sample size over different seasons and locations could elucidate infestation patterns in drone brood and ultimately improve drone brood removal as an integrated pest management tool for a wider audience of beekeepers.
Impact
