Bees/or Development Journal 89
VARROA PROBLEMS KEYWORDS: Africa, Apis mellifera, Apis mellifera litorea, Apis melfifera scutellata, Hawaii, honey bee, mite, Papua New Guinea, pollination, research, training, Varroa destructor, Varroa jacobsoni, Zimbabwe
We would like to set up a research project looking at Varroa numbers in pure Apis mellifera scutellata colonies and Apis mellifera scutellata/
Varroa destructor in Papua New Guinea?
Apis mellifera litorea hybrid colonies. suspect the hybrids are more Varroa-tolerant than the pure Apis mellifera scutellata - probably partly due to cell size and length of life cycle. We have both these types of bees here, but as yet have not found pure Apis mellifera fitorea in |
Dr Denis Anderson, the world expert on Varroa mites from CSIRO Australia, visited us in late May 2008. He went through some of our Apis mellifera colonies and saw that mites were present and breeding.
We have had Varroa jacobsoni for 8-10 years. Thinking that it was Varroa destructor, he took some samples for identification. After DNA analysis we were told that it is not Varroa destructor. However what is really worrying us is that these mites are breeding in both the worker and drone cells. Varroa jacobsoni do not breed in Apis mellifera colonies.
We are unsure at this stage whether it is a new species of Varroa, or Varroa jacobsoni that has adapted well and changed its breeding habit.
This has given us an opportunity to approach our National Government and our donor friends: Australia have responded favourably. We have put into place a Provincial Task Force team who will monitor the Situation and report to the National Task Force. keeping in Papua New Guinea has been fortunate not to have some exotic honey bee diseases common in other countries, such as American foulbrood. Chemicals have never been used in our hives and ..
100 bees recorded. Only two Varroa control methods are employed removal of all drone brood and floor board removal. This research was funded by the New Zealand High Commission in Zimbabwe until they left about two years ago. No other funding is available. However, research will continue for as long as possible.
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we have maintained our status as organic honey producers.
Zimbabwe. EMF
Schmolke, Honorary Bee Research Officer
Varroa spreads to Hilo Island, Hawaii Manoa beekeeper Michael Kliks first identified Varroa in April 2007. During the last 17 months the mites spread between islands: from Ewa to Mililani to Waimanalo. The Department of Agriculture has discovered Varroa mites in a bee swarm trapped near Hilo harbour. “Now Varroa is on the Big island, it is a disaster for agriculture”, says Michael Kliks.
“When the infestation was discovered on Oahu we implemented an inter-island quarantine to prevent transfer of live bees, dead bees and used bee equipment between islands”, says Lyle Wong, Department of Agriculture. We have been trying our darndest not to let the bees move”.
Kliks calls it a state emergency: “There is going to be huge economic impact. Coqui frog is bad, nettle caterpillar is bad, but nothing compares to what Varroa will do to our food supply, including avocados, guava, pumpkins, and zucchini. If we lose pollination by a
With the current mite threat, we fear that this status will be affected. we are to resort to the use of chemicals we would do so as a last
If
option. would !ike, on behalf of more than 1,000 beekeepers to ask our friends through BfDJ around the beekeeping world who are experienced with Varroa destructor. |
How do you contro! the mites without using chemicals?
What IPM practices do you use? Is there anybody who would like to share experiences with
us?
Can someone assist us with training?
bees, agriculture will suffer, we will have low grade crops and farmers will give up”. Over the last year, bee colonies on Oahu have dropped from 1,500 to 300 and Kliks fears the same will happen on the Big Island. "It is very easy to criticise the Department, that we did not do enough, but am not sure what more we could have done”, says Wong. Agriculture |
Tella Loie, Provincial Beekeeping Officer
quarantine teams plan to destroy all feral bee colonies within an 8 km radius of Hilo bay. The State says the Varroa mite is a serious problem but does not warrant an emergency declaration by the Governor.
Varroa research in Zimbabwe
Source: Brianne Randle, www.khon2.com/news
We have not held an event due to economic meltdown in Zimbabwe and “h--tages of fuel, money and food. However, Varroa research continues
Articles on how to contro! Varroa are available online at
its start in November 2004 with 250 colonies being monitored,
www.beesfordevelopment/info
12 randomly selected colonies sampled weekly, approximately 600 bees from the brood area of each colony collected, and Varroa per
European vote to take sting out of falling bee numbers Members of the European Parliament (MEPs } voted on 20 November overwhelmingly in favour of providing ‘recovery zones’ in European farmland to help rebuild the region’s declining bee population. The resolution, which was passed by 485 votes to 13, follows fears that European food production could be threatened if there were fewer bees
MEPs hope their directive — set up under the Common Agricultural — Policy will spur the EU executive to help to set up patches of farmland planted with pollen and nectar-rich plants to act as ‘recovery zones’ for ailing insects. It would also fund research into the parasites and diseases which are harming bee populations, provide financial aid
to pollinate crops of fruit and vegetables. So far this year, German bee populations have dropped by a quarter and British beekeepers are
to apiaries with infected colonies, and combat ineffective pollination by banning pesticide treatment while crops are in flower.
expected to lose up to 10% of their colonies this winter.
Struan Stevenson, the Scottish Conservative MEP said: "We must invest more into bee research to establish the exact causes of the
The population has been endangered by long distance transportation of bees between countries as well as increased use of pesticides, which can weaken the insects’ immune systems. The development of
shrinking bee population so that we can urgently put measures in place to combat the decline.”
Genetically-modified crops and the spread of fungal infections and many viruses also contributed to the decline.
Helen Warrell, Financial Times, www.ftcom
