Effect of Varroa destructor on Physical, Physiological and Biological Parameters of European Honey Bee, Apis mellifera

Abstract

        Abstract
Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman is considered as the most serious ectoparasite of Apis mellifera L. through the world. In this review, we effort to discuss on current knowledge about varroa mite impacts on physical, physiological and also some biological traits of European honey bee. Results of recent studies show that decreasing in physical traits of A. mellifera including bee body size, wet and dry weights and body water content significantly correlated with increasing in varroa infestation level. In physiological traits, protein and carbohydrate content of hemolymph, vitellogenin titer and proportion of normal hemocytes of mite-infested bees significantly decrease in compared with non-infested bees. Moreover, it is demonstrated that varroa mite infestation affects the biological aspects of honey bee including colony population, performance, wintering ability, survival rate, life span and foraging behavior. Late fall acaricides measure is recommended to prevent winter colony losses. Therefore, it can be suggested that beekeepers combine treatment strategies to keep the mite population below the Economic Injury Level (EIL) and improve winter survival rate of honey bee colonies.
Key words: Varroa destructor, Apis mellifera, physical, physiological and biological parameters

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