Reproductive Biology of Varroa jacobsoni Oud. in Worker and Drone Brood of the Honey Bee Apis mellifera L. under Michigan Conditions

Journal Article

Ghamdi, Ahmad Al Khazim Al . 2003

• المجلة \ الصحيفة: Pakistan Journal Of Biological Sciences
• رقم العدد: 8
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 6
• الصفحات: 756-761

مستخلص المنشور

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni Oud. (Acari:
Mesostigmata) is considered as one of the most serious
pests of Apis mellifera L. colonies in most parts of the
world. On its natural host, Apis cerana F., the Varroa mite
population is generally under the damage threshold
because the mite parasitizes primarily drone brood
(Koeniger et al., 1981; De Jong, 1988, Tewarson et al.,
1992 and Rosenkranz et al., 1993) and an intensive self,
nestamate and group cleaning and grooming behavior
was observed as a reaction by Apis cerana workers to
mite infestation has developed methods to protect itself
such as a more efficient grooming behavior (Peng et al.,
1987; Rath and Drescher, 1990; Boecking, 1992;
Rosenkranz et al., 1993 and Thakur et al., 1996).
The mite behaves differently in A mellifera than it does
in Apis cerana colonies. It regularly enters both worker
and drone brood, but has a higher fertility and fecundity
rate in the drone brood. The number of viable female
offspring produced by invading mother mites depends, in
part, upon the type of cell the mite enters, whether it is
drone or worker, and the number of invading mother mites
per cell. The number of mites entering a brood cell is
inversely proportional to the number of offspring
produced per female mite.
There is a wide variation in the fertility rate of mites
reported among different countries (Ritter and De Jong,
1984; Ifantidis, 1984; Thrybom and Fries, 1991; Camazme,
1986; Sulimanovic et al, 1982 and Rezenkran, 1994). In
addition, there is also variation in the fecundity rate
(Shulz, 1984; Fuchs and Langenbach, 1989; Ifantidis, 1984,
1990;Engels etal, 1986 and Martin, 1994, 1995).